If you take Louisiana — and I wish you would — and combine it with the Republican Party, you get a truly amazing collection of shameless scumbags.

Consider the latest example: Rep. Vance McAllister, one of the newest and least distinguished members of the U.S. House. It took him less than four months in office to disgrace himself, his state and his party. So, what did Vance do? It seems he was caught on video deep kissing one of his congressional aides (a woman, I hasten to add). And for heaven’s sake, what’s wrong with that? Possibly the fact that his wife didn’t know about it.

Anyhow, the tongue-hungry Vance — seen above with his loving family (before he decided to smooch his aide) — having been confronted with the evidence, decided he would not seek re-election. The brave Mrs. Vance, for whatever reasons, stood by her man and declared she was behind him “100 percent.” If I were him, though, I don’t think I’d want her standing too close behind me. Rep. McAllister declared, however, that he would serve out the rest of his elected term in order to see that the residents of his state are not deprived of something they are accustomed to: ridiculous, appalling scandals. They can also be assured, I’m certain, Vance will be standing up 100% for all those “Christian values” he campaigned on. And by the way, why is it so many self-proclaimed Christian politicians and their most earnest supporters seem to be lacking anything resembling Christian values?

Remember David Vitter, the Republican junior senator from Louisiana, the guy who in 2007 consorted with prostitutes and whose wife bravely (or cluelessly) stood by him? He won re-election in 2010. Now he’s interested in running for governor. And before him there was a succession of governors named Edwin Edwards, Huey Long, Earl Long and on and on, some of them Democrats and all of them among the worst, most corrupt people ever elected to public office in the United States. This is the grand tradition in which we find Vance McAllister wallowing (oops, I mean following).

Frankly, the folks down in Louisiana exactly deserve what they get. They would be a laughing stock if there was anything to laugh at here. They continue to elect an embarrassing assortment of incompetent, morally bankrupt politicians. It’s a situation that doesn’t warrant any sympathy for anyone, politicians or voters. Shame on all of them.

It is, however, a disgrace to find such people serving in the United States Congress where their positions are invariably opposed to extending help to anyone who isn’t white and able to support their campaigns financially. They are repellent, and so are the people who maintain them in office.