| SHS010-Presidential Affairs |
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IntroAllie: Welcome to the Sex History Show. John: If it weren't for sex....you wouldn't be here. Randal: This is a frank though polite discussion about the history of sex. John: So, if you are offended by this, there may be something seriously wrong with you. Randal: Please consult your physician. Allie: I’m Allie and these are my co-hosts. John: I'm John. Randal: And I’m Randal. So, John. At the end of our Miscegenation episode, you claimed you would tie together Thomas Jefferson, Newt Gingrich, and Jesse Jackson. BodyAllie: That sounds kinky. Randal: Not to mention, impossible! Jefferson died 115 years before Newt and Jesse were even born. John: True, they were never all in the place and time, but there is a certain room that ties them all together quite neatly.
Allie: (sexy voice) Sex. John: In the oval office. Before we start I want people to understand that US Presidents are NOT the only ones to have wild sex lives in public office, but the hypocrisy we have in the US about this is a little weirder than in many other places. Sex scandals can serve a political agenda and they have influenced history. Allie: It seems in recent years we've become completely scandalized about sex and politics, as if it's never happened before.
John: Don’t forget the painter Mary Pinchot Meyer3 and his stripper girl, Blaze Starr4. Randal: Damn, JFK was a busy guy. John: But he’s not the only president to engage in an affair. His successor, Lyndon Johnson, was apparently doing it with Alice Glass5, the wife of a Texas newspaper publisher6. Allie: John, I heard that Alice called it off because she opposed the Vietnam war!
Allie: So, that’s three presidents in a row documented as having had sexual affairs! On both sides of the aisle. John: Well, After all, Presidents are just humans, with the same desires as everyone else, the same likliehood to cheat in a marriage. And a little reading shows that this is totally true. Check our website. We have posted links to the extra-marital sexual affairs of 10 of the 43 presidents of the United States8. But what is interesting is this isn't all that different from the rate of affairs you see for anyone else.
Allie: There is even a first lady who was a bigamist! Randal: No way! Who was that?
Randal: That's pretty sad. Now that you’re bringing all this up, I recall that we mentioned in the last show that Thomas Jefferson was doing it with one of his slaves for decades – and had a lot of children by her10.
John: Kennedy, Jefferson, who better to follow that than Franklin Roosevelt who started an affair with his wife’s social secretary. His wife, Eleanor found out about it, but Franklin continued having sex with Lucy Mercer11 until his presidency, then through three and a half presidential terms until his death 27 years later. Randal: I guess his paralysis from polio didn’t slow him down. Allie: And it was Lucy, not Eleanor, that was with Franklin on his deathbed.
Randal: So, with such well-loved Presidents as Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Kennedy, it's not like only the lesser known presidents were doing this. John: At the end of the day though, why is any of this is a public matter? The persecution of some presidents over others is not even consistent. The press never mentioned a thing about the very poorly kept secrets of Franklin or Kennedy. But poor Rachel, Jackson's bigamist wife: she was hounded mercilessly.
John: And, of course, in more recent memory, President Bill Clinton did nothing that at least a dozen presidents before him hadn't done, something that had no consequences in his job.
John: You finally catch on, amigo. Allie: Are you two talking about the former Speaker of the House and author of the Republican Revolution in the 90’s, the guy who really skewered then President Clinton to the wall for having an affair with Monica Lewinsky, that Newt Gingrich? Allie: Yeah, he admitted in 2007 that he was having his own extramarital affair14 at the same time that he was claiming that Bill’s affair was a threat to national security. Randal: So, Newt “Family Values” Gingrich was doing it just like Bill. Talk about hypocrytical!!
John: That's right. Clinton's 'crime', which should have been a matter between him and his wife, was made into a crime to serve political ends, supported by the flimsy allegations that it was somehow a matter of national security! Allie: Well if my husband was president and he was cheating on me, it wouldn't be a matter of national security but maybe an issue for his self preservation. Randal: That reminds me... John: Oh no. Allie: What?
Randal: Harding had at least two long-standing affairs, but the second, with Nan Britton, lasted into the white house. He and Nan would sneak down a secret hallway connecting the Oval Office and a coat closet where they would have their fun16, the same closet JFK used for his trysts! John: Bown-chickie-bown-bown. Randal: Sadly for Harding, his wife, Florence, caught on and sent Nan off to Europe. Shortly thereafter, Harding mysteriously died. The official cause of death is stroke, but he suffered from food poisoning just before his death. The FBI published at least one report claiming that Florence had poisoned him. No one could prove this, however, and Florence refused to allow an autopsy on her husband17. John: Allie: You're absolutely right, John. It is a ridiculous worry. John: We should all grow up! People, presidents included, deserve to be able to live a private life full of the mistakes and triumphs that humans normally make. If that happened, we could let our presidents actually get on with the job we're paying him the big bucks for. Randal: Or her, someday soon, I hope. John: It's a shame this has shaped history so much, in a bad way, I mean. Hopefully, our little tour will give us enough perspective to look at the future of politics in a more rational light. Allie: Here's to a better-informed electorate. Randal: Better informed about the History of Sex!
Next ShowRandal: You know, John is right that Harding's death is a made-for-tv movie opportunity. But there's another person here I am really itching to hear more about: Thomas Jefferson. He is a really cool guy who practices what he preaches. Last episode, he pushed for colonists and native Americans intermarrying. In this episode, we can see that he was pretty happy to mix his genes with Sally Hemings. Allie: And he sponsored the world's most well-known sex junket. John: What?!? Randal: What the hell are you talking about, Allie? Allie: Let's talk about that on the next episode. John: Well, until then you can check out our show notes and extended discussion on our forums at SexHistoryShow.com.
General NotesA nice summary of presidential affairs can be seen here. Notes
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