The Real Diehl

After a wild week in Jefferson City, it's a new day – and hopefully, a new Diehl – right? Hardly.

 

He couldn't wait a year or a month or even a week. Less than 24 hours after announcing that he'd be stepping down from his elected office and his Speaker of the Missouri State House position, John Diehl – newly disgraced predator – shamelessly dove into the process of his own public rehabilitation by claiming, in so many parting words before the Missouri state congress, that his text message exchange with a teenage intern was simply "a mistake;" just a small glitch in a "more complete" political career, which has now come to a disgraceful conclusion.

 

But was it just a glitch? Or is what we witnessed this past week The Real Diehl?

 

If you think this is out of the norm for John Diehl, think again. I don't mean the specific predator part; I mean the general scumbag part. More than the deception and the disloyalty to loved ones, it's the twisted violation of his own self-proclaimed ideal of "family values" that brings to mind the same word that Republicans always seems to bring to mind: Hypocrite.

 

John Diehl is/was just another one of the "family values" assholes from the right who think it's their business to tell others how to live (while bashing government intervention in ANYTHING out of the other side of the pie hole), but in truth can't manage their own personal lives.

 

And by the way, for those of you on the Right who are saying, "What about Bill Clinton?" … unlike the John Diehls of the world, 'ole Wild Bill didn't go around preaching to all of creation their own opinions on who one can marry and how one (women, especially) must treat their own bodies.

 

Greasy little fuckers like John Diehl are plentiful in Jefferson City. One of them, freshman Rep. Nick King, R-Liberty, was actually stupid enough to open his trap in defense of Diehl.

 

“I’m not going to condemn the guy,” King said. “I’m a Christian. I believe we shouldn’t be throwing stones in glass houses.” This from an anti-choice, character-first-spouting prick who I can well imagine has been happy to throw stones at those who don't think EXACTLY as he does.

 

It even appeared that newly elevated House Speaker Todd Richardson may not be much better when he seem to say that he and house members could learn from Diehl's actions so as to "put ourselves in a position to not make those mistakes again." Really, Todd? You need an example like John Diehl to make you realize that this is bad behavior?

 

Forget what John Diehl said from the dais on his last day – it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that this sick, sanctimonious, pious pervert had the guts to once again put his face in front of a camera for ego's sake instead of just slithering away.

 

Meet the new Diehl, same as the old Diehl.

Senor Jeb

With this past week including Cinco de Mayo celebrations nationwide, it seems appropriate that a few more aspiring Republican would throw his or her sombrero into a presidential ring already occupied by those of Rand Paul and the Three Amigos – Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Jeb "The Voting Hispanic" Bush.

 

First, it was Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon who is beginning to make people wonder if he has a brain himself. Then, "businesswoman" Carly Fiorina, who is insinuating that she alone among the candidates knows how the economy works, even though she nearly brought down venerable HP. Lastly, it was Mike Huckabee, the hate-filled Christian. (Go figure.) However, by week's end, it was Carson who stole the show. Displaying a new-found sense of stupidity, Carson found himself trying to strike a balance between bland and buffoonery on one of the Sunday morning gabfests. In one breath, he questioned any president's inclination to enforce any laws of the land created by Congress with which the Supreme Court happens to agree. What?!?! He then, in a bow to the obvious, stated that he would run any military decisions by those who may know more than he does in this area, i.e. military people. Brain surgeon. Right.

 

At this point, there are still many a clown to enter the Republican field and many a stupid statement to be uttered by such, but what strikes me as most interesting at this stage of the game is that the candidate who was expected to be the most straight-forward, if you will, the most bland, probably the smartest and the most likely to cruise to the nomination is turning out to be the biggest fool.

 

Foregoing any sense of personal ethics, and willing to jump outside the realm of even our society's boundaries as they pertain to established ethical political parameters, Jeb Bush is emerging as a guy who will say and do ANYTHING to get elected. First, he turned Mexican to appeal to Florida voters by registering (illegally) to vote as a Mexican. Now his target is the religious nutball faction, a segment to whom he addressed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, recently. Throwing them the usual red meat, he claimed the Obama White House used "coercive federal power" to limit religious freedom – but didn't say how. He accused the administration of "demanding obedience in complete disregard of religious conscience" – but didn't say how. He seemed to claim that the president has taken "an aggressive stance against" religious freedom" – but didn't say how. Lastly, he accused "somebody" of "being small-minded and intolerant."

 

Imagine; a Republican offended by intolerance. Right.

 

If he keeps it up, Jeb Bush may turn out to be the biggest whore of them all; certainly the biggest one the Republicans have given us since Condoleezza Rice.