March 11, 2010

Sex scandals--Republican style

Steve Benen has a list of Republican scandals where the scandalee remains in office, or in the case of John Ensign and David Vitter, remain in good standing in their party. Mark Sanford still remains in office, as does Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons.

But we still hear about John Edwards. I have no problem with dumping on Edwards, mind you. I think cheating on your wife is pretty scummy anyway. Cheating on a cancer stricken wife? Horrible. But if you do so as a Republican, all you have to do is pray for forgiveness, and you end up back on the air as a Republican statesman. Huh, Newt?

As Benen notes:
For decades, Republican candidates at every level have emphasized the GOP's moral superiority on "family values." If you want to protect the "sanctity" of marriage, the argument went, it's incumbent on you to vote Republican. There's a culture war underway, Americans have been told, and Democrats just aren't as reliable on these issues as the GOP.
How the hell do they keep getting away with that?

Ah hell. What am I asking? The nation's morally righteous cheer for torture. Of course they look the other way when their leaders cheat on their wives. Outrage is reserved for liberals.

2 comments:

Rhett Butler said...

I don't know about other states, but in South Carolina, Mark Sanford's political career is over. He won't be elected again to anything, as a Republican. If he wants to stay in politics, he will have to move, or become a Democrat.

Streak said...

Uh, Rhett, did you read the post? He might be better off moving to another state and remaining a Republican. Or, he might just need to confess his sins in front of James Dobson. Becoming a Democrat won't make it easier. Republicans are more likely to get away with their sex scandals.