Candidate's sex life roils Senate race

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/06/23/MNGRP7AIKA1.DTL

Chicago -- When Jack Ryan, a wealthy investment banker, and his wife, the actress Jeri Ryan, faced off four years ago over custody of their young son, they evidently thought the steamy accusations in their court papers would remain private.

This week, however, Jeri Ryan's charges that her ex-husband took her to sex clubs have filled the front pages of Illinois newspapers, throwing his campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in a race tossed into prurient turmoil. snip

Republican leaders in Chicago have been stunned by the revelations. Some have called on Ryan, 44, to drop out of the race.

Rep. Ray LaHood, a Republican, told the Chicago Tribune that Ryan "needs to immediately withdraw from the race."

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[AlinPA]

1. If he does, would it be Edgar? Just guessing. Edgar is Bush*'s guy. n/t

[AngryAmish]

9. Edgar will not run

He ran the Secretary of State's office before he was governor. Lots of bodies buried there - or that is word on the street.

[Wink]

11. Waste Management

Word is he was bribed by them. And the investigation was coming so that's why he hightailed it out of the gov office.

[AlinPA]

41. One less repub. to worry about (Edgar). Thanks. n/t

[ithacan]

2. Republicans really ARE obsessed with extramarital sex aren't they

it's just so ironic...

[Tyler Durden]

4. If you're a DEMOCRAT, then it's WRONG.

If you're Gingrich, or Ryan, or REAGAN, well, they're just human you know.

[wicket]

10. Don't forget Bush Sr.

...and his mistress Jennifer Fitzgerald at the State Department.

[sweetness]

3. good old republican values....

hahahah....

[The Zanti Regent]

5. Oh God, PLEASE let Ryan sink the GOP in Illinois

And PLEASE LET HYDE, CRANE AND HASTERT GO DOWN WITH HIM!

[RubyDuby in GA]

6. I expect this from the Republicans, but down here in GA.....

we have a guy running as a Democrat who has repeatedly been accused of beating his ex-wife (ex-wife # 2) and intimidating his first ex-wife into silence about their marriage. But Cliff Oxford is a multi-millionaire, so I guess that makes everything ok.
Our state party has gone straight to hell (or will be heading there shortly) if this is really the guy they think can win against the moral, family values onslaught that's coming in November.

[David__77]

8. Is Majette a better choice?

Do you think anyone can retake that seat from the GOP when Miller (R) retires?

[Wink]

12. Miller's retiring? To do what?

Did he find a private sector job as a professional back-stabbing GOP bitch?

[salin]

14. Given that his current behavior isn't of political opportunism

(given his retirement from politics) - I rather assume there is a cushy big paying corporate job waiting for him.... Carlyle? Halliburton? Chevron?

[salin]

13. Unless, of course,

that is the point. Sad to raise that issue but there have been some strange reports out of GA over the past couple of years. Several democrat defections in the statehouse - immediately after being elected as Democrats... then there is that whole Zell Miller thing... almost like there is some kind of internal sabatoge going on. No intention to smear the state of the many good democrats in the state. And from any one of those incidents I wouldn't even breath this concern... but if what you write is accurate... it would seem that there have been a stream of things going on that would make me very concerned about GOP infiltration into the party ranks.

I write from the state where the next likely Zell hails from - and those who view locals distain of Bayh accuse us of kneejerk bashing rather than looking at Bayh's quick drift to the right (past the center from where he ran and governed) after Bush's election in 2000. Am starting to wonder if how goes Georgia there goes (soon following) Indiana... though we haven't had the party defections at the statehouse... and with a very narrow dem margin that would tip the scales.

[toopers]

28. The defections only occurred after the Dems lost control.

When the house and senate switched, so did many of the incumbent Dems.

The field is wide open on the democratic side for this district, as well as for the district that McKinney is running for.

[salin]

29. here's to hoping

things get stronger for the party in both of our states! (At least Zell will be going away soon... the GOP isn't running a real candidate against Bayh - which is good for the prospects of a senate takeover... but leaves us with at least six more years of periodic cringing from the Senator when he veers right to pander to the bushcrowd...)

[Bo]

15. Im visiting Georgia and...

I cant wait to leave

[Judi Lynn]

25. Who is the Democratic candidate? Could you give us more info.? n/t

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

7. Normally I don't dwell on a person's private life

But his behavior is really disturbing. If he's trying to coerce the woman he loves and the mother of his child to engage in a really filthy and degrading act of public copulation, you really have to wonder what kind of twisted psychology you'd be electing to the Senate. This is not your garden-variety philandering for which one might be excused.

[xchrom]

16. hmmm -- there's something disturbing about your post

if these were consenting people -- then it's possible what they did was not filthy or degrading to them -- just an aspect of their intimate lives that became fodder for a divorce.
i'm not bothered by sex clubs or what happens there -- i am bothered by moralizing.
ryan -- if he's cast himself as the morally superior candidate though should not be surprised when these records come out.
that is how the game is played, when it isn't merely conjecture.

[GinaMaria]

18. Consenting seems to be a question here

From what I've read, she never consented to any of this. It doesn't sound like he discussed this with her a head of time, just took her to sex clubs. One of the reports yesterday said she cried and he told her something like 'tears are not a turn on'. He may have been trying to get her into something she was not comfortable with. She didn't go along with it.

I agree with you about moralizing. If this is something they were both comfortable with, then no issue. It seems it was only something he was comfortable with and he tried to push it on her. Normally, not something that would be the public's business, but he's put himself out there as Mr. 'family values'. And now that it is out, he will have a tough time winning women voters since it appears he did not respect what his wife was comfortable with sexually.

[xchrom]

19. yes, i agree everyone

should be on the same page when it come to experimentation like this.
and i wouldn't want to imply other wise.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

21. ...and that's the problem

His behavior, considering that his wife was clearly disturbed by even the suggestion of taking part in these activities, is simply unconscionable. The fact that he continually tried to coerce her into this sort of thing is just plain sick.

[salin]

30. what i find disturbing

isn't necessarily the first foray - where she expresses discomfort (extreme discomfort to the point, reportedly of getting ill)... but that it happens multiple times in various cities (I believe Paris, New Orleans and New York.) By the second time he has the clue... but continues - that is very coercive.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

31. Definitely an authoritarian personality

...others exist for my personal use.

[Rich Hunt]

33. speaking of authoritarian personalities...

An article in the Tribune yesterday said that Jeri Ryan's mother had complained that Jack Ryan was too controlling. Then it quoted Jack Ryan admitting that he was too dominating. Her mother said that Jeri Ryan got tired of being told how to look, what to wear, etc.

I'm not surprised, because he's a really right-wing holy roller who said that Reagan was more liberal than he was.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

38. Sounds about right...

The mother's description is pretty spooky. You want to tell me that somebody who's that way in his personal life is a facist in his political leanings?

What kills me is listening the Republicans trying to make this sound like it's no big deal -- not like adultery or anything like that!

[GinaMaria]

17. Couple of points

First, Ryan was having problems keeping up with Obama. It's likely that Obama would win the senate race. Could it be the Illinois GOP that leaked the contents of Ryan's divorce proceedings? This is an effort to replace him on the ballot, I suspect. Winning is everything and the GOP will eat their own if they can hang on to Fitzpuppets senate seat.

Second, Ryan won't go away quietly. The stuff he said on the news last night was laughable. Stuff like, "I didn't cheat on my wife. This was with my wife. I didn't cheat like Clinton. I didn't beat my wife like Blair Hull!" (Quotes not exact)

We shall see what happens. I for one would like to see him stay on the ballot and continue to publically justify his actions by comparing himself to Clinton (who did a fantastic job on Oprah Yesterday).

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

20. As far as the Repukes in Illinois leaking this story, the

answer is no. The Chicago Tribune and the local Chicago ABC affiliate Channel 7 asked for these records during the primary.

As a life-long resident of Illinois I'm laughing my ass off at this. Jack Ryan is nothing but a Repuke hypocrite. Barak Obama will probably wipe the floor with him or any other Repuke in November. I have hope that Melissa Bean will beat Phil Crane, but forget about Dennis Hastert. He's in for life.

[ElectroPrincess]

22. Air American's Unfiltered just "rocked" <snicker>

One of the two women on AAR's Unfiltered (Rachael or Liz) said that this sex scandal should be entitled: Saving Ryan's Privates

Oh you are such silly gals ... thanks for the belly laugh. :-)

[GinaMaria]

23. LOL

that's what I'll call it from now on too. That is too funny. Illinois is getting to a point where we will never elect someone with the last name Ryan.

[Rich Hunt]

34. they didn't leak it

...but I get the feeling they are not too unhappy about it. I think they would rather have one of the people from 'their' crowd in the race.

Also, there is no way that they didn't know about it, and now they're acting shocked.

[bleedingheart]

24. I can only imagine the scandals that are there lying in wait...

because the GOP prudes are no better than those they deride.

Personally as much as I don't want bad things to happen to people...I wonder how much of a first class perv Santorum is...

[Justitia]

26. From another DUer: "Congratulations, Senator Obama!" -eom

[robertpaulsen]

27. Has Ryan run any "Obama=Osama" campaign ads?

If not, I'm sure that's whats up next for this Rethuglican. Desperate times call for desperate measures. In any case, I'd say Ryan is toast!

[Rich Hunt]

32. no, but

Some conservative dude from Indiana financed his own campaign ads making the connection.

[struggle4progress]

35. Colleagues say Ryan misled them

Top members of Senate candidate Jack Ryan’s own party are questioning his honesty after the unsealing of his embarrassing divorce papers, a controversy that some analysts say could sink his campaign.

Republican National Committee member Mary Jo Arndt said Ryan misled her about the contents of the divorce records, which include allegations that he insisted that his then-wife, actress Jeri Lynn Ryan, go to sex clubs with him. Ryan denied the allegations.
<snip>

Other Republicans who once supported Ryan have distanced themselves from him, including former Gov. Jim Edgar, whose aide said Edgar wasn’t given a full description of what was in the divorce files before they became public.
<snip>

Political consultant Fred LeBed noted that polls already showed Ryan’s opponent in the general election, Democrat Barack Obama, holding a wide lead over Ryan in a state that has been trending Democratic in recent elections.
<snip>
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5279053/

[young_at_heart]

36. Very enlightening.......the story about Obama in the New Yorker

The differences between him and Ryan are like night and day........he's magic!

[Ellen Forradalom]

37. This is about negotiating skills

If he can't even cut a deal with his ex-wife, he doesn't have the chops to play with the big kids in Washington.

[NoBushLite]

39. Again

I've said this elsewhere: This scandal should not turn this into a "Ryan Loses" story. It should be "Obama Wins." He is the FUTURE of the party.

[struggle4progress]

40. Pontificating politicians better watch their backs

Granted, Jack Ryan is a fool and a liar. But before politicians pile on, they'd better be careful for what they wish for.

Ryan earned an MBA and a law degree (with honors) from Harvard. So how can he be such a numbskull? How could he run for office and not think his divorce court records would turn into headlines?

Blame either too few brain cells or too much arrogance. Either way, he shoos away voters. Plus, he has a disability afflicting many politicians: He's truth-challenged. Months ago, he said his divorce papers contained nothing of note. Now we see it's filled with cages and whips and whatnot.

Then again, maybe to Ryan that kind of equipment is no big deal. Again, either way, he shoos away voters. But what about the allegations themselves? Call me a prude, but I'd have a hard time voting for a guy who wants his wife to get kinky in sex clubs.
<snip>
http://www.pjstar.com/news/luciano/b3cokrvg033.html

[fortyfeetunder]

43. Parallel life...as the Big Dog once put it...

<<Ryan earned an MBA and a law degree (with honors) from Harvard. So how can he be such a numbskull? How could he run for office and not think his divorce court records would turn into headlines? >>

Easy...if you heard the Big Dog's interview with Oprah, he said he was good at multitasking and leading parallel lives, that is his personal life was separate from his political career. However, there comes a time, as Pres. Clinton discovered, the two can clash like nobody's business. And that is where Ryan is now.

If I were him, I'd stick it out like the Big Dog did, and then maybe he can lose in the next election....LOL...

[Endangered Specie]

42. Better not say withdrawl, from anything, around that man

[struggle4progress]

44. kick for republican family values

:kick:

[Hailtothechimp]

45. There's an interesting document on this....

at thesmokinggun.com. It's a real document from the court filings, with a very long redacted section at the end. We can only speculate how sordid or weird THAT part must be.