A conservative blogger “outed” the allegation that Kristen Olsen’s ex-husband accused Republican Assembly Leader Chad Mayes of having an extramarital affair with his wife. Rod Olsen accused the current Vice Chairman of the California Republican Party, the former Republican Assembly Leader (Olsen), and current Republican Leader (Mayes) of using state funds to cover up the alleged affair.
One argument is that it’s a private affair between consenting adults; indeed, if legislators are voting the pro-statist agenda (like Mayes did on Cap and Trade), we can expect the coverage we’ve received.
Another argument is that the recipient of the letter (Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon) used it to blackmail Mayes to whip up votes to support the Cap and Trade bill.
Would the media coverage have been different if Mayes whipped up votes to defeat the cap and trade extension?
I think so. Look at the tone of the Desert Sun, Sacramento Bee and Press-Enterprise articles. The implication is that the “crazy” conservative blogger was “looking for a spark where fire didn’t exist.” Yet, had Mayes voted the other way, would the media have framed the coverage of the alleged affair a different way? Would they have accused Olsen’s ex-husband and the conservative blogger of blackmailing Mayes to DEFEAT the pro-statist legislation?
At the very least, the reporters would have directly asked both Olsen and Mayes if they WERE having an extramarital affair. If either (or both) of them answered yes, the story would have been that Mayes was blackmailed to defeat Cap and Trade. (The San Jose Mercury-News pretty much stated that.)
If they avoided the question, the reporters would have dug deeper to imply that a conspiracy might have existed. If they responded “NO,” they would have been interviewing every motel owner and restaurateur in Sacramento, rooting through receipts and expense accounts to prove Rod Olsen’s (now withdrawn) allegations.
Today, Mayes is the darling of the media because he voted the pro-statist agenda. If the man ever votes a pro-Liberty agenda, they’ll crucify him.
I only care that the “secret” compromises him as Republican Assembly Leader. If he and Olsen found love, he should just say “Yeah. We are a couple and I am the Republican Assembly Leader. I will vote which way I choose and I will mate with whomever I want.”
Assuming, of course, that anyone ever asks him (or her) that question. The media are full of crap. If the vote had gone the other way, Mayes would be crucified.