I was listening to the radio this morning and during a segment of the news, they were talking about John Edwards. He has been hounded for a couple years about an extramarital affair he was alleged to be having. Of course, he assured us that there was no truth to the allegations.
He campaigned this past year for president with his wife at his side on many occasions. He talked about being a family man with kids at home and how much they mean to him. He continuously denied the rumors.
Recently, the National Enquirer reported that the woman Edwards was alleged to be having the affair with had a baby. That sparked new interest in Edwards’ continuing relationship with the woman and the prospects that she had his “love child”.
Of course, he said that it wasn’t true. Then when reports were confirmed that Edwards had been caught leaving a hotel room that woman was registered in, he knew he had been caught “with his pants down” so to speak. He decided to come clean and admit his affair.
Personally, I don’t care whether John Edwards cheats on his wife or not. I am trying to figure out whether he admitted to having a short term love affair with a woman he now says he doesn’t/didn’t love. I guess it was just about the sex. Or did he admit to having a continuing affair that has been ongoing for more than two years. I thought the news account said he was recently observed leaving the woman’s hotel room.
Even though the details won’t affect my opinion of the man any more than the general story already has, I am intrigued with the current spin. The admission that Edwards had demonstrated a lack of good judgment two years ago is not the same as a two year affair that continues today.
The wife admits that she knew about the affair two years ago. Was she aware that it was ongoing? How could she be treated that way and still stand by her man?
Does this story sound familiar? Sadly it does.
I am not suggesting that Bill Clinton and John Edwards are the only serial cheaters out there. I think in the circles those guys run in, that is more the norm than the exception.
What I have learned in my brief political experience is this. Regardless of your profession, the elite top performers in any field have “super star egos” that are black holes for attention. They need for people to pay attention to their needs, their whims, their opinions.
I know there are some down to earth regular folks that are successful and don’t let their success go to their heads. My experience is that every politician, actor, musician, you name it, at the top of their game have people around them handling their needs because the public relations people constantly tell these “stars” that they are so great. Before too long, anyone in that position might begin to believe the hype.
Sports stars and actors are the most visible examples of this treatment. In most cases these folks with one endearing quality suddenly find that quality in demand. It starts in high school for jocks. The ones with gifted athletic ability are given special treatment from an early age. Is it any wonder that when they get older, they expect special treatment?
Politicians elected by increasingly larger constituencies tend to equate their ability to sway voters as acknowledgment that they are pretty special people. Just think about the people you know in sports or government. How many of them have big egos?
In government, it takes a big ego to do the work. The responsibilities are enormous. How could any person think they could do the job if they didn’t have that ego?
Certainly that is no excuse for their boorish behavior; it just seems to be the way it is.
For the most part, celebrities have that attitude that they are better than non celebrities. Somehow, they think that the very people that hold them in such high esteem are beneath them. What’s wrong with that picture?
If it weren’t for the fact that Edwards was running for President of the United States, I wouldn’t care a lick about him. He can cheat on his wife all he wants.
I expect better character from my presidential candidates. And I don’t care which party they come from. Left wingers don’t have a corner on the market.
The dilemma we face with public figures in general and political figures specifically is “What part of a candidate’s character matters when we are selecting our leaders? Is the fact that a person cheats a character flaw or is the lying about it the character flaw?”
If all we have to gauge a person’s fitness to serve in public office is their words and deeds, what are we to do when both the words and deeds are pure deception?
The radio news person was interviewing people on the street for their opinions. I think a majority of the responses I heard supported Edwards and the fact that what he does in his private life are his business.
My last question would be “What measure do we use for a political candidate if character doesn’t matter?”
Posted on August 9, 2008 at 4:54 am in Political commentary, Snohomish County Political Commentary | RSS feed
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No Loss for Words
Is Marital Infidelity a Character Flaw?
by Steve DanaI was listening to the radio this morning and during a segment of the news, they were talking about John Edwards. He has been hounded for a couple years about an extramarital affair he was alleged to be having. Of course, he assured us that there was no truth to the allegations.
He campaigned this past year for president with his wife at his side on many occasions. He talked about being a family man with kids at home and how much they mean to him. He continuously denied the rumors.
Recently, the National Enquirer reported that the woman Edwards was alleged to be having the affair with had a baby. That sparked new interest in Edwards’ continuing relationship with the woman and the prospects that she had his “love child”.
Of course, he said that it wasn’t true. Then when reports were confirmed that Edwards had been caught leaving a hotel room that woman was registered in, he knew he had been caught “with his pants down” so to speak. He decided to come clean and admit his affair.
Personally, I don’t care whether John Edwards cheats on his wife or not. I am trying to figure out whether he admitted to having a short term love affair with a woman he now says he doesn’t/didn’t love. I guess it was just about the sex. Or did he admit to having a continuing affair that has been ongoing for more than two years. I thought the news account said he was recently observed leaving the woman’s hotel room.
Even though the details won’t affect my opinion of the man any more than the general story already has, I am intrigued with the current spin. The admission that Edwards had demonstrated a lack of good judgment two years ago is not the same as a two year affair that continues today.
The wife admits that she knew about the affair two years ago. Was she aware that it was ongoing? How could she be treated that way and still stand by her man?
Does this story sound familiar? Sadly it does.
I am not suggesting that Bill Clinton and John Edwards are the only serial cheaters out there. I think in the circles those guys run in, that is more the norm than the exception.
What I have learned in my brief political experience is this. Regardless of your profession, the elite top performers in any field have “super star egos” that are black holes for attention. They need for people to pay attention to their needs, their whims, their opinions.
I know there are some down to earth regular folks that are successful and don’t let their success go to their heads. My experience is that every politician, actor, musician, you name it, at the top of their game have people around them handling their needs because the public relations people constantly tell these “stars” that they are so great. Before too long, anyone in that position might begin to believe the hype.
Sports stars and actors are the most visible examples of this treatment. In most cases these folks with one endearing quality suddenly find that quality in demand. It starts in high school for jocks. The ones with gifted athletic ability are given special treatment from an early age. Is it any wonder that when they get older, they expect special treatment?
Politicians elected by increasingly larger constituencies tend to equate their ability to sway voters as acknowledgment that they are pretty special people. Just think about the people you know in sports or government. How many of them have big egos?
In government, it takes a big ego to do the work. The responsibilities are enormous. How could any person think they could do the job if they didn’t have that ego?
Certainly that is no excuse for their boorish behavior; it just seems to be the way it is.
For the most part, celebrities have that attitude that they are better than non celebrities. Somehow, they think that the very people that hold them in such high esteem are beneath them. What’s wrong with that picture?
If it weren’t for the fact that Edwards was running for President of the United States, I wouldn’t care a lick about him. He can cheat on his wife all he wants.
I expect better character from my presidential candidates. And I don’t care which party they come from. Left wingers don’t have a corner on the market.
The dilemma we face with public figures in general and political figures specifically is “What part of a candidate’s character matters when we are selecting our leaders? Is the fact that a person cheats a character flaw or is the lying about it the character flaw?”
If all we have to gauge a person’s fitness to serve in public office is their words and deeds, what are we to do when both the words and deeds are pure deception?
The radio news person was interviewing people on the street for their opinions. I think a majority of the responses I heard supported Edwards and the fact that what he does in his private life are his business.
My last question would be “What measure do we use for a political candidate if character doesn’t matter?”
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Posted on August 9, 2008 at 4:54 am in Political commentary, Snohomish County Political Commentary | RSS feed | Reply | Trackback URL
One Comment to “Is Marital Infidelity a Character Flaw?”
August 14, 2008 at 11:57 am
Remember Gary Hart? Remember JFK?
… I’m not sure what measure to use, either.