Maine Republican Says He’s Qualified To Be A Senator Because Smacking His Wife Around Means He Has Guts

Author: Stephen D. Foster Jr. January 4, 2014 3:38 PM

 

Erick Bennett is running in a primary challenge against incumbent Susan Collins to be Maine’s next US Senator. According to Bennett, he’s qualified to be a senator because beating his wife makes him brave enough to stand up for “family values.” Image: Screen Grab

As the war on women rages on, one Republican candidate has decided to wear his domestic violence conviction as a badge of honor.

A Maine Republican says he has guts because he was convicted for smacking his wife around.

Erick Bennett is running in a primary challenge against incumbent Susan Collins to be Maine’s next US Senator. According to Bennett, he’s qualified to be a senator because beating his wife makes him brave enough to stand up for “family values.”
In 2003, Bennett was convicted of domestic violence against his wife, who divorced him after he attacked her. Of course, Bennett denied beating his wife and appealed. But the Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld his conviction, finding that “the court did not commit clear error or abuse its discretion in excluding irrelevant evidence at trial,” and that “sufficient evidence does exist in the record to support his conviction.”

In short, Bennett was rightfully found guilty. For his crime, Bennett was put where wife-beaters belong: behind bars. But like many “men” who are violent toward women, Bennett blamed the victim, the law, and the criminal justice system.
Bennett told the Bangor Daily News:
“All that needs to be done is you have to repeat what you wrote down in the police report and that allows the victim to be viewed as a credible witness,” he said. “So basically, if someone writes something down, it doesn’t have to be true. All they have to do is repeat that on the stand. That’s grounds for anyone to be convicted of domestic violence.”
See? The Maine Republican isn’t to blame at all. His battered ex-wife and those mean ole liberal activists on the courts rigged the system against him. And that’s not all. Bennett also says that smacking his wife around and fighting to overturn his conviction proves he has the guts to be in high public office.
“The fact that I have been jailed repeatedly for not agreeing to admit to something I didn’t do should speak to the fact of how much guts and integrity I have,” he said. “If I go to D.C., I’m going to have that same integrity in doing what I say, and saying what I do, when it comes to protecting people’s rights, as well as their pocketbooks.”

The last thing Republicans need while trying to improve their image among women is a domestic abuser on the ticket.

So, what’s Bennett going to do in D.C.? Use his “guts” to smack female senators around until they vote with Republicans? Because that seems to be what he’s saying considering that he’s bragging about hitting his wife and trying to get away with it.
Logic dictates that the last thing the GOP needs in the midst of trying to improve their image among women is for a convicted wife-beater to run for Senate on the Republican ticket. Especially since the person whom he is running against in the primary voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act early last year. Susan Collins was one of 23 Republican Senators to step up and support domestic violence victims. It is doubtful that Bennett would have supported renewal if he were in Collins’ place.

Republicans have sought to roll back domestic violence and rape laws.

Over the last few years, Republicans around the country have repeatedly sought to weaken domestic violence and rape laws. New Hampshire Republicans tried to roll back such laws just last year. Georgia Republicans have attempted to re-label victims as ‘accusers.’ House Republicans have even tried to redefine rape. And many Republicans not only think that rape isn’t a big deal, the GOP also fits the profile of an abuser.

Bennett and the GOP have a lot in common.

Clearly, Bennett chose the right party to be in. After all, he and the GOP have so much in common. Both have disdain for the judicial system. Both believe that domestic violence laws should be rolled back. Both have anti-women attitudes. And both like to blame the victim. If Bennett were to become the Republican nominee, it would once again prove that the GOP hasn’t learned anything. In the end, do we really want to trust a convicted abuser with law-making when it’s clear that he has beef with women and the laws that protect them?