Paul E. Pfeifer: Hooker for Justice
on Thursday, February 8, 2018Paul E. Pfeifer Money Quote saying as Ohio Supreme Court Justice that running for judicial office is like selling yourself much like a prostitute on the street. Paul E. Pfeifer said:
“I never felt so much like a hooker down by the bus station in any race I’ve ever been in as I did in a judicial race” — Paul E. Pfeifer
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In this quote, Paul E. Pfeifer is drawing an analogy between running for a judicial position and the experience of a sex worker soliciting customers at a bus station.
He suggests that judicial races, like the one he was in, involve a significant amount of self-promotion, deal-making and compromising of principles that make one feel like they are “selling” themselves in an undignified way.
The interpretation is that Pfeifer felt judicial candidates have to engage in behaviors like courting donors, making promises to special interests and putting on a performative front for voters – actions he likens to the unseemly experience of a sex worker openly advertising their services.
His overall message conveys a sense of distaste for what judicial elections reduce candidates to do in order to win, comparing it unfavorably to the ideal of impartial, merit-based selection for the role of judge.