What’s in the Water on Capitol Hill?

Congressman Charlie Rangel of Harlem in New York City was a powerful member of his Party and in his state, playing a large role in convincing Hillary ClintonCapitol Hill to run for the U.S. Senate from New York. He also got involved in some bad behavior that earned him a censure by the House of Representatives, but his behavior did not meet our criteria for scandal and was more likely ordinary greedy politician behavior. Congressmen Eric Massa, Chris Lee, and Anthony Wiener, on the other hand, did engage in behavior, of a sexual nature, that did live up to the definition of scandal. It was most notably, the scandals of Massa and Weiner that contributed to our pop culture with the image of a “Tickle Me Massa” doll and the inevitable jokes playing off Weiner’s last name. Senator Larry Craig’s behavior following his arrest for solicitation of homosexual sex meets the criteria for scandal and gave us the “wide stance” defense.