In Washington, a public display of non-affection
Hopefully, a case of good people engaged in some misunderstood role-playing. From Roll Call’s Heard on the Hill:
On a mild Tuesday evening near the end of happy hour, people enjoying margaritas at Tortilla Coast and others milling around the area were treated to quite a performance by freshman Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) and his wife, Vivien.
A sobbing Vivien Scott was spotted with a name tag stuck to her bare arm, trying to hail a cab and arguing with her husband, the Congressman.
He “was furious with her,” an HOH tipster tells us. “He kept walking away, then she’d chase him.”
Tortilla Coast is a popular Mexican restaurant a block from the House office buildings.
And to those of you wondering why Austin Scott might merit the attention, which we take no pleasure from — he’s president of the 2010 freshman class of U.S. House members. And the whole of Washington is a stage.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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36 comments Add your comment
Just Nasty & Mean
May 11th, 2012
10:38 pm
Good Lord, Jim. Look what you have resorted to., What are you now, the National Inquirer or Globe? What are you banking for, a segment on Entertainment Tonight? Or Whoppie Goldberg?
What a pathetic report.
double
May 11th, 2012
10:59 pm
Thank you Jim for reporting as is.
Phil Lunney
May 11th, 2012
11:39 pm
Republican war on women?
Sorry I just couldn’t resist. But as a Liberal in a vast Conservative District all I can say is that I hope they kiss and make-up. As Sylvia Robinson used to sing Love is Strange.
Auntie Christ
May 12th, 2012
12:05 am
I’m surprised the internet hasn’t crashed as the righties who live on this site vent their spleen about Galloway’s “liberal bias.” Yes, it’s Galloway’s fault that the benighted fools of this state continually send serial embarrassments like scott, broun, gingrey, gingrich et. al. to Washington. As someone charged with reporting on the politics and thus the politicians, it would be remiss if he didn’t report it. Scott is a leader in a party that, if it had its way, would have half the populace in this country peeing in a cup once a month or more for drug tests, so when he and his beloved are falling down drunk and causing a scene, they can expect some scrutiny.
Aaron Burr V Mexico
May 12th, 2012
1:33 am
Reality has a liberal bias.
Kyle and Kurly Looooooove the Kochs
May 12th, 2012
2:09 am
You can take trash out of the country, dress it up and put it in the big city, but you still got trash.
Jeff Sexton
May 12th, 2012
4:22 am
All marriages have issues – hell, all relationships in general have issues. Every time I personally saw the two of them, or anytime I ever spoke to Austin, you could very plainly tell that they were absolutely in love. So I’m hoping this was just an ill-timed fight, which happens occasionally. (Seriously, are there any of us who have ever been in a relationship where the occasional fight didn’t break out in public?)
Of course, then there is this: I still point to the very first interview I ever did with him – when he was running for Governor – when I asked him about possibly running against Jim Marshall. The answer he gave then – the audio is still on SWGAPolitics if anyone wants to find it – about absolutely not doing it because of his wife and son… that was where the man gained my respect.
But what did he do 11 months later? Saw that he was going down in flames in the Governor race, and challenged Jim Marshall instead.
LeRoy
May 12th, 2012
6:36 am
Classy, Galloway.
After all if you are a paid dirt bag, why not go all out?
Weetamoe
May 12th, 2012
6:53 am
Obama is the Typhoid Mary of filth and he has launched the dirtiest epidemic in history that spreads unfounded rumor, speculation, and snooping into every segment of the media.
Ga Values
May 12th, 2012
7:24 am
His 1st wife left him after he beat her. Tiger doesn’t change its stripes.
Straight Talk
May 12th, 2012
7:29 am
Galloway’s column is simply wasted space.
Jeff Sexton
May 12th, 2012
7:30 am
I fail to see how reporting on a public fight is “unfounded rumor, speculation, and snooping”. Austin has been in the game for dang near 20 years. Granted, he’s now at a whole new level (after all, who really cares about a minor league ball player, but look at the scrutiny major leagers come into), but he knows better than to allow something like this to happen. The only way this MIGHT come back to bite him is IF this particular fight somehow involved marital infidelity or something along those lines – and even that is a big MIGHT, and a very heavy IF (since there is no indication what this fight was about).
Mary Grabar
May 12th, 2012
7:39 am
A husband and wife have an argument and the AJC “political insider” reports on it. Really? Was there this kind of scrutiny on John Edwards? Yup, that’s why we need the establishment media. Bloggers just aren’t privy to such important political information.
nelson
May 12th, 2012
7:43 am
Not a lot to comment on here. It was obviously a lover’s quarrel. It happens all the time in nature. They will make up and everything will be all lovey-dovey. I did not know this kind of thing got noticed, however when it is a “power couple” it is news. Does the Prez and the Mrs.have their little “falling outs”? That would be even more news.
Edward Ruffin
May 12th, 2012
8:06 am
I hate to see marriage discord, but if I could pick a Republican congressman from Ga. for it to happen to, it would be Scott. He’s a RINO. If Jim Marshall had had the foresight to switch parties Marshall would still have his seat.
David Burge
May 12th, 2012
8:38 am
And this is news, why?
Jack
May 12th, 2012
8:46 am
Stuff like this is another reason that intelligent people don’t get into politics.
WAW
May 12th, 2012
8:47 am
The good Christian folks in Middle Georgia who voted for him might wonder why this “wonderful young Christian servant” was doing Happy Hour at Tortilla Coast (Happy Hour down here is $1.00 up-sized drinks at Sonic). When he was elected, I adopted Rep. Steve Israel of New York to represent my interest knowing that the Farwellian Doctrine was Scott’s mantra. I get his Conservative Social Engineering propaganda in the mail every few days, maybe he’ll have pictures of his “lovely family” doing Happy Hour in the next issue. The truth shall set you free? Not in Georgia!
Capitol Idea
May 12th, 2012
8:58 am
Republicans are a tough act to follow. Then again, the party of faux family values earns all the negative attention it gets. Bring on the transparency. Keep up the good work, Mr. Galloway.
Bob Loblaw
May 12th, 2012
9:16 am
Tequila.
Centrist
May 12th, 2012
9:18 am
Galloway posted “And to those of you wondering why Austin Scott might merit the attention, which we take no pleasure from …”
Galloway, you are a biased political hack who tacks pleasure from anything negative you can bring out against Republicans. Absolutely disgusting pretend journalism and a total lack of shame.
centrist's mom
May 12th, 2012
9:20 am
centrist,
Your a tool.
DannyX
May 12th, 2012
9:43 am
“which we take no pleasure from …”
Well I’m sure they got a huge laugh, I hear they originally wrote “which we take no pleasure from although watching Victimist on the blog go into a hysterical frenzy will be quite enjoyable.”
Married for Life
May 12th, 2012
9:52 am
Sounds like he’s got power issues and she’s co-dependent. Just like the Tea Partiers and the Republicans.
Mock Outrage
May 12th, 2012
10:17 am
How dare a Georgia newspaper report on the behavior of a Georgia Congressman?
Have you no shame Mr. Galloway?
Frederick Douglass
May 12th, 2012
10:20 am
An excerpt from Scott’s 2001 divorce file:
Anna Leigh Jordan, (Scott’s ex-wife) stated…..Scott exhibited strange,erratic, inconsistent behavior, severe mood swings, the use of alcohol as an escape device, and his involvement with pornographic materials.
I’m just saying.
Shar
May 12th, 2012
10:59 am
Unless and until evidence surfaces that indicates this embarassing incident has anything to do with Scott’s performance in office, basic character or ability to represent his constituents, journalists should do what most of us would have done had we been at that Happy Hour – felt very sorry for the couple involved and turned away to afford them some vestige of privacy.
honested
May 12th, 2012
11:19 am
What a surprise.
You can send the ahole to Washington, but he is still an ahole.
Centrist
May 12th, 2012
11:24 am
@ Shar – Of course you are right, but this blogger is not a journalist – just a grossly biased political hacking muckraker. Then there are those posters here who defend such stuff when it matches their politics. I guess we should at least be glad he is not an equal opportunity slimer, or we’d have to read twice as much of this when Democrats were included. (I don’t care to see that, either, or I’d pick up the Star/ National Enquirer, watch the tabloid TV shows)
Dirty Dawg
May 12th, 2012
12:45 pm
Why in blazes hasn’t someone hit on the real issue here…OK I will…
Jose Cuervo you are a friend of mine, I like to drink you with a little salt and lime…did I dance on the table, did I start any fights?
See? Simple.
Shar
May 12th, 2012
12:58 pm
@Centrist: Although I disagree with your characterization of Mr. Galloway’s writing, it really isn’t the reportage (unnecessary though it may be) that is most distasteful but rather the very idea that some “tipster” would see this unfortunate scene and gleefully decide to run to a gossip columnist (Heard On The Hill) to get their own feeling of fame.
Vampires are all the rage. It is particularly repellent when they are crossbred with paparazzi.
Auntie Christ
May 12th, 2012
3:29 pm
“felt very sorry for the couple involved and turned away to afford them some vestige of privacy.’
You fascist right wingers think a woman has no right to privacy in her doctor’s office, but a couple of drunks arguing in a very public DC street should have privacy? You people are warped.
Auntie Christ
May 12th, 2012
3:42 pm
I cannot even begin to fathom a mind so far out to sea that it is compelled to come to this blog everyday and with every post make at least one whiny, peevish comment about the ‘liberal bias’ of the blogger. If someone of the leftist persuasion religiously read the drudge report, or townhall.com, then made nasty comments because of their rightward bias, I wouldn’t consider them ‘centrist,’ I’d consider them stark raving nuts.
Debbie Dooley
May 12th, 2012
4:03 pm
Another conservative hypocrite !! I guess we get what we deserve…….
Shar
May 12th, 2012
10:04 pm
Wow, Auntie, what a gigantic leap in farfetched assunption.
I am fervently pro-choice, resent every effort of social fascists to get between me and my gynecologist, am an advocate of privacy and still can offer the benefit of the doubt to a fight between a couple who had the poor taste to argue in public but who, until proven otherwise, should have the right to privacy.
Who elected you the arbiter of who is a fascist right=winger? You could not be more wrong.
Debra Johnson
May 12th, 2012
11:38 pm
Oh good god she ought to have beat the snot out of him,and made this worth reading. He looks like the devil is trying to jump out of his eyes when you see him any way.