Michigan State Representative Todd Courser has an alleged bizarre way of spinning scandal. The conservative Republican ran on a religious right affiliation and was reportedly about to be implicated in an affair with another conservative lawmaker. According to a transcript released by Detroit News was to instruct his aide to implicate him in a sex scandal with a male prostitute. That’s right, it is better to be caught with a male prostitute than a fellow Republican legislator. It could be all part of Courser’s belief in what he calls “God inspired encouragers.”
According to The Detroit News, Courser told his aide Ben Graham to send out the bogus anonymous email filled with sensational details. It appears that once the scandal was disproved or blew over, his relationship with fellow state Rep. Cindy Gamrat would seem tame and unnewsworthy. Graham recorded the conversation with Courser who is married with children. Like Courser, Gamrat is a Tea-Party back candidate who is married with children.
Courser is quoted as reading the details for the fake email with the instructions that “You just get nasty about it.” The aide expresses shock and asks “Are you serious? … That’s ridiculous.” Courser is heard responding “I need it to be over the top.”
Graham says that when he refused to carry out the order, he was stripped of his duties and Courser fired him.
Courser describes a life of faith on his bio in the following way:
State Rep. Todd Courser was first elected to serve the 82nd District in the Michigan House of Representatives in November 2014. The 82nd District includes all of Lapeer County.
EARLY LIFE
Rep. Courser was born in Flint, Michigan to Daniel and Georgeann Courser, who were married shortly after his birth. When he was 4, Courser was sent to a vacation bible school, which changed the course of their lives, as first his mother and then his father, found salvation in Jesus Christ. Shortly afterwards, his family moved to a small family farm in Lapeer, Michigan. Both of his parents had grown up in difficult family situations and wanted a different experience for their family.Daniel and Georgeann Courser were not only loving and nurturing parents, but they were followers of Christ, which was reflected in their lifestyle. Although they did not have much money, they operated their home as a place for all who needed compassion and love. They did not receive any resources for this and had no government involvement. They acted selflessly, as loving, God inspired encouragers. Todd Courser grew up in this household, with his brother, his 2 sisters and however many lost souls found their way to the Courser doorstep. The family would feed them, mend them, wash them up a little spiritually and then watch them get their feet back under them as they would go back out into the world when the timing was right. Courser learned that money, accomplishments and positions that the world tends to value, were not as important as advancing God’s plans for him to do the right things for the right reasons.
Aside from the family farm, Courser grew up with his father’s meat business. His father considered savings to be 3 chest freezers full of meat in his view of the world at that time. His mother attended college, ran a daycare, cub scout dens, church events, attended her children’s sport events and worked nights as a waitress when needed to make the finances work. Courser does not remember ever living in a household without other people, who were not related, there.
The love and compassion that Courser’s parents emulated shaped the “religious” part of Courser, one of genuine faith.
For her part, Gamrat also ran on her faith and commitment to God and family:
It has been an incredible and humbling journey over these last few years and would not have been possible without the hand of God, the love of my family, and the help from all those who have supported me.
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy but I believe together, and with God’s providence, we can conquer any rough or rocky areas that present themselves on the path between us and the precious gift of liberty.
What is most interesting is that Courser’s clever plan has drawn more attention to the scandal than would have occurred otherwise. It is certainly true that both would look like hypocrites in the eyes of their constituents. However, they would not be the first such politicians caught in affair. Courser however has added a bizarre twist that places both politicians in not only greater national exposure but a rather unhinged, desperate light.
Ironically, Courser was right in one respect. Few people are really that interested in the original affair.
That makes perfect sense Annie. “Family Planning without Family Values”. That should be Planned Parenthood’s new motto.
Ah yes MrDickens, so right.
Annie,
My point was something different. RSA said this incident was a resume builder for Democrats. I thought he needed reminding that Democrats have lost their jobs over sexual follies and Republicans have weathered the storm just fine.
“Every deviant”…. and one Party actually made him the Speaker of the House.
We should never forget the rapist Bill Clinton, whose wife, who covered up the rapes and terrorized the victims, now wants to be President.
Olly,
Should be Family Planning, I’ve never heard PP describe themselves as being a Family Values entity.
Nothing wrong with setting high standards; set the bar low and every deviant in the country would qualify for office. These individuals don’t measure up and will pay the price.
Don’t forget Senator Larry Craig-R of the “wide stance”. Don’t forget Rep. Mark Foley-R of the White House page scandal. And let us not forget the former Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert-R and the lengths to which he went to cover up past sexual molestation of his underage students.
Ahh, the moral minority was a bit slow this morning to respond. Still chuckling over Planned Parenthood’s focus on “Family Values”?
Human nature doesn’t necessarily progress Olly, society does. One day maybe this fool won’t feel he needs to go to such lengths to cover up his misdeeds. When a group sets up such high standards for sexual morality for itself, human nature being what human nature is, someone is inevitably going to fall from such lofty heights. Don’t put such stigma on sexual acts and maybe no one would care all that much. I guess the sacred ‘marriage’ between a man and a woman isn’t all that sacred to some Family Value types afterall.
RSA.
I think you need a refresher in reality:
John Edwards, Democrat, Loser
Mark Sanford, Republican, Winner
Anthony Weiner, Democrat, Loser
Sen. Vitter, Republican, Winner
Elliot Spitzer, Democrat, Loser
Just one “I”, was laughing too hard, sorry…..
Sorry, but II must do it….hahahahahahaaah! Comedy gold, but sad that both families are probably destroyed. Family Values…..still chuckling.
In case anyone wonders how I know that God is a woman, I just spent a week with my MIL. Since man is made in God’s image, I’m certain that the person giving all the orders in the cosmos is a woman.
JT got himself a 3fer; connecting religion, the GOP and the Tea Party to these morons. With any luck we’ll find a connection to a white supremacist group and then that will about cover it. Perhaps someone will be good enough to demonstrate how human nature “progresses” again?
Somehow it fits, makes perfect sense, goes with the territory, cuz god will sort this all out, later.
Religion is such an easy tool with which to misrepresent one’s motives. Promoting one’s self under the cloak of religion is like taking candy from a baby.
The IRS had made sure the Tea Party does not exist. I am not sure where he is getting his backing from.
God works in mysterious ways. But She’s not nearly as strange as these two.
Mr. Courser later tried to take his sideshow act to Hollywood. He soon discovered his credibility followed him.
If he was a Democrat, the situation would be a resume enhancer.