Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), an ignominious right-wing freshman, loves to talk about the importance of fiscal responsibility and meeting one’s financial obligations. He’s equally fond of incorporating his own family into his talking points, saying things like, “I won’t place one more dollar of debt upon the backs of my kids and grandkids unless we structurally reform the way this town spends money!”
With this in mind, it’s worth noting that Walsh, already something of a laughingstock, is still capable of looking even worse.
Freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, a tax-bashing Tea Party champion who sharply lectures President Barack Obama and other Democrats on fiscal responsibility, owes more than $100,000 in child support to his ex-wife and three children, according to documents his ex-wife filed in their divorce case in December.
After a series of missteps and bad decisions, Walsh reportedly struggled with financial problems, which in turn led to a nine-year child support battle with his ex-wife. Walsh’s argument was that his inability to hold steady employment made it impossible for him to make child-support payments.
This caused some trouble, however, when Walsh loaned his 2010 campaign $35,000 of his own money, and took foreign vacations with his girlfriend, which suggested he wasn’t quite as broke as he’d led his children and ex-wife to believe.
Walsh’s attorney conceded that the congressman owes unpaid child support, but added Walsh has “had no more problems with child support than any other average guy.”
I have no idea what this means. The “average guy” talks about looking out for his children’s financial well being while simultaneously refusing to pay child support?
On CNN this morning, Walsh acknowledged his “financial troubles” and argued, “This is where real America is.”
Real America is made up of deadbeat dads? I shudder to think of what happens in Fake America.
Alex Pareene added, “You know how bad pundits and annoying politicians like to pretend the Federal government is like a household when they talk about how we need to balance our books? If we take that flawed analogy seriously, it does not really make a lot of sense to trust the budget to someone Joe Walsh, a private sector failure who is hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, whose condo was foreclosed on, and who is unable to make his child support payments. On a six-figure salary!”
