** At least two sides to politicians cheating on their spouses

Madville Times has a post on Republican Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina who cheated on his wife by flying off to Argentina to screw some former newswoman. Madville Times on Blogger Hypocrisy and Mark Sanford, etc

That post got me thinking about the issue and I made most of the comment below concerning two perspectives on cheating on spouses there.

1. Extramarital affairs are mostly irrelevant factors in evaluating political or government management or politicians. That mostly seemed to be the case with Bill Clinton. He could obviously multi-task, even if Republicans who couldn't claimed his policies involved the tail wagging the dog and worse. 

2. Extramarital affairs demonstrate that politicians or officials have no honor and cannot be trusted to be honest in anything related to business or real life or government or elected office if he cheats on his wife and lives that kind of a big lie. In short, if even a man's wife can't trust him, why should we trust or tolerate him?  For that matter, why should he expect us to ever trust him again on anything without first verifying?

I lean slightly toward the latter perspective and believe such affairs warrant very careful examination of all decisions and behaviors of such politicians and officials if the scandal does not destroy their political status or career immediately. It is a variation of forewarned is forearmed. I write this even if at the time, I viewed most of the sanctimonious hypocrites (some of them cheating on spouses at the time or previously) attacking Bill Clinton as "White House Window peepers".

As I waffle between positions, my current attitude may depend on the relative hypocrisy involved and the unwarranted sanctimony and hypocrisy of either critics or supporters. When I see the apparent agony and misery of betrayed wives and families it is hard to forgive these self-centered selfishly arrogant SOBs who seem to think their behavior won't be noticed and only their feelings count. John Edwards has pretty well destroyed his chances of using his other talents for good in the world of politics by betraying his wife and family and even those of us who believed him a good man with good intentions.

But, in a related situation, when push comes to shove, I wonder how the holier than thous who are single-issue voters on abortion issues would decide in a situation choosing between an obviously faithful man who supports women's rights among other things and an obviously unfaithful rogue who promotes anti-abortion rulings or laws, denial of funding for abortions and family planning, aid, etc.  Is this a matter of situational ethics or hard and fast brightline yes-no option situation no matter what or who?

 We have had John Thune campaigning in South Dakota on "family values" as he brought in serial adulterer RUDY GIULIANI ,who had his mistress living in Gracy Mansion, telling South Dakotans how wonderful Thune really is. It was more than a little difficult to even pretend Giuliani warranted any press or voter attention in such a situation and mighty easy consequently to view Thune as a partisan politician who put cheap misleading expediency above honesty and integrity. 

 Steve Hemmingsen is taking no prisoners in his comments on Mark Sanford at his Steve Hemmingsen KELO Blog on "Bunch of.....".

But whatever, I guess it is up to the people who voted for these guys and up to their spouses to forgive them or make the rest of their lives living hell or ignored oblivion.

*** Stay tuned for less ambivalence---- Doug Wiken

Comments

[caheidelberger]

Thank you for focusing some attention on the role of the women hurt by this selfish act. Male adulterers show a grave disrespect for their wives, their mistresses, and women in general. They consider wives unworthy of fidelity; they consider mistresses little more than objects of deceitful satisfaction.

[Reggie Greene / The Logistician]

There is a very simple reason why disgraced politicians should immediately resign no matter what the offense, or the talent they may possess which could benefit society: in this partisan, acrimonious, political environment in which we currently live, and at this point in time in our nation’s evolution, any elected official needs as much support from his constituency which he or she can gather. After the offense, that support base will undoubtedly diminish, and render their service less effective.

As for resignation, you might check out this.
[[ Dakota Today Note: Interesting and amusing blog even if a bit wordy and murky. Scroll down for several posts on resignations and thoughts (some of which appear to have been written with tongue in cheek).
The blog proves that common sense is actually not all that common.--- Doug Wiken ]]]]