<h3 style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);" class="post-title">
Where Are Family Values Republicans? <br></h3><h3 style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);" class="post-title">Silent as Sen. Vitter Prostitute Scandal Widens
</h3>
This
dude went to see a prostitute two to three times a week, according to
the woman, Wendy Ellis. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Where are all the phony GOP huffer-puffers of
family values?</span> What a double standard. After moving to Washington DC,
Vitter couldn't break the illegal pay for sex habit--he admits his
phone number was on the DC Madam's phone list. Guess that's
Republican-style family values. How sickening.<br><br><span style="font-style: italic;">BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (<a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iujeXCff2HdhLhgMP3tkI7HF16fg">AP)</a>
— A former New Orleans prostitute who will be featured in Larry Flynt's
Hustler magazine appeared at his office Tuesday to accuse Sen. David
Vitter of having a sexual relationship with her in 1999. Wendy Ellis
told reporters that Vitter visited her two to three times a week for
sexual relations between July and November 1999.<br><br>Flynt produced
parts of an Aug. 22 polygraph test that he said confirmed her account,
but Ellis could provide no financial records, photographs or other
evidence to support her assertion that the Louisiana Republican was a
client during that time.<br><br>Vitter has denied those claims.<br><br>"I want the truth to be known," Ellis said. "It was a pure sexual relationship. He would come in and do his business."<br><br><><><><><><><><><>
<br><br></span><div id="header">
<h1><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/"><img src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/site/printlogo.jpg" alt="ABC News" border="0"></a></h1>
</div>
<h2 id="headline">Your Cheating Heart: Why Pols Don't Practice What They Preach</h2>
<h3 id="dek">The Psychology Behind Hypocritical, Philandering Public Officials</h3>
<h4 id="byline">By RUSSELL GOLDMAN</h4><br><div class="photo_lg"><img src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/apg_vitter_070710_ms.jpg" alt="Sen. David Vitter" id="apg_vitter_070710_ms.jpg" height="310" width="413"></div><div class="caption_lg">
<div class="container">Sen.
David Vitter, R- La., has admitted to using escort services supplied by
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called "D.C. Madam." Before his
confession, Vitter was known for his socially conservative pro-family
politics. (Alex Brandon/ AP Photo )</div></div><br>
<p>
<strong>July 11, 2007 —</strong>
</p>
<p>
</p><p>
Once again, a public figure known for his staunch position on family
values has been caught philandering, and once again, the public is left
wondering how these guys keep getting themselves into these messes.
</p><p>After admitting to using escort services provided by Deborah
Jeane Palfrey, known as the D.C. Madam, Sen. David Vitter, R- La.,
became the latest public figure to get caught preaching one thing and
practicing quite another.
</p><p>It is a combination of hubris and denial that allows
politicians and other public figures to say one thing and do the
opposite, psychologists told ABCNEWS.com.
</p><p>
Vitter made a name for himself as a vocal social conservative and champion of family values.
</p><p>Speaking last year in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban
gay marriage, Vitter said, "It's often said, but it's very, very true,
and it is worth repeating -- marriage is truly the most fundamental
social institution in human history."
</p><p>
But in a statement released Monday, Vitter issued an apology that made those previous remarks seem farcical.
</p><p>"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of
course, completely responsible," Vitter said in a written statement.
"Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and
my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my
family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there with God and
them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have
disappointed and let down in any way."
</p><p>Vitter is certainly not the first politician to get caught in a
sex scandal, nor is he the first public figure to proclaim the sanctity
of the family while cheating on his wife.
</p><p>Liberals and conservatives are equally adept at talking out of
both sides of their mouths. Former President Bill Clinton was perhaps
the nation's most well-known philanderer, but even his most vocal
critic, Newt Gingrich, later admitted to cheating on not one but two of
his wives.
</p><p>Psychologists offer several reasons why politicians and other
public figures, such as ministers, say one thing and do the opposite.
</p><p>
</p><p>"People can believe in two opposing things. Humans are ingenious
in how they can make exceptions for themselves. 'Practice what you
preach' is an old saw, but there are plenty of charismatic figures who
are known to be mean and nasty in their home life," said Paul Ekman, an
emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California
Medical School in San Francisco.
</p><p>"These people make an exception for themselves. The very fact
of their own misbehavior is the reason they preach to others," he said.
</p><p>These men, and most are men, sometimes believe their high
station in life makes them exempt from the rules, and in other cases
are trying to work out their own inner demons by admonishing bad
behavior in others, psychologists said.
</p><p>According to Judy Kuriansky, a psychologist and professor at
Columbia University's Teachers College, men in positions of power often
believe they are above the rules that they impose on their followers.
</p><p>"Often the people who speak loudest about something are trying
to protect themselves from their own urges. They act out one way on the
public stage, but inside they have this urge. They feel it's wrong, and
outwardly, they're telling themselves it's wrong. It's as if they're
having a conversation with themselves," she said.
</p><p>Kuriansky said preachers and clergy who succumb to temptation
similarly try to work out their own issues when admonishing their
congregants for the things they do themselves.
</p><p>
As with elected officials, a preacher's politics has little to do with his capacity for cheating.
</p><p>The Rev. Al Sharpton from New York City and Ted Haggard from
Colorado Springs, Colo., both have admitted to cheating on their wives.
</p><p>Haggard confessed in November 2006 to using methamphetamines
and paying a male prostitute for sex. Haggard had made a name for
himself by condemning homosexuality and opposing gay marriage
legislation.
</p><p>"As with politicians, it's the same psychological phenomenon
when preachers do the same thing. They have to appeal to the public,
but it is not necessarily what they really believe," Kuriansky said.
</p><p>
As for how Vitter moves on from here, John J. Pitney, a
political scientist at Claremont McKenna College in California, said he
has already taken the best first step by admitting his mistake and
asking for forgiveness.
</p><p>"His best bet is to acknowledge responsibility and ask
forgiveness. … A lot of people are going over things he's said in the
past. One good piece of advice is when you're in a hole, stop digging.
I'd advise him not talk about any issues of sexual morality for a
while," he said.
</p><br><span style="font-style: italic;"><br clear="all"></span><br>Submitted by:<br>Gray Tree Crab aka "Big Bertha"