Democrats: The New Moral Majority

[jochhejaam]

I know, oxymoron.

If this were a fallen Republican, the left-wing feeding frenzy would be in full bloom, but, alas, it's another of their own that's steeped in hypocrisy.

Have at it Nbadan, boutons and company.


Ohio Attorney General Dann admits affair with employee


Marc Dann, Ohio's attorney general who campaigned to restore ethics to the office, addresses questions about his sex affair.

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS - Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, who was catapulted into office because of a Republican ethics scandal, yesterday vowed to remain in office after he admitted to having an extramarital affair with an employee.

The admission occurred just after the Democratic officeholder said he fired two top aides and accepted the forced resignation of a third in a sexual harassment scandal. The situation inevitably brought his own conduct into question.

"I have not conducted myself in a way that has been consistent with my values as a husband, a father, and my responsibilities as attorney general of Ohio," he told reporters. "In a difficult time in my marriage, I got involved in a romantic relationship with a member of my staff. That conduct was intrinsically wrong.''


Mr. Dann, at times stammering and appearing close to tears, said he will work to regain the confidence of Ohioans. Republicans, however, immediately called for his resignation, and even Gov. Ted Strickland - a close ally - expressed "extreme disappointment" and "some anger."

Mr. Dann's admission of a sexual affair with a subordinate was stunning considering the tenacity with which he made ethics a hallmark of his campaign for attorney general.

Day after day, he hammered at top Republican officeholders in 2005 and 2006 because of their association with former GOP fund-raiser Tom Noe, who was convicted of stealing millions from a rare-coin fund he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Governor Strickland said that if he learned one of his aides was involved in a consensual relationship with a subordinate, he would put an end to it immediately.

"I think it's inappropriate for somebody who has a supervisory role to engage in that kind of relationship," he said. "My staff understands that a supervisor is not to have a relationship of that nature with someone they are responsible for supervising, because there's an uneven power relationship there. By its very nature, it's wrong."


Neither the governor, whom Mr. Dann talked to personally before making his announcement, nor the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, Chris Redfern, would immediately come to Mr. Dann's aid and say he should not resign. Both said they want to study the results of the Attorney General's Office's internal investigation into the harassment complaints first.

The investigation examined sexual harassment complaints made by two female employees against two high-ranking Dann aides, who also were long-time friends from Youngstown and, at the time, shared a condominium with Mr. Dann. The investigation never directly asked questions about Mr. Dann's own affair because it was not the subject of the complaints.

Mr. Dann admitted his own conduct may have set a bad example for people in his office.

"He turned the attorney general's office into a raunchy frat pad, lied to the press, and lied to his own investigator," said Kevin DeWine, deputy chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. "It's simply not acceptable that everyone but Dann himself will be held accountable."

Sen. David Goodman (R., Bexley), a former assistant attorney general and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Criminal Justice, sent a letter to Mr. Dann asking him to resign. At a news conference, Mr. Goodman left the door open for lawmakers to consider impeachment proceedings should the attorney general refuse to step down.

"You also said you 'take full responsibility' for this scandal," Mr. Goodman wrote. "Three state employees have already lost their jobs. Taking full responsibility means that you must lose your job as well."
.

Mr. Dann, a former state senator, said he told his wife about the affair months ago. His wife did not attend the news conference.

"My conduct has caused my family and employees great hurt and embarrassment," he said. "To Alyssa and my children, to the employees of the office of attorney general, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for my human failings."


Mr. Dann fired his general services chief, Anthony Gutierrez, after the investigation found credible complaints filed against him by two female employees of the office, Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout. The report concluded that Mr. Gutierrez used his friendship with the attorney general and claimed to have family connections with the Mafia in an attempt to impress women.

Mr. Dann fired another long-time pal, Communications Director Leo Jennings III, for trying to persuade another employee to lie to investigators.

Another top aide, Ed Simpson, resigned rather than be fired for failing to take swift action after learning of the two women's complaints.



Mr. Dann did not identify the employee with whom he had the affair. During his news conference, he announced that his scheduler, Jessica Utovich, voluntarily resigned Thursday. Neither she nor Mr. Dann was the subject of the complaints under investigation.

The investigation made no recommendations when it came to disciplining Mr. Dann, who based his campaign for election in 2006 on investment scandals surrounding Republicans and openly questioned at the time how officeholders like then-Gov. Bob Taft could not be aware of the actions of those working under them.

"We can't discipline him. We can't suspend him. We don't have that authority," Executive Assistant Attorney General Ben Espy said.

Mr. Dann had chosen Mr. Espy to conduct the internal investigation. During an earlier news conference to announce the results of his probe, Mr. Espy said his investigation concluded Mr. Dann "exercised poor judgment" by allowing Mr. Gutierrez to bring an allegedly intoxicated female staff member, Ms. Stankoski, to the condo the two men shared with Mr. Jennings.

"We did not assume the role of being the moral police, therefore, even though there were rumors of affairs between management and female subordinates, it was not our responsibility to investigate the accuracy of those rumors," the report said.

Attorneys Rex Elliott and Mark Collins watched Mr. Dann's televised news conference with their clients, Ms. Stankoski and Ms. Stout. The women were disappointed Mr. Dann didn't look into the camera to directly apologize to them, they said.

The attorneys said Mr. Dann cannot separate his own affair with an employee from the sexual harassment of other employees by one of his aides.

"How can you as a leader prohibit the very conduct that you're engaging in?" Mr. Elliott asked.

Governor Strickland renewed his call for a new, independent investigation. He said the independent inquiry would go further toward regaining public confidence.

If Mr. Dann should leave office, Mr. Strickland could name a temporary replacement to serve until a new attorney general is selected in the next general election of an even-numbered year, which would be Nov. 4.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NEWS24/805030402

[jochhejaam]

These ethics violations would be much easier to stomach if it weren't for the brazen hypocrisy.



WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
“The lying, mismanagement, and cronyism that Dann and
his senior aides engaged in are an utter embarrassment
to the people of Ohio. His disgraceful conduct not only exposes him as a fraud and a hypocrite, but it highlights
a complete failure on the part of Democratic leaders to adhere to the standard they promised to Ohioans.’’
— Bob Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party

“It’s taken me this time because I had to make sure my
personal house was in order. I am taking responsibility for it, because at this point it’s clear that the questions related to my conduct are impeding the great work that’s been done in this office.’’
— Attorney General Marc Dann, on why it took so long to admit his affair.

“He has made a career out of loudly demanding that public officials in Ohio uphold the highest ethical standards, and yet he has failed to hold himself accountable. The hypocrisy is mind-boggling. Harry
Truman once said, ‘The buck stops here.’ How can he think that firing several high-ranking employees is sufficient, when his behavior was clearly intertwined with theirs?’’
— State Sen. Tim Grendell (R., Chesterland)

“We had great hopes for this administration. We were all
tired of the political favoritism. It’s a disappointment to everybody that this administration acted in a manner inconsistent with the platform that he ran on.’’
— Rex Elliott, an attorney for the two women who filed complaints against Dann aide Anthony Gutierrez.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NEWS24/805030402

[PlayoffEx-static]

Do we really have to go over this again?

Dems usually fuck a woman not their wife.

GOPs fuck the little people, and quite probably little boys.

Got it?

[BonnerDynasty]

They all fuck over the people.

[xrayzebra]

:sleep The dimm-o-craps are just doing their normal,
usual thing. Nothing new here. Cant we just move on.:downspin:

Now when one of them gets religion, that will be
news.

[some_user86]

:sleep The dimm-o-craps are just doing their normal,
usual thing. Nothing new here. Cant we just move on.:downspin:

Now when one of them gets religion, that will be
news.

Hey, maybe you can tell me when the Republicans do that as well!

[George Gervin's Afro]

:sleep The dimm-o-craps are just doing their normal,
usual thing. Nothing new here. Cant we just move on.:downspin:

Now when one of them gets religion, that will be
news.

rays right. the gop is now the homosexual/ sexual predator party..dems f*ck adults and the gop f*ck men and proposition kids for sex..

[SAGambler]

"I have not conducted myself in a way that has been consistent with my values as a husband, a father, and my responsibilities as attorney general of Ohio,

But if you think I'm gonna give up my cozy little job over it, you can go fuck yourself.

Typical fucking Democrat.

[jochhejaam]

Do we really have to go over this again?

Dems usually fuck a woman not their wife.

GOPs fuck the little people, and quite probably little boys.

Got it?

It's not about sex, it's about corruption. Got it?



And thanks for inquiring, but no, obviously you don't have respond.

[ChumpDumper]

Did he break any laws?

[jochhejaam]

Do we really have to go over this again?


And quit your grandstanding, because you certainly wanted to go over it "again and again" when Republican Larry Craig got busted;


The implosion of the former GOP house of cards majority is just breathtaking to behold. Could these hypocrites be fucking themselves any harder?

and again;


Democrats don't claim to be the party of values. It's funnier when it happens to a member of that self declared party.

Apparently, in addition to gay tendencies, he has moron tendencies, too.
I can't believe he handed them his Senate business card. What a fucking stooge.

and again;


...but he's not gay. These nasty rumors have just been following him around...for forty fucking years.

etc.

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76661&highlight=Larry+Craig&page=4




So, what do we have here, selective memory on your part or hypocrisy on your part?
I say both.

[jochhejaam]

Did he break any laws?

Nothing yet, just an investigation into whether he had knowledge of the sexual harrassment charges brought against his self-appointed staffers (the victims claim he knew, he says he didn't), who were subsequently fired.
Probably a nice lawsuit, with the tab being picked up by the Ohio taxpayers.

Double standards, hypocrisy, violating the Publics trust, gross stupidity, etc.

As of yet, nothing that's going to land him in jail, but certainly enough to where he should step down as our Attorney General.

[PixelPusher]

I know, oxymoron.

If this were a fallen Republican, the left-wing feeding frenzy would be in full bloom, but, alas, it's another of their own that's steeped in hypocrisy.

Have at it Nbadan, boutons and company.


Ohio Attorney General Dann admits affair with employee


Marc Dann, Ohio's attorney general who campaigned to restore ethics to the office, addresses questions about his sex affair.

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS - Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, who was catapulted into office because of a Republican ethics scandal, yesterday vowed to remain in office after he admitted to having an extramarital affair with an employee.

The admission occurred just after the Democratic officeholder said he fired two top aides and accepted the forced resignation of a third in a sexual harassment scandal. The situation inevitably brought his own conduct into question.

"I have not conducted myself in a way that has been consistent with my values as a husband, a father, and my responsibilities as attorney general of Ohio," he told reporters. "In a difficult time in my marriage, I got involved in a romantic relationship with a member of my staff. That conduct was intrinsically wrong.''


Mr. Dann, at times stammering and appearing close to tears, said he will work to regain the confidence of Ohioans. Republicans, however, immediately called for his resignation, and even Gov. Ted Strickland - a close ally - expressed "extreme disappointment" and "some anger."

Mr. Dann's admission of a sexual affair with a subordinate was stunning considering the tenacity with which he made ethics a hallmark of his campaign for attorney general.

Day after day, he hammered at top Republican officeholders in 2005 and 2006 because of their association with former GOP fund-raiser Tom Noe, who was convicted of stealing millions from a rare-coin fund he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Governor Strickland said that if he learned one of his aides was involved in a consensual relationship with a subordinate, he would put an end to it immediately.

"I think it's inappropriate for somebody who has a supervisory role to engage in that kind of relationship," he said. "My staff understands that a supervisor is not to have a relationship of that nature with someone they are responsible for supervising, because there's an uneven power relationship there. By its very nature, it's wrong."


Neither the governor, whom Mr. Dann talked to personally before making his announcement, nor the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, Chris Redfern, would immediately come to Mr. Dann's aid and say he should not resign. Both said they want to study the results of the Attorney General's Office's internal investigation into the harassment complaints first.

The investigation examined sexual harassment complaints made by two female employees against two high-ranking Dann aides, who also were long-time friends from Youngstown and, at the time, shared a condominium with Mr. Dann. The investigation never directly asked questions about Mr. Dann's own affair because it was not the subject of the complaints.

Mr. Dann admitted his own conduct may have set a bad example for people in his office.

"He turned the attorney general's office into a raunchy frat pad, lied to the press, and lied to his own investigator," said Kevin DeWine, deputy chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. "It's simply not acceptable that everyone but Dann himself will be held accountable."

Sen. David Goodman (R., Bexley), a former assistant attorney general and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Criminal Justice, sent a letter to Mr. Dann asking him to resign. At a news conference, Mr. Goodman left the door open for lawmakers to consider impeachment proceedings should the attorney general refuse to step down.

"You also said you 'take full responsibility' for this scandal," Mr. Goodman wrote. "Three state employees have already lost their jobs. Taking full responsibility means that you must lose your job as well."
.

Mr. Dann, a former state senator, said he told his wife about the affair months ago. His wife did not attend the news conference.

"My conduct has caused my family and employees great hurt and embarrassment," he said. "To Alyssa and my children, to the employees of the office of attorney general, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for my human failings."


Mr. Dann fired his general services chief, Anthony Gutierrez, after the investigation found credible complaints filed against him by two female employees of the office, Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout. The report concluded that Mr. Gutierrez used his friendship with the attorney general and claimed to have family connections with the Mafia in an attempt to impress women.

Mr. Dann fired another long-time pal, Communications Director Leo Jennings III, for trying to persuade another employee to lie to investigators.

Another top aide, Ed Simpson, resigned rather than be fired for failing to take swift action after learning of the two women's complaints.



Mr. Dann did not identify the employee with whom he had the affair. During his news conference, he announced that his scheduler, Jessica Utovich, voluntarily resigned Thursday. Neither she nor Mr. Dann was the subject of the complaints under investigation.

The investigation made no recommendations when it came to disciplining Mr. Dann, who based his campaign for election in 2006 on investment scandals surrounding Republicans and openly questioned at the time how officeholders like then-Gov. Bob Taft could not be aware of the actions of those working under them.

"We can't discipline him. We can't suspend him. We don't have that authority," Executive Assistant Attorney General Ben Espy said.

Mr. Dann had chosen Mr. Espy to conduct the internal investigation. During an earlier news conference to announce the results of his probe, Mr. Espy said his investigation concluded Mr. Dann "exercised poor judgment" by allowing Mr. Gutierrez to bring an allegedly intoxicated female staff member, Ms. Stankoski, to the condo the two men shared with Mr. Jennings.

"We did not assume the role of being the moral police, therefore, even though there were rumors of affairs between management and female subordinates, it was not our responsibility to investigate the accuracy of those rumors," the report said.

Attorneys Rex Elliott and Mark Collins watched Mr. Dann's televised news conference with their clients, Ms. Stankoski and Ms. Stout. The women were disappointed Mr. Dann didn't look into the camera to directly apologize to them, they said.

The attorneys said Mr. Dann cannot separate his own affair with an employee from the sexual harassment of other employees by one of his aides.

"How can you as a leader prohibit the very conduct that you're engaging in?" Mr. Elliott asked.

Governor Strickland renewed his call for a new, independent investigation. He said the independent inquiry would go further toward regaining public confidence.

If Mr. Dann should leave office, Mr. Strickland could name a temporary replacement to serve until a new attorney general is selected in the next general election of an even-numbered year, which would be Nov. 4.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NEWS24/805030402

So where in this article do Democrats declare themselves "The New Moral Majority"?

[ChumpDumper]

Nothing
Thanks.

[jochhejaam]

So where in this article do Democrats declare themselves "The New Moral Majority"?

That's a good question Pixel, run along now.

[jochhejaam]

Thanks, I couldn't figure it out for myself
Don't mention it. Always happy to unravel those things that confound you.

[ChumpDumper]

I said lots of stuff after "nothing" that meant nothing.I already knew, I just wanted to see you whine some more.

[clambake]

where do you guys find time to post, what with all the male tail chasing.

[boutons_]

.

[SPARKY]

Your team has some bad apples!

Well, your team has some bad oranges!

Meanwhile the country goes to hell.

[clambake]

there should be a religious revolution. you holier than thou (holier thats been taken to another level) should be punished as the dick chasers that you've evolved into.

the joch sniffers that want to protect some morphed american pope.

[Ignignokt]

there should be a religious revolution. you holier than thou (holier thats been taken to another level) should be punished as the dick chasers that you've evolved into.

the joch sniffers that want to protect some morphed american pope.


There should be a ideological revolution. THose More Bleeding Vagina than thou (bloody vagina taken to a new level) should be punished as the leaky pro jihad vaginas that they've evolved into.

[clambake]

There should be a ideological revolution. THose More Bleeding Vagina than thou (bloody vagina taken to a new level) should be punished as the leaky pro jihad vaginas that they've evolved into.

why don't you just say you like little boys over pussy?

[gtownspur]

why don't you just say you like little boys over pussy?

what's that? cant hear you with your mother's beef curtains queefing in my ear.

[jochhejaam]

Apparently Mark Dann is getting impeached for "nothing". Led by his own Party;


Ohio lawmakers prep to impeach Dann; proceedings would be 1st in 200 years


Gov. Ted Strickland has called for the resignation of Marc Dann and has vowed to lead the Democrats' impeachment march.
( ASSOCIATED PRESS )

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF


COLUMBUS - Lawmakers have begun preparing for what could be the first Ohio impeachment proceedings in nearly two centuries after Attorney General Marc Dann yesterday rejected calls from fellow Democrats to resign.

Democrats, including Gov. Ted Strickland, vowed to lead the impeachment march, and the head of the state party announced plans to essentially shun the attorney general in the wake of his admission that he had an extramarital affair with an employee at the same time that two other employees were being sexually harassed by a top aide who lived with him.

A defiant Mr. Dann refused to step down in two phone conversations Sunday with Governor Strickland, again in a memo to employees of his office, and a fourth time in a comment yesterday to his spokesman, James Gravelle.

"There is nothing I have done to make me resign," he told Mr. Gravelle.

Mr. Strickland sent a letter Sunday night to Mr. Dann asking him to resign. It was signed by the governor and top elected Ohio Democrats, including U.S.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, Treasurer Richard Cordray, Senate Minority Leader Ray Miller (D., Columbus), House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty (D., Columbus), and Rep. Chris Redfern (D., Catawba Island), chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

"We believe that your actions have irreparably harmed your ability to effectively serve the people of our great state," they wrote. "The work of the office of the attorney general matters more, and is far more important, than any one person. In many, many cases it is all that stands between the people and the powerful.

"Sadly, we no longer have even the most remote hope that you can continue to effectively serve as attorney general and that is why we are asking for your resignation," the letter reads.

House Democrats are considering introducing a resolution to impeach Mr. Dann. If a majority of the 99 members in the Republican-controlled chamber agree, Mr. Dann would be subjected to a trial in the Ohio Senate where it would take 20 of 33 votes to convict.


'There is nothing I have done to make me resign,' a defiant Marc Dann told his spokesman, James Gravelle. Mr. Dann admitted Friday to an extramarital affair with an employee shortly after taking office last year.


Mr. Dann admitted Friday that he began an affair with an employee shortly after taking office last year and that he feared his behavior may have contributed to an office atmosphere that encouraged the alleged sexual harassment of two other office workers by a top aide, Anthony Gutierrez.

"I am in the office, have rolled up my sleeves <should have kept your pants rolled up>, and am working on behalf of the people of state of Ohio. I hope all of you will do the same," Mr. Dann wrote in his memo to staff members yesterday.

"I know that this is difficult, and I am truly sorry to have put all of you in this position," he wrote.

"But our work is too important to do anything but our jobs today <don't you people understand that I need a job?>."

Mr. Dann, perhaps more than any other statewide Democratic candidate, rode Republican scandals into office in 2006, vowing that Democrats would hold themselves to a higher standard.

"This is an embarrassment for all Ohioans, regardless of partisanship, and the most important priority right now is to restore the integrity of the attorney general's office," said Rep. Kevin DeWine (R., Fairborn), deputy chairman of the Ohio Republican Party.

Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner yesterday added his voice to the Democratic chorus calling for Mr. Dann's resignation.

"What went on in the attorney general's office in Columbus was disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful," he said. "There is no place for compromises on morality when it comes to the leader of the team, in this case the attorney general."

'Clean our own house'

Governor Strickland said he feels Democrats must lead the way on impeachment.

"I think it's very important that Democrats send the message that we will clean our own house," he said. "We promised the people when we sought these offices that we would do our best to serve them confidently, sincerely, honestly with integrity.

"All of us felt that we had an obligation to the people of our state to send a very clear message that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated, whether it's coming from a Republican officeholder or a Democratic officeholder," he said.

The last impeachment vote in the House occurred in 1820 while the last Senate conviction occurred in 1805.

"If in fact articles of impeachment are brought before this chamber, they will be considered and reviewed in a thorough, thoughtful, fair process," said House Speaker Jon Husted (R., Kettering).

"I am keenly aware of the gravity of this situation and the precedent any impeachment process might set."

The Ohio Constitution provides for the impeachment of any state officer "for any misdemeanor in office," although there has been debate over whether the framers of the Constitution were referring to criminal misdemeanors or simply misbehavior.

The Constitution limits the punishment dished out by the Ohio General Assembly to removal from office and disqualification from holding another state office.

Soon after taking office, Mr. Dann began an extramarital affair with an office employee and stacked several high-ranking jobs with old friends from the Mahoning Valley. Even his office's own internal investigation determined that smacked of "cronyism."

Following issuance of the investigative report Friday, Mr. Dann fired Mr. Gutierrez, his general services director, for allegedly sexually harassing two employees; fired communications director Leo Jennings for allegedly attempting to convince an employee to mislead investigators, and accepted the forced resignation of top aide Edgar Simpson for allegedly failing to promptly respond to the harassment allegations.

He also accepted the voluntary resignation of his scheduler, Jessica Utovich, a woman who had spent the night at the Dublin condo that Mr. Dann shared at the time with Mr. Gutierrez and Mr. Jennings.


A replacement?

If Mr. Dann resigns soon or is impeached, his top assistant, Tom Winters, would temporarily fill the void until Mr. Strickland appoints a replacement.

A special election would be held on Nov. 4 to fill the post for the remaining two years of Mr. Dann's term.

The governor said he has not had time to consider who his choice might be.

The executive committee of the Ohio Democratic Party will vote Saturday on a resolution urging Mr. Dann to resign and rescinding the party's endorsement of him in 2006, Mr. Redfern said.

"We will distance ourselves both figuratively and literally from the attorney general until he makes the decision of what's best for the citizens of Ohio, and that is for him to step down from the office to which he was elected," Mr. Redfern said.

Mr. Strickland drew a distinction between his call for Mr. Dann's impeachment and his opposition as a congressman to the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton after it was revealed that the president lied under oath about his relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky.

"I think these situations are dramatically different," he said. "My reasons for encouraging the attorney general to step down is not substantially related to his personal contact with someone that he has described as an individual he had a romantic relationship with …

"I'm basing my conclusion on looking at the cumulative effect over a significant period of time of multiple occurrences, which in my judgment would indicate strong mismanagement on the part of the attorney general," he said.

Staff writer Ignazzio Messina contributed to this report.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS24/805060388


Good job by the Democrat leaders in Ohio.