The Not So "Good Wife" #SweetHomeAlabama Style

Women of Influence Alabama's First Lady Dianne Bentley

One of my favorite television series is the Good Wife.  It is the story of the humiliated wife of a public figure, who is Standin by her man like Tammy Wynette , after it is revealed he's a lying, cheating, Scum Bag.

The series focuses on Alicia Florrick (Margulies), whose husband Peter Florrick (Noth), the former Cook County, Illinois State's Attorney, has been jailed following a notorious political corruption and sex scandal. After having spent the previous thirteen years as a stay-at-home mother, Alicia returns to her old job as a litigator to provide for her two children.[12] The series was partly inspired by the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal,[13] as well as by other prominent American political sex scandals, such as those of John Edwards and Bill Clinton. As one of the creators, Michelle King, explains:

We came up with the idea about a year and a half ago. There had been this waterfall of these kinds of scandals, from Bill and Hillary [Clinton], to Dick Morris, to Eliot Spitzer, to name just a few. I think they are all over our culture. And there was always this image of the husband up there apologizing and the wife standing next to him. I think the show began when we asked, "What are they thinking?" 

Unlike the Good Wife, former Alabama First Lady Dianne Bentley refused to play the everything is fine in public farce.  After gathering irrefutable proof of her husbands cheating ways she kicked him to the curb faster than a New York minute, and took him straight to the cleaners.

In a wide-ranging interview with the AP, Bentley said he was not aware his wife had filed divorce papers two days before the Aug. 28 event and signed them about 30 minutes before going to Montgomery. He did not know she was seeking a divorce until later that day, he said.
"Yeah, I did not know that it was going to take place," Bentley said.
According to the divorce papers, the Bentleys had been separated since January, with the governor residing in Montgomery and Mrs. Bentley living in Tuscaloosa. The relationship was so strained the First Lady almost didn't attend the Jan. 19 inauguration in Montgomery.

Not one time has Diane Bentley played the victim card.  If anyone comes out of this mess smelling like a Steele Magnolia it's her. You Go Girl! EYE don't agree with your politics, but EYE am proud of you for restoring my faith in the women of Alabama.

Dianne's filing for divorce signaled to the world that she would not live a lie. She was prepared to endure whatever public shame and embarrassment flowed from her divorce filing, suffer any act of retaliation or revenge from the Governor and his henchmen, and bear the heavy burden of starting life over again at 72 years old.

In the end, Dianne Bentley set herself free from her husband's domestic abuse and maritial cheating. In the process, she preserved her dignity as a woman and legacy as First Lady.

According to Attorney Donald Watkins, and Blogger Legal Schnauzer,  who first broke this scandal, the reason many republican leaders are acting like Silence of the Lambs because they have young side pieces who are running the state too.

The new power brokers -- mistresses to legislators and holders of their inner most secrets -- have the political power in Alabama right now.

Ain't that a dip?  Wouldn't it be something if all the wives stopped being the Good Wife?  Not So Good Wives like Dianne Bentley are our only HOPE of ousting the culture of cronyism that is corrupting our state.  

EYE guess it depends on what the definition of a "physical relationship"....IS #RobertBentley #Scandlous in #SweetHomeAlabama

#FamilyValues

"I never had a physical relationship with that woman, Rebekah Caldwell Mason" Sound familiar?  It should. It's the same parsing former President Clinton engaged in when confronted about his relationship with White House Intern, Monica Lewinsky. 

Again, if anyone had told me Governor Robert Bentley (Bible Thumper, R. Tuscaloosa) was a dirty old man EYE would have laughed in their face. But then it's always the Compassionate, Christian, Conservatives who are the biggest hypocrites.  But EYE digress.  

Mrs. Mason also denies she and Dr. "Love" Bentley ( good one Legal Schnauzer) engaged in a physical affair, claiming she's being picked on because she's a woman in a position of power and authority.  Hmm...EYE wonder where she got that from?    Mind you, these denials were made prior to the release of audio recordings made by the governors Ex.  What's that they say about Karma....

A clip of the audio recordings revealing Alabama Governor Robert Bentley’s illicit affair with a staffer has now surfaced online.
Yellowhammer was given exclusive access to the content of audio recordings captured by Dianne Bentley, Governor Bentley’s ex-wife, during which Governor Bentley makes sexual advances on and recalls sexual encounters with Rebekah Mason, his former communications director who has since become his most senior external advisor. Mrs. Mason’s husband, Jon, also serves in the Bentley administration as Director of Serve Alabama, the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Volunteer Service.
One of the recordings was captured while Governor and Mrs. Bentley were visiting their beach house.
Mrs. Bentley, who had suspected the affair, went for a walk on the beach, but left her cell phone behind recording the audio of what took place in her absence.

EYE don't know if Bentley and Mason engaged in a physical relationship or not.  And we may never know because the Governor's divorce files are cloaked in secrecy.  Remember?

There is one reason why the divorce records of Gov. Robert Bentley have been placed under seal, and one privileged reason alone:
They could embarrass the governor.
Chew on that a long, hard minute. The governor, the man elected by the people of Alabama to serve as our top dog and the head of our collective household, does not want us to see what will be included in that file.
It might – after all -- affect the way we think of him.

You think?  It's funny to see the Alabama Media who didn't report on the rumors of an affair because they didn't know what they didn't know, falling over themselves calling for Bentley's head on a platter.  That said, if Bentley is impeached, recalled, resigns, or is convicted, the alternative is not much better.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey and a close circle of advisers are mapping out a transition plan in case Gov. Robert Bentley is compelled to resign from office, according to multiple Yellowhammer sources. The planning began in earnest last summer in the wake of Dianne Bentley, the governor’s wife of 50 years, filing for divorce.
After several months of relative quiet, the Lt. Governor’s office is back in preparation mode after audio surfaced of Governor Bentley having a romantic conversation with his senior advisor, Rebekah Mason.

EYE report.

You decide.

Stay tuned. 

Update: There is more than a whiff of hypocrisy in #SweetHomeAlabama

Gov. Robert Bentley and Dianne Bentley attend the Montgomery Prayer Breakfast on May 7. Source: Governor’s Office website

Poor John Archibald.  He can't see the fire for all the smoke, therefore he can't confirm or deny if Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R. Tuscaloosa) is having an affair ..or not.

Several media outlets – bloggers and radio talkers – this morning cited "sources" as they reported that Gov. Robert Bentley has without question had an affair with a female staff member, a torrid love cuddle that caused the governor's wife of a half century, Dianne Bentley, to file for divorce and ask for everything the guy ever made.
All they offered was "sources." Not proof or fact or anything more than smoke.
Perhaps they are right. Perhaps the governor is a two-timing overgrown teenager who better start taking his state salary before he loses everything. Or perhaps they are wrong. They offered nothing in the way of facts, and until we see those we cannot know enough to judge.
I don't know. I just don't know.

EYE just don't know either, but EYE do know this is another glaring example of media enabled hypocrisy. The Alabama Media Group doesn't want to rush to judgement regarding allegations Gov. Bentley is having an affair, but they have plenty to say about the allegations against Bill Cosby.  Which leads me to believe the allegations the media is afraid of Gov. Bentley are true.  And, if the media is afraid we should all be afraid.  

Mainstream media organizations are afraid to report the details of Governor Bentley's secret love affair. Such reporting will likely cost the print media corporate advertising dollars and sponsorships, as well as revenues derived from legal notices published by the state of Alabama. It is well known that Bentley is mean-spirited, reckless, and vindictive. He is known to retaliate against individuals and entities that do not support this love affair. Additionally, they have a conflict of interest because nearly all of them endorsed Bentley's bid for reelection last November.

We may never know what we don't know about the Bentley's divorce because the proceedings are cloaked in secrecy. 

The sealing of the records was unusual in several respects. First, both parties are 72 years-old. Second, there are no minor children involved. Third, both parties are public officials in the state - Robert Bentley is Governor and Dianne Bentley is First Lady (until the divorce is granted). Fourth, the Governor's financial profile already appears on his ethics forms, which are filed annually.
The Governor has won the first round of legal action that is designed to shield the fascinating details of his love affair from the public. It is unlikely that the state's mainstream media organizations will challenge this questionable ruling. Frankly, they are too afraid to do so.

 Are the worms beginning to turn on each other?

There is no private matters in public life. If you want to be private, then you need to get out of politics," Farley said.
Farley said the governor needs to clear the air over the allegations but there are other concerns. He said there are also allegations of misuse of taxpayers resources.
The lawmaker said possible misuse of state trooper overtime involved with the governor's security and use of state planes need to investigated for any possible wrongdoing.

"If our chief executive officer has been improperly utilizing some of the funds in our coffers, then I think that needs to be brought out and investigated and the appropriate measures taken," Farley said.
As a man of faith, Farley finds all the speculation unsettling.
"So if you are looking at somebody from our eyes, from our Christian perspective this was bigger than a bombshell. It was Hiroshima," Farley said.
Farley said he will ask Attorney General Luther Strange’s office to investigate those allegations.

Psst Luther....you might want to start here .

If Robert Bentley had been a democrat the media would have been on this like white on rice. EYE sure do miss the good old days when the media prevented candidates and elected officials from lying to we the people, instead of enabling them.

#ItsTheHypocrisy 

"The Republican Party supposedly stands for higher values and morals than this. With all the indictments, DUI's, and alleged affairs it makes the party look like a bunch of hypocrites. It's a disgrace to the State of Alabama," Dunn added, referring to the indictments against Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard and the recent driving while impaired arrest of Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster.

EYE report, You decide.