Mark Souder is a “sanctimonius jerk”
Posted by Mike Sylvester - 5/19/10 @ 8:40 pm - Filed Under 2010 National Elections, Featured, Local Politics, National Politics, State Politics
After sifting through all of the media reports it is still hard to tell exactly what happened. As near as I can tell here is what happened:
1. Mark Souder had an affair with a part time staffer named Tracy Jackson.
2. According to the Washington Post this affair started soon after Tracy Jackson was hired in 2004. That being said the Washington Post is the only media source I have seen who is reporting when the affair started; the rest of the media reports seem to be getting the starting date from the Washington Post.
3. According to various press reports someone (or maybe multiple people) started making anonymous phone calls to the press, to County GOP organizations, to Souder staffers, and to at LEAST one of his Republican Primary opponents. It is hard to tell exactly when these anonymous calls started; however, it is clear that these anonymous tips started AT LEAST three months ago:
- Steve Shine specifically said he has heard rumors about Congressman Souder having an affair for six months.
- News Center 33 said they got a tip in February of 2010 and could not verify the affair. Further I heard one of their reporters tell Pat Miller on WOWO specifically that he had talked to Congressman Souder on the phone in February and Congressman Souder denied the affair. Further the reporter said that the conversation occurred in time for Congressman Souder to elect not to run in the primary. He also said that he knew other news outlets received these tips as well.
- The JG reports that Monica Boyer, who is a founder of the Kosciusko County tea party group called an emergency Board meeting to discuss how the group would react if Souder resigned; they had this meeting the Friday before the Congressman resigned. Boyer said she had heard rumors for weeks.
- David Long reports that he heard rumors as well.
- I know of at least three local bloggers who have heard rumors; one of those local bloggers told me today that he first heard the rumors six weeks ago.
4. No one knows who discovered the affair and then tried to bring it to light. I have investigated this over the last couple of days and I am unsure who discovered the affair and tried to make the affair public. It is obvious that this person (or persons) spent a great deal of time trying to bring the affair to light; however, they were unwilling or unable to prove that the affair occurred. I cannot tell what this person’s motive was. After talking to various people I have six names of people who may have been the anonymous source. No one has provided me any proof and so I am not going to list the names of these individuals because what I have heard is just rumor and innuendo. The person could be almost anyone; however, there is a lot of speculation that the leak was a member of Souder’s own staff; however, this is just speculation and it well could be entirely off base.
5. Rumor has it that the Congressman and his mistress may have stopped the affair a few months ago; however, that does not seem certain based on the news reports that I have read. It seems likely that Congressman Souder had a long term affair with his “staffer” Tracy Jackson. How long the affair was is in doubt; however, based on the news reports it seems likely that the affair spanned several years.
6. Mark Souder finally figured out that the affair was going to be made public and so he admitted to it and resigned.
As the readers of this blog know I have always had a very strong dislike for Congressman Souder. I have always felt that he was a hypocrite, that he flip-flopped on numerous issues (such as term limits and earmarks), and that he was a “big government” Republican of the worst sort.
Never did I think he was unethical; I always thought he was clean. I wrong.
I have heard quite a few people defend Congressman Souder and it makes me sick to my stomach to hear these apologists. Mark Souder is a complete hypocrite and no one should defend his actions. He did not have a simple “indescretion;” instead he had an illicit affair that likely spanned several years. Congressman Souder then lied about this affair to multiple media sources by denying the affair. Congressman Souder then decided to run for re-election even though he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was likely that word of his illicit affair would leak to the public. Congressman Souder cost the tax payers of this area hundreds of thousands of dollars to hold a special election for the 3rd Congressional District. Congressman Souder caused his primary opponents to waste a lot of time and money on a primary that he should never have entered.
I am especially angered by Mark Souders hypocrisy because he has been a “sanctimonious jerk” who is always telling everyone who would listen how important family values are and he has always cloaked himself in his religion and had a “holier then thou” attitude.
It is amazing to me that Congressman Souder and his mistress had the audacity to film a five and half minute video espousing abstinance education in our school system. What hypocrits!
I truly do feel sorry for Congressman Souder’s family and for Tracy Jackson’s family. Both are going to come under a lot of scrutiny that they do not deserve. The families are innocent and my heart goes out to them.
In no way do I feel sorry for Congressman Souder or Tracy Jackson. They decided to have an illicit affair that spanned several years while they were married. Congressman Souder chose to have an affair with a member of his own staff. Both people made a conscious decision for several years to have an illicit affair. Both made choices that they have to live with.
Mark Souder is a “sanctimonious jerk” and I am glad that he will only be my Congressman for two more days.
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15 Responses to “Mark Souder is a “sanctimonius jerk””
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This explanation seems plausible:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2010/05/pence-ratted-to-ethics-committee-on.html
No, no, Mike, this wasn’t Mr. Souder being bad. It was that “poisonous atmosphere of Washington.” Why, the atmosphere got so toxic, finally, that Mr. Souder’s unit fell right out of his pants. He looked and looked for it, only to find that it had somehow become embedded in his part-time staffer. Why, it’s not his fault at all, not really. It could happen to anyone.
Meanwhile, I will immodestly point to my own assessment. It’s a shame that he’s only having to resign for a little extracurricular porking, rather than having to try to defend himself at an international war-crimes trial.
Mike,
While I sympathize with your anger, you, too, are adopting a sanctimonious attitude as well. There, but for the grace of God, go I–and you, too. Your sins are no less offensive, even if they are better hidden.
JT,
Mike’s attitude is not sanctimonious at all - it’s indignant and justifiably so. Nobody should care about a politician’s personal life until they make it the raison d’etre for their entire career. It makes you wonder how uber-hypocrites like Souder can sleep at night but alas it takes a special kind of person to make it to “Worshington” in the first place…
I am shocked by the total disdain he showed to voters and to other possible candidates. He could have and should have simply not run for re-election. Heck, this stuff might not have ever surfaced and it would have been the best scenario for the voters. Meanwhile it would have given people like Marlin Stutzman and others the same opportunity Souder was given to run in 1994. He appears to have become so entitiled to the seat that he really got to the point where he only cared about himself.
Mike,
I’m worried about you. It’s clear there’s something bothering you about this whole thing, and I think you have to learn to let it go. You can’t go around with this bubbling just below the surface, it’s just not healthy. You have to learn to really let go, and get this sort of thing off you chest, let people know how you really feel. I think this blog can be a good release for you if you just weren’t so reserved and holding back all the time. Think about it. No one wants to find you one day, slumped over your desk with your head exploded like a Martian that’s listened to too much Slim Whitman. Think of your family, man! Now take a deep breath, clear your head, close your eyes and let it all spill out your fingertips to the keyboard, tell us how you really feel. It’s OK.
(Need I say, Just Kidding?)
I dislike Souder as much as anyone else, but it is time to let it go. I don’t condone what he did and I think he should have resigned before the primary. But I don’t find it any more troubling that he was a “family values” man, I thought most people were against adultery.
Wasn’t there a story about a guy with a beard and casting the first stone? I can’t remember the particulars, but seems to me it might be relevant.
Keith,
I personally think it is different because Congressman Souder was always up on a “puplit” preaching family values and morals.
He is a comlpete hypocrite.
Mike
Keith,
You are correct- but in this case, Souder was the one casting the first stone.
My initial gut reaction… If he’d stuck to his term limit ideals, this would never have happened to him or his family. It’s self inflicted, but still sad.
What happens to these guys is they just come to believe they are invincible. They become part of another world completely devoid of common sense and common decency and most notably us common people.
If the voters don’t have the intestinal fortitude to limit these pricks through elections, they need to be limited by statute, if that’s even possible.
TPM is reporting that Mike Pence found out about the affair on Sunday and had informed Souder that he would bring the issue to the House ethics panel on Monday, thus prompting Souder to resign on Tuesday.
Wasn’t sure if you’d heard that yet or not.
…so good for Mike Pence.
Very well said, Mike. Thank you for articulating my thoughts so exactly.
I agree with csm…very well said and exactly what I was thinking and feeling. Never liked the guy and he does not deserve any sympathy.