The Role of Sex in History

"A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Saul Bellow

The Role of Sex in History

This title derives from a line of dialog in one of my favorite movies, "The Lion in Winter", said by the character of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Philip of France; the 1968 version, where Eleanor is played by Katherine Hepburn, with the screenplay written by the author of the original play.

I could not resist another post, however soon after my last, given how recent events tie together multiple posts here on Penigma:

A Consensus on the Census Con
A Party of Clay
First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage
They're Only Words

Rush Limbaugh (see They're Only Words) has now opined that the root cause for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's marital infidelity (see A Party of Clay) was President Obama and the Stimulus Bill.

An approximate transcription of his statement:

“Do you know how many frustrated Americans there are out there at what’s happening? This Sanford business, I’ve got to tell you one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind with Mark Sanford. What he did defies logic. This is more than being 180 degrees out of phase because of lust or love…This is almost like I don’t give a damn. The country’s going to hell in a handbasket. I just want out of here. He had just tried to fight the stimulus money coming to SC. He didn’t want any part of it. He lost the battle. He said what the hell. The federal government is taking over. I want to enjoy life.”

Limbaugh also characterized Sanford as potentially "our JFK", although I don't think it was because Kennedy was also an alleged philanderer. At least, I hope that wasn't the basis for the comparison...

Now the niggling fact which confounds this assertion is that Gov. Sanford has confessed that he had known his mistress for a number of years, something like seven or eight, and that the affair has been ongoing for approximately a year.

Mrs. Sanford found out about the infidelity approximately five months ago. She threw Sanford out of the house some two weeks ago. (First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage)

Reporter Gina Smith, from the Columbia's "State", the newspaper that broke the story, indicated that the paper had incriminating emails in their possession for a similar period of time, five or six months, received from an anonymous source. Smith confronted the Governor at the airport in Atlanta on his return from Argentina, and informed him of the emails.

At that time, the Governor first attempted to lie about the affair, until he learned the emails were in the possession of the newspaper, and were about to be made public. That afternoon, in his rambling press event, he admitted to the affair, including his whereabouts, which was news to his wife as well.

The Stimulus Bill passed in February of this year.

The Governor lost in court a few weeks ago in his attempt to resist accepting stimulus money for the state of South Carolina, and the state assembly recently concluded their most recent legislative session.

Does Mr. Limbaugh really believe that his audience is incapable of putting news events in a proper chronological order? ARE they THAT incapable?

Because as much as Humpty, er, Limbaugh would like to blame anything and everything on Obama, and the Democrats/Liberals/ "Lefties", this is just tooooo great a reach, even for the most rabid of followers. Isn't it?

Unless you consistently and vigorously like to ignore and avoid those facts which don't support your position (see The Consensus on the Census Con) There is such a thing as spin, and then.... there is just plain dizzy.