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Marriage and politics don’t go together
The Republican Revolution in 1994 brought in two freshmen now in the headlines: Mark Sanford and John Ensign. According to some research by Politico, at least 10 other Republican freshmen from that class have been involved in divorces or sex scandals (not to mention the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s divorce in 2000). By the end of the freshmen’s first year in Congress, four of the lawmakers’ marriages had fallen apart.
Michael Flanagan, an Illinois Republican who was a bachelor when he was elected in 1994, said if he had had a wife during his first term, “I would have been divorced within a year.”
“I’ve always maintained that members of Congress have a wonderful job and perfectly horrible lives,” he said in an interview. “Your life is destroyed because you work for 750,000 people who generally don’t care that you have a personal life.”
In 1995 Gingrich set up a task force called the Family Quality of Life Advisory Committee to address the issue, saying,
We have established the principle that we are going to set schedules we stick to so families can count on time to be together, built around school schedules so that families can get to know each other, and not just by seeing us on C-SPAN.
Perhaps something a little more effective than a task force would be appropriate now?
back to top17 Comments to “Marriage and politics don’t go together”
I think this is odd – congress has a lot more “vacation” time off than the average worker, no?
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Maybe the real problem is not congress’s schedule, but the fact that the job itself attracts ambitious personality types that can never seem to prioritize their family relative to their own political success.
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Emily, please be careful about drawing implications or generalizing upon a group (like congress) on the basis of particular cases. Each case should be taken on its own merits or demerits. There are lessons to be learned for larger groups, but no more so than for school teachers (do they tend to molest minors more often based on isolated cases?), lawyers, ministers, politicians plumbers, journalists bloggers, etc.
Moral responsibility, honesty and the success of marriages are on the decline across the board in America. Perhaps you examples merely reflects that. Consider the influence of the media and popular culture on this too, more carefully.
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“Marriage and politics don’t go together”
It was this headline that I think is misleading. Blame the correct sources and corelations. It’s marriage and dishonesty that don’t go together, not necessarily any one particular category or group of allegedly dishonest people. Politics is not the problem. Dishonesty is.
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Spinoza, you are soooo correct! #1, #2.. right on target.
They enact all sorts of perks for themselves. I think that is why so few of the Contract with America R men and women followed up with their pledge to enact term limits.
These men should take a leaf from Billy Graham’s book. He always had another male travel with him so as to dispel any possible opportunities for lapsing, straying etc.
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Congress does work after dark. It is not good to do too much work after dark.
Too much work is done over dinner and drinks.
Drinks and work don’t go well together.
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What is the correlation, then, Joel Mark?
There is a strong correlation between specifically Republican Congressmen and infidelity. This was the point of the Politico article. I think Emily glossed over that somewhat to make it more about the jobs of politicians generally.
Here’s some more context from the original, including the title (an important piece of context):
It is a curious correlation, as we’ve commented on before. Why have Republicans had so many more sex scandals over the last 20 years than Democrats have had? My current theory is that the strident moralism gives illicit sex an almost irresistible appeal.
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JJF, your post is highly irrepsonisble and disingenuous. Only a partisan demogogue would try to make a partisan issue out of this.
JJF asked, “What is the correlation, then, Joel Mark?”
I already stated it, JJF: “Politics is not the problem. Dishonesty is.” People who cheat and people who are uniquely dishonest on many levels. They cam from both parties.
So, it is dishonest people who cheat, not necessarily Democrats or republicans or movie Stars or accountants and so on. Why use selected isolated cases to smear those with whom you disagree politically? Answer: because you don’t think you can win on the merits of you ideology and policies. An equal number of guilty people from either party could be listed by either side. But such score-keeping is dusgustingly cynical and dishonest.
There is also a srtong correlation between public impressions and the way the worshipful leftis media report such scandals, protecting one side and smearing the other.
____________
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You’re saying it’s not a fair question?
Why have there been so many more Republicans sex scandals than Democratic sex scandals over the last 15 years?
And your answer is that there is no difference, “an equal number of guilty people could be listed on either side,” but the media fosters a perception that there are more guilty Republicans.
I don’t think that’s true. Can you provide any evidence?
And even if it were true, “we’re no worse then the Democrats” would not be a very compelling argument from the party that claims integrity and family values as its domain.
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#9, “Why have there been so many more Republicans sex scandals than Democratic sex scandals over the last 15 years?”
I deny your premise. It’s a falacious question. Get the partisan politics out of your heart, JJF. It’s just too too deep in your heart. It’s the partisan score-keepers who make lists that are demogoguing this and I refuse to give you a longer list of Democrat sex scandals, NOT because I couldn’t but because it’s a sam either way. Each heart-breaking case of personal betrayal has its own story and its own reasons and it’s own excuses (all of which are lame).
But why are there sex scandals among politicians? If I have to answer that one for you, then you still have a lot of thinking to do.
It’s the dishonesty, stupid (that is not meant personally, but in the same vein as the Clinton’s motto, “It’s the economy, stupid.”)
What I find even more reprehensible is when adultery is justified, covered-up or glorified as “love.”
Actually, I don’t necessarily think an equal number of scandals can be listed on either side but it’s only God’s list that matters. He is the ONLY one with a correct list. The list given us by the worshipful leftist media is just not reliable.
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Joel Mark is correct. Politics is not the problem. Lots of people who have demanding careers make these same mistakes. I know people who never turn their cell phone off — it’s ridiculous, but it’s a choice they make! That’s a small example. If people don’t have their heads on straight about what’s important, it’s their own fault. It’s called planning. I watched the old judge do a lot of work, and his wife did sacrifice a lot to help him in his work, but he always found time for his family — he just worked harder to make up for lost time.
These guys are no different of whatever party. The difference is that the Republicans at least still recognize the higher standard and try to live up to it. Democrats don’t.
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One of the most colorful and conservative members of the class of ‘94 was the late Helen Chenowith. She created her own brand of hypocrisy, for her sexual transgression occurred before she arrived in Congress. While keeping her personal history secret, she waged a holy war against Clinton. Her critics dug up the truth in 1998, and she admitted it, but there is a question about whether she lied about it in 1995.
Chenowith accused the government of landing black helicopters on western ranches to enforce the endangered species law.
She died in an SUV rollover with no seatbelt on.
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JoelMark: Either marital fidelity matters in a politician or it doesn’t.
Either we should consider these Republicans as unfit because of their infidelity or we shouldn’t.
Either we should have spent hundreds of millions and created a Constitutional crisis or two to investigate and impeach Bill Clinton or we shouldn’t have.
What’s your choice?
Mine is that none of it should disqualify anybody. What happens in a marital bedroom or a swanky hotel in Buenos Aires is none of the taxpayer’s business. We hire these guys (and gals) to do a job, not to be saints.
And your suggestion that the media plays favorites in this regard is utterly ridiculous. More importantly for the fate of your soul, it belies your claim that scorekeeping is “disgustingly cynical and dishonest”. Why make the suggestion unless you think scorekeeping is important?
Preacher or politico–once again, your choice.
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In a moment of consternation, I once made a list of politicans who had committed adultery or had sexscandals. Of course, I came up with more guilty parties from the party with which I do not identify. But I hasten to say that my list does not count either. Only God knows the whole story. My sources as well as my intentions are skewed. What matters most is how the guilty parties honestly come to terms with their own sin and come clean before their God, their family and their constituents.
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Can you still be dishonorably discharged from the military for commiting adultry?
If so, what it is good enough for our boys in uniform should be good enough for our politicians, integrity matters.
Although all of us fail (sin), I tend to not trust people that have failed morally or ethically, especially people in power. I know that God doesn’t differentiate between little sins and big sins, but their is a difference between being tempted and following through.
Sanfords lack of judgement in this situation will most certianly be reflected in other areas of responsibilty. He is being judged by the content of his character or lack there of.
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Democrats and Republicans handle this issue differently.
If a Republican commits adultery it is considered shameful and unacceptable by both parties.
If a Democrat commits adultery in the White House or runs a prostitution ring out of his own house they are treated like heroes even by women’s groups and their political careers are set for life.
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Marriage and politics don’t go together
Apparently Sarah Palin concurs. Good for her.
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