Monday, August 10, 2009
Paul Stanley: Other Politicians Falling Short of Moral Perfection
Posted by Jackson Baker on Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 10:58 AM
On Monday, his last official day as state senator from District 31, Paul Stanley shared some of his thinking about the foibles of public life with a small group of established local political and governmental figures. The occasion, at the Crescent Club in East Memphis, was not political; rather, it was spiritual — this month’s installment of the prayer breakfasts held monthly by Dave Perdue, a CPA who has been a player in several major local politicians' campaigns.
According to reports from those who were there, Stanley, who was this month’s keynote speaker at the breakfast, spoke on the theme that human conduct consistently falls short of Biblical ideals but that it is important all the same to pursue those ideals. The former senator was pressured to resign from the senate following disclosures of a blackmail plot relating to his sexual relationship with a legislative intern.
Owning up to his own shortcomings, Stanley reportedly said that politicians as a group are all “only an eighth of an inch from ending up in the newspapers” for this or that moral imperfection.
Among those attending this month’s gathering were state Representative Brian Kelsey and financial adviser/county school board president David Pickler, two of the declared candidates in the forthcoming special election to succeed Stanley in a Senate district that includes portions of East Memphis, Cordova, and Germantown.
Other attendees included state Representative Ron Lollar, Shelby County commissioners Mike Carpenter and George Flinn, and Memphis mayor pro tem Myron Lowery.
Comments (17)
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"Stanley reportedly said that politicians as a group are all “only an eighth of an inch from ending up in the newspapers” for this or that moral imperfection."
maybe so, but not every politician is running around attempting to legislate morality that they feel doesn't apply to themselves. Moral imperfection is one thing; sanctimony/ hypocrisy is a whole other bag of BS.
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maybe Pickler and Kelsey will injure themselves in a collision attempting to be the first in front of a TV camera and that will open up the way for Steve Mcmanus to win. One could only hope...
Nailed it, wvfii . Some great, thought-provoking posts on the Flyer website the last couple days. Splendid reading.
If politicos are an 1/8 inch away from the abyss, then we must save them with term limits.
Stop judging him and let him get on with his life. He has to mend things with his wife and children. I don't know him but I'm sure he's hurting. We all have made mistakes.
Mistake? This was hardly a matter of screwing up the balance in your checkbook. Paul Stanley didn't make a "mistake." He made dozens of horrible decisions. This wasn't a one night stand. It was many.
frankly i don't care what he does on his own time - as long as it doesn't involve theft, rape or murder. i simply ask that he (and his ilk) extend me the same courtesy.
What a metaphor. I'd have said "eight inches," not "an eighth of an inch."
McKensie, dear???? Will there be a tell-all book?
It's important to remember that when a Democrat is involved in a sex scandal (Clinton, Edwards, Spitzer), an immoral, hypocritical adulterer has finally shown his true colors.
When a Republican is entrapped into a sex scandal, a decent, God-fearing Christian only showed he is human like all of us, and this uncharacteristic lapse in judgment should not overshadow his strong moral beliefs and dedication to his constituents.
Stanley's attempt to drag other politiicians into his boat is too transparent. The BIG difference, and he knows it, is that all those other politicians are not running around preaching family values, sponsoring bills to discriminate against gay people, and such. He is a vile hypocrite.
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