On this date in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” published profiles of the U.S. House Representative from Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District, Scott Desjarlais, an Episcopalian physician from Tennessee whose religious background would have made him the perfect Republican to push their social agenda against abortion, contraceptives, and gay rights, while also giving them a guy with the credibility to argue against the Affordable Care Act. The problem with that, though, is Desjarlais has proven to be an embarrassing hypocrite, because while he portrays himself a champion of the pro-life movement, his divorce records were unsealed, and the media discovered he protected the sanctity of marriage by cheating on his wife with four women, and pressured not only his wife (on tape, no less) into getting an abortion, but one of his mistresses. And that mistress was also apparently one of his patients (and she wasn’t the only patient he slept with)… so there went the credibility of the “doctor against the ACA” angle. Also, the “family values Republican” angle, considering he admitted sleeping with six women — including two patients, three co-workers and a drug company representative — during his three-year marriage. But don’t worry, he’s assured everyone that “God has forgiven him”.
Desjarlais is also a big hard-liner on immigration, what with the time he told an 11 year old girl that he was going to deport her dad, and all. Desjarlains again survived a primary threat in 2018, winning with 70% of the vote before going on into the general election and cruising to a victory with 63% of the vote there. He has returned to Washington, and joined the House Freedom Caucus. Desjarlais has been dodging facing his constituents like a coward these past few years.
His voting record sure would make it seem like that’s the case, and he’s joined the ranks of the hard right extremists:
- May 2nd, 2018: Scott Desjarlais is one of 18 Republicans who sign on to a letter asking to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Prize for meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
- January 22nd, 2019: Desjarlais votes against HR 676, which would prevent Donald Trump from doing the unthinkable and walking away from our allies in NATO to appease the Russians.
- January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Desjarlais voted against HR 648, because he was gleefully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/116-2019/h49
- January 27th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais votes against HJR 30, which was meant to express disapproval of Donald Trump not acting against Russian Federation for attack Desjarlais our democracy. You see, he’s fine with our nation being sublet to Vladimir Putin.
- February 28th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
- March 14th, 2019: Rep. Desjarlais votes against HJR 46, which sane members of Congress voted for to reject Donald Trump’s “national emergency” regarding the U.S. border and his attempts to reallocate funds for a border wall without Congressional approval.
- April 4th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais is one of 158 Republicans who choose to vote against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).
- May 17th, 2019: Desjarlais votes against The Equality Act, which would have prevented discrimination towards Americans based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
- June 4th, 2019: Rep. Desjarlais votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
- July 16th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais votes against a resolution to condemn Donald Trump for his racist statements that four people of color in Congress should “go back where they came from”.
- October 17th, 2019: Desjarlais votes against HJ Res 77, which opposed Donald Trump’s disastrous decision to abandon Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria to the mercies of a Turkish invasion.
- December 3rd, 2019: Rep. Desjarlais votes against a resolution to disallow Russia from re-entering the G7 and makes it the G8 until it leaves Ukraine.
- December 18th, 2019: Desjarlais ignores his Congressional duty to hold a president who has been proven to commit high crimes and misdemeanors accountable and votes against the impeachment of Donald Trump.
- May 15th, 2020: Desjarlais votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inexplicably, even as the #MeToo movement continues, Scott Desjarlais remains in Congress, and is seeking a sixth term in office in 2020, this time escaping the GOP Primary without a scratch, and he will battle Democrat Christopher Hale in about three and a half weeks. Hale is a former executive director of a progressive Catholic political advocacy organization and a former Obama/Biden campaign staffer. We’re hoping he pulls a big upset, as Tennessee’s 4th has seemingly come to terms with the fact that their Congressman is a hypocritical, unscrupulous, and clueless creep after re-electing him two years ago with 64% of the vote. He has literally been in office now for a decade, in spite of his unseemly personal/professional life prior to reaching office. We don’t know when they get the brooms to sweep Desjarlais out of office, but it won’t be soon enough.