Larry Flynt bares politicians' scandalous lives
PHILADELPHIA — Weary of sex scandals that have rocked allportions of our government in recent years, there’s a lot of talkon the campaign trail about getting back to the principles of ournation’s Founding Fathers.
That sentiment may change if people read the new book, “OneNation Under Sex,’’ by Larry Flynt and historian David Eisenbach,because men such as Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and ThomasJefferson would make Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer and ArnoldSchwarzenegger seem like choirboys, and the partisan press of theirera would make the tabloids of today read like children’sbooks.
Flynt and Eisenbach, however, are not simply concerned aboutgetting under the covers, or hiding in the closets, of the WhiteHouse. Their book deals with how the private lives of politicianshave affected the nation’s public policies — how Franklin’swomanizing helped the colonists gain the support of France, howPresident James Buchanan’s alleged homosexuality helped bring aboutthe Civil War, how Franklin Roosevelt’s affair(s) forced shy wifeEleanor out of her shell to become one of the great firstladies.
Of course, there are whole chapters on Clinton and the Kennedys(according to the authors, John Kennedy said that he would getmigraines if he didn’t have sex with different women; brother BobbyKennedy had an affair with Jackie after the president’s death; andMary Jo Kopechne, who died in brother Ted Kennedy’s car atChappaquiddick, had previously been Bobby’s mistress).
Flynt, the well-known pornographer and activist, said in aninterview earlier this month that he’s always been interested inpolitics and that when he was talking with his publisher about abook on the subject, the publisher “suggested I do it in ahistorical context.’’
He found a kindred spirit in Eisenbach, a Columbia Universityprofessor, who created and hosted the History Channel program “TheBeltway Unbuckled.’’
Flynt said their book is especially timely now, because withtoday’s partisan anger fighting for control of the nation’s agenda,“It’s a lot like it was during the Revolution’’ when theHamilton-led Federalists waged heated private and public battleswith the Jefferson-led Republicans.
A primary topic of their disagreements? The role of the federalgovernment in the nation’s banking system.
During the early days of the country, the press played an activerole going after politicians (the newspapers of the day generallywere in the pocket of one side or the other), but after a whilesuch unseemly gossip-mongering gave way to the press protectingpresidents (and athletes, movie stars, etc.). Everyone in the WhiteHouse press corps knew who was having affairs — they just keptquiet. These days, it’s again open season.
But such behavior has been going on forever with powerful men —“They have huge egos and need to be fed by sexual conquest,’’ Flyntsaid — and voters would be silly to think it’s ever going tostop.
Or that it should.
“Americans need to adopt one simple rule,’’ the authors write.“Don’t trust anyone who dedicates his or her life to stomping outother people’s consensual sexual activities — it is pretty muchguaranteed that lurking behind all the antisex zealotry aredeep-seated sexual issues.’’
That’s why former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover also gets his ownchapter.
Does it matter that Lincoln may have been gay, the book asks.“He was probably one of our best presidents,’’ Flynt said. AndEisenbach added that Eleanor Roosevelt “was not diminished by beinga lesbian.’’
Hoover’s closeted homosexuality, however, led to a reign ofterror on the sex lives of countless politicians — gay andstraight.
And President Buchanan, whom the book alleges had a 32-yearaffair with Alabama Sen. William Rufus King, “is one of the greatvillains of history,’’ according to Eisenbach.
How could a president have a gay affair in the 1850s and itremain unreported?
“Homosexuality at the time was literally unspeakable,’’Eisenbach said.
He added that having politicians’ sex lives out in the openwould make for a much healthier debate.
“It’s absolutely asinine,’’ Eisenbach said, “that a dalliancecould hijack political discussion.’’
Besides, he added, “The coverup is always worse than the crime.It’s impossible to recover your credibility.’’
So, in the eyes of the authors, is there any sexual behaviorthat would make a candidate unfit for office?
“Illegal sex acts,’’ Eisenbach said. “Like with a minor. Thatshould disqualify.’’
Otherwise, nothing’s going to change. The book makes its casethat powerful people go after what they want, and the rest of usmight as well expect that and move on. The more that politiciansrepress their sexual instincts, the book alleges, the moretroubling their decision-making often becomes.
But don’t expect the nation to give up its fascination with sexscandals any time soon.
“It’s like a car crash,’’ Flynt said. “Everyone wants to stopand look. When it comes to sex scandals, everyone wants to knowmore.’’
That sentiment may change if people read the new book, “OneNation Under Sex,’’ by Larry Flynt and historian David Eisenbach,because men such as Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and ThomasJefferson would make Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer and ArnoldSchwarzenegger seem like choirboys, and the partisan press of theirera would make the tabloids of today read like children’sbooks.
Flynt and Eisenbach, however, are not simply concerned aboutgetting under the covers, or hiding in the closets, of the WhiteHouse. Their book deals with how the private lives of politicianshave affected the nation’s public policies — how Franklin’swomanizing helped the colonists gain the support of France, howPresident James Buchanan’s alleged homosexuality helped bring aboutthe Civil War, how Franklin Roosevelt’s affair(s) forced shy wifeEleanor out of her shell to become one of the great firstladies.
Of course, there are whole chapters on Clinton and the Kennedys(according to the authors, John Kennedy said that he would getmigraines if he didn’t have sex with different women; brother BobbyKennedy had an affair with Jackie after the president’s death; andMary Jo Kopechne, who died in brother Ted Kennedy’s car atChappaquiddick, had previously been Bobby’s mistress).
Flynt, the well-known pornographer and activist, said in aninterview earlier this month that he’s always been interested inpolitics and that when he was talking with his publisher about abook on the subject, the publisher “suggested I do it in ahistorical context.’’
He found a kindred spirit in Eisenbach, a Columbia Universityprofessor, who created and hosted the History Channel program “TheBeltway Unbuckled.’’
Flynt said their book is especially timely now, because withtoday’s partisan anger fighting for control of the nation’s agenda,“It’s a lot like it was during the Revolution’’ when theHamilton-led Federalists waged heated private and public battleswith the Jefferson-led Republicans.
A primary topic of their disagreements? The role of the federalgovernment in the nation’s banking system.
During the early days of the country, the press played an activerole going after politicians (the newspapers of the day generallywere in the pocket of one side or the other), but after a whilesuch unseemly gossip-mongering gave way to the press protectingpresidents (and athletes, movie stars, etc.). Everyone in the WhiteHouse press corps knew who was having affairs — they just keptquiet. These days, it’s again open season.
But such behavior has been going on forever with powerful men —“They have huge egos and need to be fed by sexual conquest,’’ Flyntsaid — and voters would be silly to think it’s ever going tostop.
Or that it should.
“Americans need to adopt one simple rule,’’ the authors write.“Don’t trust anyone who dedicates his or her life to stomping outother people’s consensual sexual activities — it is pretty muchguaranteed that lurking behind all the antisex zealotry aredeep-seated sexual issues.’’
That’s why former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover also gets his ownchapter.
Does it matter that Lincoln may have been gay, the book asks.“He was probably one of our best presidents,’’ Flynt said. AndEisenbach added that Eleanor Roosevelt “was not diminished by beinga lesbian.’’
Hoover’s closeted homosexuality, however, led to a reign ofterror on the sex lives of countless politicians — gay andstraight.
And President Buchanan, whom the book alleges had a 32-yearaffair with Alabama Sen. William Rufus King, “is one of the greatvillains of history,’’ according to Eisenbach.
How could a president have a gay affair in the 1850s and itremain unreported?
“Homosexuality at the time was literally unspeakable,’’Eisenbach said.
He added that having politicians’ sex lives out in the openwould make for a much healthier debate.
“It’s absolutely asinine,’’ Eisenbach said, “that a dalliancecould hijack political discussion.’’
Besides, he added, “The coverup is always worse than the crime.It’s impossible to recover your credibility.’’
So, in the eyes of the authors, is there any sexual behaviorthat would make a candidate unfit for office?
“Illegal sex acts,’’ Eisenbach said. “Like with a minor. Thatshould disqualify.’’
Otherwise, nothing’s going to change. The book makes its casethat powerful people go after what they want, and the rest of usmight as well expect that and move on. The more that politiciansrepress their sexual instincts, the book alleges, the moretroubling their decision-making often becomes.
But don’t expect the nation to give up its fascination with sexscandals any time soon.
“It’s like a car crash,’’ Flynt said. “Everyone wants to stopand look. When it comes to sex scandals, everyone wants to knowmore.’’
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