Gramsci wrote:Dunno, but in France a politician is regarded as untrustworthy if they haven't had at least two affairs.

There's a wee bit of truth to this, I think. At least for many... When I asked her about Mitterrand's infidelities and Chirac's corruption, my friend Juliette put it this way: "You want to know that your leader is a man!"

sparky wrote: "You want to know that your leader is a man!"

Now, that is a band I would go and see.

Mandroid2.0 wrote:I'm probably forgetting someone important, but have any notable female U.S. politicians or political figures ever succumb to adultery scandals?

i can't think of any.

- i think women cheat less in general (though that's not saying much)
- i think women in politics have had to work harder to get where they are, so they're more careful to not throw it away

oh, and...

in this double-standard world, a female politician caught cheating would be abused by the press and public that much more.

John Edwards was easily my favorite of the three Democratic front runners. He talked about class in a more explicit and damning way than any serious major party nominee since ... what, Jesse Jackson? When I think about what's really wrong with this country that needs to be fixed - the vast inequality of wealth that continues to grow and how that fucks so many people over in so many ways - Edwards was the one who seemed to agree with me most. This was evident in his rhetoric, his proposed policies and in the way he'd conducted himself since the last campaign.

While I was not surprised that he didn't get the nomination (my preferred candidate never seems to win any nomination or election, oh well) I was still impressed with what he'd done to think it could be built upon.

Well, the hell with all that. The next time someone starts talking about two Americas, Edwards has already written Limbaugh's speech. "Two America's? HA HA! One for each mistress, right!!!" And we'll go back to worrying about important shit like who doesn't say the pledge the right way.

Wood Goblin, you're right on the money. Tthank God I was wrong and Edwards didn't win the candidacy. The Republicans would nail the message on this thing and the Democrats would be worried about whether they can even hold the House, instead of kinda hoping to maybe get a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Edwards is a selfish prick to think he could tuck this away by admitting it to his wife and thinking it'll never come out.

What the bastard should have done was, during nomination time, come clean about it and said he didn't want to run this cycle because "my family is the most important thing for me right now." Act contrite and dutiful to the party this election cycle and prepare for '08 or '12. He's young enough to be able to wait four more years and get himself elected to something in the meantime.

On the balance, Edwards and pre-Gov Spitzer showed a track record and intention to seriously go after corporate power in the context of a major party candidate. We can thank both their dicks for fucking all of us in getting that done.

Shit.

= Justin

world of pee wrote:

Mandroid2.0 wrote:I'm probably forgetting someone important, but have any notable female U.S. politicians or political figures ever succumb to adultery scandals?

i can't think of any.

- i think women cheat less in general (though that's not saying much)
- i think women in politics have had to work harder to get where they are, so they're more careful to not throw it away

oh, and...

in this double-standard world, a female politician caught cheating would be abused by the press and public that much more.

That's pretty much what I hypothesized as well. I was just curious whether or not I was missing a prime example that was antithetic to those ideas.

My American political aspirations ended years ago, when I behaved as a real person behaves, sexually. I think France might still take me though!

John Edwards' sex life is none of my concern. The fact that he lied about it? Meh. Not a good idea, but what did you really expect him to do?

IMO, should have refused to answer and instead told the interviewer that his personal life is his own business and suggested the asshole get a job with the National Inquirer. But that would have been tantamount to an admission of guilt in the eyes of most Americans.

And anyway I didn't think she was that bad-looking. Anyone would look bad when they're scowling like that.

Rick Reuben wrote: Lot of hubris.

Yes. Tons of it.

Lots of people, including me, think these guys are so smart, and then they pull some idiotic shit like this.

What are they thinking?

I also wonder if these people want to get taken down. Think of the embarrassment they cause to everyone around them and themselves. For me, that would be like a living death. Incredibly painful.

What's crazy with both Spitzer and Edwards is that, in their careers before becoming politicians, they won major battles against some of the country's most powerful corporations. Why did they not assume that they were being watched every hour, especially after running for office?

And if, on the other hand, they wanted to keep their dicks wet, why not stay in the private sector? If Gerry Spence or David Boies were caught in an extramarital affair, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt their business much.

Flaneur wrote:What's crazy with both Spitzer and Edwards is that, in their careers before becoming politicians, they won major battles against some of the country's most powerful corporations. Why did they not assume that they were being watched every hour, especially after running for office?

And if, on the other hand, they wanted to keep their dicks wet, why not stay in the private sector? If Gerry Spence or David Boies were caught in an extramarital affair, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt their business much.

There's only one solution to this problem...

Disposable Hookers(tm).

Rick Reuben wrote:

What also sucks is that, in an effort to portray himself as not beholden to corporate money, he raised a big portion of his $50+ million in campaign funds from individual contributors- and then he poured it all into a race where he had this sword hanging over his head.

If he used any of that money to keep things quiet, he'll be in trouble.