David Vitter, Bobby Jindal, and the GOP Hope We Have Short Memories
[Cross-posted at my DKos diary and Daily Kingfish.]
Though it may already seem like quite a long time ago, it was just a little over a month ago that Republican David Vitter held his press conference, vaguely acknowledging that he frequented prostitutes behind his family's back and trying his darnedest, with his wife in tow, to play the victim card, chastising his political opponents and the press for seeking to profit from his egregiously immoral actions.
Vitter acknowledged that he had indeed commited acts that, years earlier, he suggested that President Bill Clinton should resign his office for having committed, calling Clinton "morally unfit to govern." Further, we cannot trust anything that escapes Vitter's mouth, as he has a record of lying when asked directly about his misdeeds.
We see Vitter guilty (though, unfortunately, not convicted) of the criminal act of soliciting prostitutes and the moral indiscretions of infidelity, hypocrisy, and deceit against both his family and his constituents.
And now, just over a month later, David Vitter firmly hopes that the entire episode has been swept under the rug and forgotten.
There was much talk about whether or not Vitter would, in fact, resign his Senate seat in the wake of his scandal. Political observers noted that, had Vitter resigned right away, Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco would have been responsible for naming Vitter's successor. With a gubernatorial election later this year in Louisiana, and a Republican, Congressman Bobby Jindal, the front-runner to win, it was also noted that Republicans would politically benefit from Vitter riding out the scandal as long as he could, until a Republican Governor was in office. Then, Vitter could resign and a Republican could appoint a fellow Republican to succeed him.
In short, Bobby Jindal, David Vitter, and the Republican Party hope we have short memories. They hope that we have already forgotten David Vitter's admission from just over a month ago (an admission lacking any true demonstration of responsibility) and have already forgotten that his career is soaked in hypocrisy and lies, frequently speaking of "family values," but never living up to those values.
Should Bobby Jindal win the 2007 Louisiana Gubernatorial election and, shortly thereafter, David Vitter decides it is then time to resign his seat, after months of "soul searching," in order to spend more time with the family he betrayed, I hope that we will all remember this and hold Vitter's successor (or Vitter himself, should he actually run for re-election in 2010 as scheduled) accountable for the Republican Party once again putting rank partisanship ahead of the "family values" they falsely claim to champion.
Please have long, clear, sharp memories.
Though it may already seem like quite a long time ago, it was just a little over a month ago that Republican David Vitter held his press conference, vaguely acknowledging that he frequented prostitutes behind his family's back and trying his darnedest, with his wife in tow, to play the victim card, chastising his political opponents and the press for seeking to profit from his egregiously immoral actions.
Vitter acknowledged that he had indeed commited acts that, years earlier, he suggested that President Bill Clinton should resign his office for having committed, calling Clinton "morally unfit to govern." Further, we cannot trust anything that escapes Vitter's mouth, as he has a record of lying when asked directly about his misdeeds.
We see Vitter guilty (though, unfortunately, not convicted) of the criminal act of soliciting prostitutes and the moral indiscretions of infidelity, hypocrisy, and deceit against both his family and his constituents.
And now, just over a month later, David Vitter firmly hopes that the entire episode has been swept under the rug and forgotten.
There was much talk about whether or not Vitter would, in fact, resign his Senate seat in the wake of his scandal. Political observers noted that, had Vitter resigned right away, Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco would have been responsible for naming Vitter's successor. With a gubernatorial election later this year in Louisiana, and a Republican, Congressman Bobby Jindal, the front-runner to win, it was also noted that Republicans would politically benefit from Vitter riding out the scandal as long as he could, until a Republican Governor was in office. Then, Vitter could resign and a Republican could appoint a fellow Republican to succeed him.
In short, Bobby Jindal, David Vitter, and the Republican Party hope we have short memories. They hope that we have already forgotten David Vitter's admission from just over a month ago (an admission lacking any true demonstration of responsibility) and have already forgotten that his career is soaked in hypocrisy and lies, frequently speaking of "family values," but never living up to those values.
Should Bobby Jindal win the 2007 Louisiana Gubernatorial election and, shortly thereafter, David Vitter decides it is then time to resign his seat, after months of "soul searching," in order to spend more time with the family he betrayed, I hope that we will all remember this and hold Vitter's successor (or Vitter himself, should he actually run for re-election in 2010 as scheduled) accountable for the Republican Party once again putting rank partisanship ahead of the "family values" they falsely claim to champion.
Please have long, clear, sharp memories.
posted by Senate2008Guru | 1:56 PM
3 Comments:
That's just dumb. We would do the same thing and we would chastise any scandalized Democratic Senator would resigned immediately rather than waiting to insure that their replacement was a Democrat.
Perhaps, but the point here is that Vitter forfeits having us use the standard to which we would hold our own because he is instead being held to the standard HE HIMSELF (Vitter) laid down: if you commit sexual impropriety, you are morally unfit and must resign. That is fair game. If he had stood up and said during the Clinton impeachment: Hey, we wouldn't ask a Republican to resign under these circumstances; well then maybe he would get the benefit of the doubt here.
So tonight Political Wire has a clip from the Politico that reports on a new survey by Southern Media & Opinion Research Inc., according to which 66% of Louisiana voters approve of Vitter’s job performance, while just 22% disapprove. I don't know that company, but if that poll has any credibility at all -- ugh. It sort of renders this debate moot since I doubt we can expect a resignation so long as those numbers hold, and so much for this scandal dragging down Jindal and boosting Landrieu.
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