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The mainstream media has been all over GOP Louisiana Senator David Vitter -- The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN. Sex sells, so they’re selling it -- and doing a disservice to their readers and viewers.
It’s a story played over and over again in Congress (Wilbur Mills, anyone? Fanne Foxe?) A senator or member of Congress paints himself (or herself) as a vision of moral rectitude and gets caught with his pants down (or her skirt up). Literally.
So Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) paid for sex. Big deal. All this “sex sells” coverage may drive ratings, but it detracts readers and viewers from far more important issues. Politicians would rather have the press focused on their sexual peccadilloes than on their financial affairs while in service to their constituents.
Sen. Vitter’s “serious sin” has nothing to do with sex. It’s the sin far too many senators and members of Congress seem to commit with corporate abandon: “Give me money to get elected and I’ll make sure you go to the head of the line for federal cash.”
Sen. Vitter served three terms in the House before he won the 2004 Senate race against Democrat Chris John with 51 percent of the vote. He raised $7,192,566 for that race, of which $1,386,220 came from PACs and $4,980,125 from individuals.
Since 1998, Sen. Vitter has generated $12,354,936 in contributions to his House and Senate campaign committees.
In the years that Sen. Vitter has served in Congress (including his House terms), the federal government has awarded $18.6 billion in contracts to Louisiana -- of which $10.1 billion went to District 1, his home seat (now held by Rep. Piyush “Bobby” Jindal). Defense contractor Northrop Grumman, which says it currently employs more than 17,000 shipbuilding professionals, primarily in Louisiana and Mississippi, has received $4.3 billion in federal contracts during Sen. Vitter’s time in Congress. Over that time, Northrop has given Sen. Vitter $38,050 in campaign contributions.
McDermott International, an engineering and construction company with facilities in Morgan City and New Orleans, received $354 million in federal contracts. It gave Sen. Vitter $35,250 in campaign contributions.
Edison Chouest Offshore, an offshore vessel service company founded in Galliano, La., received about $66.6 million in federal contracts during Sen. Vitter’s service in Congress. The company is the largest campaign contributor to Sen. Vitter at $84,526.
BellSouth has received $141 million (not all in Louisiana) in federal contracts during Sen. Vitter’s time in Congress. BellSouth is Sen. Vitter’s third-largest campaign contributor at $59,050.
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