The following “family values” Republicans voted to impeach (House) or remove (Senate) President Clinton.
- Newt Gingrich
- Henry Hyde
- Mark Sanford
- Bob Barr
- Dan Burton
- Helen Chenoweth
- Bob Livingston
- John Ensign
- Vito Fossella
- Jim Gibbons
- Sue Myrick
- Joe Scarborough
- Bill Thomas
- John McCain
- Larry Craig
- Rod Grams
- Tim Hutchinson
They are all adulterers. Also voting for impeachment: Ken Calvert (BJ from a hooker in public), Mark Foley (sent sexually explicit messages to underage pages), Charles Canady (allegedly slept with a married woman, leading to her divorce), John Peterson (alleged sexual harassment), and Joseph McDade (flasher). Adulterous Congressmen David Vitter (sex with hookers) and Don Sherwood (choked his mistress) were elected in 1998 during the run-up to the impeachment, and took office after the impeachment vote.
Naturally, adultery is wrong, and people of all political persuasions become ensnared in lust and infidelity. The response to such scandals, however, should be left to the voters, unless something more serious is involved – violence, harassment, sexual advances to a minor, corruption, or dereliction of duty (I won’t get into the argument over whether or not prostitution belongs on this list). The only difference between a Democratic sex scandal and a Republican sex scandal is hypocrisy. The GOP has annointed itself with Supreme Moral Authority, which conveniently serves to allow Republicans to be very selective in who to condemn and who to forgive. “Sanctity of Marriage” – what a crock.
When you consider the people who’ve claimed to serve as the conservative movement’s moral voice – such as Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Dr. Laura, Haggard, Swaggart, Jimmy Bakker – it becomes obvious that those who claim Moral Authority think that they are so righteous that they have earned the right to commit very serious sins. The lesson, of course, is that Inquisitors are those who seek to punish the sins of others in order to absolve themselves of sin. This is the psychological origin of systemic hypocrisy.