Julia Reed | 06/08/2009 11:00 pm
Julia Reed: What Happened to Good Old-Fashioned Sex Scandals?
In response to: Expense abuses have run amok in British Parliament. Is the corruption of power inevitably a human condition?
Yes, of course, it’s the human condition. Almost everyone I’ve ever known who had an expense account has abused it in at least some tiny way. And then you throw in the ego and entitlement and sense of being above the law that has afflicted politicians almost since time began, and … whew. Like Joan, I well remember the travails of Spiro Agnew (I had a watch with his face on it and the slogan "Spiro Is My Hero," which suddenly became a far more valuable piece of memorabilia), but my Lord, a whole lot more has happened since then.
Let’s see: Abscam, the Keating 5, the House Post Office scandal, Jack Abramoff, Rep. Jim Wright’s book deal, Sen. Ted Stevens’s house renovations, Rep. Randy Cunningham’s Rolls Royce – and that is just what I am sure is but a very few off the top of my head. The trial of my own former congressman, Bill Jefferson, who was caught by the FBI with $90,000 hidden in his freezer, begins today. And then there’s all the trouble you get into with so-called "soft money" and the byzantine campaign finance rules, whether it is the appearance of impropriety by "selling" nights in the Lincoln Bedroom or Al Gore’s making fund-raising pitches from the veep’s office.
All this grubbing for money is so tawdry that it makes me long for good old-fashioned sex scandals. I loved it when the aging Wilbur Mills was caught cavorting in the tidal basin with the "Argentine Firecracker," the stripper Fanne Fox. His priceless response when asked if he’d learned anything: "Yes, never drink champagne with foreigners."
Let’s see: Abscam, the Keating 5, the House Post Office scandal, Jack Abramoff, Rep. Jim Wright’s book deal, Sen. Ted Stevens’s house renovations, Rep. Randy Cunningham’s Rolls Royce – and that is just what I am sure is but a very few off the top of my head. The trial of my own former congressman, Bill Jefferson, who was caught by the FBI with $90,000 hidden in his freezer, begins today. And then there’s all the trouble you get into with so-called "soft money" and the byzantine campaign finance rules, whether it is the appearance of impropriety by "selling" nights in the Lincoln Bedroom or Al Gore’s making fund-raising pitches from the veep’s office.
All this grubbing for money is so tawdry that it makes me long for good old-fashioned sex scandals. I loved it when the aging Wilbur Mills was caught cavorting in the tidal basin with the "Argentine Firecracker," the stripper Fanne Fox. His priceless response when asked if he’d learned anything: "Yes, never drink champagne with foreigners."
Read more about: Abscam, Al Gore, Bill Jefferson, Fanne Fox, Government, Jack Abramoff, Jim Wright, Keating 5, Politics, Scandal, Spiro Agnew, Ted Stevens, Wilbur Mills
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19 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
Be careful what you wish for, Victoria! I married a man with quick wit and he keeps me in stitches, but damn, he ksure keeps me on my toes! No rest for the wicked with him around!
Julia — My brother lives in Little Rock Arkansas - I always laugh when we drive down the "Wilbur Mills Parkway" — I can just see him and Fanny splashing around in the Tidal Basin. And, of course if you visit the Clinton Library you sorta expect Monica or some of the other "ladies" to peek around the corner!
Must be something in the water there!
:-O
Sex scandals or money scandals, it’s all the same to me. If a public official is willing to cheat on their spouse or betray their family, what’s to stop them from cheating others or betraying their constituents? It usually stems from a pattern of behavior and we usually know only what manged to creep above the surface.
Trust is trust and if they can’t maintain it on a small scale why should we believe their character is any stronger on a large scale?
Sorry Albert, but you feel this excuses their behavior? I think not. The idea that we accept corruption unless cash ends up in an overseas account is to me, a sad testament to the current state of government and the lack of trust and expectation we the people have in regards to it. If a politician acts in his/her own best interest instead of honestly doing the job we elected them to do I consider it a breach of my trust. Maybe I’m idealistic, but I was raised to believe that the motivation to enter politics should be something other than the desire to have more money, sex, or power. And yet, we the people, continue to measure these people against a shorter yardstick than we do anyone else.
Oh, and your comment of "what normal man can turn down a sex offer from a pretty, willing, woman?" strikes me as the saddest generality. I know plenty of men who can (and have) walked away from such "opportunities". It’s called being a man and recognizing your priorities in life. The old line about men being predisposed to such things is nonsense. It’s fine for a man to be tempted, but giving in shows weakness and lack of character, which again, I don’t put high on the list for qualifications for office.
And no, I certainly wouldn’t condone something as far-fetched as the death penalty as a deterrent for corruption and misdeeds, but immediate dismissal from office upon conviction would certainly be a start! They know the public memory can be short - why do you think so many shady politicians keep getting reelected?