A tale of two campaign funds

In 2008, John Edwards ran for President, had an affair, had two campaign contributors pay his mistress' expenses, and is being charged with a crime that carries up to 30 years in jail.

In 2006, 2008, and 2010 Christine O'Donnell ran for Senate and used her campaign to pay her rent, groceries, gas, and other living expenses, without her contributor's knowledge. She is facing no charges.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/04/why-the-john-edwards-trial-is-a-bigger-deal-than-you-think/255749/

http://www.salon.com/2010/09/23/christine_o_donnell_law/

As made clear here O'Donnell's result is far more common that that of Edwards.

The unprecedented nature of Edwards's prosecution. Edwards is being tried for activity for which no one has ever before been indicted. In fact, two former Federal Election Commission Chairs are prepared to testify (according to a letter they've sent to the Justice Department) that the prosecution "is without precedent in federal election law, and that the Federal Election Commission would not support a finding that the conduct constituted a civil violation much less warranted a criminal prosecution." Prosecutors have fought hard but so far unsuccessfully to keep the former top campaign cops from testifying; Edwards's defense may well rise or fall on their trial appearance and performance.

So why was Edwards charged? Maybe this explains it.
How a Republican U.S. Attorney benefited from the Bush-era U.S. Attorney scandal. George Holding, the North Carolina prosecutor who initiated the investigation of Edwards and pressed for his indictment, is a staunch Republican who remained in office during the Obama Administration thanks -- oh-so-ironically -- to the backlash against the politicization of federal prosecutors by the Bush Administration. Holding spoke openly about seeking partisan political office while still serving as a U.S. Attorney, stepped down to run for Congress just after indicting Edwards, and has used the indictment as a centerpiece of his political campaign, while repeatedly criticizing the president who permitted him to holdover as U.S. Attorney for North Carolina's Eastern District. In pre-trial motions, the defense has alleged not just that Holding had political ambitions but that he harbored outright bias against Edwards as well. In support of its allegation, the defense noted Holding's donations to Edwards's Republican opponent in a 1998 U.S. Senate race, Holding's time as an aide to Edwards's political nemesis Jesse Helms, and his work as a law clerk to a federal trial judge whose confirmation for a Court of Appeals seat was blocked by then-Senator Edwards. Here is a second Holding-related irony: if Holding wins his Congressional race (as many Republican observers think likely), he is widely expected to seek North Carolina's next available U.S. Senate seat. So Holding's indictment of former Senator John Edwards could play a crucial part of the making of future Senator George Holding.

The fact is every single, solitary person who did what Edwards and O'Donnell did had it treated as a civil matter or were left entirely alone. O'Donnell despite being guilty as sin of misuse of campaign funds didn't even have to pay fines let alone face jail. Edwards is a lying toad. He arguably misused campaign funds (I would argue that he didn't) but he is being treated literally singularly harshly for this transgression while the person who made the decision to treat him this way is riding that decision to Congress.