Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Let Me Count the Dopes

How many jackasses hold or recently held elective office and are or were in trouble over their dicks? Let me count the dopes:

Presidents of the United States

Bill Clinton (D)
(We know now that lots of presidents had affairs while in office. They just didn't getting caught and impeached.)

Senators
  • John Ensign (R)
  • John Edwards (D)
  • Gary "Monkey Business" Hart (D)
  • Larry "Wide Stance" Craig (Note that I don't think he should have been busted) (R)
  • David Vitter (R)
  • Edward Kennedy (D)
Governators
  • Eliot Spitzer (D)
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
  • Mark "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" Sanford (R)
Representatives

  • Anthony Weiner (D)
  • Chris Lee (R)
  • Mark Foley (R)
  • Wilbur Mills (D)


Have I left anyone out?? (Thanks to those of you who refreshed my memory!) And can you think of a female politician who has gotten into comparable trouble??

Most of what these guys did was stupid, tawdry, and/or indiscreet, not illegal. Edwards was recently indicted (to think I once thought he'd be a good president - well, he was the only candidate in the 2008 election cycle talking about poverty); Ensign might get indicted; Spitzer did get indicted. Most of what they did you won't get blackmailed for these days - after all, you can always come clean.

Still, you have to wonder about their sense and ability to behave in an adult fashion. Do you really want to entrust state secrets to them? Not that there's any reason to think they are security risks, but holy moly. Guys, keep it zipped, hey?


9 comments:

The Wistful Pelleastrian said...

Lisa:

But why is our media so interested in the private, consensual and unquestionably legal private sexual affairs of this man?

What he does in his private sexual life with other consenting adults is his wife's business, not ours.

I don't give a damn that he lied about any of this.

America remains an incredibly immature and naive country... Sad.

Now what DOES concern me is his staunch support of AIPAC.

Yuck.

Lisa Hirsch said...

What he did shows incredibly poor judgment, because there are no secrets on the Internet, and that is an issue for any politician.

Immanuel Gilen said...

America remains an incredibly immature and naive country... Sad.

Allow me to be a foreigner doing America's cheerleading work, but I challenge you to find a country where this Wiener story would not be a big deal.

D. said...

Under "Senator," David Vitter.

Under "Representative," Chris Lee and Mark Foley.

And I only had to Google for Foley because I couldn't remember his last name.

The Wistful Pelleastrian said...

Let me quickly add that I have absolutely no interest in this story... What he did was embarrassing and that's that.

My point was that it's very easy to get caught up in the BS on the internet. MOST people are guilty to some degree. But his life shouldn't be ruined over it. He didn't commit a crime and he didn't hurt anyone. He admitted, he apologized, now let's get back to work.

There are a lot of politicians (and bankers remember!) with much worse backgrounds.

Lisa Hirsch said...

Thanks! I have updated the posting.

Joe Barron said...

You don't know what it's like, girl ...

Charles T. Downey said...

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/06/women-in-politics-have-sex-scandals-too.html

Joe Barron said...

From the Borowitz Report: How to talk to your kids about Anthony Weiner's penis.