GOP Duplicity: Ousting Craig but not Vitter
5 Comments Published by Augur on Tuesday, September 4 at 11:32 AM.
Contrast the Republican response to the Vitter scandal with the Craig scandal. Vitter's criminal activity is certainly worse, even if he wasn't prosecuted. While there were a few whimpers for Vitter's resignation, it was nothing like the swift, stentorian calls from the GOP leadership for Larry Craig's head. Why the double standard?
A few factors explain the GOP's duplicity:
1) Louisiana has a Democratic Governor
2) Next cycle no matter what a Republican will hold Craig's seat. Vitter was the first Republican Senator elected from Louisiana since Reconstruction.
3) Sen. Vitter is well liked within the party, and is perceived as having a giant mind and a bright future, not so with Sen. Craig.
4) Republicans win elections by demonizing homosexuality. This morning on ABC's This Week, George Will correctly observed that this is about homosexuality. Had Craig been soliciting sex with a woman in an embarrassing place, this would blow over by next Wednesday.
5) Vitter has until 2010 for voters to forget about the scandal, Craig is up in '08.
Note: I also posted this on DailyKos and you may be interested in viewing comments there as well.
A few factors explain the GOP's duplicity:
1) Louisiana has a Democratic Governor
2) Next cycle no matter what a Republican will hold Craig's seat. Vitter was the first Republican Senator elected from Louisiana since Reconstruction.
3) Sen. Vitter is well liked within the party, and is perceived as having a giant mind and a bright future, not so with Sen. Craig.
4) Republicans win elections by demonizing homosexuality. This morning on ABC's This Week, George Will correctly observed that this is about homosexuality. Had Craig been soliciting sex with a woman in an embarrassing place, this would blow over by next Wednesday.
5) Vitter has until 2010 for voters to forget about the scandal, Craig is up in '08.
Note: I also posted this on DailyKos and you may be interested in viewing comments there as well.
Labels: Augur, dirty republicans, poltics
While the Republican's aren't very fond of gay men, I have to say that there have been a number of high-ranking Republicans resign due to het scandals. I disagree with 4 as a general observation, if one of them had done something this sleazy with a woman, they'd have been in as much trouble.
I think that as a liberal on such things, you're missing the extreme "Ewwwww" factor that I'm seeing over this.
I agree with the rest of your points, however.
Tom
There is a "ewww" factor and also a profound, very human, sadness to it all. Tommy, do you deny that it is harder for a christian conservative congressman to recover from infidelity with another man than an infidelity w/ a woman?
6. Craig pled guilty to a crime. Vittner didn't.
One of the comments on the Kos thread handled this argument perfectly, LouLost said: "Craig pled guilty to a magistrate. Vitter pled guilty to a press conference. The statute of limitations on Vitter's crime has expired, so no judge will hear his plea."
Vitter is also locally rather important which means that the local powers that be don't have anyone to replace him with besides Jindal. Note that the vitter scandal came out a number of years ago with a New orleans madam (see Times-Picayune). This aint nothin new.