{"id":538,"date":"2017-11-30T16:03:41","date_gmt":"2017-11-30T21:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=538"},"modified":"2018-03-08T16:12:43","modified_gmt":"2018-03-08T21:12:43","slug":"538","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=538","title":{"rendered":"Another GOP Lawmaker Got Caught In A Sex Scandal. Here\u2019s Why You Should Defend Him."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
There are plenty of reasons to dislike Rep. Joe Barton. His dick pics shouldn\u2019t be one of them.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
By Noah Michelson<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NOTE: <\/strong><\/em>Several hours before this story was published, a new report<\/a> appeared in the Star-Telegram that alleged Rep. Joe Barton engaged in \u201ca series of private messages \u2014 some with sexual overtones\u201d while still married to his wife. Barton has confirmed these messages but has not commented on them.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

On Thursday afternoon, Barton announced he would not be seeking re-election<\/a>, saying, \u201cThere are enough people who lost faith in me that it\u2019s time to step aside … so I am not going to run for re-election.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I obviously do not defend any non-consensual sexual behavior by anyone regardless of their marital status. However, my defense of Barton\u2019s consenual actions from last week as detailed below still stands.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n

There is a specific,\u00a0woozy kind of pleasure for me that is immediately conjured when a right-wing politician is caught \u2015 quite literally \u2015 with his pants down.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It is an exhilarating joy similar to the feeling I once had riding Space Mountain with a close friend while high from an almost-too-strong pot brownie: I can\u2019t wipe the goofy grin off of my face and I want to tell everyone about what just happened. But best of all, I don\u2019t have to go to Disneyland to manifest this feeling, as it seems like every day another lawmaker is exposed as a two-faced, sex-crazed creep.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The most recent case in point:\u00a0Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas)<\/a>, who spent most of last week explaining why a photo of his dick was suddenly do-si-doing across the web after it was shared via an anonymous Twitter account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It appears several years ago, Barton sent a naked image of himself<\/a> and a text reading \u201cI want u soo bad. Right now\u201d to a woman with whom he was engaged in a \u201cheavily sexual\u201d relationship. This woman was not his wife.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She chose to speak out about their relationship now,\u00a0she told The Washington Post<\/a>, because \u201cit\u2019s not normal for a member of Congress who runs on a GOP platform of family values and conservatism to be scouring the Internet looking for a new sexual liaison.\u201d\u00a0A video of the lawmaker masturbating<\/a> also turned up online for a short period of time before it was removed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And just like that, my social media feeds were full of posts about how disgusting \u2015 but unsurprising\u00a0\u2015 the story was. I too was ready to write Barton off as just another sleazeball who\u00a0proudly championed \u201cfamily values\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>while wagging his willy for everyone but the woman he married.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But once I got past the come-hither headlines and actually read what Barton did, I realized that, at least in this particular instance, he might deserve a more nuanced approach to his supposed sex crimes and \u2015 gulp \u2015 I might even have to come to his defense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Barton was separated from his wife (whom he later divorced) when the photos and video were taken and sent. What\u2019s more, according to all of the reporting that I\u2019ve seen, he was engaged in a completely consensual relationship with the woman (and other \u201cmature adult women<\/a>\u201d \u2015 apparently he was having sexual relations with several individuals) who received the graphic messages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

So then, what exactly is Barton guilty of? Sending naked photos of himself to a consenting sexual partner. An embarrassing situation in which to find oneself \u2015 hypocritical even, considering his\u00a0endorsements from radically anti-queer, holier-than-thou, sex-negative groups<\/a>\u00a0like the Family Research Council and the Christian Coalition of America.\u00a0But hardly a scandal compared to the revelations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and toxic masculinity that have surfaced daily.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Rather than shrug his shoulders and toss a \u201cso what?\u201d in the general direction of anyone who was offended by the sight of his adult, consenting penis before getting back to work, Barton felt the need to\u00a0apologize for not using \u201cbetter judgment during those days\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and for \u201d[letting his] constituents down.\u201d\u00a0He even agreed to launch an investigation into whether or not the person who leaked the pics and video could be punished under\u00a0a 2015 Texas law<\/a>\u00a0that made \u201crevenge porn\u201d a crime. What he did not do is resign from office or vow to refrain from seeking re-election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Unfortunately for Barton, his fellow Republicans aren\u2019t too pleased with his decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cSince Mr. Barton\u2019s highly publicized issues have come to light, I have talked to numerous Republican activists, leaders, voters and elected officials about this situation \u2014 not a single one of them thinks he should run again,\u201d said Tim O\u2019Hare,\u00a0the leader of the Tarrant County Republican Party,\u00a0told The Star-Telegram<\/a>, adding, \u201cI personally hope he learns from this and tries to be a better father and man.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Salon noted<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cO\u2019Hare\u2019s feelings were echoed by roughly 20 Republican leaders who met Barton in Arlington to discuss his political future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

While I agree that I\u2019d like to see Barton try to be \u201ca better man\u201d \u2015 he did, after all, support a policy platform<\/a> in 2010 that was pushing for the recriminalization of \u201csodomy\u201d in Texas \u2015 I certainly don\u2019t think he\u2019s a bad man or a lousy father just because he sent a photo of his junk, or a video of himself touching said junk, to women he was having sex with (or hoping to have sex with).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

With so much to be furious about right now,\u00a0I want to make sure we\u2019re not wasting our energy nor our indignation on people who, at the very least, may not be worthy of it. As cringeworthy as it might make us feel, we might even need to come to the defense of those who hold oppositional and unsavory political and social beliefs, if we conclude in this instance they aren\u2019t in the wrong.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If he\u2019s forced out for simply being a horny old goat who shared a private jerk-off video with another adult, none of us win.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

There are plenty of reasons to take Barton to task \u2015\u00a0 I don\u2019t like lawmakers who vote against the things I stand for or who want to stand in the way of me living my life the way I see fit \u2015 but\u00a0I\u2019m also a big fan of (responsibly shared) dick pics<\/a>\u00a0and sex positivity. As despicable as I find someone like Barton, the enemy of my falsely pious, dangerously anti-sex enemies is my friend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Let Joe Barton be voted out of office because he supports and is supported by awful organizations with gruesome plans for America.\u00a0If he\u2019s forced out for simply being a horny old goat who shared a private jerk-off video with another adult, none of us win.\u00a0What\u2019s worse, it sets a(nother) precedent that posits sex \u2015 even consensual, respectful sex \u2015 as dirty, unhealthy and ultimately harmful not only to the individuals involved but also our society at large.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In a year when women are finally being heard and believed about the assault and harassment they\u2019ve experienced at men\u2019s hands, we must commit ourselves to calling out and holding accountable those who harm others and try to repair our broken culture. But we also need to ensure that aren\u2019t feeding the wrong individuals, for the wrong reasons, to the beautifully transformative bonfire we\u2019ve finally lit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

This piece has been updated.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n