A cynics’ history of politicized sex scandals

We are daily assured that we are living in a moment unlike any before, this time as it relates to the allegations of sexual impropriety by powerful political figures.

Pffftttttttt…

It hasn’t been 20 years since Washington put the country through a far more dizzying display of hypocrisy, false piety and cynical posturing.

When that one was over, the career casualties included a sitting senator and two speakers of the House, with a presidential impeachment along the way. The scalding stuff of our current moment isn’t even a flickering flame compared to the fire that burned across politics from 1989 to 1999.

There might be some debate over the triggering event for the sex-allegation warfare of the 1990s, but the failed nomination of former Texas Sen. John Tower to serve as Defense secretary in 1989 is a good place to start.

Senate Democrats shot down Tower’s nomination over his drinking and “womanizing,” which is what people called sexual harassment/assault back in the day. Tower’s response to this was essentially “Duh, I was a senator.” And then “** cough, cough** Ted Kennedy **cough, cough**”

Tower had to withdraw, and a new era of probity was supposedly upon the land. But what had really been proven was that these kinds of charges could get results, even if cynically or hypocritically rendered.

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