Talk on Hill heated about DeWine staffer's blog' of sexual trysts

The Cleveland Plain Dealer ^ | 5/20/04 | Sabrina Eaton

[Gothmog]

The office of straight-laced Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine became the epicenter of salacious Capitol Hill gossip Wednesday, when it surfaced that an entry-level DeWine staffer apparently had been chronicling her steamy sex life on an Internet Web log, or "blog."

The blog was removed from public view after another Washington blog, known as Wonkette.com, linked to some of the racier passages from the DeWine employee's online diary. The passages detailed the woman's affairs with several men, purporting to include a married (but unnamed) chief-of-staff in a federal agency, and discussed being paid for sex.

"Most of my living expenses are thankfully subsidized by a few generous older gentlemen," wrote the staffer, who identified herself as "The Washingtonienne." "I'm sure I am not the only one who makes money on the side this way: how can anybody live on $25K/year??"

DeWine spokesmen said their office is investigating the woman's Web site operation and that she might face disciplinary ac tion.

"It is a personnel issue, and we can't discuss it at this point," said Mike Dawson, DeWine's communications director. He said he didn't know whether the woman did the things she described, or wrote fantasies.

The woman did not report to work Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. But Washington was buzzing, thanks in large part to the Wonkette.com blog, whose operator said the controversy doubled the usual traffic to her gossip and satire Web site.

The capital's audience was particularly amused that the incident occurred in the office of a conservative senator from a "very swinging" swing state in the upcoming presidential election, said Wonkette's Ana Marie Cox.

"There is a pretty low bar to being funny about politics in Washington," Cox said. "This is the kind of thing you'd expect to happen in Jerry Springer's office. Now Springer can use it if he runs against him."

Cox said she enjoyed the DeWine staffer's writing and regretted getting her into trouble by publicizing the lesser-read blog. In fact, Cox would like to help the DeWine staffer get a lit erary agent.

"This wouldn't be a problem if she was working for Kennedy," Cox hypothesized.

The staffer posted her last entry on Tuesday afternoon before the Web site was shut down:

"I just took a long lunch with X and made a quick $400. When I returned to the office, I heard that my boss was asking about my whereabouts. Loser."

The Web site reappeared late Wednesday, minus its archives. It was unclear whether the new posting was by the original author or a hacker.

[TheBigB]

Republicans don't have sex. Or so I am told...

PING to the newly-created REPUBLICAN PARTY REPTILE ping list, named after our spiritual founder, P.J. O'Rourke. What is the Republican Party Reptile? It is a creature of the eighties. It’s neoconservatism with its pants down around its ankles, the Rehnquist Supreme Court on drugs, a disco Hobbes living without shame or federally mandated safety regulations. The Republican Party Reptile supports a strong defense policy, but sees no reason to conduct it while sober. The RPR believes in minimum government interference in private affairs—unless the government brings over extra girls and some ice. In short, the RPR is the new label that our political spectrum has been crying out for—the conservative with a sense of humor and a healthy dose of depravity.

[CONSERVE]

Actually DeWine is a RINO

That needs repeating.

[katana]

I've known (in the context of this article I suppose I should add NOT in the Biblical sense) a couple congressional staffers. Political affiliations don't seem to be a major consideration in the selection process. On the other hand, at the State and local level political "blood type" is a definite marker for who is and isn't hired for non-civil service positions.

You might recall a similar story years ago when a former staffer for Utah Senator Orin Hatch became a feature star in a porn movie. That didn't seem to cause too many problems with Hatch's otherwise conservative constituents.

[Wurlitzer]

""It is a personnel issue, and we can't discuss it at this point," said Mike Dawson, DeWine's communications director. ""

Typical response from anyone in government. COVER IT UP. Lets get this straight! This trash posts her secrets on the WWW but now it is a personnel issue because some government piece of crap says so.

Anyone who trusts either side of the political aisle is bound to be disappointed.

[54-46 Was My Number]

Thanks for posting the link: I just finished checking it out. There's no proper adjective in the English language to describe my feelings after reading it: it's a mixture of head-shaking depression, a half-cocked smile over just how pathetic the person who wrote this is, and outright indignation over the fact that these are the people the people we elect to represent us in government hire to run their daily affairs. Seriously: are there any adults doing things in Washington?

And who in the crap considers this "good writing," worthy of literary pursuit?

[redangus]

After reading the blog entries I was drawn back to the Chandra Levy affair. Was she doing the same thing, but Something went wrong?

[Quilla]

"Head-shaking depression" is just what I felt reading that garbage. Frankly, I wouldn't mind if the identities (and proclivities) of these staffers were exposed. Something needs to be done to clean up and clean out Washington.

[hobbes1]

a disco Hobbes

Pardon ?????

[TheBigB]

Not you...sorry...

[54-46 Was My Number]

Frankly, I wouldn't mind if the identities (and proclivities) of these staffers were exposed. Something needs to be done to clean up and clean out Washington.

I couldn't agree with you more.

The government sucks, and people who work for the government seem more concerned with getting their rocks off than they do with serving their constituents. I wonder if there's any connection there? Gee, I wonder . . .

I guess, though, the people who're drawn to DC in the first place are largely of this ilk. I went to school at a small little boat college near DC, and as Georgetown was our weekend stomping grounds, I've seen my fill of these people. We're screwed both ways: the people who yearn to get to the power center are largely scumbags, while the non-scumbags are elsewhere busy working, creating wealth.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Found it.....

[54-46 Was My Number]

After reading the blog entries I was drawn back to the Chandra Levy affair. Was she doing the same thing, but Something went wrong?

Perhaps you're on to something . . . not bad.