The Democrats and Sex

NY Governor Eliot Spitzer's fall from grace highlights a key difference between the two parties (Spitzer is a Democrat, a fact that most media outlets didn't think was important enough to mention when they broke the story). When Republican sex scandals emerge the offending perv gets the boot. When Democrats have sex scandals they circle the wagons. Critics are "moralizing and self-righteous jerks," to quote James Carville in his defense of Spitzer. Carville also took a page from the Clinton handbook and suggested a right-wing conspiracy was to blame and that Spitzer should not resign.

Breaking the law (perjury included) is apparently irrelevant to these "private matters." Spitzer probably committed a felony by attempting to disguise his payments for illegal activities. He also put himself at risk for extortion and black mail.

Consider the stories of Mark Foley and Gerry Studds. Republican congressman Foley was promptly booted by Republicans after he sent sexually suggestive instant messages to male Congressional pages. In 1983 Democratic congressman Studds was censured for having actual sex with an underage male page. The party rushed to his defense and he was even re-elected to several more terms.

Spitzer probably will resign, but only because of the funny business with the financial transactions. If this was just a sex scandal, he wouldn't be going anywhere.