Across the country, several Republican lawmakers, politicians, and their operatives have been forced to resign amid scandal this month, as the “family values” “fiscal conservative” party shed their anti-gay politicians because they were caught violating their marital vows or fiscal responsibilities — or just plain did stupid things.
In Minesota, the Senate Majority leader who successfully led the GOP fight to get a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage onto the ballot just resigned her leadership post after she — a married mother of one — was caught having an affair with a state senate staffer. Amy Koch, in stepping down as Minnesota Senate Majority Leader also announced she will not seek re-election, though she will serve out her term. Koch has held the valued leadership position for only one year.
“It was gratifying. We did wonderful things. It was exhausting. I think you just know when it is time to let someone else have the reins, and it’s time,” she said, according to the Minnesota Star-Ledger, which conveniently forgot to mention Koch’s affair until later in the day, confirming the staffer in question was male.
The local St. Paul Fox News station did mention the affair, quoting a fellow Republican Senator:
He said he doesn’t know how long the relationship was going on and legally cannot discuss the name of the Senate staffer involved with Sen. Koch. The Edina senator could only specify that it was “inappropriate†a “conflict of interest†and created an “unstable work environment for staff.â€
Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch’s abrupt resignation follows the abrupt resignation of Minnesota’s Republican state party chair earlier this month. Tony Sutton resigned after it was discovered the Minnesota Republican Party was  $581,000  in debt. Oh, scratch that. A new report states, “the party is likely more than $1 million in debt.” So much for fiscal conservatism.
Then there’s Mississippi conservative family values Republican Mayor Greg Davis, who “admitted this week that he was gay after an audit revealed that he spent taxpayer money at a gay adult store in Canada,” according to The Raw Story:
“At this point in my life and in my career, while I have tried to maintain separation between my personal and public life, it is obvious that this can no longer remain the case,†the mayor, now in his third term, told The Commercial Appeal.
“While I have performed my job as mayor, in my opinion, as a very conservative, progressive individual — and still continue to be a very conservative individual — I think that it is important that I discuss the struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the realization that I am gay,†he added.
Davis claimed that he has already paid $96,000 of the of more than $170,000 in expenses that state officials allege he improperly billed the city for.
Thousands of dollars were spent on lavish meals and liquor, but it’s a $67 charge that Davis made to Priape, “Canada’s premiere gay lifestyle store and sex shop,†while on a recruiting trip that has gotten the most attention.
The mayor said that he didn’t remember what he bought while at the shop.
Davis has not resigned, but he also hasn’t decided if he’ll run for office again.
Earlier this week, Newt Gingrich accepted the resignation his new political director in Iowa, Craig Bergman, after he had told a focus group, before being hired by Gingrich, that, “A lot of the evangelicals believe God would give us four more years of Obama just for the opportunity to expose the cult of Mormon. There’s a thousand pastors ready to do that,” according to Reuters.
Earlier this month, the Republican mayor of Medford, New Jersey, resigned after denying claims he had hired a male prostitute.
The New York Daily News reported:
Republican Chris Myers, a married father of two, was scandalized in October on a website that accused him of hiring the escort, and published a photo of a man in his underwear who appeared to be Myers.
The accuser, who says he is the prostitute Myers paid $500 to rendezvous at a hotel in Newport Beach, said he made the story public because the politician did not fulfill promises that included a car and gifts.
And in Perry County, Pennsylvania, the treasurer-elect of the local Republican committee, Mary Reisinger, was censured after  it was revealed she neglected to reveal she was arrested for shoplifting.
Of course, let’s not forget the famous resignations of both Chris Barron and Andrew Breitbart from their posts at GOProud, the gay Tea Party group, and the decision by Herman Cain to “suspend” his presidential campaign, just two weeks ago.