Ok, I have been letting my mind wander on this Sen. Ensign thing while

[kestrel91316]

playing solitaire for a bit, and something is eating at me.

How much money did the mistress get(payola plus employment)? As compared to how much money her husband got (payola plus employment)??

Did he get more than she did??? Whas there something MORE sordid than a simple heterosexual affair going on? Was this perhaps a THREESOME???? Or maybe even she was the cover and hubbie was Ensign's real interest??? Ensign did not marry until he was in his 30's........

Why, if he was being "blackmailed", did he not go to the FBI or police like any normal law-and-order Repuke would????

Somebody talk me down, lol. I always tend to imagine the worst about these thugs (but it's because I know from prior experience that they are up to the worst all too often).........

[Hekate]

1. I have a feeling that if someone decides to follow the money, that will bring him down...

There seems to be an awful lot of financial corruption going on. If Ensign has a come to Jesus moment with his constituency he might be forgiven the infidelity -- you know how big-hearted and generous and forgiving those Pubs are with their own -- but the multiple payoffs to his mistress, her son, and her husband may be too much for even them to swallow. Plus he has no doubt broken some law or regulation in all this.

Meantime, pass the butter and salt. :popcorn:

Hekate

[Old and In the Way]

2. Perhaps a quid-pro-quoquo?

There's lots more to this story. How were they paid? Embezzled funds from the RNC involved? She worked under the former RNC Treasurer that stole a huge pile of cash over years. Hadn't thought about that angle, but it wouldn't shock me if that's turns out to be part of the story.

If it's only about sex, I'll still enjoy the outing of another fucking.sanctimonious.Republican.Hypocrite. Promisekeeper, my ass.

[kestrel91316]

3. Ensign's dad runs Mandalay Bay. They would have PLENTY of money

to pay all the bribes in the world without tapping into campaign funds.......BUT being the greedy bastards that they are, my guess is he wouldn't have wanted to use family money but rather the time-honored principle of Other People's Money (TM).

[Merlot]

4. Usually I don't care what these politicians do with their personal life

But when they preach one thing and practice another, all bets are off. It's like the gay one, mr. bathroom stall. Now, I wouldn't care that he was a closet case, but the fact that he voted SO anti-gay is what makes it a problem. Same with this guy, saying everyone else who had an affair should step down, but now that he's caught, is he following his own directive? I'm guessing NO.

[kestrel91316]

7. Exactly the point......it's ALL about the hypocrisy and faux Christianity

that they use to bludgeon everyone else.

[kestrel91316]

5. THIS tidbit keeps jumping out at me:

".....Doug Hampton and John Ensign were old, close friends when Ensign gave Hampton a top staff position in 2006, according to a former Ensign staffer....."

-quote from reviewjournal.com-

HOW close?

[madeline_con]

6. Breakdown of Ensign salary expenditures, FWIW...

http://www.legistorm.com/member/39/Sen_John_Ensign.html

This is actually a pretty cool site for sluething.

[MADem]

8. He might not have wanted the couple to get in trouble, he just wanted the husband of his

girlfriend to not put the bite on him. 'Fessing up is the way to make the guy go away.