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Sen. John Ensign speaks with KXNT-AM’s Alan Stock Monday morning.
Published Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 | 8:49 a.m.
Updated Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 | 9:20 a.m.
WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. John Ensign gives his first, full-length interview this morning since disclosing an affair last summer with a staffer, and says he is getting Republican requests to campaign in 2010, has no plans to resign and cannot understand the health care bill as it is written.
About the affair, Ensign said, “It’s something I deeply regret and wish I wouldn’t have done.”
He reiterated previous terrain -- that he made some calls to help the woman’s husband, Doug Hampton, one of his top aides at the time, land another job, but said he did nothing wrong and would comply with any federal investigations.
As for the belief that Ensign is hurting the embattled Republican Party in Nevada – Republican Rep. Dean Heller has said part of his decision not to challenge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was because Ensign would be sidelined – the senator, who is not up for re-election, may indeed show up on the trail for Republican candidates.
“They want me involved in their campaigns,” Ensign said. “I want to be helpful, not hurtful.”
To those who have called for Ensign’s resignation, including the show's host, the senator reminds that his successor would be required to run for re-election in 2010 at a time when Republicans in the state are focused on ousting Reid.
“That takes the attention off Senator Reid,” Ensign said. “You have a splitting of the resources and I believe that hurts the Republican cause.”
Ensign went on to say that Republicans need to protect the Senate seats they now have.
“People need to think about that,” he said. “To put another seat in play takes resources.”
Ensign was on for an hour at KXNT-AM with Alan Stock (and online at kxnt.com) and moved on to policy issues, saying Reid’s health care bill should be killed. A poll of listeners showed 68 percent want him to discuss health care, compared to 3 percent who want him to discuss the fallout from his affair.
Sen Ensign can't understand the health care bill because he and his family are filthy rich. They are unaffected by it, and don't need it. He also has low-cost, lifetime-coverage, full-benefit, government-subsidized, gold-plated insurance because of his tenure as a Senator which he can use if his parents decided to cut off the gravy train to him. I have read the and understand it. I might not agree with every detail, but it is not so difficult to understand. Surely a Senator, and his staff [all of whom have the same low-cost, lifetime full-benefit, government-subsidized, gold-plated insurance that he does] can figure it out. If not, THAT is the reason he should resign. We all know education commitment in Nevada is a joke, but why brag about it!
Also, contrary to his poll, I want to hear from him AND HIS WIFE, why they are such supporters of so-called family values, and harp on it constantly to the detriment of Gay Nevadans while his family is caught up in adulterous relations. [see bible, ten commandments, etc.] He has no knowledge about family values, just as he has no idea about healthcare needs of Nevadans. The golden spoon, and his incessant moralization has caused him to be a hypocrite, probably hypocrite #1 in Nevada -- and that is saying lots and lots.
of course he doesnt get it,this guy is completely out of touch and in deep denial if he thinks his public service career is still viable.who in their right mind would get behind him.
People wonder what is wrong with this state, this city ? Its criminals at the top that let the thugs run around killing and robbing us citizens and our police officers. This scum is no different than the home invaders, except this guy lives in your home, your workplace. He is stealing from you everyday, every hour. When are we going to elect people that are not criminals ? Until we get tired of throwing our money away and watching our kids fail in school, and lose our homes, maybe Nevadans will get the message. GET THIS BUM AND ALL THE REST OUT OF OFFICE AND IN JAIL WHERE THEY BELONG. REMEMBER THIS ON ELECTION DAY. He embarrassed our state on national TV. He is a criminal, a liar, and a sexual deviant. Get rid of him and his entire family on election day !!!
scum, nothing more to say
Excellent! I agree totally. Senator Ensign made a mistake, he had an affair. Not right and not a crime, but consider for a moment just how many people out there that have done the exact same thing. Senator Ensign is a great senator and more importantly a leader. He has learned and will have our support. Senator Harry Reid aka "Dirty Harry" however does not. The guy is crooked and a dirty career politician. Eleven months to go to fire Mr. Harry Mason Reid and his son Roy is no better than his crooked father.
I'm not condoning what he did, its wrong to cheat but its not against the law.. remember Bill Clinton, he lied to the whole nation about his affairs. Ensign is right on healthcare though, he like 80% of Americans have good health right now and that will be taken away from us to help the 20% that are too lazy to go to school and get a real job with benefits and illegal immigrants. The only real accomplishment that Reid and Obama have made in the last year is making it easier for lazy a$$ people to survive without getting a job..more unemployment benefits, higher welfare checks no accountability! How about working on creating jobs and ending the wars like you promised, instead of screwing with healthcare, that is hardly the most pressing issue right now.
DessertSun, lv702, its time to pull your head out of the hole in the desert sand. Wake up, you people are part of the problem and not the solution. HE IS A CRIMINAL !, he funneled the money through his parents. And if you don't think so then you will probably end up in jail yourself one day for being so NAIVE !!! After the ABC interview on Monday night, I am sure that most Americans agree. And by the way, Obama has only been in office less than a year, look at what he has done compared to what Bush did in 8 years !!
lv702 and where are you getting your 80% figure on americans having healthcare ? if that where true, and if they where happy with it, then why do the majority of politicians, republican and democrat, agree that the system needs to be changed ?
This guy is so completely out of touch it is unbelievable.
Must be living in a Promise Keepers parallel universe.
dt0702 - what has Obama done in 10 months?? Simulus - a failure. Created jobs? No. Bigger gov't - Yes. Traveled the world - yes. Bad mouthed the country over seas - Yes. Mid east peace - No. Parties at the White House - Yes. Afgan policy - No, its coming Tuesday and it will be double talk without substance. So, please tell me - what has he done????
Mr Ensign, Please resign. We know it would be bad for the GOP, but please understand that the people of Nevada do not share your ridiculous political reasoning. We would merely like to have a senator with a little integrity and honesty. You sir have none. Thank you in advance for your resignation.
I agree with and support John Ensign. He has sound policy ideas and is committed to his constituency, which is the State of Nevada. He is a good leader and consensus builder, in other words an excellent politician.
His private life should remain so. It makes absolutely no difference what any professional, or CxO or accountant or doctor or lawyer does in their personal time. I believe people need to stop this voyeuristic intrusion into everyone's lives to prove themselves morally superior. A perfect example of Schadenfruede...
Now, that said, and since I just sent one across the bow, fire away!
brownln4 says: dt0702 - what has Obama done in 10 months??
___________________________________________________
This story is not about Obama, but he has done a lot more than any republican did in the last 8 years. Its too early to tell whether or not he's a failure. Bush is a failure.
_________________________________________________
Lets focus on Ensign for the sake of this story. His personal life does matter. He's an admited sexual deviant, but yet he campaigned on family values ? He is a hypocrit, a liar, a bum, and a scumbag. He will never hold public office in this state again. He will never hold the publics trust again !!! WAKE UP !!
elgato - PULL YOUR HEAD OUT HE"S A CRIMINAL AND PART OF THE PROBLEM !! HE IS NO DIFFERENT THAN THEY GUY THAT WILL ROB YOU BLIND !! DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS DEVIANT BEHAVIOR !!!!!!!!!!!!
did this little maggot...
sleep with his best friend's wife...
then fire them both when he got caught...
ruined their lives...
then run to mommy and daddy to fix his boo boo...
hee hee hee...
hoo hoo hoo...
haa haa haa...
stick around johnnie snot nosed spoiled punk...
it's gonna be fun having you around...
you maggot...
hey doug...
write a damn book already...
what the hell are you waiting for...
Haha, Johnny "En-swine" Casino is going down and he's so oblivious to it he doesn't care if he hands his seat to Democrats in 2012.
I just LOVE (in a funny way) how Rethuglicans claim "his private life should remain so", but they have no problem whatsoever intruding into our private lives, telling us who we can love, who we can and can't marry, how we can't make our own health care decisions for ourselves, and how we don't have any Constitutional rights if they consider us "terrorists" or even "unpatriotic". The hypocrisy just kills me with laughter!
I wonder if this is part of the deal he made with Reid. I bet "Give 'em hell, Harry" is laughing his @ss off right now. Reid will make it next year, but I'm increasingly doubtful Poor Lil' Johnny Casino will in 2012.
Good. :-)
Birdie-
"hey doug...
write a damn book already...
what the hell are you waiting for.."
He's probably waiting for a multi-million dollar book offer... Or maybe he'll "pull a Levi" and get a Playgirl offer like Sarahcuda's almost son-in-law did. After all, that's what "Republican family values" is REALLY all about!
And in your honor, I'll say this:
Maggots, maggots, I can't wait to see those GOoPer maggots go down next year (and 2012)! ;-)
Brown: what has Ensign done to stop him?
Absolutely nothing.
Ensign's useless in the Senate.
Wow...is this the best you folks can do? Misspelled name-calling, in all CAPS...I'm trying to elevate not limit this to running into the gutter as is usual...
anyone got anything somewhat respectful to debate? Without yelling or name calling...
and what would you really think if I revealed myself as an agnostic Libertarian...borderline social democrat...and not republican??? A believer in gay rights/marriage, abortion and affordable health care for all...immigration control/regulation and a free-market economy...would you even understand what any of that meant?
(Please note that this was written in a patronizing, condescending, and sarcastic font, so may be unreadable and/or incomprehensible to some.)
Ensign is in denial because he got caught with his shorts down. He thinks ethics don't apply to him, probably learned that while living in the C Street cult. He doesn't understand the health care reform bill because he doesn't need it being filthy & rich so its like reading the phone book to him. He doesn't want to understand it. Its time for Johnny to go now, and thin the herd of other useless lying congresspeople and senators.
elgato: The problem with Ensign is that he has no credibility. I do not understand why you said:
By elgato 11/30/09 at 11:11 a.m
"He has sound policy ideas and is committed to his constituency, which is the State of Nevada. He is a good leader and consensus builder, in other words an excellent politician"
How can he be a good leader and a good politician if he has no credibility. He screwed his friends wife !!! if he does that to his own friend imagine what he was doing to "his constituency! " ,Oh wait, he already did that when he campaigned on family values ! imagine what he would do to his enemies !! heck he rubs shoulders with Harry Reid !! You ever hear the term " keep your friends close, but your enemies closer ?"
How many people are truly fooled by this latest response from Cipriani/Ensign?
Do you really think the people who are truly responsible for his rise to power care whether or not he is liked by his constituency?
As Oliver Stone's "JFK" said: Follow the money!
Cipriani/Ensign is the front man for a "sanitized" organized crime syndicate. Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola had it right when Michael Corleone said "My father's way of doing things is outdated - even he knows that. Within 7 years the Corleone family business will completely legitimate!"
Then later on Brando said to Pacino: "I wanted Senator Corleone or Governor Corleone for you ... "
Research Cipriani/Ensign back before he became the respectable "Dr. John Ensign - healer of little puppies and kitties".
Go back a year and a half ago when Ensign said "... it doesn't matter how much money you have in your campaign coffers, just that it all appears legitimately contributed" (paraphrased - of course).
What amazes me is that all people can talk about is how bad he is for cheating on his wife - that's the least of what Ensign is guilty of!!!
If you think Ensign should resign, then Clinton should of DEFINITELY resigned!
"It depends on what the meaning of the words 'is' is."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla...
Ensign needs to resign immediately, if not sooner. During the bushcheney reign, Ensign rubber stamped everything bushcheney wanted, even if it hurt the American people. Now, with President Obama he and his fellow C-Street cult just rubber stamp "NO" on everything. Easy job, no thinking involved! Where can I get a job like Ensign's, paying $174,000 per year with automatic increases every year, plus gold plated health care and a pension for LIFE like he does? That's some nice dough for doing nuthin'!! No wonder he has so much time for extracurricular activities. Then he has to ask mommy and daddy to bail him out. Must be nice to be so special!
C'mon get_involved do you really have to go back to Clinton ? That's grabbing for straws, and we all know where you tube is, no need for a link !
I think all politicians should resign when they know they are wrong. Personally, I'd be too embarrassed to hold my head up in public if I were a politician engaging in immoral acts, and I couldn't face my constituents who voted me into office. It's too bad that politicians get high from the prestige and power of the office and forget about who gave them their jobs. It seems like only the prestige and power matter. The majority of them always seem to put their constituents last.
Folks, why not just focus on the issues and not the person...John's done a good job of representing our state, and take it from me, this state does not have a good reputation 'out there'...we're quite the laughing stock in some places, so he's done well to bring *some* respect to our state...and there ain't no such thing as bad publicity...people outside of this state don't even know why anyone is upset over this...people have come to expect it from us...
So, let's talk the issues that I brought up in my earlier post; anyone? Or do you just want to pontificate in your holier than thou manner, as if none of you have done anything deviant. Which, by the way includes things such as picking your nose in public, spitting on the sidewalk, blowing your nose in a restaurant, etc.
So, what about health care? Free-market economy? Foreclosures? Bailouts? Immigration?
Stop reading the Enquirer and relying on Inside Edition for your 'news'...leave Tiger Woods and John Ensign alone and give them some privacy...pay attention to your own kids cause they're going to be taking care of me when I'm old...
The poll was phoney, people can vote more than once (you don't even need to disable the cookies) and key questions were not asked:
the $96,000 in 4 installments
Hampton's kid getting jobs
Nevada power and other lobby activity
and so on
The station has people that contend:
Obama is a communist
John Kerry committed treason
WMD was found in Iraq
Obama is going to send troops to Darfur
Mexican radical groups started California forest fires.
Soy (the stuff that Japanese,with their long life expectancy) eat is bad for you
and so on.
This is the nuttiest of the nut bar stations and it tries to control everyone and everything, picking and choosing candidates.
CH 13 that was involved in this farce has no credibility after the RADISHICH unethical behavior regarding the Tire shop crap.
They also have a skype session between 13 and kxnt in which the TV people say "what are your listeners saying about ...?" The the host, not haven taken any calls on the subject tells them his opinion.
...what a bunch of arrogant nuts, the hosts at this station, 13, Ensign and the radio station manager busy body...
I would like to see these radio station people, Stock, Landreth, interviewed by a real reporter like Ralston in a real journalistic organization like the Sun.
It also must be noted that this station and their afternoon demigod, ducked out on a debate with progressive radio hosts at UNLV (leaving students disappointed) because they know they are so flaky, that there views can't stand up to real scrutiny.
If LVRJ is in a fued with Reid,
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/110...
is LVS courting Reid?
I'd rather have seen Sen. Ensign and his wife on Heidi Harris. She would of been nice on the interview but back-stabbed him before he got out of the building. As you see, he didn't want to do an interview with a well respected conservative woman, instead Sen. Ensign ended up at the sausage factory that 840AM calls a morning show.
What a joke. The interview is exactly why real conservatives and real republicans aren't taken seriously. Ensign is a prime example of "do as I say, not as I do" politics at its worse.
By not resigning, Ensign insists that he's taking one for the team because he doesn't believe the party wants a second race in 2010. I'm pretty sure that his own party would rather take a chance on electing a non-toxic candidate. I'm also sure that the money would come pouring into the state if a second seat was open.
Bottom line is that Ensign needs to resign for the good of his party and for the good of conservatives everywhere.
Kudos to Alan Stock on sticking to his guns regarding the call for Ensign's resignation.
If Ensign has to stay "for the good of the republican party", then the republican party is in worse shape than was heretofore known.
Here's the ugly, ugly truth:
Look left. Look right. There ain't a decent candidate in sight!
It has now be revealed that there was a secret meeting between Stock and Ensign regarding what questions can be asked a week before the softball session on Monday. Also audience questions were heavily censored by the station management.
The poll, that the listeners didn't want the personal stuff was not scientific.
I hope Mr. Ralston or Mr. Greenspun can go on MSNBC or other balanced networks to clarify the lack of integrity of this interview/softball game.
Ensign should resign and both ch13 and 840AM should be shut down by the FCC.
Senator Ensign must not resign since he hasn't done anything wrong involving the carrying out of his senatorial duties. He's had a glitch in his personal life, getting involved with a money hungry husband of a hussy who led the good senator astray.
John Ensign, Mr. afveteran, may be bunking with Bernard Madoff. A "glitch in his personal life"???
WOOOW! That is like saying "we had a little accident" when you've totalled your car. Your disparaging of the Hampton's is entirely disingenuous and gratuitous.