Ensign: In Defense of Prostitution

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Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave a somewhat ill-received speech before the legislature in his home state of Nevada. Reid argued why “the time has come to outlaw prostitution.” Nevada is the only state where the world’s oldest profession is legal in some counties and there are 28 brothels in the state. In the audience was one of those brothel owners, several legal prostitutes and the industry’s top lobbyist. “Harry Reid will have to pry the cathouse keys from my cold, dead hands,” Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, told reporters on the scene according to Politico.

Prostitutes, today you have a new champion: John Ensign, Reid’s junior counterpart. “You know, that’s a county by county issue and I think and it should be left to the counties,” the Republican told reporters after a town hall meeting in Henderson on Wednesday, according to a local tv station. Yes, this is the Ensign who admitted to an affair with his best friend’s wife and former staffer and allegedly got his parents to pay the disgruntled husband hush money. Ensign’s up for reelection in 2012 and is already trailing likely primary challenger Rep. Dean Heller by 15 points in polls. Ensign may need every vote he can get, but from a PR perspective does he really want to be the guy out there espousing prostitution?