Let's face it. Politics involves a lot of deceit. Candidates proclaim their beliefs that may or may not really be their beliefs. Probably most are not. They appeal to their base. They tell them what they want to hear. What if they do the same to their wives? What if they tell their wives what they want to hear? What if they get into the business of deceit and just cannot stop? These are questions that remain in light of the Mark Sanford and the John Ensign assignations. Do these guys get so used to telling lies that they continue them with their wives and their families? I wonder.
Governor Mark Sanford is one sorry SOB. That is how I feel and that is not going to change. I am a woman and I am a Catholic Christian (although I am not a nut about it). I have been married 35 years and counting. Deceit is deceit and that is the crime to a marriage. Mark Sanford not only deceived his wife, he deceived the people of South Carolina. As I see it, these SOBS are trying every way of trying to get out of their "crimes". They are as follows:
- John Edwards: The "heartfelt" disclosure without Elizabeth Edwards to the ABC guy who nearly died in an IED explosion. John Edwards is a total scumbag because he screwed around on his wife and had a baby with his lover while his wife had inoperable cancer. He will never recover. We will make sure of it.
- John Ensign: Came out only after he was blackmailed and really thinks that this will save his political career. What he doesn't realize is that the religious right are not gonna go out for a scumbag like this. Oh, yes, he is movie star handsome, but they have to be excited about someone and they won't be about him.
- Mark Sanford: This is the creme de la creme of disclosures. He takes it to a different level. He disappears for nearly a week and then gives a rambling presser in which he gives way too much information about his love affair with an "exotic" Argentinian woman. While most men were living out one of their greatest fantasies, most women were gagging and throwing up in the sink at the nerve of this guy to do this to the very supportive and beautiful and loyal wife that we saw in the pictures. We all know that there are more women voters than men. He is done. Stick a fork in him.
There is a slight change happening in the media that I don't like. They are willing to forgive these scumbags because most of the pundits are men, and hey, isn't a beautiful Argentinian lover one of their greatest fantasies? Doesn't every man fantasize about getting some from someone other than their wife. Many might say that women feel the same way, and maybe they do, but women don't ususally have the luxury of having an affair. Because we have the major responsibility of the children. It is not our focus. Also, there is still a double standard. If a woman has an affair, she is a whore, plain and simple. If a man has one, well, it isn't good, but let's move on.
Much has been said about the religious right and the hypocrisy that is shown by the GOP politicians because of their inability to keep away from women (or men) who are not their wives. This is important because while Democrats cheat on their spouses at nearly the same rate, Democrats do not claim to be holy and pure. They don't claim to be perfect. The recent spate of marital infidelity amongst Republicans does far more damage to their party than our examples do to ours.
Barack Obama won the Presidency in 2008 for a lot of reasons, most of which have been discussed on this website and others. But one reason still remains. He appears to have a solid marriage without deceit. I realize that could change tomorrow. But in November 2008, people thought of him as being totally devoted to his family. I think most Americans think that today, regardless of whether or not they agree with his policies. I believe to this day that the stories about John McCain dumping his first wife when she was diabled in a car accident hurt his chances even though the media was largely silent on it. I think that Americans equate keeping promises to a wife with keeping promises to the American people at large. I, for one, hope that never changes.