Update - 3/30 at 10:05 am - GOP leadership says they want their money back from Michael Steele expenditures.


I was on the radio with Rev. Al Sharpton, talking about his black leadership forum to be held April 14–17 in New York City. During that discussion, I received an e-mail about a Republican. It wasn't just any Republican. It was Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. The e-mail was from a member of the media asking me to comment on how Steele likes to spend his money. I didn't think much of it until I read the e-mail more closely.

It turns out that, according to the Daily Caller and the Huffington Post, Steele spent $1,946.25 at a club called Voyeur West. According to reports, Voyeur West is "a bondage-themed nightclub, featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex."

I thought, huh. Bondage sex theme and lesbians? That doesn't sound like a family values platform to me.

While the story is still developing, I would like to lay out some quick thoughts:

The Michael Steele/sex club issue is not brought up to be "gossipy" or nosy. It is meant to remind us that in many cases, those who wag their fingers the hardest are the ones who are most likely to engage in unethical behavior. If you want to find a scandal involving homosexuality, marital affairs, drug use or other "interesting" behavior, it's easy to find such scandals within the Republican Party. Larry Craig is only one such case: a Republican family values senator from Idaho, who was caught engaging in lewd behavior (related to homosexual sex) in an airport bathroom. Another case (among many) was that of Mark Foley, a Republican out of Florida, who resigned after being accused of soliciting sex from male pages on his staff. Rush Limbaugh, the radio show host who has long condemned drug addicts of America, was found to be a drug addict himself. The list goes on and on.

I am not here to condemn others for their "freaky," behind-the-scenes behavior. I am also not here to say that any of us are perfect. But I am here to say that when one presents himself or herself as an individual who maintains a monopoly on the moral high-ground, you are usually setting yourself up for failure. Even Democrat Eliot Spitzer found that out the hard way. He built his career on crusading against prostitution rings only to get caught in a scandal that revealed he spent quite a bit of money on his own personal prostitute.

Michael Steele will have to answer for this situation. He is already the recipient of multiple signals of disrespect from members of his own party, and this will give other Republicans an excuse to dismiss him. While I am not certain how far this story is going to go, there is a significant possibility that Steele will find himself transformed into the next Tiger Woods. While he doesn't deserve that kind of disdain, the truth is that it comes with the territory.

Here's a humorous video about Steele's Plan B (Translation: Many were betting long before this alleged scandal that Steele would need a new gig sooner than later):

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.