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The Politics of Presidential Sexuality: Jefferson and Clinton
Ann O'Connell and Emma Rabinowitz
[1] When candidates run for office they promise to change the United States for the better. They believe that they can fix a crumbling economy, a faulty school system, or a high unemployment rate. We as voters trust that these people can positively influence our country. However, in 21st century politics nothing is secret to the public eye. Politicians are the men and women that we entrust to govern our country, yet they are some of the most deceptive people in America. The media thrives on outing political scandals. Magazines, newspapers, and nightly televised news report on the private lives of these public figures. This raises the question of whether or not the private lives of political figures correlates to their political agendas.
[2] There are many forms of political scandals, but those of the sexual nature are exceptionally intriguing. Sexual scandals date back to the 19th century when Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States and drafter of the Declaration of Independence, was accused of having an affair with Sally Hemings, a slave on his Monticello plantation. Jefferson's was the first of a long line of political affairs. Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, got into a similar situation when he was caught cheating on his wife Hillary Clinton with his office intern Monica Lewinsky.
[3] Clinton and Jefferson were revered for their political work. They had great reputations preceding their presidencies; however, this soon changed when their affairs became public. While the two presidents served nearly 200 years apart, the physical nature of both cases is seemingly identical. The media shone a light on these affairs, causing the public to stop and question not only the validity of these stories but also the character of each President. Surprisingly, the public reaction as a whole was similar in respect to both of them. These scandals did not sway the public's positive perspective of the presidents.
[4] Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings is said to have lasted thirty-eight years. This affair that began in 1787 was kept secret until the Richmond Recorder published a story accusing that Jefferson "keeps and for many years has kept as his concubine, one of his own slaves. Her name is Sally." James Callender is the accuser, a man who made an enemy of Jefferson because of claims of un-kept promises. Acting in similar fashion to that of a "political martyr," Callender violated the Alien and Sedition Acts through written attacks on Jefferson's political opponents and was sent to jail. Because of this, he expected that he would be reimbursed by Jefferson once he was elected; these expectations never amounted to anything, however, fueling Callender's vengeful allegations about Jefferson in the Recorder. While Callender's accusations were capable of ruining any sort of social stature, Jefferson doesn't even seem to wince at them. Instead, Jefferson maintains his composure and simply does not acknowledge the allegations about his private affairs. He remains unconcerned about the situation since he regards Callender to be a "lying renegado from republicanism;" In public, anyway, Jefferson does not bat an eyelash at Callender's claims.
[5] Likewise Bill Clinton was outed for an extra-marital affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Prior to his presidency, Clinton's reputation had been rather presentable to the public. While he had been accused of having some intimate relationships outside of his marriage and also of experimenting with drugs in his college years, the American people seemed to accept Bill Clinton and his morals. Moreover, at the time, the focus for the public was not on the candidates' private lives but rather on their political agenda and objectives to help repair the destitute economy. This good opinion of Clinton, however, soon changed as he began to pursue inappropriate affairs while in office.
[6] Bill Clinton's private affairs quickly began to attract more and more attention in the media as the complexity of each of his affairs escalated with each story. Katie Willey's report of being groped by Clinton was just the precursor to the main event of the media's focus: the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
[7] Beginning in 1996, Clinton formed an intimate relationship that would last eighteen months with the young White House intern Lewinsky. The relationship, however, was put to a halt when harassment charges surfaced against Clinton. Paula Jones, an Arkansas state employee claimed she was sexually harassed by Clinton in 1991 during his career as governor. She proceeded to sue Clinton, and Lewinsky was subsequently subpoenaed by the court to testify in regards to the case. Behind closed doors, Clinton and Lewinsky agreed to deny all accusations of an intimate relationship. Unfortunately for them, a co-worker of Lewinsky, Linda Tripp, had evidence to prove not only that the two had had sexual relations but also that Clinton had encouraged Lewinsky to lie in court. After being accused of perjury, obstruction of justice, and false statements in response to Congressional questions, impeachment trials proceeded. Though he was not convicted, Clinton's reputation was changed by his action.
[8] After the surfacing of these stories in the media, the reputations of both presidents would be expected to dramatically change. As demonstrated through the disastrous ends of the political careers of such politicians as Anthony Weiner, Gary Hart, and Eliot Spitzer, the public typically does not react well to the emergence of scandalous sex stories. Weiner, a Representative from New York, Hart, a senator and presidential candidate, and Spitzer, New York Attorney General, all had their share in the media's spotlight after engaging in inappropriate actions. While the specifics of each case vary -- Weiner engaged in sharing illicit photos on the internet, Spitzer had encounters with prostitutes, and Hart went the traditional route of cheating on his wife with another woman -- all in all, the public gave the three similar scrutiny and disapproval.
[9] Because of this recurring trend in the way the public reacts to stories of this nature, you'd anticipate that the public would react in the same fashion in response to the stories of Clinton's and Jefferson's extra-marital affairs. However, expectations do not meet reality in this case. Their reputations flourished rather than faltered. Bill Clinton was the first president to ever be formally impeached. His presidency will forever be tainted with this demerit. However, his approval ratings are remarkably high at 69% according to the September 5th 2012 Gallop poll. He is praised as having done an excellent job in office. Likewise, Jefferson is regarded as one of the most influential men in American History. His affair is a mere footnote in high school history textbooks. The two men seem invincible political super-heroes who weathered the worst of storms and still returned victorious. Their politics were not affected by their questionable morals.
[10] Furthermore, it is not surprising that Jefferson's and Clinton's careers did not take the same tragic hit as those of Weiner, Spitzer, and Hart. In analyzing the political accomplishments and notability of Thomas Jefferson and Bill Clinton, it is obvious that their political statures were so well fixed and renowned that not even the materialization of stories of their involvement in sex scandals could tarnish their reputable images. Thus, the reputations of Jefferson and Clinton were more distinguished to the public, allowing the common man to have more knowledge about what they've made the headlines for politically and not just sexually. On the contrary, individuals of lower notability for their political actions are more likely to draw negative attention from their explicit actions since the public has less knowledge of their accomplishments and who they are. Because of this, there is a sharp distinction in the way in which the public reacted to controversial stories of Weiner, Spitzer, and Hart in comparison to those of Jefferson and Clinton.
[11] Therefore, it is clear that the private life of individuals and their political work can exist as separate entities. As evident in the Lewinsky scandal, a man can be a great political figure regardless of his sexual morals. Some of the greatest political figures in history have had less than honest private lives. The content of the work of these men categorizes our opinion of them. If Thomas Jefferson had never written the Declaration of Independence, he might be more notorious than reputable. The politics of a man defines his legacy. We as citizens are more lenient towards the men that fix and help our nation grow than the men whose scandals outshine their public works.
