American politicians resurrected by media

By Isaac Kim

Former congressman Alex Weiner (D)

How is it that U.S. politicians and government officials recover from their scandals and reclaim their positions of power?

This question stems from the emergence of immoral politicians rising from their political graves.

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sandford (R) had extramarital affairs with a girl from Argentina four years ago. He ran for Congress this year and surprisingly, he was elected to represent South Carolina’s first Congressional District.

What’s more surprising is that he had the votes of the Bible Belt, a community of Christians who are well-known for their strict adherence to the Bible.

“War-hero” David Petraeus rose quicker than Sandford.

He was exposed to having an affair with his biographer, and he resigned his seat as the Director of the CIA last November. He quickly bounced back.

He will soon be giving a three-hour-a-week seminar at a university in New York for a whopping $150,000.

However, the two unfaithful political figures look like saints compared to former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Known as the “Sheriff of Wall Street” when he was an attorney general, he frequented a prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP where he spent $1,000 per hour for prostitutes. He relinquished his governorship once the scandal went viral.

In just five years, he is back on the political field, vying for the comptroller position in New York.

Spitzer credits fellow Democrat Anthony Wiener for his “courage” to return to the stage.

Former congressman Anthony Wiener blew his career in Congress when he sent pictures of his genitals to young women over Twitter. He is now in the run for mayor of New York.

Politicians involved in sex scandals are portrayed by the media not as immoral and disgraceful figures, but as newsworthy and entertaining celebrities.

The angle with which U.S. media uses to cover such stories essentially gives these less-than reputable figures a free “get out of jail” card.

As this is the current reality, it seems sex scandals amount to nothing more than a small blemish on a resume.