Georgian Senatorial candidate Herschel Walker has always been a terrible choice for the Republican party to promote; he has no political experience, and is only really known for once being a great football player. Add to that his history of mental issues that have led to violent behavior in the past, and his penchant to brag and lie about his achievements (he has no background in law enforcement, nor did he graduate at the top of his class) and his candidacy would seem to be a poor choice.
And that choice has gotten worse in the past few weeks: as the whole world now knows, Walker has had several children with different mothers that he barely had a hand in raising (this after her scolded absent black fathers in the African American community) and once paid for the abortion of a woman he impregnated, even though he says he supports a ban on all abortions. While he first tried to deny this, the woman in question revealed the receipt and his check as proof, and she has also claimed that he tried to pressure her into getting a second abortion. Now you would think that someone who's actions run completely against their stand on family values would cause the Republican party to abandon him, but the opposite has happened, with many conservatives doubling down on their support. ("I don't care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles," said conservative commentator Dana Loesch "I want control of the Senate!"). While part of this shows just how much Republicans care about power more than consistency, it also shows how low the party has gotten since they rallied around Donald Trump, with Walker's recent troubles resembling the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women. (And, of course, Walker's in the race mainly because Trump urged him to run).
This would seem to be a new low for the Republican party, but Walker is not the first Republican political figure to violate their political beliefs in his personal life and get away with it. Consider the case of Scott DesJarlais. Desjarlais started his political career as part of the Republican Tea Party movement and was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Tennessee 4th district, in 2010. Right away, the fact that his ex wife accused him in divorce proceedings of harassment, intimidation and physical abuse that included things like holding a loaded gun in his mouth for three hours didn't stop him from winning. He also testified that as a doctor he had had sexual affairs with at least two patients, three coworkers and a drug representative. Things got even more complicated for him in 2012 when a recording of him in 2000 appeared in which he coerced one of his mistresses into getting an abortion. He would also admit that he pressured his wife into getting two abortions while they were married, saying “things were not going well between us and it was a mutual decision.” (Which really sounds like a pro choice argument.) It should also be added that he pleaded no contest to violating the Tennessee Medical Practice Act by having sex with patients.
So what happened to this utter hypocrite? This man who talked women into getting abortions while calling himself pro life? Nothing. Oh, there were some attempts to unseat him in the primaries, but for the most part Desjarlais has been able to shrug off what should have been career disqualifying scandals and forged ahead as a reliably conservative vote from a reliably conservative state. And remember, all of this happened well before Trump and his numerous scandals appeared. Really, much of the change in the Republican party into a win at all costs machine began back in the 1990's when then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich brought his brand of personal attack politics to the fore in the party, doing things like pushing for Bill Clinton's impeachment for lying under oath about an affair while he himself was cheating on his own wife. Although Gingrich may not be in office anymore, his legacy of cruelty and personal attacks has continued, with Trump obviously picking up the ball and running with it. And, sadly, that win at all costs attitude just may bring the absurdly unqualified, utterly hypocritical Walker to the congress, where he can rub shoulders with the equally hypocritical Dejarlais.
