Voters Grow Indifferent toward Scandals

Why do Americans forgive politicians their sex scandals after just two years?

There’s just too many of them. There’s so much information that the scandals just wash away, so to speak. There’s one scandal after another. Five or 10 years ago, scandals would live on for months, while today, what would constitute a great scandal in the morning loses its impact and ceases to exist by evening. What’s more is that more and more often, websites release an announcement on Sunday saying that the newspaper will reveal an extraordinary scandal the next day, and on the same day that announcement is swiftly decoded on the Internet, while the text and its accusations are ridiculed. When the newspaper comes out on Monday, all that’s left of the scandal is a burst balloon.

Does this mean that voters have a short memory?

No, they simply become indifferent. For a start, they no longer believe politicians and the media as much as they used to. Public opinion polls carried out by Gallup, Inc., regarding respect felt toward professions, show that journalists have dropped to 184th place. In France, the latest public opinion poll carried out by TNS Sofres for the French daily “La Croix” on the reliability of the media shows similar results. The times of overthrowing governments and politicians by traditional media are long gone. More and more people decide who they are going to vote for at the very last minute, often in the election booth. The process of influencing electoral decisions is increasingly complicated. Secondly, and what’s probably more important, politicians have come down from their pedestals. They let us into their kitchens; they showed us their dogs, their passions, their families. They showed us how they play football. They are no longer idealists consumed by philosophical issues, but administrators of public affairs, hired by us. They have the same rights as their electors. Democrats, of course, can allow themselves more than Republicans.

The case of Anthony Weiner, who sent sexually explicit photos to women he didn’t know, involved a Democrat. Is this what saved him? Are Republicans allowed less?

Of course. Liberals, socialists … In the U.S., members of the Democratic Party can always allow themselves more when it comes to moral issues. This is in keeping with the expectations of the electorate. Conservatives are allowed less, in all geographical locations. Their electorate wants them to be monumental, made from bronze, serious; they want them to set the tone for important issues.

In Poland, would Weiner get the chance for a second political life?

It depends on the party. He would most likely have no chance with PiS [Law and Justice, the national conservative party]; he would be publicly shamed. Ruch Palikota [Palokot’s Movement, a liberal, left-wing party] would welcome him with open arms, SLD [Democratic Left Alliance, a social-democratic party] would take him with a smile, while Platforma Obywatelska [Civic Platform, a liberal-conservative party, and the largest one] would accept him, but with reservations. Center parties tend to continuously sway from left to right, so local networks would have to get a good feel of how the party leader would react to such a candidate.