Jabba the Hastert and Scott Palmer live together?

[No Exit]

N.T.T.A.W.W.T. (Except in rural fundie-land.)

Lawrence O'Donnell, at huffingtonpost.com:

If Fordham did warn Palmer about Foley a long time ago, what are the odds that Palmer did not tell Hastert? As close to zero as you can get. Many chiefs of staff are close, very close, to their bosses on Capitol Hill. But none are closer than Scott Palmer is to Denny Hastert. They don't just work together all day, they live together.

There are plenty of odd couple Congressmen who have roomed together on Capitol Hill, but I have never heard of a chief of staff who rooms with his boss. It is beyond unusual. But it must have its advantages. Anything they forget to tell each other at the office, they have until bedtime to catch up on. And then there's breakfast for anything they forgot to tell each other before falling asleep. And then there's all day at the office. Hastert and Palmer are together more than any other co-workers in the Congress.

For now, Hastert is holding on to the Speaker's office because the Republicans don't have anyone in the leadership who is squeaky clean enough to take the job. Every one of them is tainted by the Foley scandal or the Abramoff scandal or the DeLay scandal or, like Henry Hyde, has some ancient sexual indiscretion in his background. But if the press cracks Scott Palmer's denial of Kirk Fordham's bombshell, then Denny Hastert is going to have to pass the gavel to some freshman we've never heard of.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-odonnell/who-is-scott-palmer_b_31171.html

[aquart]

1. But...but...Hastert is married with kids!

He can't...be...gay.

Oh, my. The gloves are REALLY coming off, aren't they. It's beginning to look like a race to out ...my goodness, who could it possibly BE????

[Cosmocat]

13. Some lunkhead freak ...

was on Tucker Carlson with Stephanie Miller, the usual yelling over her as she tried to answer, and pulling all kinds of insane nonsense out of his rear end ... Anyway, he kept going on and on about how the DEMOCRATS have a "list" of gay republicans are going around DC threatening to out them ... At first, I thought, that is standard stuff, they have the "velvet mafia" and he is doing what they do where they project, but IF Hastert is front kind of guy, this is going to bring him out, and this fits with their perverse, it is the Ds being the bad guys meme ...

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

15. I read about the "List" on DavidCorn.com...Must read!

From a List to a GOP Civil War

Copies of The List (see below) have been sent by gay politicos to a variety of social conservative groups that look to the Republican Party to make their religious right dreams come true. The recipients include the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, the Alliance for Marriage, Concerned Women of America, the Eagle Forum, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Officials at most of these groups have had something to say about homosexuality and gay rights in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal.

http://www.davidcorn.com

[suziedemocrat]

19. They should out the hypocrites

for two reasons:

1) they run on a homophobic platform,

2) America should bring itself out of the dark ages and start to accept homosexuality as a fact of life.

[TomInTib]

2. Just when you think it can't get any more weird.

This is beyond crazy.

Holy crap.

[Straight Shooter]

4. "W" is for weird.

It's the symbol for the entire bush administration and Republican Congress. Just plain damn weird.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

3. Funny title to your post, no exit..

Jabba the Hastert -wonkette used that too

[earthside]

5. It should be "Hastert the Hut"

The Hut were a species, right?

Jabba was one Huts name.

So, Hasert would be the name of the Hut that is Speaker of the House.

Do I have this right, Star War fanatics?

"Hastert the Hut"

[Warren Stupidity]

6. This is a new species.

Hasterts evolved from Huts. It is correct to say 'Jabba the Hastert'.

[earthside]

10. You Mean 'Devolved', Right? n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

11. Good point.

[No Exit]

7. Thanks! Can't take credit--saw a thread on that name on DU!

Personally, I prefer "Fat Bastard".

[aquart]

8. Is this connected to the Americablog post?

<http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/10/second-republican-congressman-snared.html>


Second Republican congressman snared in page sex scandal?
by John in DC - 10/07/2006 08:03:00 AM

Denny Hastert has put me in a difficult position.

I've heard rumors. Unsubstantiated talk. No proof yet. But I've heard things. Just like I heard things about Mark Foley this past July. This time I've heard things about a relatively senior Republican member of the House, and also about someone on the Speaker's own staff. Both rumors seem relevant to this story as it's unfolding.

[pat_k]

12. That Hastert shares townhouse with aides Palmer an Stokke is no secret

Has croped up in reports over the years.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2870507&mesg_id=2870551

[aquart]

16. That absolutely does NOT answer my question.

[pat_k]

17. sorrry -- misunderstood. Thought question was about source (nt)

[calimary]

21. A "relatively senior republi-CON member of the House"? My money's

on david dreier.

If hastert's cohabitating with his chief-of-staff, well... let's just say that DOES raise eyebrows also.

[No Exit]

26. Hey, yeah! I notice Dreier's been awfully quiet lately.

Heh!

[No Exit]

24. Had not seen Americablog post till I clicked on your link.

Thanks for posting it.

Seems to me I read somewhere that Scott Palmer is gay.

If he shares the same D.C. digs with Denny, I can only hope they are large enough that he would never accidentally come across Denny in his underwear--or worse. I would think that a vision like that could put a guy off sex for the rest of his natural life...

[aquart]

27. O'Donnell is practically screaming it on McLaughlin Group.

Saying there's a lot more that the media may or may not cover and then segueing to closeted gays in Washington.

[pat_k]

9. . . .shares townhouse with both aides, Palmer and Stokke

Tidbits

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/02/just_ran_into_jean_hastert_wif.html">Just ran into Jean Hastert, the wife of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) in the hallway outside the speakers' Capitol office suite. She just dropped in on her husband.

It's a rare D.C. appearence for Mrs. Hastert. She was here a few weeks ago for President Bush's State of the Union address. She was off to an afternoon tea, at an ambassador's residence, sponsored by some international group.

When in Washington, the speaker lives in a group house with his chief of staff, Scott Palmer and top deputy, Mike Stokke.

I asked her if she is bunking with the guys.

She is not. She stays in a hotel.

As we parted from our brief encounter, Mrs. Hastert said to me, "write good things."
I said something like it's not always possible. I mumbled a bit about how her husband has gotten peeved with me.

In my business, I said, they "shoot the messenger."

http://www.ilcampaign.org/press/news/illinois/2005/2005-5-29HastertInc.html">Inside Hastert, Inc.

. . .Palmer is described by some as Hastert's "alter ego."

"You cannot underestimate the relationship that the speaker has with Scott," said Hastert campaign spokesman John McGovern. "Scott is Denny's closest and most trusted adviser."

Stokke, Hastert's deputy chief of staff and chief political operative, has a history with the speaker that dates to 1981, when Hastert was a freshman state legislator and Stokke was a college intern in the legislative liaison office for the Illinois Department of Conservation.. . .

Not a smoking gun. Don't even know if it is the same guy, but came across this from http://www.dcfrontrunners.org/news2003.html">DCFR News in 2003:

. . Highlights of the race included Scott Walsberger finishing 17th overall, Blake Rushin finishing 2nd in her division, Scott Palmer injuring his leg at mile 1 but still finishing. . ."

From DCFR Welcome page:

DC Front Runners is a road-running and walking club for gay men, lesbians, and friends in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Membership is open to all people regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or athletic ability.

Haven't come across any Stokke tidbits. . . Until he fell on his sword yesterday, looks like he kept a much lower profile than Palmer.

WRT other player, Fordam -- as back as 2004 reports identified Kirk Fordam as gay (e.g., http://www.washblade.com/2004/7-23/news/national/antigaysen.cfm">Washington Blade article).

[No Exit]

25. Thanks for info. Next question: does he instruct them on wrestling moves?

If so, I can imagine the landlord is very unhappy whenever Denny hits the floor. That's gotta be at least a 6 on the Richter scale.

[pat_k]

14. Diary on Kos provides interesting insight into Republican "gay underworld"

It covers the Gannon connections, but provides insights for those who are unfamiliar with the network of Cohnist types.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/19/204254/937

. . .That many Gay Republicans should prefer the closety games of the 1950s over the open Gay culture that arose out of the post Stonewall era should come as no surprise. They are reactionaries after all. In fact, I know Gay men of a certain age and income who routinely excoriate "the fags" while nonetheless indulging appetites and behaviours that would leave Margaret Sperling's head spinning. But since the lights are out in their orgy rooms, good Republicans are happy to just overlook and pretend not to see. It is the public avowal of affection that makes them crazy over the gay marriage issue. To compare Gay marriage to a perversion, as right next to bestiality is on the face of it insane. Gay people seeking to have stable monogamous relationships accepted into their families and their communities are, in key respects, far more conservative and traditional than the many gays in the republican party who scuttle around in the shadows, procuring illicit sex and using sites like MilitaryEscortM4M.com.. . .http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/19/204254/937">More

[roguevalley]

18. Dennis Hastert lost his first election because of rumors over

inappropriate touching during his tenure as a teacher/coach. cute, huh?

[Marrak]

20. Jaba, daba, doo-doo

<>

[Pachamama]

22. This is not a joke?

Wow....

:popcorn:

The story just keeps getting more involved each day...

[No Exit]

23. Nope--not a joke.

Okay, apparently it's "not uncommon" for members or whatever to share their D.C. lodgings, considering that they all supposedly REALLY live in their home states.

However, the article says that it is rather unusual for the house member to share with his chief of staff.

[charlyvi]

28. Not to spoil anyone's theory, but many congresspeople

share apartments when they are in DC. It's not an uncommon practice--Dem or Repub. The rents are astronomical, they aren't in DC all year (especially this Congress) and some of them don't want to maintain a separate household in the city. Haster/Palmer aren't the only ones who do this. I think Hastert is an asshole, but this isn't unusual.

[Evergreen Emerald]

29. What was unusual however, was that when his wife comes to town

She stays in a hotel. The story I read did not sound like her husband stayed with her.

[charlyvi]

30. Would you choose to stay with Denny Doughboy?

But seriously, or seriesly, the apartment may not be large enough--it may just be an efficiency type place, or she may not like the lack of privacy, or she just may not visit that often. Who knows? But, the point I'm trying to make is I really don't think there's any underlying sexual connotation to this. He's a Repub, so you know he appointed his closest friend as his chief of staff. So he rooms with his chief of staff/friend to keep from maintaining another house in DC. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. OK, maybe that's a badd metaphor. But anyway, there's enough other stuff to pin him to the wall over without this.

[Evergreen Emerald]

31. I agree with you--except that, it would be reasonable to expect

Dannyboy to stay with his wife in the hotel when she visits rather than with his boys.

[charlyvi]

32. Agreed.

Maybe they just don't have a very warm, close relationship. Or maybe he just repulses her. I can see that.


On edit: I figured it out! I just have a very difficult time seeing Denny as sexual at all! He seems more asexual to me, like Barney the dinosaur. Less effective than Barney too.