Talk of the Town - Playboy party August 05 2000

The de facto party of American hedonism is about to make it official. On Aug. 15, during the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, 600 of the party faithful will skip an evening of speeches by Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Jesse Jackson and Bill Bradley to party the night away at a $5,000-per-head fund-raising bash at the Playboy Mansion.

Not so very long ago, you would have expected to find Democrats gathered at factories and churches, union halls and American Legion posts, homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Hugh Hefner’s pleasure dome would not have been on the short list.

But then along came Bill Clinton, the “man from Hope” who rode into Washington the conquering hero. With a crucial assist from Ross Perot, he vanquished the elder George Bush, ushered out the Reagan era and coaxed from long-suffering Democrats full-throated cheers of joy. The holy city had been reclaimed from the infidels.

In nominating Clinton, Democrats ignored his “Slick Willie” reputation for lying. They looked past his tortuous abuse of language, the way he admitted to smoking dope but not inhaling. They accepted his reputation as an incorrigible womanizer. He cared, after all. He could emote like nobody’s business. And JFK fooled around, so what’s the big deal?

Today, more than a few rank-and-file Democrats are ruing that decision, disgusted with the way Clinton disgraced the highest office in the land. They are old-fashioned Americans, these decent Democrats, heartland farmers and shopkeepers, plumbers and auto mechanics. Their president betrayed them not with one dishonorable act, but with a steady drumbeat of scandal that made the outrageous sound almost mundane.

Democratic elites see things differently. Even now, they stand by their man. They blame his troubles on Ken Starr, House Republicans and other “Clinton haters.”

Yes, a few leading Democrats made disapproving noises when they learned how the president had used a White House intern as his sexual joy toy and lied repeatedly to cover his tracks. The Democratic Party, at that moment, faced a crisis of collective conscience — and failed miserably.

It was one of the great and terrible non-events of our time, the moment Democratic congressional leaders failed to summon the political courage to tell the leader of their party that he had done enough damage, that it was time for him to resign.

Instead, Democrats circled the wagons. On Capitol Hill, they defended the indefensible to the bitter end, using tactic after tactic — including criticizing Clinton’s behavior — in a desperate effort to keep him safely ensconced in the very office he had defiled. They succeeded, but they showed themselves and their party to be morally bankrupt down to the last dime.

Not surprisingly, Democratic reaction to the Playboy fundraiser has been largely positive. “The only calls we’ve gotten are from people asking how they can get a ticket,” event spokeswoman Sarah Anderson told The Washington Times, “It’s going to be oversold because we’ve got more requests [than tickets].” A California party official told the paper the setting is “fine and appropriate.”

Other Democrats disagree. Aides to Al Gore have said he won’t attend the bash, but Gore won’t order organizers to relocate. Feminists have denounced the venue as exploitative of women. Perhaps the most vocal opponent of the fundraiser is, ironically, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, son and nephew of legendary playboys Ted and Jack respectively.

Kennedy says it isn’t fitting for Democrats to raise money at the Playboy Mansion. I say it fits the party of Bill Clinton perfectly.

Of course, the spectacle of 600 Democrats cavorting with Playboy bunnies doesn’t make the GOP pure as the driven snow. But it does cast in stark relief the difference between a party led by people no longer fighting for traditional morality and one led by people still struggling — and, yes, sometimes failing — to do what’s right.

Playboy Mansion or not, Democrats haven’t cornered the market on sexual immorality. Top Republicans have cheated on their wives, gotten divorced and married their mistresses. Newt Gingrich, to his credit, had the decency to resign.

Contact Luke Boggs at lukeboggs@hotmail.com