Why are Republicans more scandalous than Democrats?

During Mark Weaver's debut on Florida Progressive Radio today (congratulations, Mark!), I had occasion to call in and discuss with him the latest scandal involving a Republican in Florida. Yesterday, St. Petersburg City Council chairman John Bryan resigned his seat following a custody hearing in which he answered allegations of sexual misconduct with two teenage daughters. Bryan then drove to his home in Citrus County and committed suicide. Somewhat ironically, his body was discovered by a St. Petersburg Times reporter who was seeking an interview with Bryan.

I was trying to think of an angle on this on which to write my first substantive post at the FPC Blog that wouldn't seem like I was making fun of Bryan's death, and my conversation with Mark gave me that angle. Why does it seem that Republicans are more scandal-ridden than Democrats? Blast Off!'s Florida GOP Police Blotter already has five names in little more than a week, but with the exception of former Broward County sheriff Ken Jenne, few Democrats seem to show up on the scandal sheets. But whether it's sexual shenanigans or financial malfeasance, it's Republicans who fall farther and faster almost every time.

My feeling is that Republicans, who supposedly represent "family values" (whatever that means) and the Religious Right, are forced to suppress those urges and feelings that a Democrat might be more inclined to express freely. I'm not talking about child molestation here at all, of course, but whether it's homosexuality or fetishes (David Vitter, I'm looking at you), Democrats don't have to hide their true selves as much as Republicans do. So, when the Republicans' stories break, they break big. Add on a healthy layer of hypocrisy for those like Larry Craig and Blowin' Bob Allen who have voted and advocated against their own interests, and you have a scandal ready for the headlines.

Financial scandals, I think, tend to be more evenly divided between the parties. For every Angelo Cappelli on the right, there might be a William Jefferson (D-La.) on the left. So, for the sake of argument, let's call that a wash.

What is it, then? Am I right that Republicans culturally and ideologically are more prone to scandal because of repressed, yet (except for pedophilia) normal feelings and desires? Is it just a matter of sexual scandal, or is there something about the GOP being friendly to big business (i.e., money) that makes them engage in financial misconduct more frequently than Democrats as well?

(Cross-posted at Florida Progressive Coalition Blog)