Sad Christine O'Donnell

So you probably know that yesterday Gawker posted an anonymous story (and paid for it) about some twenty-something's one sad drunk night with O'Donnell three years ago on Halloween. It comes complete with a photoset of pictures of O'Donnell, who was dressed as a ladybug.

Pretty much across the board, commentators are slamming the story as beyond the pale. By doing so, of course, they greatly popularize the story. But they really have no choice but to say something, because they know everyone is going to read it. News sources far and wide have jumped on and reveled in the ridiculous revelations about O'Donnell in the past two months: that she campaigned against masturbation in the 90s (despite having a slutty period in college), that she "dabbled" in witchcraft, that she lied about her education on her resume, etc. (Her wikipedia entry, with over 120 sources cited for all these revelations, is proof of this feeding frenzy.)

So why is this Gawker story suddenly going too far? Perhaps because it reveals that while everyone is amused by O'Donnell, and everyone has tacitly agreed up to now that its ok to make fun of her without limit, the story shows she is really just another lonely fucked up person on this planet (Is she any of you in that way?). The story reveals her as someone lonely for companionship, so much so that she has to go show up announced at the apartment of someone she barely knows, and convince them to come to a halloween party with her. Then she drinks heavily to lower her inhibitions. Then she gets into bed with him at the end of the night, and clearly makes herself more vulnerable by seeking sexual companionship. Yeah, without fucking, but she didn't take off her underwear for no reason. Apparently Mr. Loose Lips' tongue wasn't working that well that night. You can tell the guy is a total douchebag -- which makes the fact that Christine sought him out for affection even more sad.

When we made fun of her for everything else, she was still a person. The fact that this story starkly reveals her humanity makes the until-now mirthmakers in the media uncomfortable.

O'Donnell has no chance of being elected to the Senate; she was never qualified in the first place--that's why Karl Rove slammed her. The fact that some Tucker Max-clone (real name here--the guy was pretty easily identified with tried and true internet sleuthing/stalking techniques) decided to make a few bucks off her, when journalists everywhere are already earning money at her expense is hardly shocking.

O'Donnell has apparently responded to the Gawker piece as a "misogynist" attack. But the truth is that candidates should leave what people do in their bedrooms alone, and so should everyone else. When you open that door, it never closes. Don't blame Gawker for that. They say everything is fair in politics, but Christine O'Donnell is not a politician. That's why people are uncomfortable.