Let's not spend too much time on Candidate Sean Parnell's domestic issues.
We all know the testimony, what's been alleged, and so on.
All of
that is very serious, of course, and domestic abuse is never something to be
swept aside.
But the only thing new in this story is that the judge has yet to make a
ruling.
But there's another angle to Sean's troubles: the
political fallout from the domestic abuse allegations.
We'll
start
with CNN:
In the last two weeks, the Parnell campaign -- already endorsed by former President Donald Trump -- has canceled two fundraising events, according to two people familiar with the events. One of those events, a virtual call last Friday pitched to donors as a forum for asking Parnell anything, was abruptly canceled that morning, just days after the first day of the custody trial.In addition, some advisers and staff have said they are considering resigning from their roles with the campaign, those same two people told CNN.
And:
"I think it's safe to say the donors have all fled," one Republican donor in Pennsylvania told CNN. "These are really difficult accusations for a lot of people to look past."Uh-oh, Sean. What are you gonna do?
Though CNBC has this:
A Parnell ally said most donors and other political supporters are waiting on a ruling in the custody case before they make any moves.
But what a hook upon which to hang one's hat. IF a judge decides in his favor
- basically (though I am sure there are a great many other legal issues at
play here) that his testimony is more believable than hers, then the donors
from the "family values party" will return and shower Sean with that sweet
sweet GOP donor cash.
Something I hadn't seen popped up on CNBC
that, perhaps, those GOP guardians of conservative family values should take a
look at:
But during her testimony last week, Snell gave previously unknown details about what she says prompted her to seek the orders. Snell testified that Parnell once choked her on a couch to the point that she had to bite him to break free, The Inquirer reported. She said his abusive behavior started before their marriage in 2010 and became worse in 2018, the year they separated.
According to The Inquirer, she testified that Parnell called her a "whore" and a "piece of s---" while pinning her down. She testified that in 2008, when she was pregnant with their first child, Parnell briefly forced her out of their vehicle during a trip and told her to "go get an abortion."
Setting aside the serious allegations of domestic abuse made in the testimony (allegations made under oath in a case that's yet to be decided), take focus, instead, at the dates in those two paragraphs:
- Marriage in 2010
- Pregnant with their first child in 2008
Imagine if this was a quarter century ago and that Sean Parnell was a Democrat. Imagine the GOP values outrage at just that. But now, if the judge rules in his favor, Sean's in the clear with the guardians of our new Trumpian social order.
This is how far the GOP has fallen.
