Democracy Has Prevailed.

August 31, 2007

More Republican Hypocrisy

This time the Senator Craig's part if the story is only periheral.

What about the other recent corruptions in God's Own Party?

The crew at CREW wants to know:

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, expressed surprise that Sen. Larry Craig has been forced to relinquish his committee assignments in light of this week's revelations that he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with an attempted sexual encounter with an undercover officer in a Minneapolis airport restroom.

"Senator Ted Stevens maintains his position on the Appropriations Committee despite being the subject of a major criminal investigation, including an FBI raid on his Alaska home and Senator David Vitter maintains his assignments despite admitting to the crime of soliciting a prostitute."

According to Rawstory, here's the reason:
The key distinction between Craig's case and those of Stevens and Vitter, in the eyes of Republican leaders, is that Craig has been charged with and pleaded guilty to a crime, where the others have not, a leadership source tells RAW STORY.
I have to go with Melanie Sloan of CREW, however:
"A disorderly conduct plea requires a member to give up his committee assignment, but a full-fledged bribery investigation does not," observed Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "Apparently, in the view of the Republican conference there is almost nothing more serious than a member attempting to engage in gay sex."
I think she's trying to be sarcastic, but the charge actually works without any hint of it. The FBI can raid your home and put you under corruption investigation and you're safe, but get caught tapping your foot in an airport men's room and your party abandons you quicker than you can say "shock and awe."

Glenn Greenwald has more at salon.
It is hard to remember an incident that more powerfully reveals the true, deeply unprincipled face of the "Traditional Marriage" movement than the completely disparate treatment from the GOP leadership for David Vitter and Larry Craig. As the likes of Mitch McConnell and (the divorced and adulterous) John McCain oh-so-nobly demand Craig's resignation while continuing to embrace David Vitter, the last thing we ought to be hearing is how this demonstrates newfound moral rectitude from the Republican Party. Whatever is driving the party leaders as they keep David Vitter and push out Larry Craig -- and similarly condemn same-sex marriages while saying nothing about (and often engaging in) divorces and multiple marriages -- devotion to "traditional moral values" is not it.
Ah, ain't life grand?

9 comments:

Jonathan Potts said...

I had the same thoughts. Obviously they are going to deflect charges of hypocrisy (and homophobia) by noting that Craig has actually been convicted. But it smells.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: Are you lefties aware that you cannot have someone arrested because he made a homosexual pass at you. Check your local police. As long as money does not change hands, just to make a pass at someone of the same sex is not a crime. Or did you lefties make it a crime? So I am curious, exactly what did Sen. Craig do that irritates you lefties other than voting Republican?

Social Justice NPC Anti-Paladin™ said...

Here is the distinction.
Larry Craig pleaded guilty to a "crime" in court of law.
Ted Stevens and David Vitter have not plead guilty to a crime in court of law or found guilty of a crime by a court of law.

Anonymous said...

Yea, I guess you're right. So when the FBI and the IRS raid your home it's not a big deal. And it's certainly not a big deal for a "pro-family" kind of guy to be caught hiring prostitutes.

Here, I'll do your work for you and end this thread: Bill Clinton! Barney Frank! Gerry Studds!

There, that should do it, eh?

Ol' Froth said...

First Anon couldn't be more wrong. If someone approaches you on the street or in public where there are no expectations of privacy, then yes, making a pass at someone (homosexual or not) isn't a crime. But in a public restroom, you DO have a limited expectation of privacy. SO if someone is looking at you through the crack between the door and the stall wall, or reching over or under the stall, it most certainly can be criminal conduct.

You also have to take in the totality of the situation. Is the restroom in question known for hosting sexual encounters? Have there been complaints about sexual activity in said restroom?

SO yes, Mr ANon, depending on the totality of the circuimstances, you can be arrested and charged for making such a pass, and convicted.

But on to my main point. The REAL reason why Craig's resignation is demanded, and not Vitter's, is because Craig will be replaced by a Republican appointee. If Vitter steps down, the appointee will be a Democrat.

Anonymous said...

Ol'froth, check with your local police. As long as money does not change hands, or an offer of money, no crime has been committed simply by making an advance towards another. You really need to be more familar with the law. Better not let me see you tapping your feet in a washroom, because we will test that theory.

Jonathan Potts said...

I feel some measure of sympathy for Craig, his hypocrisy aside. I understand the public interest in keeping people--gay and straight--from having sex in public places. But I don't think it's right that you can be arrested merely for making hand and foot gestures, even if his intent was to solicit sex. Even looking through the gap in the door into the next stall seems like dubious grounds for arrest.

Ol' Froth said...

Mr. ANon, I AM the local police, and I have made arrests and won convictions based on similar circumstances.

So there.

Dayvoe said...

Froth;

Don't be too too hard on him. We've learned here at 2PJ that the quality of our trolls is not so uniform that we can expect rational thoughts out of all of them.

Or even most of them.