The New Celebrity - Politicians

Dancing with the Stars of Corruption

You have probably heard the phrase, "Bad publicity is better than no publicity." Celebrities have made a living off their embarrassing exploits. Many celebrities are constantly flung into the spotlight for their blatantly shameful actions. Who can forget the infamous Paris Hilton sex tape or David Hasselhoffs' drunken rambling from YouTube. Yes, from Christian Bale throwing a tantrum on set to Britney Spears shaving her head, stars have had their snapping from reality turn into the top news story for the chosen day. Now, politicians are taking their turn in the spotlight and turning their exploits into dollars, book deals, and publicity.

Many know Tom DeLay from the ninth season of the reality show Dancing With the Stars. He had to leave three weeks into the show for suffering stress fractures in his feet. Prior to his being a reality television star he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1984 to 2005. From 2003 to 2005 he was the Republican House Majority Leader. What is less known about the reality star is his legal troubles that forced him to step down from office in 2005.

DeLay was charged with violating finance laws and money laundering. Two of his top senior aides were found guilty and DeLay was implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandal. He has been indicted multiple times and faces several felony charges. He has appealed his case and remains fighting legal battles.

It became especially difficult for many to see Rod Blagojevich parading around the daytime talk show circuit as if he had not committed a crime. Blagojevich was the 40th governor of Illinois until it was discovered that he was trying to sell the seat president Obama had left. He has been heard discussing this on numerous tapes and to many, "I've got this thing and its f'ing golden." instantly became his trademark phrase.