Sex Scandals and Double Standards(Charles Krauthammer)

Weekly Standard ^ | 10/16/2006, Volume 012, Issue 05 | Charles Krauthammer

[kellynla]

IN 1983, REPRESENTATIVE GERRY Studds, Democrat of Massachusetts, admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old male page. He was censured by the House of Representatives. During the vote, which he was compelled by House rules to be present for, Studds turned his back on the House to show his contempt for his colleagues' reprimand. He was not expelled from the Democratic Caucus. In fact, he was his party's nominee in the next election in his district--and the next five after that--winning reelection each time. He remained in the bosom of the Democratic Caucus in the House for the next 13 years.

In 2006, Republican congressman Mark Foley was found to have been engaged in lurid sexual Internet correspondence with a 16-year-old House page. There is no evidence yet of his ever laying a hand on anyone, let alone having sex with a page. When discovered, he immediately resigned. Had he not, says Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert, "I would have demanded his expulsion." Not only is Foley gone, but half the Republican House leadership has been tarred. Hastert himself came within an inch of political extinction.

Am I missing something? There seems to be an odd difference in the disposition of the two cases. By any measure, what Studds did was worse. By any measure, his treatment was infinitely more lenient.

Moreover, in the case of Studds, I do not recall demands for investigations of the Democratic leadership about what they knew about Studds and when they knew it. Yet Hastert is pilloried for having not done something about Foley.

[george76]

• In 1983, then-Democratic Rep. Gerry Studds of Massachusetts was caught in a similar situation. In his case, Studds had sex with a male teenage page -- something Foley hasn't been charged with.

Did Studds express contrition? Resign? Quite the contrary. He rejected Congress' censure of him and continued to represent his district until his retirement in 1996.

• In 1989, Rep. Barney Frank, also of Massachusetts, admitted he'd lived with Steve Gobie, a male prostitute who ran a gay sex-for-hire ring out of Frank's apartment. Frank, it was later discovered, used his position to fix 33 parking tickets for Gobie.

What happened to Frank? The House voted 408-18 to reprimand him -- a slap on the wrist. Today he's an honored Democratic member of Congress, much in demand as a speaker and "conscience of the party."

• In 2001, President Clinton, who had his own intern problem, commuted the prison sentence of Illinois Rep. Mel Reynolds, who had sex with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer and pressured her to lie about it. (Reynolds also was convicted of campaign spending violations.)

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=244680809798238

[kellynla]

Exactly!

And for those who don't already know this,
Nancy Pelosi ENDORSED Studds for reelection AFTER the Studds sex scandal had been exposed.

So much for Pelosi's faux outrage of Dennis Hastert & the GOP.

[TeleStraightShooter]

I see the hypocrisy as a simple function of the values of the voter base.

In the Studds case, (D)s demonstrated they would vote for a homosexual who sodomized a seventeenager.

On the whole, (R) voters dont share those values.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Massachusetts may soon elect a Democratic Governor who is very soft on crime and as far to the left as any leftist could ever wish for. The majority of Massachusetts voters in Studd's Congressional District had no problems in re-electing Studds over and over again, the majority of Massachusetts voters have no problems in re-electing almost all of the D's at every political level over and over again, and there's no end in sight for the majority of Massachusetts voters to ever end their "moonbat mentality".

[george76]

Pelosi and those lying DUmmies.

They still think that they can fool all of the people, all of the time.

[stockstrader]

If it wasn't for 'double standards', democrats wouldn't have any.

[Sister_T]

This needs to be repeated over and over and over again, to point out the hypocrisy of the DemocRAT party.

[shrinkermd]

I think what Dr. Krauthammer misses here is the basic issue.

What the MSM suffers from is a caricature of what people of faith and value voters are like. Seemingly, they see us as rigid, homophobic backwards looking Neanderthals. Consequently, when they present a story or the liberals pose a political strategy they assume any Republican who sins means an automatic rejection of the Republicans.

The MSM may constantly parade a small cult from Kansas who hate homosexuals. This is not us. Tolerance, forbearance and sympathy are more characteristic of people of faith.

In the meantime someone better tell those inside the beltway and by inference the MSM, that Evangelicals and observant Roman Catholics know three things they do not--the world is not about us, we are to worship God and life's journey must include an emulation of Christ in order to be successful. Becoming Christ like is our goal not political power.

An individual journey for all that requires support from many. The best we can hope for is the government not interfering with our lives and faith. Politics to the values voter has a much more limited goal than the MSM and their liberal proteges imagine. They project their own moral and intellectual defects on us.

[GoBucks2002]

But wait.. there's more!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1713550/posts

More examples of Democrat hypocrisy that the so-called Republican so-called leadership won't dare bring up. It mgiht make a Democrat upset.

Here is the our party leadership's priorities in order: 1. Protcting their own seats 2. making nice with Democrats and the news media. 3. Keeping lobbyists happy 4. Pretending to care about the issues important to the grassroots.

[george76]

If Bill Clinton had been a virgin, he would still have been the most immoral president in this country's history.

In exchange for illegal campaign contributions from the government of China, he allowed the Chinese to buy American technology, which now makes them capable of hitting American cities with nuclear missiles.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell121602.asp

[stockstrader]

We just named a new aircraft carrier after George Bush--maybe the Chinese will name one after Bill Clinton.

[Nuc1]

Yes the DIMS do have values don't they? Next time Dean does a one on one with our Pubbie leadership, they should smack him right across the face with these facts and tell the people these are the real "values" that the DIMS have. I know, but I can dream they have a spine can't I?

[eggman]

When it comes to sex if you're a Donk anything you do will just enhance your reputation with your voter base. You can be gay, pedophile, prostitute, molester, rapist, whatever. Thankfully, the Republicans realize they have voters with moral convictions.

We will soon see how many Democrats still have a conscience. I doubt that there are many left. Their media minions help the voter base ignore any scandal that hurts their cause.

[Hootch]

The Republicans BETTER do a better job of getting these things our there or they are going to get toasted.

[hnj_00]

but but but...according to lib/dems...."its for the children!"

[edsheppa]

Am I missing something?

Yes you are Charles. You omitted the fact that Dan Crane (R) was having sex with pages and was exposed at the same time as Studds. Consequently coverup charges against the D House leadership wouldn't have carried much weight. I wonder, Charles, why you didn't mention Crane. I hope it's just because you're ill informed.

The Barney Fag matter is a bit different. I don't recall any intimations that House leaders had an inkling about it but maybe the Rs did miss an opportunity.

[Shire]

What about the children of partial birth abortions? What are they doing for those children?

[conservative in nyc]

Everyone seems to forget that Studds was censured not only for actually having sex with an underage male page (who told the House investigators that although the sex was not coerced, he would rather have had a friendship with Studds without the sex, which he said he "was somewhat uncomfortable with"), but also for hitting on two other male pages after getting them drunk - totally unwanted sexual advances. The House Doorkeeper's office knew about Studds' hitting on the two pages.

People also tend to forget that a number of House Democrats - including many Democrats who would become committee chairmen if the Democrats take control of the House, and the head of the DSCC, Chuck Schumer, didn't vote to raise Studds' penalty from a weak reprimand to censure (although they ultimately did vote to adopt the resolution, as amended). If you don't believe me:

Link to downloadable PDF file of 7/20/83 Congressional Record, including Studds Censure
Link to downloadable PDF file of 7/14/83 Congressional Record, including Studds Floor Statement about proposed reprimand

Link to downloadable PDF file of 7/20/83 Congressional Record, including Crane (R) Censure (Compare Crane's remorse to Studds' brazenness)

[george76]

[gcruse]

"This is not us. Tolerance, forbearance and sympathy are more characteristic of people of faith."

Read a few gay threads on FR, then we'll talk.

[marblehead17]

ping

[George W. Bush]

In 2006, Republican congressman Mark Foley was found to have been engaged in lurid sexual Internet correspondence with a 16-year-old House page.

No, he was not doing anything of the sort. He sent emails, the most disturbing of which asked for an ordinary photo of a 16-year-old page. And he engaged in cybersex IM with a former page who was eighteen at the time.

I'm very disappointed that the well-known facts of the case has not penetrated to the pundits, even the normally well-informed ones like the Kraut.

[okie01]

The MSM may constantly parade a small cult from Kansas who hate homosexuals. This is not us.

Phelps and his family are, in fact, registered Democrats.

[Kaslin]

Take a look

[YdontUleaveLibs]

Yes, they are Phelps did in fact give money to Al Gore's campaign. I am sick and tired of lefties giving us the Phelps and claiming they are ours. I don't nor ever have wanted this "gift".