To me, with my liberal sensibilities, there’s a great deal of schadenfreude every time I read about another one of these self-righteous and sanctimonious Republicans getting caught engaging in behaviors that they spend a lot of their time railing against. Just saw another one who had asserted that he abstains from alcohol as a good Mormon, and got caught DUI.
But to be fair, I’m sure there are some Dems who have been caught in their own peccadilloes. Some probably voted to ban cigarette advertising and yet own stock in the tobacco companies. But, I’m wondering why it seems to be so frequently that the Republicans get caught up in these types of public hypocrisies. Does it happen more often to them? Or am I a biased observer? Or is it the “liberal bias” of the media? (A myth, I think, but widely believed to be true.)
I think its just that the GOP in the last few decades have associated themselves so closely with social issues, that when they get caught giving blow-jobs in airport bathrooms or whatever, its easier for the Dems to spin it as something that reflects a hypocrisy of the party as a whole.
There are plenty of Dems that get caught up in similar situations, and sometimes ones that get caught in piccadillos that contradict social issues they were previously associated with (Elliot Spitzer getting caught with a hooker after going after prostitution rings as AG, for example), but because the party as a whole is seen as being on less of a moral crusade regarding social issues then the GOP, its harder for the GOP to spin it as something more then a personal failing for the particular politician involved.
I don’t consider myself either liberal or conservative, and it sure seems to me that the Republicans get caught in these “red-faced” moments more than their counterparts across the aisle. Maybe it’s because conservative Republicans tend to be more judgemental about behaviors that are simply part of being human (we like sex, mind altering drugs, etc.).
And then there’s the likes of Pastor Strate.
Yes, I guess that’s it - the Republican party campaigns on issues of morality - they call it “values.” Of course, the Dems’ views are also grounded in values - many in common with the right, as it would turn out of course - but they don’t bash you over the head with their self-righteousness. They’re much more subtle and artistic in their approach - they simply legislate a “nanny state” set of regulations, keeping us from hurting ourselves. The GOP has made a platform of telling us that we’re evil. So when an R gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar after telling us we’re gluttons, he looks bad. The hypocrisy of the left is in their protestations of taking the high road, while they do the same stuff. (The Dems have been bashing the right for the gun problems, but every one of them has caved to the same pressures. Otherwise, they would have long ago proposed some laws that ultimately could make some difference in the risk and frequency of our current societal violence.)
Or you could just look at it as a probability issue.
The more rules you throw out there that you’re not supposed to break, the more likely you are to break one.
For example: You have a dem that is pro marriage equality. He gets caught sexing it up with another man. Well, sure, this is going to make news but people can’t really call him a hypocrite can they?
So basically, Hard-Righties have so many rules out there that you’re not supposed to break, they’re bound to break one of them sooner or later.
I like the focus on rules - the shalt nots. It may explain the affinity so many of the right have for the 10 commandments.
I think a lot of it is similar to how homophobes are more likely than non-homophobes to be aroused by homosexuality imagery. The louder someone condemns a “vice”, the more likely it is they indulge in it themselves or want to; and in the Republican party the louder you denounce “vices” the more likely you are to rise to the top. So the party in essence acts as a hypocrite filter, sifting hypocrites out of the general population (since they denounce “sin” louder) and pushing them to leadership positions in the party. There’s also the general aristocratic mentality of the Republicans; one rule for me, another rule for everyone else.