The Gambit and Chris Whittington: Vitter Should Resign

From the Gambit:

Until recently, Vitter at least had a political rationale for not resigning. When he was first ensnared in the D.C. Madam criminal case last June, Republicans were one vote shy of controlling the U.S. Senate. Had he quit then, Louisiana’s Democratic governor, Kathleen Blanco, might have named a Democrat as his interim replacement. Now, however, Louisiana has a Republican governor in Bobby Jindal, who can name a Republican to replace Vitter. Thus, there no longer is any rational basis for the GOP to protect Vitter. Indeed, Republicans in and out of New York did not hesitate to demand that Democrat Spitzer resign as that state’s governor last week. Like Vitter, Spitzer had been a crusading moralist. Unlike Vitter, Spitzer recognized and admitted his sins, including that of rank hypocrisy. He resigned within days.

David Vitter should do likewise.

We do not take this position lightly, and we are far from alone. Even among conservatives and within the Republican Party, there are voices calling for Vitter’s resignation. Christopher Tidmore, a conservative Republican columnist who first broke the story of Vitter’s trysts with the local prostitute known as Wendy Cortez, has noted that Vitter’s continued presence in the Senate casts “a terrible image across the nation as this state sought recovery dollars, and put the local GOP in a dangerous political position in having to come to Vitter’s defense.” And last week, Sam Hanna Jr., publisher of three newspapers in north Louisiana, called on Vitter to step down. “There is a limit to the hypocrisy that the American people can stomach,” Hanna wrote in the Ouachita Citizen.

And from Chris Whittington, who says Vitter is a “stain,” by way of The Bayou Buzz:

“The people of New York have been shown today that their leaders will be held accountable,” Whittington said. “And yet, the people of Louisiana have waited seven months for the same kind of demonstration and all they have gotten is arrogant silence from Mr. Vitter and Governor Jindal, who despite all his big talk of reform, maintains his allegiance to the disgraced Senator whose sins mirror those of former Governor Spitzer.

“David Vitter is a stain on our state’s attempt to demonstrate that we have changed our ways,” Whittington said. “He is a disgrace and a disappointment. And now he is a walking example that Louisiana continues to lag behind other states when it comes to holding its leaders accountable.

“Governor Jindal can talk about all the good lists he wants. He can spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a special session aimed at changing Louisiana’s perception, but as long as he continues to shield the philandering junior Senator from the same type of accountability that the people of New York have demanded and received, then it is all a wasted effort.”

“If Senator Vitter has any regard for the needs of Louisiana citizens to be able to trust the sincerity of our leaders then he will stand up, be a man and resign like Governor Spitzer has,” Whittington said. “And if Governor Jindal is ready to demonstrate for once and for all that he is truly committed to cleaning up our state’s image and not just pushing empty talk at the taxpayer’s expense then he will follow the lead of New York’s elected officials and demand Senator Vitter’s resignation.”

For even more coverage, visit The Reduct Box.