David Vitter - A Perfect Example of What's Wrong With Americans

Senator David Vitter has recently been shown to be an adulterer, a liar, a hypocrite, a law-breaker, a John, and, possibly (if the diaper rumors are true) a pervert.  These are unpopular traits, and they may lead to his political demise.  I personally hope that they do - I'd prefer to punish members of Congress of both parties who are shown to be hypocritical liars.  That said, like all politicians, he is first and foremost a creation of his constituents.  We elect our politicians, and they are what we demand of them.

Some might respond to that statement by pointing to Vitter's lies and saying "how could we have known he was lying to us, we certainly wouldn't have supported an adulterous hypocrite."  That's a cop-out, though.  The public may not demand adulterous liaisons (although we certainly pant at any hint of a sex scandal), but we do demand lies.  Americans think of themselves as a faith-filled people, and they demand that their politicians are similarly faith-filled.  In fact, there is only one religious affiliation that the majority of Americans say disqualifies you from holding public office - atheism.  So, if you're an atheist or even an agnostic and you want to run for public office, what do you do?  You lie! 

Likewise, if you're a gay politician with a conservative constituency, what's the smart thing to do?  Lie!  If you believe in freedom of speech, but your constituency want a constitutional amendment to prevent flag burning - you lie!  If you know enough economics to understand the benefits of free trade, but your constituents don't - you lie!  If you've read the scientific studies showing that abstinence only sex-ed is an utter failure, but your constituents want to imagine that their kids aren't doing what they did at that age - you lie!  If you know that Social Security is going broke, but your constituents don't want decreased benefits - you lie!

Of course, once you've chosen to lie, why not take it to the next level and make those lies really work for you?  Instead of explaining that free trade ultimately benefits everyone, tell your constituents that your opponent is trying to sell out American jobs.  Instead of defending free speech, join the charge to ban it in order to protect a symbol of our freedoms.  Instead of admitting that everyone has sex, claim moral purity and smear your opponents with slanderous charges.

The last, of course, is exactly what Vitter did.  He lied about his own sins, claimed moral purity, and called for President Bill Clinton's resignation over the Monica Lewinsky affair.  Now he's been outed, although that's no guarantee that his exposure will lead to his resignation. 

Not that his resignation would make much difference anyway (aside from its effect on the balance of party power in the Senate).  The fact is that every politician misleads, and many of them lie.  No few of them are also hypocrites.  Why do they do this?  Because that's the sort of politician we pick.  We, the public, focus our attention on symbolic things that are irrelevant to the business of governing.  Politicians who do not pretend to agree with our whims on these pretend issues don't get our votes. 

If we wanted good politicians, we'd take the time to educate ourselves regarding the important political questions, and we'd vote for people based on their policies, not their adherence to the minor symbols we've chosen to value.  As it is, however, by voting for people based on their professed religious convictions or their professed disregard for statistical fact, we ensure that most of our politicians are liars (or idiots, one of the two).

Seed Newsvine