Editorial: In this new era must politicians be saints?
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 | 10:45 a.m.
Livingston's move created a chaotic situation for House Republicans, who already had seen Speaker Newt Gingrich decide to step down after the Republicans' dismal showing in November. Livingston made his decision after he discovered that Hustler magazine had information he had had extramarital affairs.
Sadly a pornographer now acts as a power broker, in effect calling the political shots in our nation's capital. While what Larry Flynt did was disgusting, let's not get too carried away, suggesting he started all this. Nowadays it's difficult to discern the ethical standards between some of our nation's most respected media outlets and that of Hustler when decisions are made to investigate the private lives of public officials.
But not all the blame can be placed on the media. In some ways these revelations shouldn't be too unexpected, considering the level of vitriol in our nation's political debate. There no longer seems to be a sense of civility when debating issues. Anything is fair game.
While it is too bad this is what it has come to in American political life, the unfortunate reality is that this coarsening of public life likely is here to stay, at least until voters respond decisively that such private-life behavior has no bearing on elected officials' decisions.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- CityCenter unveils Crystals high-end retail district
- No. 24 UNLV gutsy in 74-72 victory at Arizona
- Vdara exec predicts strong sales
- Sarah Palin wasn’t a disaster, but Obama is
- Freeze warning issued for LV
- Guilty plea a victory for ATF agents
- Cheney’s time to be heard is over
- Fontainebleau lenders sue construction companies over liens
- Noteworthy: More from the Trop, Cher changes, Newton on ‘CBS Sunday Morning’
- NASCAR hits Las Vegas for Champions Week awards show
Blogs
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The great Jennifer debate
The Kats Report
From Eva Longoria Parker to a cluster of execs, crowd takes a shine to Crystals (1 Comment)
Elsewhere
Harry Reid's recipe for getting health-care deal done (8 Comments)
UNLV in at No. 11 in SI's college hoops power rankings (3 Comments)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
Top Chef Episode 13: A few good chefs
Gray Matter
Fight weekend in Las Vegas and Thanksgiving (2 Comments)
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Consultant who knocked off Tom Daschle would love for Lowden to knock off Reid (17 Comments)
Calendar »
- 4 Fri
- 5 Sat
- 6 Sun
- 7 Mon
- 8 Tue
-
Ray Price at Boulder Station
Boulder Station Hotel and Casino | 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
Clay Walker at The Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
-
Gloriana at LAX
LAX Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Brooks & Dunn at the Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
-
Bill Engvall at the Treasure Island Theatre
Treasure Island Theatre
-
Ron White performs at the Mirage
Terry Fator Theatre
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati











