Vitter’s precarious future

July 20, 2007

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) probably thought he was in the clear, or at least close to it. He was exposed as a hypocrite who hired prostitutes after running on a family-values platform, he went into hiding for a week, and he returned to the Senate as if nothing had happened. From what I hear, the rest of the Senate Republican caucus welcomed him back with open arms (literally and figuratively).

Problem solved? Not so much. For one thing, leading far-right voices are urging Vitter to resign.

* Sean Hannity: “I think Senator Vitter should probably live by the line that he put out for Bill Clinton back in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.” (Vitter said those public officials who commit adultery should resign from office.)

* Kathryn Jean Lopez: It’s a crime. It’s a bad crime. And someone who purports to believe what he does understands the cultural implications of the existence of that illegal industry. I think he’s probably [sic] should resign. If he cheated on his wife with his secretary the sinner could probably hold onto his job.

That point about criminal behavior seems to be a tough hurdle for Vitter to clear right now. First the scandal was about sex. Then it was about hypocrisy. Now, it’s about a sitting senator knowingly violating criminal law. Ross Douthat put it this way:

Making use of a prostitution ring isn’t a private matter, and Vitter should not be sitting in the United States Senate while the “D.C. Madam” is facing up to 55 years in prison for selling what he was apparently interested in buying. […]

If a politician were caught with his name on the “call list” of a prominent drug dealer, he wouldn’t be able to wriggle out of it by admitting to a “serious sin” and leaving it at that. And unless prominent Republicans are prepared to join Matt in supporting the repeal of laws banning prostitution – which I certainly hope they aren’t – then they shouldn’t be backing Vitter’s “it’s a private matter” line. It isn’t. It’s a crime.

That’s actually pretty compelling.

TNR’s Jason Zengerle adds another tidbit:

Actually, Congress pretty much acknowledged this two years ago, when it passed something called the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005–which authorized federal grants to states and local law enforcement agencies to “investigate and prosecute persons who engage in the purchase of commercial sex acts.” Since the bill was passed without amendment and by unanimous consent in the Senate, I’m assuming Vitter had no objection to it.

Vitter said the other day he no longer wants to answer questions about his scandal. If he engaged in criminal behavior, which he almost certainly did, Vitter may not have a choice.

Thank you. I have been troubled since this broke by the interesting sexism of prosecuting the DC Madam but not Vitter, a high-profile iteration of the common (and wrongful) occurence in localities around the country of prosecuting the prostitute but not the john, even though both are generally violating the same set of laws.

This pattern really doesn’t even make moral sense. Ask a group of people why we criminalize prostitution, and you are likely to get two main reasons. From the right, the “advertising” and open trade in sex outside of marriage is morally wrong. From the left, it objectifies and exploits women who often, due to the lack of other effective safety nets, have few economic options. To address the right, not only are both prostitute and client committing the same moral wrong, the john is usually one step beyond – he is often committing adultry and violating marital vows that the prostitute doesn’t have. To address the left, in this scenario the john is the exploiter and oppressor – a worse action than the prostitute. Yet johns are often let go unprosecuted.

The discussion shouldn’t even be about whether Vitter should resign. It is whether he should be offered a plea agreement or forced to go to trial. It should be about the extent of his sentence. Why he hasn’t been charged escapes me. . . oh yeah, the USA for DC is a Bush Appointee.

  • I am from NOLA, and while I can’t claim to be an expert on my home state’s politics I do know one or two things. It takes more than this to knock Vitter out of office. Many a gov. or other pol has gotten involved in extramarital events (legal or otherwise) and other things that are illegal and managed to do OK. Now, if after all the attention other things come to light, that might change.

    Folks, this is Louisiana. They made a movie about Earl Long’s affair with a stripper. Don’t even get me started about Huey P and Edwin Edwards. As for the hypocrisy angel, Republicans in the state moralize just as well as Republicans elsewhere, but it matter less in Louisiana. Not saying this is good, but…..

    I was always surprised that Livingston left so abruptly. I always felt there was way, way, way more to the story that he didn’t want to come out that may have with the increased scrutiny. Just a guess/thought. The longer that Vitter hangs on and nothing new happens the better the chances that he will survive.

  • He does need to be prosecuted. I’m with Zeitgeist here, either both are criminals or neither are. But heck, my little libertarian thinks it should be legal. tightly controlled and highly taxed. But then, I think that about drugs too.

  • Republican Senators should be made to go on record over this Vitter matter. Who does he think he is to say “I don’t want to talk about it”. Of course he doesn’t want to talk about it.

    He doesn’t even have the integrity to do what he proposes everyone else do. Not only a liar and a hypocrite but a coward as well. But most important as far as the senate is concerned…Vitter is a Criminal…he broke the law, and should resign from the Senate.

    This isn’t just between him and his wife no matter how much he tries to make it so. We don’t allow admitted felons to continue to be Senators. The senate’s integrity should matter to the Republican senators. Vitter had a choice and he disgraced himself. Like him or not, he did this to himself and should now suffer the consequences. If Reid did this we would call for his resignation as well.

    Like all cowards, Vitter must be forced to accept the consequences of his actions. He might have regained some respect if he resigned on his own. But it smears the other Republican senators if they continue to protect a criminal as one of their own.

  • I don’t think the Repub powers that be will let him.

    LA is still run by Blanco, a Dem.

    If he resigns (and I don’t know about the rules in LA) and (big time) assuming she appoints a Dem to replace him. This means the senate becomes 51-49 (with Lieberman being booted to the curb.) This gives Reid a little breathing room and gets Joe Lie off the Senate Oversight Chair.

    Any resignation despite the hookers and Pampers will change the balance of power which isn’t what Cheney et al want.

    All cynical political calculations.

  • I think if Vittier resigns, Lieberman will kill him, wear his dead skin and show up in the Senate for the next procedural vote…

  • Zeitgeist – great thoughts on the hypocrisy of prostitution – on both sides.

    As for prosecuting Vitter, I think the S/L may have expired, plus having your number in a book, even the book of a DC madam, is not a crime. I don’t think Vitter ever actually copped to having sex with a prostitute – and even if he did, it might not even be admissible, wasn’t under oath, etc.

  • Any resignation despite the hookers and Pampers will change the balance of power which isn’t what Cheney et al want.

    All cynical political calculations.

    Whoops, guess we have the answer to why CBS wasn’t covering this– because Vitter isn’t going to resign or be prosecuted (despite token protestations from Hannity and other conservatives).

    Thanks, Former Dan.

    Now I guess we have to wonder when people will start to notice.

  • unless prominent Republicans are prepared to [support] the repeal of laws banning prostitution,… then they shouldn’t be backing Vitter’s “it’s a private matter” line.

    Perfect framing and jujitsu.

    I hope some enterprising reporter goes around and asks the ministers at every large church in Vitter’s district to comment on his case, and answer yes or no if Vitter should resign. I seriously doubt if the majority of them would say he should keep serving. Once their opinions are on record, use that data in a poll aimed at the general public.

    We need to drive the GOP’s moral hypocrisy right up their ass. But a word of caution, I wouldn’t bet that there aren’t any Dems who have ever been with a prostitute.

  • “And unless prominent Republicans are prepared to join Matt in supporting the repeal of laws banning prostitution – which I certainly hope they aren’t -”

    Not that it matters because pigs aren’t flying anytime soon, but why not, CB? I’d take one corrupt Republican off the table for the sake of getting every vice squad cop off this pointless duty and on violent crime instead. Pretty sweet deal for better law enforcement.

  • Remember in the Godfather Part II when the senator is in the prostitutes room and Tom tells the Senator not to worry, that all of this will disappear and that the only thing important now is their “friendship”. This is what the Senate Republicans are saying to Vitter. He will now do whatever he is told to do, bought and paid for by his own illegal vices.

    Vitter has now become yet another poster child for the Party of Hypocrisy, the party who cries for ‘law and order’ yet refuses oversight and accountability.

    What if all criminals cried I have sinned but God and my wife forgive me so that should be the end of it and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Would we let ‘them’ just walk away?
    The only remorse Vitter has is that he was found out. And now he is angry at all of us for finding out and talking about it. A true-red phony. A notch above child molester, unless of course the hooker was under 18.

  • Good point about the balance of power hanging in the balance (this from the Dept. of Redundancy Department). One more reason why he’s not getting pressure from his fellow senators to resign is that Larry Flynt says he’s got another 30 names from the good madam’s black book due to be exposed. If a lot of them are senators and Vitter sets a precedent by resigning, we could see some serious power shakeup in the future. I wonder how many are Dems?

  • I guess I must be pretty left wing because the thing that bugs me about all of this is the use of mostly poor women for the selfish sexual pleasure of mostly rich men. It is degrading, not just to the women who are employed in the trade, but also to the society that is willing to dismiss the actions of those who are “family men” in order to “protect the marriage and the children”.

    And I guess I must be pretty right wing too because I do believe that every-one’s body is their temple, and marriage vows should be sacred. Sex is a gift form God and should not be sold as a commodity.

    Further prostitution is a crime, leading to the destruction of many young lives. It is not a victim-less crime. If the good Senator was a party to passing the bill, then he should be held accountable for his actions. I know that it is an ancient profession, but so is slavery. Prostitution is in many cases another form of slavery. We should not condone something so destructive just because it has been around for a long time.

    I watched his wife on TV asking for privacy, but he is a public figure. If he wants privacy, he should resign public office.

  • Well, I guess just as a drug dealer deals drugs to a lot of people and the buyer is not involving other people, then the Madam is providing a widespread (sorry) illegal service. She is in the business. He is just an individual.

    Aw, jail him anyway.

  • Ever since this story broke, I’ve had that song “Tempted By The Fruit Of Another” stuck in my head- sorry, but we have a couple of radio stations around here that have songs like that in rotation- I hope no one else gets it stuck in their head permanently like I have just by my mentioning it.

    Just thought it was funny, though.

  • I’m with Dee Loralei #3 here, both on sex and drugs (but normally taxed). On both issues the law misses the point and manifestly fails to deter or control. Criminalizing sex and drugs merely creates loads more criminals (of which there is no shortage in other respects), causes great misery and suffering to no useful end, and, in other words, severely exacerbates an already fraught area of human activity. Having lived in countries where prostitution is legal and drug use either legal or tolerated I know directly the benefits of such policies.

    As to this Vitter guy — he’s a hypocrite top to bottom and through and through. That’s what’s so disgusting and shameful. Frankly, I’m not so excited about the criminality of his conduct, but if it takes an indictment to shift him on fair enough.

    From the right, the “advertising” and open trade in sex outside of marriage is morally wrong. From the left, it objectifies and exploits women who often, due to the lack of other effective safety nets, have few economic options. — Zeitgeist #1.

    Marriage is a personal commitment into which no one is obliged to enter. If you choose to take on marriage vows what’s the point of breaking them?

    From the left’s point of view, the problem of exploitation and lack of safety nets is easily solved by legalizing and supervising the sex industry. Simple.

  • Gracious @13 – I definitely hear what you’re saying but my only concern is that it brings the government into the bedroom. What happens between 2 consenting adults (key word: adults) should be their own business. The fact that someone got into that industry because of their own life issues is not really something that any elected government is going to be able to properly analyze.

    I feel the same way about drugs. If someone wants to go smoke a joint, do a line, or inject heroin into their body, I don’t really care. Of course, if they want to get into their car and drive somewhere, then I have an issue.

    Once again, it’s an example of your rights extending as far as my body. What you do in the privacy of your own home (or hotel room) is your own business. Keep me (and the government) out of it.

  • The point here is that under the law the Madam is facing fifty-five years and the Senator, who was responsible for passing such a law is getting a pass and a welcome home. That’s not justice and that’s not fair.

    Whether or not prostitution should be legal and regulated is something that society should consider, but at this moment, prostitution is a crime in Washington DC. Why does this guy who has made it his business to be a paragon of virtue and an agent of intolerance in a very public way get a pass? Why does he get privacy?

  • Following up on Former Dan’s thoughts: IF Vitter resigns, what is the Louisiana procedure for choosing his replacement? Does anyone know?

    It would be great if this became an opportunity for the Dems to pick up another Senate seat, unlikely as it may be. That would be one more as we approach the magic number of 60.

  • I think Senator Vitter should probably live by the line that he put out for Bill Clinton back in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

    Wow, I think that’s the first sane thing I’ve ever seen Hannity say.

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