Douche bags.

You forgot Edwards...I know he's pretty forgetable.

Edwards is pretty forgetable, and I did research him when writing the blog. The problem with him is that by the time his affair was public knowledge, he was already out of public office. He was never confronted with it while serving. Don;t know what his reaction would have been, probably along the lines of these guys, not resign and try to get past it publicly.

i think Chris Matthews had a "big number" of like 23 "major political figures" involved in sex scandals post clinton / lewinski. 

oh, and spitzer wasn't the last democrat, patterson was. he admitted his affair shortly after assuming office and of course, has not resigned. i think maybe people either gave him the benefit of the doubt that his blindness made him "accidentally" sleep with another woman or just feeling some sympathy and glad  the "blind guy got a lil." just kidding...in any case, people pretty much gave patterson a pass.

also recently were the mcgreevy ordeal (resigned) and sf mayor gavin newsme, who pretty much had the same experience as ensign (and did not resign).

it's funny. we all talk a lot in discussions and academic circles about our system being so pure and our "office above the man" and all that....then most of the time, for both parties, these politicians stand up, like sanford did the other day, and start making delusioned, grandiose comparisons like him and king david from the bible. and they insist that the people need them, and only them, to save them from whatever evil darkness lurks waiting for them to step aside. and this isn't only about sex scandals, but most of the trouble that politicians find themselves flirting with. 

and we, the people...the suckers...let em get away with it all the time. sometimes, we seem to be holding the "lawmakers" and people in government, who should be held to a higher standard, to a lower standard. 

and i'm not saying i endorse ANY standard...but i wish the people would agree on a consistant one and one that is not based on that persons beliefs, causes or political party. 

 

but that's probably wishing for way too much. 

 

 

And yet they have been proven to be LESS honest than most people you pluck right off of the street.

There should be a law about that, you cheat on your wife, you are banned from politics. (unless you have an open marriage, than its ok). If you cannot even be trusted not to betray your spouse and CHILDREN (who are hurt the most), how can you be trusted not to screw over your constituents?

Sean, for once you and I agree.  on me.

Well said Sean!

why is the private life of anybody in politics used as a measurement on how well he or she can do his job? Someone cheating on his wife does not disqualify him as a competent politician in his resort or means that he would automatically also cheat on those that elected him. That is absurd. You  mix morals and politics in a unhealthy way and only get dissapointed, so just relax and try to be more french and let private life be private.

Those who criticize such behaviour loudly and preach morals are mostly those who secretly desire it, and there are numerous examples throughout history for that. Just take prude victorian england and the rise of the gothic novel. There was never a more amoral period, but it all happend in the "gentlemens clubs" and behind the scenes. Dracula was popular, erotic horror.. go figure. They raised the age of consent to 12 so that poor families couldn't sell their daughters to perverts, all while the society was prude and faithful on the surface.

Just hold people to standards that are realistic and don't make them out to be people that have to be better in every way than the rest of you mere mortals.

It's a trust issue. If you'll cheat on your family then you'll cheat on the folks. Now it varies from person to person as to what happens to them some lose there jobs, some, like Bill Clinton, keep them and make money when the book comes out. You decide what is fair or not.

I don't vote for someone because I trust his character, I vote for someone because that person convinced me with his or her political goals and policies. Whatever happens in private life does not really mix with whatever proposals there are for the economy, foreign policy etc.

I guess there is a mentality difference here, a leader in the US is foremost a moral example and then a politician, whereas here (in Germany)  people are only politicians and nothing is known about their private life at all, and nobody wants to know aside from yellow press periodicals. I think Kohl had a long affair with his secretary, but who cares? Schröder is married for the 3rd or 4th time, it wasn't an issue. I don't even know what the husband of Angela Merkel looks like. There is a silent understanding with the press that familiy and private life is off limits.

We have a more prurient culture here, utemia.  'Reality' TV, all the rest.

Well, it IS entertaining.. and people love to watch how the mighty fall.

How naive.

Is it? A politician screwing his voters won't be reelected, loses his job and his credibility - which is why he probably won't. THAT is not linked to his personal family life. You can be an asshole but good at your job at the same time, and be total family man and a crook in business. Mixing morals and politics as one and the same is stupid. How often do stories come out about "upstanding" citizens like Senators and Congress members etc that are discovered to have a dark double life? Before you knew it they did a good job, and once you know they all of a sudden don't? That does not make sense to me and just shows why one and the other should be seperated.

You want the ideal perfect moral family guy with business savvy and hard stance in important issues, wise yet strong etc. ? - look in fairytales, that's the only place such people exist. But then the white house does look a little bit like a castle.. maybe it is an attempt to create a pseudo monarchy? A good wise king who needs to be able to be viewed as a perfect example, with a wife, beautiful children, a pet and nice hobbies so the yellow press has something to report, all that pomp and circumstance in protocol and uniforms and dadada, your very own american version of Happily ever after.. pfft.

Won't do it or just try not to get caught doing it? My money is on the later. A few pork barrel projects and the voters are happy again, and often forgive the politic an lining his own pockets. US history is full of examples. I won't call you naive, maybe overly optimistic.