The Man Gene, Politicians and Sexual Harassment

The Man Gene afflicts all sorts of men, but it seems to hold special sway over politicians. Perhaps it just seems that way because politicians who get caught are also sure to get publicity. The latest incident, as reported by the New York Times, involves Florida Democratic Congressman Tim Mahoney, who succeeded former Republican Congressman Mark Foley, who had succumbed to his own sex scandal.

While the married Mahoney was running for Congress to replace the disgraced Foley (that’s how virulent The Man Gene is), he began an affair with a campaign volunteer who became a member of his staff. Once she learned that Mahoney was involved in other extramarital relationships, she broke off the affair and was fired. She filed suit, and Mahoney agreed to settle the suit by paying his former mistress $121,000 plus the promise of a job with a firm handling the Congressman’s advertising.

Mahoney’s not resigning. He’s running for reelection. Moreover, still emboldened by The Man Gene’s power, he’s requested an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. The Committee will no doubt be interested in listening to a taped telephone conversation between Mahoney and his former staffer/mistress, during which he said: “You work at my pleasure. If you do the job that I think you should do, you get to keep your job. Whenever I don’t feel like you’re doing your job, then you lose your job. And guess what:The only person that matters is guess who? Me.”

Wait a minute, you may be saying. This was a consensual relationship. How can Mahoney be guilty of anything other than being made stupid? When there is a consensual (welcome) relationship in a workplace setting, once one party says it’s over and the other party continues to pursue, that’s probably sexual harassment, depending on the nature of the pursuit. In this case, it seems Mahoney’s mistress said it’s over. Mahoney made it clear that she better do what he said. She wouldn’t. He then retaliated by firing her. If true, that’s sexual harassment.

Poor fellow, Mahoney. Poor Florida congressional district. The voters there can’t seem to find anyone immune from The Man Gene to represent them. Maybe men in that area of Florida are more susceptible to The Man Gene’s wiles. I don’t know. What I do know is we have another example of why the workplace continues to struggle with sexual harassment. When you read about something like this, there appears to be no hope of preventing it. But that’s your job, and you have to keep trying.