Texas Faith: Do the political comebacks of scandal-marred politicians mean we’re forgiving or indifferent?

SHOULD MORALITY BE A FACTOR IN QUALIFYING A POLITICAL CANDIDATE?

Indeed we have become more tolerant and indifferent towards the morality of the elected officials; it appears that is not the issue with Weiner, Spitzer, and a host of others. As a nation we have to define what we want in our elected officials, sadly, fidelity in marriage will not be the one. The real question is do we want morality as a factor in qualifying the political candidate?  We are not looking for exemplary all round candidates any more? Are we looking for someone who can get the job done.  Mike Ghouse

 Continued: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/07/texas-faith-do-political-comebacks-of.html

Texas Faith: Do the political comebacks of scandal-marred politicians mean we’re forgiving or indifferent?

Dallas Morning News | Published on July 16, 2013, 2013
By Wayne Slater 

Whatever happened to shame? It wasn’t that long ago that a politician tainted by a sex scandal or caught cheating on a spouse was finished in public life. But a couple of political comebacks this year illustrate how things have changed. Two years after he resigned from Congress for sending a sexually suggestive picture of himself to a follower on Twitter, Anthony Weiner is in contention for mayor of New York City. Eliot Spitzer abandoned the state’s governor’s race in 2008 in disgrace following reports he frequented high-end prostitutes. He could be the city’s next controller.

And they’re not alone. Mark Sanford was elected to Congress in South Carolina after admitting an affair in 2009. David Vitter overcame scandal when his name showed up on the customer list of the “D.C. Madam” in 1999, winning reelection to the Senate and is at the top of the GOP list to be the next governor of Louisiana. And Bill Clinton, despite the White House intern scandal, is more popular than ever.

What’s happened? What does it say about the culture that behavior once considered inappropriate or indecent, doesn’t pack the same punch it once did. Are we more understanding, more willing to forgive? Or have we just become indifferent? In politics and religion, no narrative is more powerful than the backslider redeemed. But there’s another tradition in politics: we hold the leaders we elect to office to certain standards and believe that failure to meet those standards has consequences.

Here’s this week’s question: What do recent political comebacks by scandal-tarred politicians say about our culture? Have we become more tolerant and forgiving or grown more callous and indifferent?

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, speaker and writer on pluralism and interfaith cooperation

 A quarter century ago, the Presidential candidate Gary Hart lost the Democratic Party’s nomination to Michael Dukakis for his extramarital affair, who in turn lost to George Bush in the General Elections. The nation debated about rejecting a good candidate over sexual morality, the sentence I recall from that era was, “Are we electing a saint?” It particularly became relevant when George Bush broke the promise, “Read my lips, no new taxes.”

There were random discussions on John 8:7, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,” and Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” I have always wondered the impact of these conversations in assessing the moral caliber of the elected officials. Indeed, the shift was significant.

It seemed all the good candidates were blemished, and in desperation we were willing to overlook the morality for the right candidate. Bill Clinton established a new benchmark in that direction. In the recent primaries we blatantly ignored Newt Gingrich, a double cheater on his two helpless wives. It was a human failure and nothing to do with being a Republican or a Democrat; neither could cast the first stone.

The society has changed to a great extent as well; we treasured and looked up to long term marriages with awe, and that is not the case anymore. Many among us have affairs, and we have chosen not to judge others, as it became insensitive to someone or the other close to us. President Jimmy Carter with the cleanest record on morality failed us on the economic front, and George Bush with good morals ultimately lied to the nation about wars, and in the last election, the GOP gave a ticket to the one who hid his money overseas and was secretive about his tax returns.

Indeed we have become more tolerant and indifferent towards the morality of the elected officials; it appears that is not the issue with Weiner, Spitzer, and a host of others. We are not looking for exemplary candidates any more, but someone who can get the job done. As a nation we have to define what we want in our elected officials, sadly, fidelity in marriage will not be the one. The real question is whose morality? Do we want morality as a factor in qualifying the candidate?

To read all the contributions, please go to Dallas Morning News at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2013/07/texas-faith-do-political-comebacks-by-scandal-marred-politicians-mean-were-forgiving-or-indifferent.html/

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace,Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show and Bill O'Reilly show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.