# Should Gawker have published the O'Donnell 'One night stand story"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 30, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863 "2010-10-30T10:59:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/21 "2010-10-30T17:56:03Z")
If it was a puritanical democrat, Drudge would have published it. That’s the gutter these sites live in. The guy is a complete loser, doubly so for being afraid of natural bush. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/22 "2010-10-30T18:13:08Z")
> [@Peeta\_Mellark](#): > > One is the breaking of a serious vow and doing emotional damage to one’s partner, as well as potentially exposing them to diseases. The other is a strange, but not at all uncommon, view of what constitutes sexual purity that does no harm to anyone. Neither is anybody’s business, but they aren’t on the same level of behavior. What if the unmarried candidate has made a big deal of how chastity is a key component of her religious views? Not a specific, word-for-word vow, but close, and no aggrieved spouse, but it seems to be a difference in degree, not in kind. Both cases can be argued as personal and none of our business, or valid indicators of character and credibility. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/23 "2010-10-30T18:21:30Z")
Personal sexual habits have always been used by many members of the public in deciding the character of a political figure. I mean, if she was a porn star or worked in a legal Nevada brothel, you wouldn’t think that is something that the public should know? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/24 "2010-10-30T18:31:02Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Personal sexual habits have always been used by many members of the public in deciding the character of a political figure. I mean, if she was a porn star or worked in a legal Nevada brothel, you wouldn’t think that is something that the public should know? Sure, if she was a sex worker then it would be relevant to her political aspirations. A sexual encounter between two consenting adults is not. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/25 "2010-10-30T19:15:01Z")
It’s just as fair as the National Enquirer digging into John Edwards’ sex life. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/26 "2010-10-30T19:35:10Z")
Vitter was patron of whore houses and they say he liked to run around in a diaper. That did not hurt his career. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/27 "2010-10-30T20:32:24Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > WTH did Coons have to do with this? It seems mighty opportunistic of her to blame her political opponent for the loose lips of someone that she dated. Yeah, it’s pretty uncouth to publicly go into that much detail about a sexual encounter, but she did kind of open the door to that with her self-righteous pronouncements. To do so anonymously, seems especially douchey. > > As to Gawker publishing this story, I thought celebrity gossip was their biz. She’s a public figure. Gossip about public figures sells. I don’t like it, so I don’t buy it. If the story crosses the line into slander, Ms. O’Donnell can avail herself of the legal system, just like anyone else can. > > Finally, the feminists have a lot of nerve bitching about how poor women are always marginalized in this manner. Maybe they should ask Gary Hart how he enjoyed his sexual indiscretions being publicized. Then, they can go talk to Senator Wide Stance. What a load of feminist bullshit. Well said…an excellent statement in every way > [@](#): > > Peeta Mellark Quote: > There is a big difference between adultery–which Gary Hart and Larry Craig were both guilty of–and getting drunk and making out with somebody. At the risk of swerving off-topic…Senator Wide Stance was never found to be guilty of adultery. And while his actions were far from exemplary, and while I never cared much for him as a senator, in the final analysis I can sympathize much more for him than for the a\*\*hole rent-a-cop that entrapped him. As an interesting aside, I was raised and worked for many years in the same state the senator hails from…a small and rather provincial place…knew him slightly and in fact am distantly related through my mother’s side. His (ahem) sexual proclevities were not exactly unknown among his supporters, they just didn’t get mentioned much. He was well-liked among his constituents and represented their interests unstintingly. He wasn’t really hypocritical, just descrete. The expose’s and attacks on him didn’t come from his rural constituancy, who to this day are still strongly supportive. They came from the urban media and urban rednecks…and from political wannabees in his own party who thought they could use his misfortune to advance their own agenda. SS ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/28 "2010-10-30T20:32:38Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > The guy who wrote the item is an asshole, and it’s less relevant to the campaign than he and Gawker think. O’Donnell comes off as a little dopey and slightly hypocritical–not news–but if anything stands to gain slightly on the reaction. The only thing it did for me was convert her from a crazy person into a hypo critical crazy person. I am vehemently against slut shaming, and not just because I want to encourage that sort of behaviour but because the instinct to shame sluts is the same instinct that results in caning women who don’t wear burkas or stoning women who have extramarital sex. I see this case just like I see gay-bashing politicians getting caught in a homosexual encounter. Its not the homosexuality that evidences their lack of morals, its their hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/29 "2010-10-30T21:46:31Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Sure, if she was a sex worker then it would be relevant to her political aspirations. One sentence later… > [@](#): > > A sexual encounter between two consenting adults is not. My head asplode. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/30 "2010-10-30T23:43:00Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I think that this guy is an asshole for publishing the article but it does reveal some hypocrisy in her “sexual purity” beliefs. No, it doesn’t. We have no good reason to believe that these claims are legit. It’s possible that they are, but that’s far from being established. That’s why it’s foolish to say that this article reveals anything about any supposed hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/31 "2010-10-31T00:32:07Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > No, it doesn’t. We have no good reason to believe that these claims are legit. It’s possible that they are, but that’s far from being established. That’s why it’s foolish to say that this article reveals anything about any supposed hypocrisy. I guess based on her track record, it’s not difficult to believe, though. It’s classic he said-she said. What makes her word anymore reputable than some anonymous schlub? And, yeah, as previously stated, the anonymity itself is pretty douchey. It’s kind of like watching Judge Judy. You can’t really root for either party because neither one of them is a paragon of virtue and more often than not, the truth lies somewhere in between the two sides. But then, she’s not really talking (not that she should). She decides, instead, to focus on how she can use this publicity as an opportunity to skewer her political opponent. Telling. She’s not exactly a woman of substance. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/32 "2010-10-31T00:48:41Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > No, it doesn’t. We have no good reason to believe that these claims are legit. It’s possible that they are, but that’s far from being established. That’s why it’s foolish to say that this article reveals anything about any supposed hypocrisy. Agreed. I should have qualified my statement with “Assuming this is true”, but you could say the same about every other sex scandal. The cop that arrested Larry Craig could have been lying, Vitter’s hooker could have been lying, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/33 "2010-10-31T01:18:14Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Agreed. I should have qualified my statement with “Assuming this is true”, but you could say the same about every other sex scandal. The cop that arrested Larry Craig could have been lying, Vitter’s hooker could have been lying, etc. Larry Craig was not arrested by Officer Anonymous, though. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/34 "2010-10-31T01:54:15Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Agreed. I should have qualified my statement with “Assuming this is true”, but you could say the same about every other sex scandal. The cop that arrested Larry Craig could have been lying, Vitter’s hooker could have been lying, etc. Larry Craig pled guilty. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/35 "2010-10-31T02:44:07Z")
I believe this story is true, mostly because O’Donnell did nothing to deny it. If any of it had been untrue, it would have been an opening for O’Donnell to talk about the lies being spread by her opponents and the media, but her huge statement didn’t dispute anything. Plus, if his roommate really did date O’Donnell for a year, it probably isn’t that hard to find at least second-hand confirmation. (Not that Gawker did, necessarily.) I’m really torn about this. I have no problem with exposing hypocrisy in public figures, especially for someone like O’Donnell who made her whole name for herself by denouncing all things lustful. But what good does it do in this case? Here in the sticks of Red America where I live, everybody talks about the sinfulness of premarital sex…and yet, everybody has premarital sex. (A lot of it, if you consider the teen pregnancy rate.) The good ones are those who hold off on the “p-in-v” until the wedding night. This sort of hypocrisy is barely a blip on the radar; I know more people who would be shocked by her drinking that her rolling around naked with a guy. Even for those few who wouldn’t vote for her over this, the anonymous nature of the article makes it easy to dismiss. And it’s not like O’Donnell is in any danger of winning. I don’t feel bad for O’Donnell. If this didn’t happen she needs to say that it didn’t happen. If it did happen, she should take the chance to clarify her positions on sexual morality. But the only point of publishing the article was to make opponents of O’Donnell feel good about ourselves. (And I, too, have to ask: is waxing so ubiquitous that a 25-year-old would be repulsed to the point of rolling over and going to sleep by natural bush? I’ve clearly been out of the game for a while.) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/36 "2010-10-31T03:56:38Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > One sentence later… > > My head asplode. Sorry about the head (heh). I see your point, but it’s still not the same thing. While I could cynically say that prostitution would be excellent preparatory experience for a politician, realistically I don’t think it’s a resume-builder for the U.S. Senate. ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/37 "2010-10-31T04:12:40Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > (And I, too, have to ask: is waxing so ubiquitous that a 25-year-old would be repulsed to the point of rolling over and going to sleep by natural bush? I’ve clearly been out of the game for a while.) That struck me as the most unbelievable part of the story. I figured he was covering for whiskey dick or something, because I know once I get somebody’s pants off I’m pretty committed to going to town. That isn’t the point when I’m going to start worrying about hair styling. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/38 "2010-10-31T05:05:40Z")
> [@Peeta\_Mellark](#): > > That struck me as the most unbelievable part of the story. I figured he was covering for whiskey dick or something, because I know once I get somebody’s pants off I’m pretty committed to going to town. That isn’t the point when I’m going to start worrying about hair styling. You might just be right about that. Lack of ability to perform is not something I’d expect a guy to admit to…even anonymously. As I said, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. I don’t think spinning it to avoid some personal embarrassment makes the whole tale suspect, though. If anything, it would be the anonymous nature of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/39 "2010-10-31T05:17:25Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Sorry about the head (heh). I see your point, but it’s still not the same thing. While I could cynically say that prostitution would be excellent preparatory experience for a politician, realistically I don’t think it’s a resume-builder for the U.S. Senate. By the same token, going to bed drunk and nude with a random guy you went out with one night doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence in one’s virtue. I mean, as long as one is publicly professing oneself as chaste and attempting to base a political platform on that purported chastity. Otherwise, I couldn’t care less about what you do with another consenting adult behind closed doors. Just don’t get all high and mighty about what you might morally aspire to in front of open doors. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863/40 "2010-10-31T05:27:44Z")
None of this is a reason not to vote for her. The reasons not to vote for her are her are that she is completly unqualified, that she’s a proven liar who fabricated her academic resume, her possible campaign fraud, and that fact that she’s a nutcase who thinks that people practice human sacrifices on Halloween that "evolution is a myth and that masturbation is evil. The fact that she may have gotten naked with a dude is not important beyond the mild hypocrisy involved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-gawker-have-published-the-odonnell-one-night-stand-story/558863.md?page=3)