So, a sex scandal brings down another prominent political figure. Why do we care so much? Is it, as some French commentators might have it, because of our Anglo-Saxon, Puritan hang-ups about sex? Is this particular case unseemly because it was a monetary transaction, and would the revelation of a simple affair be less damaging to Eliot Spitzer's career? Is it only because of his public reputation as a reformer and scourge of misbehavior? What about same-sex relationships?
Our political history is, of course, rife with scandal. Some were not publicly known at the time, like FDR and Missy LeHand, or JFK and, well, almost everybody. Others caused enormous harm to reputations and political futures: Gary Hart onboard the "Monkey Business"; Wilbur Mills and the Argentine Firecracker, Fanne Fox; Bill Clinton and, well, not quite as many as JFK, but evidently many women.
But accusations of sexual misbehavior have not always been such a big deal. Alexander Hamilton was accused of misusing government funds in his dealings with a friend; in effect, he defended himself from financial impropriety by admitting to an affair with the man's wife. Thomas Jefferson weathered accusations (evidently true) of fathering children with a slave (who was probably his late wife's half-sister) by keeping silent. Grover Cleveland acknowledged paternity of a child which may not have been his, and won the presidency. A male prostitute even sold sexual favors from Barney Frank's apartment, and the congressman survived.
Are sex scandals a bigger deal now than they were? If so, why, and what does that mean for the state of our politics today? How would we react to a scandal involving a prominent female politician? Is it comparable - or even conceivable?
Take a look at this site to see the role that sexual scandal played in the life of the first woman candidate for president, Victoria Woodhull.
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