Integrity and Office
Mr Westmoreland-White here offers an “explanation” for why the GOP reacts differently to scandal than the Democrats. One wonders if he knows any conservatives or republicans. He could, you know, ask one or two what their reason for caring about scandal, unlike the Democrats who apparently don’t. The point is, I’m a conservative. The reason I’ve given and heard from other conservatives why personal scandal matters for politicians is the same every time. And it’s not the reason he gives, to whit:
It seems to me that the difference is the hypocrisy factor. The Democratic Party in the U.S. has not tried to set itself up as the “morality police.” Democrats sometimes campaign as “strong family people,” but this is seldom the center of the campaign. They don’t claim to be morally superior. They don’t try to claim that voting for them is the only way to save the American family. Republicans do make such claims–usually by implication, but sometimes in almost those very words. Further, Republican politicians loudly call for Democratic politicians to resign if they get caught in sex scandals–and claim that voting for them is a way to restore the moral fabric of the nation.
This is uncharitable. It is not any reason that he, I suspect, or I have ever heard given. So that liberals and progressives get this straight, here is why the GOP (in office and out) call for Democrats caught in sex and other scandals to resign from public office.
Conservatives believe that private dishonest is reflective of personality. That a person who is dishonest in his personal affairs will also be dishonest in public and is not worthy of public trust. Cheating on a spouse affects a number of people, the wife, the children, and the social community in which the person resides. It is at the core, a breaking of trust. Conservatives believe that a person who is dishonest in these things will cannot be trusted in other things. That dishonesty of this sort disqualifies one from public office where great trust over money and power is given to a person for whom integrity is important.
The question then redounds to the liberal side. Why do they for their part feel that a person who lacks personal integrity is worthy of public office? I might suggest reasons why I might think that liberals like Mr Westmoreland-White might feel that personal integrity is unimportant to those in public office, but unlike him I fear that any reason I might sugggest would be uncharitable. So … I’ll await suggestions from him and from other liberal/progressive readers to answer that question defending the notion that personal integrity is unimportant.
Filed under: Conservative • Ethics & Morality • Government • Liberal • Mark O.
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Well, you don’t need to wonder any longer. Many of my family members are Republicans and several of those are political conservatives. So, yes, I know them.
But you have misread my post. I did not write about how or why conservatives or Republicans reacted to scandal vs. Democratic and/or liberal reactions. I wrote about how/why the scandals hurt Republicans more–that’s different.
And, as a matter of fact, I share the conservative belief that private behavior and public behavior are related–at least to some extent. It’s obviously not one to one in correspondence. King David was a good king and a “man after God’s own heart,” but he still committed adultery and still had a very messed up family life. There have been great presidents or other politicians who were not pillars of family morality (JFK, for one) and maritally faithful politicians (e.g., Nixon) who were terrible in their public morality.
So, the claim that public and private morality are completely connnected is obviously false. But they are connected. If Republicans simply made the claim that integrity matters–publicly and privately–without trying to claim that they were morally perfect and their opponents aren’t–then when one of their own falls, it wouldn’t make them look so hypocritical.
Also, you fail to address the hypocrisy: Republicans call for Democrats that have sex scandals to resign. But when Republicans have sex scandals they don’t resign–they refuse to resign. THAT’s incredibly hypocritical.
Michael,
Can you cite a GOP rep or writer (blogger/pundit) calling for the NC governor (note: corrected) to remain in office?
Can you name a GOP politician claiming that they are morally perfect?
And also not true. Republicans call for Democrats that have sex scandals to resign. And Republicans call for Republicans to resign when they have sex scandals. Again, what Republican have you seen not calling for resignation in this case?
That Republicans and Democrats who are caught in sex scandals (demonstrating lack of integrity) fail to resign is not surprising … they are the ones without integrity after all.
But, except for Clinton, the Democrats caught in sex scandals (e.g., former NY Gov. Spitzer or former KY Gov. Patton) DO resign.
And, I haven’t one GOP call for SC Gov. Sanford to resign–or Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) who just returned to D.C. to a huge round of applause by his Republican colleagues–all so obviously full of integrity–or full of something.
You really haven’t seen any republicans calling for Sanford to resign? You need to get out more.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0609/Former_SC_GOP_exec_dir_urges_Sanford_to_resign.html
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/adulterous-governor-pressured-to-resign-49170132.html
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/06/24/bastard/
http://www.frontlinesblog.com/2009/06/mark-sanford-needs-to-resign.html
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OWFkNmQwZjg2NjZmNjYzNmRiOGQ0NjYyZjQzYWZmMDc=
http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090626/NY3892126062009-1.html
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/former-bush-aide-gov-mark-sanford-should-resign-video
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/former-bush-aide-gov-mark-sanford-should-resign-video
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/fred-thompson-sanford-needs-to-be-in-private-life-to-deal-with-scandal.php
Michael,
I’ve not seen any GOP writer not expecting his resignation. Odd that.
Look, I’ll agree that the GOP has more “consequence” for infidelity … you’ve suggested it’s a “moral police” angle, which I’ve not seen in “real live” conservatives that I meet nor myself. Are your conservative relatives of the opinion that their party is the moral police? That they are better than the other? If not perhaps the reason of the consequence is not the one you propose … even if you don’t think it the one I suggest.
Mark, you’re being quite disingenuous. First, you must have misread Michael’s post, as he has mentioned already.
Second, Michael didn’t suggest there wasn’t a moral dimension that should be addressed. In my opinion, his tone was that they should resign regardless of party affiliation. He was just pointing out the hypocrisy of the party when they point out the moral failings of Democrats, and use this as a way to somehow make their party morally superior, yet they forgive failings in their own party.
While I understand forgiveness – and I’m a big fan – as you point out, those who fail in their obligations to their families should not be trusted with civic obligations.
Third, you’re asking to point to a conservative leader who is “calling for the NC governor to remain in office.” That’s silly because this is something you hardly ever see. People generally don’t come out and suggest someone stay, they either say they should make up their own mind through discussion with their family, or they say they should leave.
But conservatives should be concerned. Instead of defending politicians who stay in office after affairs, they should understand it does hurt their overall credibility when they allow someone who has moral failings to remain in their party as a legislator. I think the Democrats realize it would hurt them, and that’s probably why they have their own resign.