Dandelion Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 The main quality I look for in a politician is his or her ability to do the job I'm electing them to do. Do I want them to be people of character and integrity? Absolutely. But I've known plenty of people who delivered outstanding results in their professional life while completely screwing up their personal life. IME there isn't always a direct correlation between the two. I agree that a politician's personal life is none of my business - until they make it my business. In the case we're talking about, this politician's personal life became the public's business when: - he used tax payer funded resources for sexting and phone sex (he did much of that from his congressional office, and took many of his naughty pics in the congressional gym) - he offered the support of his tax payer funded congressional public relations team to the porn star he was emailing with to cover up their relationship - he engaged in actions (like those mentioned above) that prompted the leaders of his own political party to call for a House Ethics Committee investigation to look into the misuse of official resources and violation of House rules Not to mention that tweeting pictures of your junk to relative strangers is completely juvenile and legitimately calls into question this man's intelligence and mental stability IMO. Regardless of where one stands on the moral issues involved here, there are plenty of other reasons to view this man as unfit for public office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 There are societal norms. Being married to one person at a time and being faithful in that marriage is a norm that I assume most of society would agree with. I would expect the people who speak for "us" to adhere to those norms. I don't think those are universal societal norms. 50-70% of people will have an affair during their life. The current guess is about 10% of children are not fathered by the husband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 I don't think those are universal societal norms. 50-70% of people will have an affair during their life. The current guess is about 10% of children are not fathered by the husband. I find those statistics highly suspect. BUT, even if they are correct, an affair is still viewed by our American culture as wrong. No one is proud of their affair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I don't think those are universal societal norms. 50-70% of people will have an affair during their life. The current guess is about 10% of children are not fathered by the husband. That is the most unbelievable fake statistic I've read on the internet all week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Sigh. I haven't followed the Weiner thing. Mostly because I'm behind in my Dailly Show watching, I'm sure I'll see something about it there. There are norms and there are norms. The implication was that if someone lies to their spouse, they must be a liar to everyone about many things. I suggested that some might prefer to keep their private lives private even without lying to a spouse, so that their political careers are not derailed (or prevented) by not following a "norm" that has nothing to do with political acumen, administrative or legislative ability, or, to those who can think outside the box and understand that promises not made should not have to be kept, integrity. Now, texting anyone anything like what was described above, especially after a scandal about it already, suggests to me that the man might have some kind of impulse control problem. People can be deeply stupid about some things while highly intelligent about others, especially when "some things" includes sex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Well, in this particular case, his behavior may indicate something about his inherent intelligence and common sense (or lack thereof.) Aside from the fact that he seems to have way too much interest in taking semi-nude photos of himself and sending them to strangers, he was dumb enough to get caught for it... AGAIN. :rolleyes: I mean, seriously, shouldn't he have learned his lesson after getting caught the first time? Is the man dumber than a box of rocks, or does he just have some sort of narcissistic s*x addiction thing going on? I wouldn't vote for him because I think he's a complete moron. I also have a political opinion about him, but I know it's against forum rules to talk about that, so I won't go there. LOL and I totally agree. That is the most unbelievable fake statistic I've read on the internet all week. Meh, I could see those statistics as being correct, actually. I would say at least 1 out of 10 of my friends have children from a previous relationship, where their current husband is not the father. And at least 50% of the couples I know have had an affair affect their relationship, and those are just the affairs that are known. But even still, this Weiner guy seems like a complete idiot. I'm just sad we stopped recording Jimmy Kimmel because I know he would be hilarious about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 That is the most unbelievable fake statistic I've read on the internet all week. They may not be fake. Googling infidelity I found several sites with similar (though not identical!) statistics. You would have to search further to find from which studies they take their information. Infidelity Facts Statistic Brain Truth About Deception Cheating is fairly common. Right or wrong. I don't judge a politician on his sexual habits (barring pedophilia or convicted sex offender status) There are plenty of other actions and decisions they make regarding policy that I can use to decide if I will vote for them. Anecdotal, most of my friends have had cheating spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends at some time or other. This doesn't mean that said persons would make bad choices at work. It just means I'm not going to get romantically/sexually involved with said "cheaters". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Of course I'm judging them. As another poster noted, I'm not just flipping a coin. How common cheating is depends on the definition of cheating. Not that how common it is has diddly to do with whether it's ethical or a trait I care to endorse with my votes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 He lied to his wife. The public put their nose in his business and he had to say *some*thing. That something was "yes, sorry. I won't do it again." I think it was said mostly to get the public to go away. He had/has some issues to deal with and the general public isn't entitled to be a part of it. People are people. Getting voted in to office doesn't take away that things that make us human. Some of you (you, in general) might relate it to stumbling or sinning or slipping or whatever. Isn't your god supposed to judge, not you? Are any of you without any sort of lie in your past? Good grief. He tweeted a picture. Twitter is not private so was it the public sticking their nose in his business or him sticking his groin in theirs? Yes, he has issues but they should have been dealt with before he re-entered politics. Since it was his action that made the thing public he probably should have been doing the Oprah thing at some point in the past, getting it all out into the open so the public wouldn't have to hear about it in the middle of a political race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 That's a straw man. Presumably everyone looks at various traits and characteristics to judge a candidate's suitability for office—unless they flip a coin or pick the person whose name they like best. I know I know. put the pictures of the candidates on the wall, turn your back - walk forward 10 paces and throw darts over your shoulder. I find those statistics highly suspect. BUT, even if they are correct, an affair is still viewed by our American culture as wrong. No one is proud of their affair. My mother admitted she'd never want to be with a man who'd cheat on his wife. (uh, mom . . . . blink.) my siblings, who were both sexually active with people they never married, disapproved of even our mother's adultery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) Nm Edited July 24, 2013 by Moderator Enough with the rudeness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 If someone will lie to their spouse, they will likely lie to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 They may not be fake. Googling infidelity I found several sites with similar (though not identical!) statistics. You would have to search further to find from which studies they take their information. Infidelity Facts Statistic Brain Truth About Deception Cheating is fairly common. Right or wrong. I don't judge a politician on his sexual habits (barring pedophilia or convicted sex offender status) There are plenty of other actions and decisions they make regarding policy that I can use to decide if I will vote for them. Anecdotal, most of my friends have had cheating spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends at some time or other. This doesn't mean that said persons would make bad choices at work. It just means I'm not going to get romantically/sexually involved with said "cheaters". None of those come close to the original poster's assertions, and even then, I am extremely skeptical. Those are sites that either don't leave sources or read their sources very selectively to support their arguments. If those statistics are to be believed, nearly 1 in 5 people have had an affair with a sister-in-law or brother-in-law. Do you find that credible? I do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieMarie Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 If candidate A is an ethical person in his or her private life and is going to work tirelessly to push an agenda I hate and candidate B is a wiener and is going to push an agenda with which I agree, I am going to hold my nose and vote for the wiener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 None of those come close to the original poster's assertions, and even then, I am extremely skeptical. Those are sites that either don't leave sources or read their sources very selectively to support their arguments. If those statistics are to be believed, nearly 1 in 5 people have had an affair with a sister-in-law or brother-in-law. Do you find that credible? I do not. Well, I did specify you'd need to look closer to find where they got their information. Something I don't wish to take the time to do. The point was that that information is on many sites. That being said, I've heard those numbers multiple times over the years so I think it is plausible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I wonder if he can learn from his mistakes? To do the exact stupid thing twice is revealing to his character. How did he think,he would get away with it? What an idiot to think he was above being caught the arrogance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 What kind of doofus does that and gets caught twice? Even if someone doesn't share all my views, I may vote for them if I think they are smart and will do smart things. This guy? Not smart, apparently. Very, very funny late-night TV fodder, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 If candidate A is an ethical person in his or her private life and is going to work tirelessly to push an agenda I hate and candidate B is a wiener and is going to push an agenda with which I agree, I am going to hold my nose and vote for the wiener. Despite my comments about him, given the same choice I'd likely do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 If candidate A is an ethical person in his or her private life and is going to work tirelessly to push an agenda I hate and candidate B is a wiener and is going to push an agenda with which I agree, I am going to hold my nose and vote for the wiener. Despite my comments about him, given the same choice I'd likely do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I don't know specifically who you are referring to but I couldn't vote for someone like that. Personal lives have a funny way of spilling over into public life. Character is character is character. Exactly! One's character doesn't change whether one is dealing with their family or their constituents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 As it should be. I don't recall this sort of outrage (not the OP. In general, I mean) with Mark Sanford. Not that I care more about what Sanford did than Wiener. Just think it's a little funny that people are all riled up over Wiener today and those same people were quick to point out that Sanford's "moral transgressions" were between him, his wife, and whatever deity they believed in. I don't get how Sanford won again......... I did hear people talking about it, but they were the ones that were disgusted with him & not going to vote for him, because of his infidelities. Obviously, they were in the minority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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