Ray LaHood Quotes


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Citations

Ray LaHood, U. S. Congressman (Republican, IL), Characterization of Washington DC, C-SPAN Q&A, September 2, 2007

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President Clinton had engaged in sex with an intern in the Oval Office and lied about it in investigations. Clinton had been an embarrassment anathema to the Republicans by producing a remarkably strong economy without cutting taxes, reducing government deficits, cutting the size of government, winning the Serbian war without a single American soldier dying, and preempting many of their programs. So the Republicans who controlled both Houses of Congress decided to impeach Clinton for the lies. Wexler argued that there was no damage done to the nation and the sex and lying did not rise to the required level of an impeachable offense. On a party line vote, Clinton was impeached, but the Republicans could not even get the majority of the Senate which they controlled. Most senators agreed with Wexler. See {583801} for a later summary of the absurdity of impeaching Clinton who left office as one of the most popular presidents in modern times.


The George W. Bush administration had a strong penchant for loyalty and would not fire Republican officials who had proved incompetent or unethical. In the midst of a disastrous Iraq War, there was a sex scandal in the House of Representatives whereby a Republican member was making homosexual advances to young pages. The House Republican leadership had tried to cover it up rather than protect the pages. Yet no one was fired even after the Congressman resigned and admitted it.


There were many national politicians who would publicly castigate homosexuals and yet were themselves gay and in effect were living two lives. For them “coming out of the closet” had a temporary meaning restricted to time and place and then they would go back “in the closet” for their public personae.


Ray LaHood
Ray LaHood
  • Born: December 6, 1945
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Raymond H. LaHood is an American politician who served as the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives (1982–1983) and United States House of Representatives (1995–2009).