Mark Davis Catting Around
Wowser
WBAP's Mark Davis railed against
Clinton's adultery, then he had his
own midlife crisis. by Leslie Rigoulot
Kathi Davis loves her husband, Mark, the
popular WBAP talk show host who also writes
twice-a-week columns for the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram and hit the big time with a
nationally syndicated Sunday show on ABC
radio. The dark-haired beauty loves him so much
that she is even willing to take him back. The
man who has repeatedly denounced President
Clinton for committing adultery has walked out
on his wife and family. The man who has made a
career of calling hypocrites on the carpet now
stands subject to be called.
"Mark is a decent man who has trouble facing
adversity. His mom and dad died, my brother
died and of course, this," Kathi Davis, 41, said
last week while lightly touching the wheelchair
to which multiple sclerosis has confined her. "He
says he loves me, but this chair is what stands
between us." Strange logic for the man who
took home the highest honor the MS Society
gives, the Hope Award, on May 27, 1999, the
same night that his brother-in-law, Kathi's
brother, was found at the Davis home in
Bedford, dead of a heroin overdose.
Kathi has had multiple sclerosis since she was
16, but almost six years ago, when they moved
to Texas, the MS became more aggressive,
gradually destroying Kathi's ability to walk or
move her arms more than minimally. Mark stood
by her, talking about her on his show, taking
the lead in charity events. That changed last
year. In June 1999 D Magazine did a moving
story titled "The Private Agony of Talk Radio's
Mark Davis," in which his and his family's
previous adversities were detailed. Davis once
again chided Clinton for cheating on his wife.
"Has Davis?" the magazine asked. "No, I'm
clean. I practice what I preach," he answered. It
would appear that shortly after that, he chose
to follow the president's lead in his private life, if
not in his public politics. "First he got a Jag
sports car, started dressing differently, changed
his hairstyle, lost a lot of weight and then tells
Kathi he wants to move out in October. We
knew something was wrong. He totally denied
everything. Only when she confronted him
about knowing [the other woman's] name did
he admit anything," said Sharon Powell, a family
friend. "It's a typical mid-life crisis." "She" is the
younger woman, Lisa Lee, who has been seen
at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, at the
mall, around town with the 42-year-old Mark
and with his 8-year-old daughter, Regina. "I
have told Mark that I don't want her around
Regina," Kathi said. "It was way too early for
that." And Chris, Kathi's 16-year-old nephew
who she and Mark are raising, is critical of his
uncle: "It is like he is the bratty teenager and
I'm the adult."
The man whom his listeners refer to as Mr.
Consistency because he demands that all be
held to the same standard is not being held to
the same standard. Well known for his
anti-Clinton stance, he has frequently said on
WBAP, "You can judge a man by the way he
honors his marriage vows and the way he
treats his wife."
As recently as Dec. 21, 1999, in a Star Telegram
column entitled, "The Williams-Bush lesson: The
past does matter," Davis asked, "What do
Tarrant County Sheriff David Williams and Gov.
George W. Bush have in common? Both feel that
attention to their early adulthood is some
baseless assault, as if voters have no right to
know the complete background of those who
seek important elected offices. They are both
wrong. They both say that what is really
important is the complete story of their lives and
public service, and that chapters from a
quarter-century ago should not be used to
destroy their reputations. They are both right."
While Davis isn't an elected official, he has
certainly set himself up as a very public critic of
hypocrisy on both sides of the political aisle. And
his Dec. 23, 1998, column regarding the
resignation of U.S. House Speaker-elect Bob
Livingston gives a clear idea of how Davis
believes public people should behave: "When
he spoke of his coming service as speaker in
terms of 'would have been' and 'could have
been,' I bolted upright. Was he about to do
what I had suggested he should do in this
column? Was he about to make himself an
example of how public people should be-have
when faced with personal scan-dal? He did and
I thank him for it. What a brilliant contrast he
provides with Clinton, who even after the sharp
censure of im-peachment refuses to
acknowledge most of what he has done."
So who is in denial now? Whose character is
being called into question even as he writes
about the current politics: "The New Hampshire
payoff comes in nine days. That will be the first
primary, and it is a big deal. The Republican
base is very interested in smaller government
but a strong defense, and it is motivated by
character issues." Character issues are
important, especially if one is going to act as the
Lord High Executioner. Using the time delay on
his show at WBAP, Davis has been able to avoid
most listeners' questions about his own
personal actions.
The irony of the situation is that Davis has put
himself and his family into exactly the position
that he condemned Clinton for putting the first
family into. He has put WBAP, ABC and the
Star-Telegram in the same position that Clinton
put his friends, aides and staff into, although no
one with any of those firms would comment for
publication. When the star is lying, someone has
to cover up. When someone asks, "Who is that
woman with Mark?" someone has to answer.
Davis isn't answering; he declined to return four
phone calls from FW Weekly.
For their part, the MS Society is also maintaining
a low profile on Davis' actions. Evelyn Taylor,
director of the Fort Worth Chapter of the MS
Society, said, "This is something that he and
Kathi are going through and not something that
we can comment on."
"I know Mark is not so shallow that it's the
chair," Kathi said. "Through this disease, I have
become a very strong person, very patient
person and luckily a very forgiving person. When
I had Regina, I knew we would always be
together. And I'm still expecting that, unless I
have no choice."
TaytoCrisps
He should resign from WBAP immediately.
Why is he avoiding questions about it? And how can he take his daughter
shopping with the woman? That's disgusting! How is his girl supposed to
understand what is going on? How confusing to a child of that age, who is
already dealing with her ill mother to have to figure out who this other woman
is!
He demanded that Clinton resign, he set himself up for this fall. He blew it.
He must go.
Greg Powell
were separating, and that announcement is the only word that will be spoken about
it on his show. His wife is crippled, committed to a wheelchair, needs love and
care, and he dumps her, presumably. Big man, hugh? Down right a pillar of the
community.
Choderus
> Anybody else see/know anything about this? Is it even true?
> <story snipped>
mailto:mda...@wbap.com
Feel free to email Mark and tell him what a pussy he is.
Choderus
Steve Rudd
TaytoCrisps wrote:
> THANKS FOR POSTING THIS- HADN'T HEARD.
>
> He should resign from WBAP immediately.
>
> Why is he avoiding questions about it? And how can he take his daughter
> shopping with the woman? That's disgusting! How is his girl supposed to
> understand what is going on? How confusing to a child of that age, who is
> already dealing with her ill mother to have to figure out who this other woman
> is!
>
> He demanded that Clinton resign, he set himself up for this fall. He blew it.
> He must go.
Maybe, given his wifes illness, he is preparing for the inevitable.
Choderus
> On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:16:44 GMT, "Wowser" <home...@home.com>
> posted:
>
> >Anybody else see/know anything about this? Is it even true?
>
> If it's true, then it's bad. You'll forgive me, of course, for not
> basing a decision on one side of the story.
> --
> Brad Felmey
I emailed Mark and wished him a death more painful than the illness his
wife is suffering from. He actually emailed me back and told me that he
and Kathi had been separated since last year, which he mentioned on his
show. I replied to him and asked if he had ever been unfaithful to his
wife since they are separated and not divorced and if that wasn't what
he railed Clinton about. The hypocritical S.O.B., of course, hasn't
replied.
Choderus
Generic Account used by PVT
> Brad Felmey wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:16:44 GMT, "Wowser" <home...@home.com>
> > posted:
> >
> > >Anybody else see/know anything about this? Is it even true?
> >
> > If it's true, then it's bad. You'll forgive me, of course, for not
> > basing a decision on one side of the story.
> > --
> > Brad Felmey
>
> I emailed Mark and wished him a death more painful than the illness his
> wife is suffering from. He actually emailed me back and told me that he
> and Kathi had been separated since last year, which he mentioned on his
> show. I replied to him and asked if he had ever been unfaithful to his
> wife since they are separated and not divorced and if that wasn't what
> he railed Clinton about. The hypocritical S.O.B., of course, hasn't
> replied.
Sure Mr. Davis seems hypocritical, but consider:
The ultimate hypocrisy is being committed by those who want to know about
Mr. Davis's personal life - most likely those who vociferously defended
Clinton by arguing his discressions were nobody's business.
Aimless
I know I'm not married to him.
--
Aimless the Wanderer
"This chick is crazy, twisted, flip city, ooby shooby..."
Generic Account used by PVT wrote in message
<755F8B4567FA14CE.36A40951...@lp.airnews.net>...
>Choderus wrote:
>
>> Brad Felmey wrote:
>>
>> > On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:16:44 GMT, "Wowser" <home...@home.com>
>> > posted:
>> >
>> > >Anybody else see/know anything about this? Is it even true?
>> >
chico....@strikeout.com
<jzh...@nms.fnc.fujitsu.com> wrote:
>Choderus wrote:
>
>> Brad Felmey wrote:
>>
>> > On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:16:44 GMT, "Wowser" <home...@home.com>
>> > posted:
>> >
>> > >Anybody else see/know anything about this? Is it even true?
>> >
>> > If it's true, then it's bad. You'll forgive me, of course, for not
>> > basing a decision on one side of the story.
>> > --
>> > Brad Felmey
>>
>> I emailed Mark and wished him a death more painful than the illness his
>> wife is suffering from. He actually emailed me back and told me that he
>> and Kathi had been separated since last year, which he mentioned on his
>> show. I replied to him and asked if he had ever been unfaithful to his
>> wife since they are separated and not divorced and if that wasn't what
>> he railed Clinton about. The hypocritical S.O.B., of course, hasn't
>> replied.
>
>Sure Mr. Davis seems hypocritical, but consider:
Mr. Davis *IS* hypocritical, -period-.
>The ultimate hypocrisy is being committed by those who want to know about
>Mr. Davis's personal life - most likely those who vociferously defended
>Clinton by arguing his discressions were nobody's business.
Presumably, you mean <indiscretions> and you wish to submit to us that it
*should* be scrutinised, which thereby makes YOU the ultimate hypocrite!
Chris Bellomy
: Choderus wrote:
:
:> Brad Felmey wrote:
:>
:> > On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 20:16:44 GMT, "Wowser" <home...@home.com>
:> > posted:
:> > >Anybody else see/know anything about this? Is it even true?
:> >
:> > If it's true, then it's bad. You'll forgive me, of course, for not
:> > basing a decision on one side of the story.
:> > --
:> > Brad Felmey
:>
:> I emailed Mark and wished him a death more painful than the illness his
:> wife is suffering from. He actually emailed me back and told me that he
:> and Kathi had been separated since last year, which he mentioned on his
:> show. I replied to him and asked if he had ever been unfaithful to his
:> wife since they are separated and not divorced and if that wasn't what
:> he railed Clinton about. The hypocritical S.O.B., of course, hasn't
:> replied.
:
: Sure Mr. Davis seems hypocritical, but consider:
: The ultimate hypocrisy is being committed by those who want to know about
: Mr. Davis's personal life - most likely those who vociferously defended
: Clinton by arguing his discressions were nobody's business.
No, that's not the ultimate hypocrisy. It is fair to criticize
someone for privately behaving in a manner he publicly skewers.
I'd really rather not know about Davis' indiscretions, or
Clinton's, either. And I like neither.
cb
Bobb Waller
<bgross...@airmail.net> wrote:
>I guess it would be nice to get Mark Davis's side of the story, if he
>even wants to get involved with this. We have reports from one side
>that paint a certain less than ideal picture of the man. That is all
>the data we have at this time.
I want to add another perspective on this. As a 39 year old man with
M.S. I know first hand os Mark and Kathie's struggle. Many are the
times I've seen my wife break down with the inability to cope or help
me with mt suffering. M.S. is not a disease that strikes just one
partner in a marriage. If you truly love you spouse, as I believe Mark
loves Kathie, the strain of seeing the pain and suffering with no
outward signs are excruciating. Many are the marriages that have
broken up due to this insidious disease. And usually there is no one
to blame. Also in fairness to Mark he is Separated from his wife,
something Pres. Clinton was not when he strayed. Separation is almost
always just an adjustment period to deal with divorce. It allows time
to heal hurts and both folks to come to grips with their true
feelings. My father and mother had many separations before they
divorced. He also separated from my step-mother and dated others till
they realized they truly loved each other. Don't condemn mark for at
least being honest by separating before dating others, if only our
executive in chief had such forethought.
===================================================================================
I hope I am never so poor that I cannot afford to
laugh at myself.
=================================================================================
Please remove NOSPAM when replying.
TaytoCrisps
every day in her condition--- so he needs another woman to cope? What a joke.
Worse, he dragged his daughter, nine, into the whole sleazy mess.
A real man, not to mention a loving husband, would be there for his wife until
the last day. "In sickness and in health" -- does Mark remember that? She is
suffering and he is kicking her rather than providing the love and support that
she needs.
He's no better than Clinton, the man he trashed on the air every day. He called
for Clinton to resign yet cuts off any callers who even try to ask about what
happened.What a phony.
Bobb Waller
I do not defend anything I only attempt to point out another side of
the story. I still have seen no evidence he cheated on Kathy before
the separation, and afterward I do not see it as cheating. I also do
not ever remember EVER hearing Mark ever cutting someone off the air.
He made his statement awhile ago, and that was it. In comparison
Clinton denied it, even breaking the law in Federal court. I see Mark
breaking no laws, except the law of not living up to what his
detractors feel he should.
Also how is Regina dragged into this, would it be better if he
abandoned her? She should be part of his life, it is others who keep
bringing her name up.
Bobb
chico....@strikeout.com
>Why defend his behavior? To say that it's just too hard to face his ailing wife
>every day in her condition--- so he needs another woman to cope? What a joke.
Most of the same sort generally <cope> in that manner, quite early on. ;>
>Worse, he dragged his daughter, nine, into the whole sleazy mess.
Absolutely despicable.
>A real man, not to mention a loving husband, would be there for his wife until
>the last day. "In sickness and in health" -- does Mark remember that? She is
>suffering and he is kicking her rather than providing the love and support that
>she needs.
It is easy for some to forsake proper morality, in pursuit of physical
gratification. They are often easily identified, with a simple evaluation of
their general character.
>He's no better than Clinton, the man he trashed on the air every day. He called
>for Clinton to resign yet cuts off any callers who even try to ask about what
>happened.What a phony.
Typical of all media whore opportunists around today.
Consider Rush Limbaugh, Bill Maher, Jerry Springer, or that irritating talk
radio female hypocrite, who previously posed for pornographic photos.
Anything for a dollar, with that sort.
Hey Moe!
I laugh when I hear people point out hypocrisy in other people. None of us
are perfect, or anywhere close. As long as radio is not all music, somebody
has to be on the radio. I think it's pretty brave to open up your life, in
radio or politics. People who don't even know you, begin criticizing, for
sport.
----------------------
<chico....@strikeout.com> wrote in message
news:38b1a2bb....@24.14.77.5...
TaytoCrisps
>I laugh when I hear people point out hypocrisy in other people.
This is the same "everybody's doing it" defense used by the Clinton defenders
to justify his behavior.
Good talk show hosts open up, are honest about their past and form a bond with
their audience. They have the backbone to take whatever criticism is a result
of their revelations.
Davis has betrayed his listeners with this dishonesty.
Michael Goodrich
I found it interesting what TaytoCrisps said:
"Good talk show hosts open up, are honest about their past and form a bond
with their audience. They have the backbone to take whatever criticism is a
result of their revelations."
I remember a few months back while listening to KLIF and "Humble" Billy
Hayes. The topic was doing stupid things when younger. It was a topic
because of the rumors of George Bush, Jr. using cocaine as a young man.
Hayes admited that when he was in high school that he got a girl pregnant
and had to deal with the consequences of it. I thought that was different
for a talk show host to admit to being "stupid" and doing something that he
wish never had happened.
During that show, he did get a lot of critisism about his actions as a young
man, but he took whatever the callers dished up.
"TaytoCrisps" <tayto...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000221185303...@ng-fc1.aol.com...
Hey Moe!
Is that the honest talk show host you're speaking of?
--------------
TaytoCrisps <tayto...@aol.com> wrote:
This is the same "everybody's doing it" defense used by the Clinton
defenders
to justify his behavior.
Good talk show hosts open up, are honest about their past and form a bond
with
their audience. They have the backbone to take whatever criticism is a
result
of their revelations.
Davis has betrayed his listeners with this dishonesty.
-----------------
Hey Moe!
I think hypocrite is a label people put on others when they want to minimize
their own shortcomings. The catch is, it doesn't work. It doesn't harm the
person being labeled and it doesn't help the esteem of the person doing the
labeling.
-------------------
TaytoCrisps <tayto...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> This is the same "everybody's doing it" defense used by the Clinton
defenders
> to justify his behavior.
>
> Good talk show hosts open up, are honest about their past and form a bond
with
> their audience. They have the backbone to take whatever criticism is a
result
> of their revelations.
>
> Davis has betrayed his listeners with this dishonesty.
--------------
> >But where are you going to find people who are not hypocrites?
