Sanford Affair a Blow to GOP Values Brand

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i'd like a burger

fred of IL 8:32PM July 01, 2009

"I would argue that big Willy, Mr. Clintons affair did the most damage of all these cases but that is for another day"
No, since you bring it it, let's make it for TODAY = ) hehe.
Honestly, it seems that the affairs of guys like Sanford (can anyoen NOT get the Sanford & Son theme stuck in their head everytime they see his name???) or Spitzer in NY had a direct effect on their jobs and interfered with their work schedule. At least with Bill it was an intern on the job. Hey, he might have been reviewing spending bills WHILE she....ah nevermind.

rob of CA 3:00PM June 26, 2009

Marc:
I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to read all the way through my post. You obviously missed the important points.
First, I never said that what Bill Clinton did regarding his sexual infidelity was right. To me, Clinton's sexual activities were no better than the activities of Sanford, Ensign, or Gingrich (although, being a Dem, I'm not nearly as obsessed with other people's sex lives as the average GOP'er). They all violated their marriage vows and their wives' trust, and that's a terrible thing to do.
To help you understand my main point, imagine if Bill Clinton got up on a soap box and started shouting about how awful Sanford, Ensign, and Gingrich were because they cheated on their wives.
You know what the first three words out of your mouth would be? "What a hypocrite!"
Exactly.
But Clinton has never done that. Let's deal with what did happen.
Marc Sanford, John Ensign, and Newt Gingrich all said a number of nasty, insulting (and probably deserved) things about Bill Clinton because he cheated on his wife. Then each one of them did exactly the same thing.
Let's say it three times, one for each - "What a hypocrite!", "What a hypocrite!", "What a hypocrite!"
Now do you understand? "What a hypocrite!" is the sort of bumper sticker sized idea the GOP excels at, but those of us on the other side of the aisle usually aren't too comfortable with them. I'm hoping you get it now.
By the way, what "moral stand" does your party take? Ensign's still in office. Gingrich is on a rehabilitation tour, and I don't see him getting thrown out of Republican venues. Craig served out his term as though nothing happened. Sanford's still hanging in there, and it's obvious that political expediency rather than morality will drive his decisions.
The GOP has had dozens of chances to prove that there was a "moral stand" behind the Clinton impeachment, yet every time one of your own gets caught with his pants around his ankles, all you can say is "It's OK, Clinton did it, too".
When it comes to morality, nothing about the Republicans has changed since the 1990's, except, if anything, the hypocrisy has gotten thicker.

jimatmadison of WI 2:05PM June 26, 2009

he's a politician. I think we'd all be better off if we left politicians' (Dem & Rep) private lives private. The only public issue I see in Sanford's case is whether or not he used public funds to finance the affair. If so, impeach him and send him to prison for embezzlement; if not, drop it.

Carl of SC 1:51PM June 26, 2009

To jimatmadison of WI
So let me get this straight, because some republicans have been caught cheating that means that what Bill Clinton did was right. So if my political party doesn't take a moral stand on anything then that is a pass for me to do as I please? You are a twit. What all these men did was wrong. The bigger question is how did or does it affect their ability to lead our country. I would argue that big Willy, Mr. Clintons affair did the most damage of all these cases but that is for another day.
To auradawnveirs of CA
What a sad existence you must lead. Your quality of life is made better by having an abortion clinic near by???? How often are you in need of one for crying out loud? I guess your quality of life leads to the easier slaying of the innocents lives, remarkable.
As for Solar panels and recycled waste this is why American is no longer the innovative country we used to be. We used to make things here that the rest of the world couldn't live without but we have tied our hands and are trying to retrofit all our new technology back to stone age technology. Congratulations to all you twits who believe in global warming, oh wait, I mean climate change because the warming thing isn't happening any more.
To the rest of you who feel a victory from the fall of one individual:
Congratulations are in order I guess. I'm not sure why but it seems to have made most of you happy that a republican leader is capable of making the same mistakes as everyone else. WOW I can see it now. We are going to have to come out with a new stand on this. Maybe we should be the political party that says "we have no moral values so we can do whatever we want and you can't judge us"

Marc Zimmerstien of ID 11:44AM June 26, 2009

Mark Sanford had zipper trouble, and got caught lying about it.
Bill Clinton had zipper trouble and got caught lying about it. Who said Bill Clinton was "reprehensible", "a rascal", and "lacked moral legitimacy"? Mark Sanford.
You would think Sanford might have learned something from Senator John Ensign of Nevada's recent trouble. Ensign got caught fooling around with a campaign staffer (whose salary doubled during the affair), and was finally outed by her husband, who was Ensign's administrative assistant. Like Sanford, Ensign had been outspoken about Clinton (who he called on to resign) as well as Larry Craig (who he also called on to resign.
Larry Craig, you'll remember, was the vehemently anti-gay senator from Idaho who got caught in a gay sex sting in a Minneapolis airport public bathroom.
You'd think Sanford, Ensign, or Craig might have learned from the troubles of Newt Gingrich. Gingrich, you'll remember, was one of the driving forces behind the Clinton impeachment, while at the same time he was cheating on his own wife (to whom he later served divorce papers while she was in the hospital battling cancer).
These days Gingrich is running around trying to make himself relevant again, while he's hawking a book he cowrote telling us all how we should live our lives (yes, really).
It isn't just the illicit sexual activities that tie these people together. A lot of people cheat on their spouses, including politicians of all stripes.
What sets these guys apart is the brazen hypocrisy of these glass house boulder throwers.
People like Sanford, Ensign, Craig, and Gingrich have the moral integrity of flatworms. They don't learn by observing, empathic concern, or through prayer. I don't know what it would take to really get through to any of them.
The GOP isn't a political party any more. It's a swinger's club for self-righteous, aging, white-guy politicians.

jimatmadison of WI 10:01PM June 25, 2009

Maybe the people who expect perfection from public servants ought to look at their OWN lives. How many of us have made mistakes? Ours are just not as public (thank heavens). I personally don't get the outrage over "family values" and finding out a person has a human weakness. Family values are a goal, not necessarily reality. Sarah Palin had a teenager who got pregnant. Big whoop. Millions of teenagers get pregnant every year. Don't tell me you never necked in your boyfriend's car or did something you wouldn't want your parents to see or know about. Sarah Palin's daughter just got caught, that's all. Doesn't make her any less a human being than millions of other kids or parents. Lay off personal lives. The Dems had no problem with Bill Clinton's shenanigans while IN OFFICE. Their outrage over Gov. Sanford rings really hollow!

PJN of WA 8:47PM June 25, 2009

....kinda like a flame-thrower and a paper factory.

reason of CA 7:20PM June 25, 2009

At state level, governors are supposed to use the public purse to improve the quality of life. Years ago, all governors should have used taxes for these projects--One-provide abortion clinics in easy reach of all residents. Two--put solar on all public buildings, new or retrofit--Three--Recycle waste for compost or energy. How much of this did he ignore while spending time on romantic adventures?

auradawnveirs of CA 6:38PM June 25, 2009

Perhaps the Republicans should stop not practicing while preaching and focus on what real Americans spend most of their time worrying about: which is not the supposed dissolution of marriage in America but bread and butter issues. Palin is preaching abstinence while her daughter definitely was NOT. What the hell is the matter with these people? We want the GOP to be able to lead the country no chaperone our personal lives.

Mia of WI 5:30PM June 25, 2009