GOP Sen. David Vitter admitting to his "serious sin" in 2007
It was only a matter of time before GOP Sen. David Vitter's history of soliciting prostitutes became a campaign issue in this fall's Louisiana gubernatorial campaign, and a
recent anti-Vitter spot seems to have opened the door to more chatter about his indiscretions.
At a Monday debate, both Vitter and fellow Republican Jay Dardenne were asked if they had ever violated Title 14 under Louisiana statutes while serving in elected office: Title 14 is the entire state criminal code, so both men were essentially asked if they ever broke the law while in elected office. Dardenne predictably said he'd never violated Title 14, but Vitter first claimed he didn't know off the top of his head what Title 14 is, before lashing out at the question itself:
It’s a gotcha question, not a good public debate question for a discussion about the future of Louisiana. So let’s all recognize what’s going on here and what it’s all about. I’ve spoken about my past and how my family has dealt with that, actions from 15 years ago and how me and my family have dealt with that. I’m very happy and very proud to say we’ve dealt with it just fine. If that’s not good enough for you, then that’s not good enough for you. But it is for Wendy [his wife] and it is for our family. It is for us. I really don’t appreciate the games and the gotcha question planted on behalf of my opponents
As Dardenne points out, it's very implausible that Vitter, who taught at two law schools, doesn't know what Title 14 means. The rest of Vitter's response is basically what he's been saying since the scandal broke in 2007: He made a mistake, his wife has forgiven him, and that's that. Vitter's strategy worked fine in 2010: No credible Republicans ended up challenging him (aside from a former state supreme court justice who
had his own issues), and he decisively turned back a challenge from Democrat Charlie Melancon.
We'll see if Vitter's approach has the same effect this time: It's been a long eight years since Vitter's indiscretions were revealed but this time, angry conservatives can flock to Dardenne or fellow Republican Scott Angelle rather than needing to vote Democratic to get rid of Vitter. In any case, this is far from the last time we'll hear about Vitter's past in the leadup to the Oct. 24 jungle primary.
For his part, Vitter is using his massive cash advantage to portray himself in a better light. A new ad features a woman identified as Deborah Cazalot praising Vitter for getting her on the transplant list, which saved her life. The spot begins with Cazalot saying that she was initially told by her doctor that she wouldn't be able to get on the transplant list because she doesn't have good enough insurance, which sounds like it should be the opening of a commercial for Obamacare.