Once again, Louisiana leads the nation in the “bad” categories. In this case, it’s per capita number of national level elected officials involved in scandals. While Representative William Jefferson winds his way toward what I can only hope will be jail, Senator David Vitter has recently been exposed as a “not so family values” kind of guy. I admit to two separate reactions to this: 1. Remember the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal? Shouldn’t this be a “private family matter?” Want to bet the people pushing that line will be out for Vitter’s (and any other Republican caught up in this Flyntgate scandal) blood? 2. What is it with politicians? Do they not have the common sense to know that if one has ANY ambition of being involved in national politics, one’s entire past life will come under microscopic scrutiny? This is not exactly a new revelation (remember Gary Hart?). Senator Vitter claims that he has sought forgiveness from God and his wife. More power to him, since he has to live with both much longer than he does the electorate (theoretically; heck the Mrs. may be filing for divorce as we speak). Nonetheless, a person who claims to have character and believes himself worthy of being a United States Congressman should display that character now and resign. It would be absolutely hypocritical for Mr. Vitter to remain in office. Politics be damned. This is one of those times where the Republican leadership needs to step up to the plate and show us that they really are better than the Democrats. I will be highly disappointed, though not terribly surprised, if they don’t. Still, I continue to hope that the party that claims to have at least some family values will live up to them. Sad.
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Personally, I was done with Vitter when he and Landrieu asked for that astronomical aid package after Katrina.
As residents of the state that spawned Edwin Edwards, we are not impressed by Vitter’s vanilla peccadilloes. That said, Edwards was the Michael Jordan of brazen philanderers, and we’ll never see another to equal him.
Hey Omar,
Good to see you around.
Followed shortly with,
So does that constitute calling for his blood? It sure sounds like it to me.
And if so, could that mean that you’re in the “Lewinski scandal was a family matter” camp? Or does it mean that you are more consistent with your stance that all sex scandals should result in a resignation?
I do see a stark difference in the two scenarios, though. The Lewinski sex scandal (not the perjury) is much different than the Vitter sex scandal because merely cheating on your wife with another consenting adult is not by itself forbidden under the law, whereas paying for the services of a prostitute is.
I personally don’t think that Vitter should resign over this matter, because I believe that prostitution should be decriminalized. Though I can see the logic in the argument, one doesn’t want one’s representative to be picking and choosing which laws to follow. But for me, forbidding two consenting adults to do with their bodies what they will for an exchange of property is the moral outrage, not the act of violating that prohibition. I believe that violating a law that I believe to be immoral should not hail calls of consequence outside those deemed appropriate by the actors themselves, and those whose personal lives are immediately affected.
In short… yeah, it’s a family matter.
However, if one believes that Vitter should resign, one would have solid ground to stand on not with calling for a resignation due to the scandal, but with calling for his resignation on grounds that he is a liar and a hypocrite.
Cheers.
Lance: lol, yeah that’s about it.
Robby: yeah, but he did wind up with Candy or whatever her name is. Although the last I heard she wasn’t exactly standing by her man and was filing for divorce.
Pogue: great to hear from you, too. Sorry to hear that Ceilidh Cowboy will no longer be up
Still, I’m glad that you are still actively commenting in other places.
Regarding Vitter: absolutely, I am in the camp that believes he should resign immediately. Actually, I believe that with this skeleton in the closet he should never have run in the first place, but that was his utter lack of character and common sense and can’t reasonably be blamed on voters. Also, I am absolutely in agreement with you over the hypocrisy angle and his support of the FMA which is why I pointed out:
Although I failed to mention the actual comments that he has made regarding this issue in the past which now demonstrate the hypocrisy in question. I’d like to believe that I am consistent on this matter and apply standards across party lines. I suggest that many of our “talking head” political commentators and other hacks are not nearly as consistent with this issue. I would bet that many of those who will now attack Vitter on this ground were equally passionate in their defense of Clinton (on both character questions :his physical acts with Lewinsky and other women which was adultery and his actual legal testimony which was perjury).
Hypocrisy? Lying? Who cares? What disturbs me is the stupidity demonstrated by how easily he was implicated. If your going to whore around during your Senate tenure (stupid in and of itself) you don’t register your work number at the whorehouse. Jesus.
yours/
peter.
LOL! True ’nuff, Peter. True ’nuff.