Miscreants & Politics

Nevermind war lies, torture or treason. What follows is the brownshirts' idea of a scandal:

Houston Chronicle

DALLAS - A Dallas Democrat seeking election to the Texas House of Representatives has acknowledged that he once worked as a prostitute and does not regret his past.

Tom Malin, a salesman and actor, said he no longer works as a prostitute but was aware that his previous life could cost him the nomination in the March 7 Democratic primary.

"I've made mistakes in my life, and I've stood before my creator and I've accepted responsibility for my behavior," Malin told the Dallas Morning News for its Friday editions.

"I've also accepted his grace and his redemption and his love and his forgiveness," and that's what is important, he said.

Archived versions of defunct Web sites advertise the services of a male escort identified as Todd Sharpe. The phone number listed with Sharpe belongs to Malin, the newspaper said.

Malin, once a member of the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board, has worked as a Mary Kay salesman and performed in Dallas-area theater productions. His candidate Web page describes him as a managing director for the marketing arm of a Dallas electricity provider.

Malin faces retired salesman Jack Borden in the Democratic primary. The winner will face incumbent Republican Dan Branch in November in a race to represent a district covering much of central Dallas.

Never ones to shy from the absurd, Bush bootlickers are comparing Malin's story to that of gay prostitute, fake journalist and accomplished White House operative, Jeff Gannon - federal government, harm to the Republic, and paid propaganda not being factors in their comparison.

A friend suggested Democratic Party officials should encourage Malin to withdraw from the race. In terms of business-as-usual politics, I understand reasoning behind the suggestion, but this is what primaries are for. Voters need greater input, not less. (Personally, I would be more concerned about voting for a Mary Kay-hawking thespian than a prostitute, but that's just me.)

Not to go all Chairman Mao on your ass, but considering the impressive academic and corporate credentials boasted by the majority of candidates to state & federal office - all of whom appear to be seeking fifteen minutes of fame and a freshly updated Rolodex - I'm left wondering whether an MBA, a flawless curriculum vitae and a clean arrest record should preclude one from holding elected office.

Perhaps those of us who agitate for greater civic participation don't fully appreciate how radical a proposition it really is.