Election 2012 is heating up and simmering around the topic of candidates’ sex lives. The conservative right wing likes to preach family values as the core of their message often standing atop a Bible while doing so. This is fine as long as they are practicing what they preach, but more often than what we’d like, these presidential wannabes are really preaching “do as I say, not as I do” while doing just about everything they condemn.
Is a politician’s sex life really important to voters?
The answer seems to be getting louder and louder as skeletons are dragged out of their closets (kicking and screaming) by ex-wives and even a few bones spewed forth about the pasts of current wives; Yes!
One reader says “It’s a question of character.” Indeed, it is. In the case of Newt Gingrich, one must consider the character of a man who would serve divorce papers to his first wife who was cancer-stricken, in order to marry his mistress. That mistress became wife number two, Marianne Gingrich. When wife number two was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Gingrich divorced her to marry mistress (and now current wife), Calista, but not before first asking wife number two (she alleges in a recent interview) if she would mind having an open marriage? Seems Newt wanted to have his cake and eat it, too. As a conservative, the idea of an open marriage doesn’t fly; neither does carrying on with mistresses nor ignoring the whole “in sickness and in health” part of marriage vows.
Such behavior shows a definite callousness and selfishness ingrained in his person; a ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets a mistress and hightails it out of that marriage” attitude. His actions show that Newt thinks of Newt first. Is this the kind of man who would make a good president, experience in politics aside? More women are saying no.
Another candidate’s marriage hypocrisy was brought to light this past week in an article by The Daily Beast’s Nancy Hass. Karen Santorum, wife of ultra-Christian conservative Senator Rick Santorum, was outed as having ‘lived in sin’ with a doctor who just so happened to also have delivered her when she arrived in the world. As if that wasn’t “Deliverance” enough for you, it was also pointed out that the doctor actively performed abortions; something the Santorums are now adamantly against.
Rick Santorum has a lot to say about other people’s sex lives; how they should do it, with whom, and when they should do it. He protests most vehemently against homosexuals; perhaps he protests too much as his platform on such has raised both eyebrows and questions as to why the senator is so obsessed with the topic. Only time will tell what’s in his closet. Again, is this the type of man Americans want running their country? It goes without saying that Santorum would legislate from the Bible, turning then U.S. into a theocracy just like the Islamic countries it condemns for doing the same. Personal religion has no place in politics. It’s patently unconstitutional.
Allegations of sexual harassment and of a long-standing affair ended the campaign of GOP hopeful, Herman Cain. As more women stepped forward with similar stories of gross misconduct by the ex-Godfather's businessman, his public persona began to crumble leaving a less-than-desirable choice for candidate laid bare to the voting public.
Such bedroom shenanigans are not exclusive to the right wing. Many a Democratic politician has found himself ensnared by his deceptions in the harsh light of public scrutiny. Bill Clinton had multiple implications of adultery. Representative Anthony Weiner was forced to resign after tweeted pics of his privates hit the internet. President John F. Kennedy had that famous affair with super starlet Marilyn Monroe.
While we are quick to reprimand ourselves for being judgmental, (judge not lest ye be judged, and all that), it is still important to have all the information on someone in order to make an informed decision as to whether or not we can support those people and their particular platforms. In an age where information is available at our fingertips, and where almost nothing is sacred anymore, the sex lives of potential presidential hopefuls is as important as their ethics (well, Newt may lose out on that count), experience, and plans to move the country forward. Much boils down to likeability; and if we can’t find anything to like about someone after seeing the ugly way in which they conduct their personal affairs, then we can’t fork over our vote.
The bottom line is, you can’t be a public conservative while sneaking around as a private liberal. After all, the thing about those closed doors is this; someone will eventually walk in…without knocking.
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M. Gwynn has authored two books, Harvest and The Cat Who Wanted to be a Reindeer on Amazon.com .
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