Photo of our esteemed Lieutenant Governor is from 67 Degrees.Wow, I thought it would be, you know, SOME OTHER SOUTH CAROLINA POLITICIAN ((whistles dixie, looks heavenward))) accused first.
Andre Bauer?
Well, damn.
After I got some emails about this story and I learn that HuffPo is going with it, I have decided to report what THEY are saying. I see Bauer every day, or close to it, since he moved to Thornblade... and I don't want him charging at me like some mad raging bull!
Practices whiny refrain: "I don't make the news, I just cover it!"
So, I am officially agnostic on the rumors. I will note that Andre Bauer has never been married, which is unusual for a South Carolina politician ((except for... commences whistling dixie again))... And consequently, there has been near-constant speculation that he is a "player" (womanizer) as well as gay. I have personally observed him with his girlfriend, nuzzling her, being all cozy, kissy and friendly. Which I suppose could be a fake-out, or not.
Anyway, here is what they are reporting. From BlogActive:
...I am now able to confirm a rumor that has circulated in South Carolina for years. South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is a closeted anti-gay politician who stands to replace Mark Sanford should Sanford resign or be impeached (a real possibility as Sanford is caught in his own sex scandal.)Well, I do have doubts.
So, what is the deal with Bauer? I have confirmed and spoken to four individuals who I have no doubt are telling me the truth. These men have been hit on by Bauer, with one of them telling me it happened at least five times since Bauer's election in 2003. To a varying degree I have met with and believe the sources. [...]
[Another] call came in and I met with the source while he was visiting DC recently. "He's gay," the source told me.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"Because I've had sex with him on two separate occasions."
That too, was not enough for me to report on without confirmation from others. I was led on a path to chatting with acquaintances of the source and two former employees of Bauer who served on his staff between 2004 and 2007. They reported to me that on a total of three occasions Bauer spent hours alone with men in hotel rooms. Each of them explained that the visits were with younger men who were not on the staff of the Lt. Governor nor had any official reason to be with him. The two men each confirmed that they had not known each other and each described similar circumstances under which these interactions occurred. One of them confirmed that he was told by the Lt. Governor's visitor he had a sexual encounter with Bauer.
The combination of the reports and the first hand experiences were what I need to maintain my 100% record of being right in my reporting on this site.
This case is particularly interesting because the governor Bauer serves has a little sex issue himself. It was Mark Sanford (a former resident of the now famous C-Street House) who decided it was appropriate to use the state's resources to fly to South America to rendezvous with his "soul mate." As you can imagine, this did not go over too well with Sanford's wife, who moved out of the governor's mansion. (I give her credit, she was not one of the fools who stood by on TV as her husband confessed his sins (see: Craig, Suzanne and McGreevy, Dina).
His record? The bachelor is a right wing Christian conservative. He's done everything from defend the state issuing "I believe" license plates (complete with a cross on them) to defending the right of schools to use corporal punishment. In the presidential election he supported Mike Huckabee.
There have been many rumors over the years about the Lt. Governor [...]
Let there now be no doubt.
However, in the interests of free speech, tarring and feathering the far right, and other cherished beliefs, let the games begin.
And props to Robert at Blue Heron Blast, for being on the case!