Steve Scalise and the lost art of honorable resignation

There are a few exceptions. Sarah Palin resigned from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2004 in a protest against her own party’s corruption. Republican leaders were happy to see her go–but her resignation only cemented her image among Alaskans as a principled leader. She was elected to governor soon afterward, and became a national figure. On the left, Robert Reich resigned as President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor in protest against welfare reform. He was wrong on the issue, but established his unique place as a principled voice on the American left, and became more widely known, rather than fading.

Scalise could have resigned with dignity, affirming the principle that even fleeting association with racism and antisemitism will not be tolerated in the Republican Party. He could, at the very least, have stepped aside pending a full investigation. But he did not–and the party leadership ended that possibility by defending him. An opportunity to restore Congress’s honor has been lost.