Integrity in the United States, Andrew J. Cherlin about the hypocrisy and the constant lying about their private life of political candidates in he U.S.A.:
What we accept from our politicians in their personal lives is inconsistent with how our own personal lives work. The contradictions reflect our difficulty in coming to terms with the great changes in sex and marriage since our parents’ and grandparents’ generations. We value marriage, but we also value the right to pursue personal happiness.To be consistent in what we are telling candidates, we would need to either return to the lifelong-monogamy standard and reject any candidate who has ever divorced, or suspend judgment on all aspects of a candidate’s personal life. The first is what we used to do in America; the second is what the French do today.
Neither alternative is attractive. A one-divorce-and-you’re-out rule seems too restrictive today. Yet turning a blind eye to personal life may prevent us from making fully informed judgments about a candidate’s integrity.
3 Comments
Just guessing but if the incumbent Democrat had Gingrich’s marital-and-adultery track record, while the Republican challenger was a faithful spouse, wouldn’t we be reading different explanations?
By kloeless on 18/12/2011 - 8:04Rule 4:
By drizzle on 18/12/2011 - 8:07Don’t play by the rules.
boringgggggg
By repugs on 18/12/2011 - 8:18