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Posted Monday, September 28, 2009 2:30 PM

Suddenly, Disgraced Politicians Are Cool Again

Holly Bailey
photo by Haraz Ghanbari/AP

Former GOP congressman Tom DeLay is back tonight for week two of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. Truth be told, we’re still not quite over the shock of DeLay’s debut—all that exaggerated booty shaking, it still haunts us. But it was awesome TV—so awesome, we almost forgot that DeLay is still awaiting trial on charges he broke campaign-finance laws in Texas. What’s interesting is that DeLay isn’t the only once disgraced politico enjoying an unlikely renaissance at the moment. Everywhere we look these days there’s a former lawmaker once written off for dead sneaking back into the public eye—and not always to bad reviews. Is America more forgiving these days? Or have we just gotten used to the drama? Here’s a look at three other scandal-ridden lawmakers who are once again getting buzz these days:

Jim Traficant. Perhaps most famous for his unruly, ill-fitting rat's nest of a toupee, the flamboyant Ohio Democrat was kicked out of Congress in 2002 after being convicted on bribery and racketeering charges. He spent seven years in federal prison and was released earlier this month, vowing that he’d keep a low profile. But you knew that wasn’t going to happen—not the guy who used to wrap up his speeches on the House floor by saying “Beam me up.” Arriving home in Youngstown, the city that reelected him to nine terms in the House, Traficant was the guest of honor at a “Welcome Home Jimbo” party featuring, among other things, an Elvis impersonator. In recent days, Traficant has been making the rounds on the cable-news nets, railing against Congress—or, as he refers to it, “the big whorehouse”—and hinting that he might run for office again. In an appearance last week on Hardball, Traficant cast himself as a straight-talkin’ truth-teller unfairly targeted by the government. The “federales,” he claimed, are looking for any excuse to throw him back in jail. Critical of the stimulus and spending, Traficant said he’d been attending local “tea party” rallies—a group, he said, that needs “a little bit of direction, but they mean well.” He pointedly declined to rule out another campaign. “You never know. I may,” Traficant said. “I’m 25 years old. I’m eligible to run. There is no restriction to me running.” And what would his platform be? “I want to get the IRS, kick them in the crotch real good,” he declared. Somehow we think he could get a few votes with that.

Mark Foley. The former Republican congressman from Florida saw his political career go down the tubes in 2006 after a series of salacious e-mails and instant messages he sent male House pages became public. Foley, who was never convicted of wrongdoing, recently emerged back into the public spotlight when he got his own show on a South Florida talk-radio station—even if it is a little boring. Still, Foley reportedly remains popular with his former constituents and recently has been making the rounds at Palm Beach County GOP events. Last month, he was introduced along with elected officials by the local GOP chairman at a health-care town-hall meeting. And two weeks ago, he was spotted hugging Rush Limbaugh at a West Palm Beach fundraiser for Marco Rubio, who is battling Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP primary for Florida’s open U.S. Senate seat. In an interview with a local GOP activist, Foley said he didn’t think he’d run for office again, but he didn’t shut the door completely. “I doubt I will reenter the political arena as an office seeker, but I will use my experience and my voice to help others, to bring about real reforms on a local, state, and even national level.” Here’s something else worth watching: Foley still has nearly $1.2 million in his campaign account, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Eliot Spitzer. Did anyone think the former New York governor would show his face in public again after a prostitution scandal forced him from office in early 2008? Over the past year, Spitzer has slowly inched back into the public spotlight, participating in a high-profile NEWSWEEK interview and doing analysis on the financial meltdown for Slate and CNBC. Over the summer, Spitzer told Vanity Fair that he wouldn’t put his family through the “agony” of seeking office again. But earlier this month, the New York Post quoted Spitzer “associates” saying the New York Dem was indeed considering a run for statewide office again, perhaps challenging appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in next year’s New York Senate contest. Spitzer, who recently began teaching a law class at the City College of New York, denied the report. “I have no plans to run for office,” he said. Still, Spitzer couldn’t have been unhappy with polls this summer that found New Yorkers would prefer him to current Gov. David Patterson. Of course, nostalgia only goes so far. After the New York Post report, a Marist Poll found that 69 percent of registered voters in New York don’t want Spitzer to run for office again.
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Member Comments

Posted By: drewand (September 30, 2009 at 4:26 PM)

There is nothing cool about corrupt politicians! They should go to prison or be executed for betraying the public trust.., all of them!

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Posted By: bitterblogger (September 29, 2009 at 8:46 PM)

How long 'til Blago rises again?

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Posted By: thehappyamerican (September 29, 2009 at 11:50 AM)

Where's bill Clinton?

 Oh? He's not cool yet!

   Maybe we should make a modern law for Presidents who are impeached; Must wear a Department of Justice tracking device on wrist or ankle so authorities know their where they are at all times. Good people might know when to turn our backs toward him when he comes by.

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