Rep. Joe Barton Further Tarnishes His Chances For Re-Election With Undisciplined Outburst
Rep. Joe Barton is having a rough 10 days. The disgraced 32-year House of Representatives veteran from Texas’ 6th district is embroiled in two more disturbing incidents. Neither of which, we’re certain, will help his re-election bid.
The first comes courtesy of a nasty and undisciplined outburst Barton dished out to a constituent in Arlington, Texas. During a testy Town Hall meeting in which constituents voiced their displeasure about women’s issues, Barton is caught scolding one of the hecklers saying, “You sir, shut up.” That only served to make the crowd angrier.
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Rep. Joe Barton (#TX06) completely loses it at a constituent townhall today! Wow!
Voter: "You represent Texas!"
Bad Boy Barton: "You sir, shut up!" pic.twitter.com/iFrVtYE2Uv
— Ali Alexander ???? (@ali) November 29, 2017
In going there, Barton broke an important golden rule universally acknowledged in politics: never lash out at the voting public. Not only does it create a public relations nightmare, but it provides an unending soundbite for opponents to use in campaign ads. You can bet they’re splicing the tape as we speak.
The outburst also won’t help to quiet the chorus of voices urging Barton to retire. These voices include key state Republican officials, such as state Sen. Konni Burton. Regarding Barton’s spate of recent sex scandals (more on that in a minute), Burton said that Barton has “brought disgrace” to his district and urged Barton to abandon his 18th congressional campaign. (Source: “Pressure mounts on Rep. Joe Barton to drop 2018 re-election plans,” Dallas News, November 29, 2017.)
More Sexually Inappropriate Conduct Surfaces
Public outburst aside, the news continues to get worse for Rep. Joe Barton. New misconduct allegations have surfaced, reopening the scar which materialized last week, when an embarrassing video of him surfaced over social media showing lewd sexual conduct.
This latest incident involved Facebook chats with a local woman from Barton’s constituency. Arlington resident Kelly Canon alleges Barton took their political discourse “a step too far” by bringing sexually suggestive dialogue into the equation. “He was very fascinated with my attire, to the point of being inappropriate,” said Canon, who provided several messages to the Star-Telegram to back up her claim. (Source: “GOP congressman Joe Barton shared sexually-charged Facebook messages with Texas woman while married,” New York Daily News, November 29, 2017.)
Our Verdict
The new double-whammy of bad news is just that for Barton’s re-election bid. He not only has to contend with his Democratic challenger, but with a myriad of powerful state Republicans urging him to retire.
The sexting charges have also prompted a new Republican primary challenger to enter the mix. Jake Ellzey, a retired U.S. Navy pilot and commissioner on the Texas Veterans Commission, became the first Republican to file a bid against Barton this cycle (December 11, 2017 deadline). Barton’s conduct may prompt other fence sitters to follow suit.
It’s unclear whether the avalanche of bad news is enough to unseat Barton if he survives his primary challenge. He won the Texas District 6 General Election by a 19.3% margin over Democratic challenger Ruby Faye Woolridge in 2016. But given the current climate surrounding sexual deviancy towards public officials, this traditionally safe Republican seat may be anything but this upcoming cycle.
