Home  Editorials Politicians should come clean about themselves
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Politicians should come clean about themselves |
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Monday, 18 August 2008 |
What do we expect of the people who run for public office? Is the quality of their personal life as important as the potential they show for improving our (and our children’s) standard of living? These questions loom large as news of former presidential candidate, John Edwards’ marital infidelity is revealed.
News of Edwards’ 2006 extra-marital affair is not unique to him. Several presidents were alleged to have extra-marital affairs. These include William Jefferson (who had several children out of wedlock), Franklyn D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Bill Clinton. And, these are only the presidents whose infidelity we are aware of. Others may have succeeded in keeping possible affairs secret. What is characteristic of the presidents we are aware of is that despite their infidelities, they were all remarkable, competent leaders. Thus, the fact that they cheated on their wives, and could be said to have moral flaws, didn’t make them any less capable of running these great United States.
Although some people may be able to forgive these leaders their inability to withstand the temptations of the flesh, they find it difficult to forgive or forget those that lied. Bill Clinton was brought to Congress to face impeachment proceedings, not because of his affair with Monica Lewinsky but because he lied that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms Lewinsky.”
John Edwards was reported to have confessed his infidelity to his wife back in 2006, but he lied to the media that he never had an affair. Of course, it can be said in Edwards’ defense that his marital problems is nobody’s business except for his wife and immediate family. On the other hand, when individuals step out into the public floodlights to run for political office, especially one as high as the presidency of the US, he/she must be sure to clean out every iota in his/her closet, because it will be aggressively scrutinized.
Edwards was once regarded as the epitome of the good husband and family man. He appeared always close to his wife, especially when the grim reports of her breast cancer broke. During his two presidential runs she was a pivotal part of his campaign. It therefore smacked of high-end hypocrisy when rumors, now confirmed, of his extra-marital affair were revealed.
A very promising and believable politician, Edwards, the son of a poor mill worker who pulled himself up to be a successful trial lawyer, senator and millionaire, rallied against poverty. But, really, should people have had much faith in John Edwards? After all, despite his quest against poverty he reveled in $400 haircuts and lived a millionaire’s life on a 102 acre estate. It could be therefore asked; what did he know of poverty? But he talked a good talk and many believed in him, until he lied.
Many of those running for office in various campaigns later this month and in November are also very adept at talking a good talk. But who are these people? How honest are they? Have they cheated on their spouses? Have they received their mortgages by questionable means? Did they ever cheat on their tax returns? Truth be told, some may be guilty of all these and more, because of one most important fact – they are humans. Human beings seek the offices that they campaign valiantly to convince us that they are best suited for. Like you and me, they too have all sinned and fallen short somehow.
Is it because they are human that we must expect our political leaders to be flawed individuals? The answer is a resounding no. Unrealistically, we expect our political leaders, like our religious leaders, to be better than we are. The expectation is that they should be men and women with stronger and better characters than our own. At least, we don’t expect them to lie about who they are, or what they stand for.
However, what if John Edwards had publicly, in the presence of this wife, informed us that he had been involved in an extra marital affair before he announced his run for the presidency? Possibly, he would have been seen as an honest, honorable man, but the shark-like mainstream media would have chewed his character to pieces, seriously hampering his chances. To make this candidacy possible – he lied. So did Bill Clinton with his wife at his side when he denied having affairs with several Arkansas women when he entered the 1992 presidential race.
Are most of those seeking political office liars? Maybe some do choose to be liars because if they come clean about their private lives, they stand the chance of never making it on the political stage. Many good men and women, who could be great leaders, have made stupid mistakes in their past, but are hiding these flaws because if they confessed they would never meet their political objectives. The result is a predicament. The politician, even after assuming power, runs great risk of the lie being discovered, and then no matter how much he/she contributed to society, stands a great risk of tumbling down like Humpty-Dumpty.
Despite the risk, those seeking political office, should try to be as truthful as they can be. The new governor of New York, David Patterson, called a press conference soon after he was appointed telling the world that he and his wife had extra marital affairs, thus minimizing the risk of any disgrace if these infidelities were discovered while in office. Perhaps if politicians come clean about their indiscretions early, their constituents may forgive their flaws. This is better than appearing to be so proper only to have their promising political careers destroyed when it’s discovered that they are living a lie. It is evident that if politicians find it difficult to divulge the truth about themselves, they should not seek political office. The risks are too great to themselves, their families and their constituents.
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