Dani Strehle
Senior Manager
Rep. Vance McAllister (R-La.) caused quite a stir on Monday when The Ouachita Citizen released a video documenting the Congressman sharing a passionate kiss with a woman who was decidedly not his wife.
Now, this is nothing new. Male politicians are notorious for extramarital affairs; feeling protected and invulnerable by their authority and status. But when you’ve obtained your place in office under the guise of being a devoted family man and a devout, practicing Christian; infidelity takes on a special odor of hypocrisy.
The woman in question is McAllister’s [married] district scheduler, Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock. The video shows them sharing a passionate kiss; one that makes it quite clear that it wasn’t their first. And while infidelity on both of their parts is abhorrent, Peacock is the only one who no longer has a job. Although it is being said that she “voluntarily resigned,” I am just jaded enough to believe that “voluntarily” might be a bit of an overstatement.
Congressman McAllister has admitted that he was in fact the gentleman on the tape, followed by this statement: “There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve.” McAllister has been married for 16 years to his wife Kelly, with whom he’s had five children.
While his statement made no direct references to the videos, he went on to say:
Trust is something I know has to be earned whether you’re a husband, a father, or a congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed. From day one, I’ve always tried to be an honest man. I ran for Congress to make a difference and not to just be another politician. I don’t want to make a political statement on this, I would just simply like to say that I’m very sorry for what I’ve done.
He also stated that, not only does he have no plans to resign, he will also seek reelection come autumn “unless there is an outcry for me not to serve, and so far there has been an outpouring of support, not for my actions, but for me to continue to represent the people.”
But make no mistake about it: we are not on an even playing field here. While McAllister’s infidelity is essentially being glossed over in a “boys will be boys” gesture; Peacock is already off of the Congressman’s payroll. That certainly didn’t take long, did it? It takes two to Tango, but only one shall face penalties. In this economy, being jobless with a scandal following you around like a shadow seems to be more-than-adequate punishment.
Peacock’s husband, Heath, told CNN that he is “Just freaking devastated by the whole deal, man. I loved my wife so much. I cannot believe this. I cannot freaking believe it. I feel like I’m going to wake up here in a minute and this is all going to be a bad nightmare. He has wrecked my life.”
McAllister’s cronies in Washington don’t find the situation to be quite so dramatic. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), House Majority Leader, stated that he found McAllister’s apology to be sufficient, but did not comment as to whether or not he should resign: “I’ve not had a chance to speak to the congressman, so I’m going to reserve further judgment on the question. I will say that the American people deserve all of their representatives here in Washington to hold to a very high standard of behavior.”
Translation: Who cares, it happens all the time, the woman in question is gone, let’s focus on trying to repeal the ACA for 65th time.
To the elected men of the United States; a bit of free advice for you: KEEP. IT. IN. YOUR. PANTS. Your dirty little secret will ALWAYS come to light. You can watch the video here.
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