Of Sex and Politics – “The Sunday Political Brunch” August 8, 2021
Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™
Of Sex and Politics – “The Sunday Political Brunch” August 8, 2021
“The Cuomo No-No” – This is a devastating blow to the Cuomo political dynasty in New York State. Many thought Andrew would eventually rise to the office his father Mario aspired to, but could not reach, meaning the Oval Office. It isn’t going to happen. Many Democratic leaders from President Joe Biden on down, have called on Cuomo to resign. More than half of the Democrat-dominated New York Legislature is in favor of launching an impeachment. There is the prospect of criminal charges. Resignation, or not, his career is over.
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“Pot, Kettle? Be Careful” – Nationally, Republicans responded with glee. Cuomo has always been seen as a serious White House threat, including within his own party. That’s especially true if President Biden bows out after one term. Cuomo was not above a challenge to Vice President Kamala Harris. While that’s gone, Republicans need to be careful in their jubilance. Former Governor Eric Greitens (R) Missouri, who resigned amid his own sex scandal, is now trying to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. Republicans can’t simply claim a higher moral ground here. The Missouri race is key to which party controls the U.S. Senate, presently tied at 50-50.
“Some Survive; Some Don’t” – Political sex scandals are a mixed bag. President Bill Clinton was impeached for lying under oath to a federal judge, not because of having sex with Monica Lewinsky, though that was the backdrop and context. But Clinton had already been elected to a second term, was working well with the Republican-controlled Congress, the economy was booming, and the internet-tech revolution was well underway. Times were good in 1998-99, and the Senate, and the public at large, were not inclined to remove him.
“Pot, Kettle, Part 2” – During the impeachment investigation of President Clinton, it turned out then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) Georgia, was having an affair of his own. Gingrich was then seeing Callista Biseck. He was leaving his wife Marianne Ginther, with whom he was having an affair while married to his first wife Jackie Gingrich. I swear, you need a baseball scorecard to keep track of all this stuff. Gingrich, who looked like a hypocrite during the Clinton mess, lost several seats in the 1998 midterm, and nearly lost control of the House. He chose not to run again, and despite presidential ambitions, the rest of his political career flopped.
“Trump’s Trysts” – If Bill Clinton was “bulletproof” against allegations of sexual misconduct, then so, too, was Donald Trump. Trump, like Clinton, faced multiple allegations from a variety of women, before, and while in office, i.e., Stormy Daniels. Trump was even caught on camera with Billy Bush, admitting to sexual misconduct just weeks before he was elected. Why? Trump was elected as a rebel, who would upset the “politically correct” apple cart in this nation. As with Clinton, it was about perceived performance, not sexual indiscretion. Performance elects and reelects politicians. Four years later, the public reevaluated Trump’s performance on COVID-19, and he was gone. Sex was not part of the equation.
“Cuomo Could Have Learned from his Predecessors” – When Andrew Cuomo was elected Attorney General of New York in 2006, he succeeded Elliot Spitzer, who was elected to the governor’s office that year. Spitzer’s term as governor would last a mere 15 months after it was revealed, he regularly visited prostitutes at Washington, DC’s famed Mayflower Hotel. (Note to folks hoping to have affairs: the Mayflower is like a glasshouse. It’s the place “to be seen in DC,” so discretion is not a real option. Ouch!). In any event, you’d think Spitzer’s adventures would have been a cautionary tale to Cuomo. Apparently not.
“Sex versus Power” – There came a debate in the 1980s and forward, that rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual intimidation were not about sex at all, but rather were about power and control. I’m divided on that. In the four years I worked in a police department, I was involved in several sex crime investigations. I’ve seen a lot as a reporter, too. I would argue that these crimes and misbehaviors are about both sex and power, but primarily the latter (with the former being the motivator, the latter being the result). My old friend, Pensacola Police Chief Norman Chapman, was the first to interrogate serial killer Ted Bundy when he was arrested in the Florida panhandle. “Sex is the strongest human emotion,” then Detective Chapman told me. “It can make people do awful and unexplainable things,” he added. The same is true for politicians.
“Are We Better Off?” – In many ways, I think so. In the old days, people might say, “Well, she was wearing a short skirt, she was just asking for it.” Bull____! NO ONE is “asking for it.” In today’s world of security cameras, cell phones, and instant communication, any politician of either party ought to be on notice. Keep your hands, (and many of your comments), to yourself. The public can see far more than you might think. And you never know who might have a camera rolling!
Do you think New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should resign or face impeachment, and possibly criminal charges? Just weigh in by clicking the comment button.
