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House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)(photo: TalkMediaNews via Flickr)
Progressives could use some positive political news, and here is the best I’ve heard in some time: John Boehner’s speakership in the U.S. House of Representatives might be short lived.
Boehner has been involved in extramarital affairs with at least two women, according to a new report in the National Enquirer. We don’t normally cite supermarket tabloids as primary source material. But the Enquirer was first to write about the John Edwards’ infidelity, and the newspaper proved to be right on target. And back in the early ’90s, the mainstream press picked up on the Bill Clinton/Gennifer Flowers story after it broke in a tabloid.
In Boehner’s case, the Enquirer gets into specifics–and that gives the story a ring of truth:
Capitol Hill insiders and political bloggers have been buzzing about an upcoming New York Times probe–detailing an alleged affair that the 61-year-old married father of two had with pretty Washington lobbyist LISBETH LYONS.
And an ENQUIRER investigation has uncovered a bedroom encounter that Boehner–second in line of succession to the presidency–allegedly had with LEIGH LaMORA, a 46-year-old former press secretary to ex-Colorado Congressman JOEL HEFLEY.
Who is Lisbeth Lyons? Here is her biography from the Printing Industries of America Web site. Here are her duties:
Lisbeth Lyons is the Vice President, Government Affairs for the Printing Industries of America, having joined PIA/GATF in March 2005 as Director of Legislative Affairs. In this position, she is responsible for providing direct advocacy before Congress and the Administration on key industry legislative initiatives, as well as for the strategic direction of the organization’s grassroots and external outreach activities.
You can check out her Facebook page here. Among her likes? John Boehner. That’s our girl. Sounds like her advocacy, indeed, has been rather direct with Mr. Speaker.
As for Leigh LaMora, here is some background from her LinkedIn page.
With the somnolent nature of today’s mainstream press, there’s no telling if this story will gain traction. Mike Stark at StarkReports.com is giving the story serious attention. In fact, Stark contacted Lisbeth Lyons and found her to be not terribly anxious to comment:
Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer
59 Comments
Thanks for this, can’t help but feel this is going to be a very “revealing” year.
Why do these people in the public eye always seem to think that they’ll get away with this stuff? Really, really stupid.
Hope Stark gets the story.
I always feel ambivalent about these bed-sniffing attacks on politicians. On the one hand, these efforts are sex-unfriendly, privacy invading crusades that degrade further the discourse typically found in our public sphere.
On the other hand, in some cases, the miscreants are shown to be moral hypocrites by the attacks. I find it difficult to criticize revaluations about closeted homosexuals, moralists who have brothels on speed dial, etc.
Briefly put, I wouldn’t want the left in America to become a church lady or Gantry but I have not problem seeing our very real church ladies and Gantrys taken to task when the evidence demands as much.
Wrong. Family values are for little people. The big people running the fascist one party apparatus are exempt (*)
*(mostly, unless they’re from the wrong faction of the party, sometimes….).
….and on that note, ex-Rep Foley (R – Closet, FL) is on the cum-back trail (crass, but I couldn’t resist)
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/feb/07/MENEWSO9-foley-finds-forgiveness-in-hometown/
Anything that destroys Rahm Emanuel’s dream of being the first Jewish Speaker of the House is simply great with me, presuming Eric Cantor would succeed a disgraced Boehner’s boner.
I’d rather have Boehner than that nut case Cantor, I think. Cantor struts and Boehner cries.
And both are conspicuously unintelligent.
Roger: Could you please provide an attribution for the graphic used here? We can’t allow copyrighted images if you are not the creator and are posting without permission; if you have permission, please provide attribution. [08-FEB-2011 1936h]
Edit: Graphic has been replaced with a photo which is Creative Commons licensed as no response had been received. [09-FEB-2011 0638h]
I too am not a fan of bringing down a politician because of his bedroom antics. Who cares even if they are total hypocrites.
I also like the fact that their Speaker of the House is an obvious smoking, boozehound who glows orange. If that is the face they want for their party, I say hooray. I love the fact that he is emotionally unstable to boot. It just demonstrates the whole circus factor of politics.
On the other hand, Cantor ascending would be a blessing. He is just a walking idiot.
I only have one thing to say about the hypocrite Repubs on this issue.
“Gary Hart”
Bill Clinton
It’ll blow over….after all, THIS time the hijinks seem to be heterosexual.
Larry Flint?
Do you have any information to add?
The National Enquirer article calls him “ruggedly handsome”. That must be some use of the term with which I was not previously familiar.
Aside from basic hubris and stupidity they think everyone does it so it’s OK… an unwritten law of acceptable behavior… sex on the side.
Washington may need to build levy’s, because I predict record tear fall.
Rugged. Bwa-hahahaha…Mr. Sansabelt, sex god, rugged?
My sides hurt from laughing.
I don’t know what temporal consequences, if any, Boehner will face over his alleged adultery, but he’s covered on the spiritual side:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1354872/iPhone-confessions-app-blessed-Catholic-church-Siins-app-solved-1-19.html
App-solution? App-solutely!
It means he looks semi-attractive to a woman who’s had enough booze to put her above the legal limit for DUI.
The wealthy and powerful and the ‘bottom end of the village’ have two things in common: both have too much time on their hands, and both succumb to prurient interests.
The only difference in the two polar opposites’ behavior is that those on the top do it with more expensive lingerie and better booze and drugs.
A “Speaker Cantor” would nearly be a reason to leave the country.
Cantor’s neural synapses fire in such a random pattern that only a random number generator could be more effective in producing such random and disturbed thought patterns
The term is only applicable after Boehner gets them smashed and it’s 2:00 a.m.
Inappropriate crying can be a sign of neurological damage. Mr. B may not be able to help it. Maybe his dad whacked him upside the head too often.
“When someone with a brain lesion or neuron damage suffers fits of laughter or crying without feeling especially happy or sad, a skilled neurologist can point to a cause. Explaining why an otherwise healthy person might break into tears or start laughing is more difficult.”
http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/04/14/4380063-uncontrollable-laughing-or-crying-is-no-joke
I heard about this today. ‘Press one for adultery, press two for idolatry, press three for lying, press 4 for vanity, press 5 for under age sexual encounters (Press * if you are a member of the clergy…we’ll need to start the cover up process) etc…..
No offense, but the Catholic Church is the absurdity that just keeps on giving. Wonder if they provided a button for “
Irony: Boehner got his House seat in the first place becase hs predecessor, Donald “Buz” Lukens, got caught with at least one underage girl.
Another irony: the second-to-the-last GOP Speaker designate; Bob Livingston, who replaced known serial adulterer Newt Gingrich, lost his Speaker bid and his House seat when Larry Flynt and the Irish Times revealed his taste for BDSM with persons other than his wife.
ruggedly orange.
He’s already de facto Speaker, might as well make it official.
As for Boehner, maybe this might finally break his district’s habit of electing Republicans. Maybe.
How is this news – the entire Republican party has always been “in bed” with the lobbyists, anyway; it’s only fitting that they be screwing each other, since they’re always screwing the rest of us!
Bill and Gary did fool around; but they were not espousing sexual purity in the same way that Boehner and his ilk have.
I am not defending their bad behavior; but I am saying those who say “the dems do it too” need to rethink whether that agrees with their own beliefs about life.
Perhaps this is an opportunity to legalize prostitution!
Well, I do understand the optimism. But they do forgive each other *everything*, unless his new girlfriends were maybe goats…
Besides, pagan liberal that I am, I’ve been reluctant to drag in private lives to determine worthiness of public service.
The deal with Boehner is that he, as did his predecessor “Buz” Lukens (see my commen above for more on him), ran in a heavily conservative Catholic area.
Sorry about that. Will correct in the future.
If they, meaning the Republicans and the conservatives, agreed to not use sex scandals in attempts to bring down Democrats and liberals then I’d have no interest in using sex scandals to bring down Republicans and conservatives.
But as long as they’re going to be raging hypocrites then all is fair in love and war.
I dunno, isn’t there that dude from Georgia who happily and blissfully admitted to “doing” cows or something?? I don’t think rightwingers *care* about what “their own” do; they only get all morally outraged when it’s someone with a “D” after their name.
Hypocrits!
Eh: c’mon people: IOKIYAR will reign supreme here. I’m with several commenters. I frankly don’t wish to play all “morals police” with anyone, and if Agent Orange can actually convince someone to get between the sheets with him (ick ick ick), then I *almost* feel like offering my congratulations… cannot imagine someone less appealing but that’s just me.
But then again, there is the inane and unending hypocrisy of the right. Just yesterday some conservative swung by BT’s post about Reagan; said troll was there to ream us dfh’s out bc FDR and JFK committed adultry… and so I guess we dfh’s should all hang our heads in shame or something. Of course several us lept in to advise that Sainted Zombie Reagan also committed adultry, but I think the troll was too shocked by that outrageous blasphemy to say more.
Plus then we have conservatives who belong to Doug Coe’s “Family” or “Fellowship,” where Coe pretty much preaches that there’s “two rules” about adultry and other shenanigans. Those at the “top” can do whatever the eff they damn well please, and the “rules” are only for the small people.
Load of double standards, per usual. My prediction: absolutely nothing will happen to Agent Orange, and his super religious voters will “forgive” and fahgeddaboudit.
A quick run thru of comments and diary again cause me to ask:
Why is this about sex, and not about sex with a LOBBYIST!?
A lobbyist!
Sex for INFLUENCE on legislation and votes!
As Speaker, The Orange One has GREAT capacity to influence both.
IMHO, that should be where ALL the outrage lies.
Sex for INFLUENCE!
Harumph.
My thoughts exactly. It’s about manipulating an Orange man in a powerful position into “pillow talk”. Man, I’d bet he pours his little guts out.
It also explains the need for the new women’s bathroom near his office.
Boehner has been involved in extramarital affairs with at least two women, according to a new report in the National Enquirer.
The Orange One likes women? I thought guys that much into body paint tended to like Men or is body paint for everyone now?
As for Leigh LaMora, here is some background from her LinkedIn page.
College Grad no college listed no mention of BA so AA or is she another Christine O’Donnell
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/10/snl-spoofs-christine-odonnell-ad/1
With GOPers you can never assume anything is true on their resume.
Diary he is the Speaker of the House a Tumor means he should resign he can’t be third in line to be President. Lets show the GOP what happens if they keep asking for Obama’s birth certificate we can ask them for their medical records.
Not in Cincinnati. They’ve been “Taft Republicans” since, well, since Taft. ;-)
Take. Him. Down !!!
and if Agent Orange can actually convince someone to get between the sheets with him (ick ick ick), then I *almost* feel like offering my congratulations… cannot imagine someone less appealing but that’s just me.
The Women are lobbyists from what I’ve seen who do business with him thats prostitution. Thats selling the services of his public office for sex misuse of public funds. Now if he went to a regular call girl then its not a government matter just a moral one we can as political bloggers laugh at.
If it was just straight Adultery we can still laugh sex with lobbyists though well they want something from the Government if they get what they want and have sex its hard not to assume quid pro quo Prostitution and well bribing a government official. If anything Roger is being too nice.
Did not see you comment before I wrote mine:)
What business do these lobbyist represent what causes were these lobbyists paid to lobby for and how did the Orange One vote is my question?
Lobbyists can give candidates cash fine legalized bribery is well legal for some stupid reason.
Using Sex to bribe Congressmen is still illegal.
I agree with you about the *prostitution* angle and sex for services. On that note, you’re correct. Forget the morals angle, what about the misuse of public funds?? You make a great point.
There was a similar scandal with yet another Republican, this time a CA State Assemblyman, also Mr. Family Values, of course, busted bragging on tape about his sexual conquests with a lobbyist:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/09/michael-duvall-sexual-conquests/
Duvall was more or less forced to *resign* but not without a LOT of whining and crying about how “unfair” it was:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/09/michael-duvall-sexual-conquests/
And his rightwing constituents all said: IOKIYAR.
Seriously, the conservatives were *just fine* with Duvall schtupping a lobbyist… however, IF it had been a Dem who was similarly busted, you woulda heard the rightwingers shrieking even if you were on the moon.
Bunch of hypocrits, who are definitely running this nation into the ground.
You’re right: Agent Orange should be busted bc his adultrous affair was with a lobbyist. I concede on that point.
I AGREE with you. You’re right. It should not be about sex; it should be about sex for services with a LOBBYIST.
I think I was so *taken aback* by the concept of Agent Orange actually being able finagle some poor soul into his bed that I lost track of the fact that she was a LOBBYIST… hence, she’s a prostitute who is inured to having sex with disgusting specimans in order to get something in return.
Yeah: the moot issue is the Lobbyist angle.
Then again: don’t expect his rightwing constituents to find anything wrong with it because, as always: IOKIYAR. Mark my words.
I’d rather f*ck a tangelo on steroids.
There’d be less polyester involved.
I seriously doubt this story is true for a very simple reason. It’s too good to be true.
I guess I had Mr. Boner all wrong…I thought for sure he was going to get caught doing it with Eric Cantor.
19 Dancing Oswalds
=5 Dancing Mossad
With a name like ‘Cantor’, he should be singing his speeches, complete with conservative base continuo.
Whoever authored this is a liberal d-bag. Why is the whole country going to hell? Guys like you. Regardless of how you feel about Boehner’s politics he is a human being with a wife and kids. Why would you take pleasure in seeing his family’s life destroyed? Cause you are a d-bag.
Yeah the Dems sure do have a monopoly on Brains, just look at the fiscal State of Dem controlled entities, California, Illinois, NY, NYC, Philly, SF, LA etc… All going broke or are already broke. Genius! Today I read SF is taking an axe to its homeless assistance budget, what a brilliant way to save money…take funds from people who have Nothing! And the way Cutter figured out that the Muslim Brotherhood is Secular! A tour de force in raw intellect. Let’s talk about those 57 States! Or maybe we could discuss Pelosi’s opus on the word ‘word’…so smart she used the word ‘word’ 16 times in the same sentence! A new record!!! Those Dems are so smart they figured out we could fix the whole country by borrowing another $53 B and building high speed rails for which there is Zero demand. Those Dems sure are more cleverer than those morons at da GOP.
If it is true, it should no more spell the end of his speakership than Clinton’s affair with Lewinsky should have spelled the end of his presidency. Americans, including my fellow liberals and progressives, need to grow up about sex and relationships.
I am sure you had the EXACT same reaction to the Monica Lewinsky and John Edwards scandals, right?
The “orange,tan,bone head” is going down! What a hypocrite! So happy. He’s such an idiot. Whah, whah, whah. Bring him kleenex. Moral majority my ass.