Outside the Beltway

Comments

1. Paul L. says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 15:17

   What do we want DUE PROCESS! When do we want it NOW!!

   How Do You Solve a Problem Like Bob Filner?

   Filner said in July he would fight McCormack Jackson’s charges: “I do not believe these claims are valid. That is why due process is so important. I intend to defend myself vigorously and I know that justice will prevail,” he said. .

   I am sure he will still win against McCormack Jackson’s swiftboating . This proves nothing.
2. Neil Hudelson says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 15:23

   Since I’m not a lawyer…

   False Imprisonment sounds like a pretty serious charge, akin to kidnapping. What does it mean in the legal sense? Is three months anywhere near a normal sentence?*
3. Jenos Idanian #13 says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 15:35

   @Neil Hudelson: That was kicked around over at Ace of Spades. Basically, it means that he kept someone from leaving or moving around freely — locked a door, stepped in front of them, grabbed their arm, or whatever. Technically speaking, it’s a very brief form of kidnapping.

   And while I’m pleasantly surprised to see Filner properly identified as a Democrat, a recap of his status seems in order. While in Congress, he and Nancy Pelosi partnered to form the Progressive House Caucus. And he was protected by quite a few high-ranking CA Democrats, who knew of his criminal and misogynist predations and not only didn’t act, but helped suppress the complaints against him.
4. legion says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 16:57

   @Jenos Idanian #13: And now he’s out of office, and trying desperately to avoid jail time. Contrast this with people like Vitter, who are still in Congress and “respected” by the GOP.
5. Paul L. says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 17:12

   @legion:
   What crime was Vitter convicted of? Soliciting Prostitution
   Do you also want Eliot Spitzer to convicted of the same crime?
   How about respected progressive icon Barney Frank?

   In 1985 Frank was still closeted. That year he hired Steve Gobie, a male prostitute, for sex, and they became “more friends than sexual partners.” Frank housed Gobie and hired him with personal funds as an aide, housekeeper and driver and paid for his attorney and court-ordered psychiatrist. In 1987, Frank kicked Gobie out after being advised by his landlord that Gobie kept escorting despite the support and was doing so in the residence.
6. C. Clavin says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 17:23

   Whoot-whoot…Jenos in the House!!!!!

   Filn-ghaziiiiii!!!!!!

   .
7. legion says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 17:52

   @Paul L.: Way to dodge the question, Paul. Truly, you are a paragon of Gutless Republican Hypocrisy. If a DA felt so inclined, then by all means, investigate. I guarantee your party will come out worse.
8. Paul L. says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 17:59

   Lets not forget this is all just a disgraceful swiftboating.
   Filner valediction: Don’t forget who the victim is here

   A short time later, though, Filner went on the defensive. While admitting that his behavior toward women was inappropriate at times, he insisted that he “never sexually harassed anyone.”

   In the process of “trying to establish personal relationships,” the mayor explained, “the combination of awkwardness and hubris, I think, led to behavior that many found offensive.” He added, “Not one allegation … has ever been independently verified or proven in court.”

   “But the hysteria that has been created … is the hysteria of a lynch mob,” Filner said, criticizing an environment in which “rumors become allegations, allegations become facts, facts become evidence of sexual harassment which have led to demands for my resignation and recall.”

   Blasting politicians and members of the media who “unleashed a monster,” the mayor said, “The hysteria ended up playing into the hands of those who wanted a political coup — the removal of a democratically elected mayor purely by rumor and innuendo.”

   “They found the weapons they needed in my own failures as a human being,” Filner said of “well-organized interests” opposed to him. “But they found with those weapons and they used them, in a bloody and vicious way.”
9. Paul L. says:
   Tuesday, 15 October 2013 at 18:04

   @legion:

   If a DA felt so inclined, then by all means, investigate. I guarantee your party will come out worse.

   See Ronnie Earle’s witchhunt of a innocent man.
10. Kari Q says:
    Wednesday, 16 October 2013 at 06:04

    Seriously guys, a contest to find out which party has the most members engaged in illegal sexual activity is one that no one is going to win. Republicans do it. Democrats do it. Fighting over who does it most is just makes you both look like fools.
11. legion says:
    Wednesday, 16 October 2013 at 09:20

    @Kari Q: I’m more interested in the idea that @Paul L. can’t address one simple topic without dodging like a jackrabbit. The article topic is about an admittedly scuzzball Democratic pol, who’s been forced out of office, prosecuted, and is facing legal consequences for his scuzziness. I pull out one example of a GOP scuzzball who’s still considered a leader in the party, and Paul starts throwing out distraction after distraction… quite telling, really.
12. Moderate Mom says:
    Wednesday, 16 October 2013 at 14:07

    @legion: Both parties are full of scuzballs. Hell, Teddy Kenndedy drove drunk off a bridge and left a woman to drown in his car, and he became “The Lion of the Senate”. Both parties have many glass houses and no one needs to be throwing stones when it comes to who misbehaves the most.
13. Pinky says:
    Thursday, 17 October 2013 at 13:14

    @Moderate Mom: I looked at that picture and I thought, who’s the adorable blonde at the far left? Truth is, every guy is only one step above Filner, but that step is important, and it’s a fair topic of discussion.