Ben Barnes

DNC talking points blogs Atrios and Marshall are all a-goggle over a video featuring disgraced Texas politician Ben Barnes, who claims to be the guy who got W. a spot in the National Guard. There are a couple of things to know about Ben, who is known in Texas as “Horny Ben” due to his … Continue reading “Ben Barnes”

DNC talking points blogs Atrios and Marshall are all a-goggle over a video featuring disgraced Texas politician Ben Barnes, who claims to be the guy who got W. a spot in the National Guard. There are a couple of things to know about Ben, who is known in Texas as “Horny Ben” due to his fondness for a bit of strange on the side: 1) he’s a life-long Democrat; and 2) he’s a crook who was hounded out of office by the infamous Sharpstown Scandal in 1971.

Would a disgraced Texas poltician try and curry favor with his party in order to do better as a lobbyist? You bet he would. Did somebody help W. get into the National Guard? You bet they did. Was his benefactor a Democrat? Maybe, but that’s asking a lot of my credulosity.

Bottom line: so what?

9 thoughts on “Ben Barnes”

  1. BEN BARNES??!!?!! What crypt did they drag his ass out of?

    That’s that, then…you can put paid to W in naught-four when they’re rolling out Ben Barnes. Maybe they can re-animate Dolph Briscoe for their next volley.

  3. During the 1970s I was a hard-working legislative assistant for then Texas Senator Bill Patman (Dem)–a straight arrow if ever there was one. Ben Barnes was known among my fellow assistants and also my fellow graduate students at UT as “Baby Ben” because of his youth. He was also known derisively as “Bad Ben” because he was such an obvious skirt-chaser and liar. No one I knew in Austin considered him trustworthy. The scandal that destroyed his political career was a just and fitting end to this disingenuous guy who commanded no-one’s respect.

    I just knew that Dan Rather on CBS’s 20/20 tonight would not mention Ben’s scandalous past or questionable reputation when they used him to try and skewer President Bush’s military service. How typical of the liberal media!!!!

  4. Beverly,

    I’m a native Texan and I remember a scandal involving Barnes, but I cannot remember what it was. What was it that broke all over the news in Texas?

  8. I had a landlord in Austin in the early 70s who used to call Barnes “Horny Ben”. He was pretty much a standing joke around the Scholz Garden.

  9. I was wondering if anyone actually knows how to contact Ben Barnes. I did printing for his 1st campaigns back in the 60s and would like to touch base with him again.

    Thanks,
    Larry Bartley
    Brownwood, Texas

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