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With this drumbeat of what was once considered erratic or even indecent now routine, it’s hardly difficult for wayward politicians to rehabilitate.
They also have an advantage: The political system has become increasingly sophisticated, and they know how to master it. More money is needed, and veteran politicians know how to tap it. They rely on seasoned staffs schooled in managing scandal. And the same hubris that made them think from an early age that political success was attainable fuels a confidence that they can overcome darn near anything.
That said, lines remain that can’t be crossed. Violent behavior. Felony charges and convictions. Engaging in acts so egregious that even a public desensitized to outrage can’t stomach the details.
Since the Clinton era, a host of officeholders has succumbed. John Edwards, the Democrats’ 2004 vice-presidential nominee, is probably done. Not only was there an affair, but also a child, all happening as his popular wife was dying of cancer.
Former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, a fierce conservative, endured the public sting of being arrested in 2007 on suspicion of lewd conduct in a Minnesota airport men’s restroom. Florida Rep. Mark Foley resigned his seat in 2006 after reports that he’d exchanged sexually charged messages with a teenage page.
Yet Sanford survived. Barry remains a Washington councilman. Conservatives Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, who once solicited prostitutes, and Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais remain members of Congress. A physician, DesJarlais was fined by Tennessee’s medical discipline board for sexual relationships with two patients, and court testimony reportedly indicated that he’d encouraged his ex-wife to get abortions.
They all won after the revelations. Part of their success is that they ran in the right place. All four sought post-scandal office in heavily partisan areas.
They also succeeded because they generally asked for forgiveness and said that their troubles were behind them. Voters generally felt “it happened in the past, it’s done with,” South Carolina Republican consultant David Woodard said.
The lesson from all this: Wind up on the ever-increasing roll of tainted celebrities and re-emerge as the friendly, professional politician that vaulted you into office in the first place, and you’ll probably be OK. The Marist poll found that two-thirds of Democrats thought Spitzer should get a second chance, and a plurality, 44 percent, say he’s changed as a person. The findings fit the new political pattern.
“The Sanford case makes it crystal clear,” said Sarah Binder, a senior fellow in governance studies at Washington’s Brookings Institution. “Voters tend to forgive and forget.”
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