The Trouble With the Corruption Card

Perhaps even more than the Iraq debacle, a series of corruption scandals have made Republicans vulnerable this election season. The Mark Foley affair was only the most recent in a series of scandals stretching from former House Majority Leader Tom Delay to Congressman Randy 'the Duke' Cunningham to Vice-Presidential aide Scooter Libby. While the Democrats have not been immune - Bob Menendez's campaign for the Senate in New Jersey is lagging largely due to corruption allegations - it is the Republicans who have taken the full brunt of the issue. It is no wonder that they lean ever harder on the national security issue - fear is all they have left. Democrats, meanwhile, have attempted to take advantage of this Republican weakness - now making the 'end [of] the Republican culture of corruption' their number one issue on their agenda.

But Democrats are confused, or just short-sighted, if they think leveraging scandals for electoral gains will benefit them. Emphasizing corruption does not discredit the Republican Party, it discredits Congress itself, and by extension the political process. As a number of reports have noted, Congressional approval rating is the lowest it has been in decades. At around 25%, it is considerably lower than even Bush's miserable 39%. That is to say Congress itself - the most popular branch - is held in even worse esteem than this do-nothing President. Emphasizing the culture of corruption can only further entrench the public suspicion that no matter how bad the President, Congress is bound to be worse.

It is difficult to see how the Democrats will govern if Congress itself is seen to be the problem. Moreover, historically, a society convinced of the corruption of its representatives is less likely to place its trust in a new set of congressmen, and more likely to look towards a maverick, outside strongman who will 'clean things up.' This cannot work to the favor of the Democrats, nor American democracy.