I’m sad to say that when I read an article or catch a newsflash about a politician cheating on his wife, I’m not all that surprised. Yesterday, when South Carolina governor Mark Sanford admitted that he spent the weekend in Argentina with another woman, calls for his resignation sprang up immediately. Whether or not Sanford survives this scandal is yet to be seen, but when it comes to politicians, how they behave behind closed doors is directly related to their fitness for the job.
When things like this happen, disappointment and disillusionment reign. It’s difficult to read reports of deception and see the wife standing by her husband’s side (although in this case, the Sanfords have been separated for two weeks). I’m all for practicing grace and issuing forgiveness, but when it comes to politics, integrity is a major issue. If the governor (or president or senator or mayor) cannot be faithful to her spouse, then her word loses value and becomes almost meaningless, which even Governor Sanford recognizes.
According to another New York Times article, Sanford voted for Bill Clinton’s impeachment after the Monica Lewinsky fiasco, saying,
“He [Clinton] lied under a different oath, and that’s the oath to his wife . . . So it’s got to be taken very, very seriously.”
It’s interesting, and sad, that a man who felt so strongly about Clinton’s infidelity would be unfaithful himself. It just goes to show that no one is immune from sin’s pull.
Last year, Christianity Today ran an article about virtue and the presidency. In it, writers Daniel Taylor and Mark McCloskey proposed that virtue far outweighs policy when it comes to politics. Basically, they said that if a politician has integrity and practices virtue, we can trust him to make the right decisions for us and our city/state/country. According to Gandhi, before a person can accept a position of power, she has to first of all be a good human being. From that, all other job functions flow. The writers make no qualms about their stance:
“Competence without virtue is poisonous. It simply makes one more effective at doing wrong. Furthermore, being virtuous is, in itself, an expression of competence. Since virtue is a requirement for leadership, a lack of virtue in a leader is a sign of incompetence and grounds enough for rejecting that leadership. Virtue is a personal matter, but it is never wholly a private one, certainly not in a President [or governor, for that matter].”
If a lack of virtue discredits someone from taking a leadership role, then the people of South Carolina have some serious decisions to make. Does Governor Sanford’s infidelity and rendezvous in Argentina signal a lack of virtue? What do you think?
Time will tell what will happen to Governor Sanford. Whether or not he will keep his post is yet to be seen, but in the future, we would do well to choose leaders who practice virtue in their personal lives. It’s a good indicator of integrity.
Tags: Hodgepodge, Sin
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From my limited knowledge of the Mark Sanford fiasco, I thought his recent rendezvous in Argentina was to end his affair. I believe his exact words were he “spent the last 5 days crying” because of what he had done. I applaud him for coming clean on his own and confronting the issue head on. Additionally, I applaud he and his wife for making the attempt to fix their marriage unlike another recent well-publicized couple this week. I hope that they actually follow through and do work to fix their marriage.
Politics and virtue should definitely go hand in hand as virtue should with any profession. Those we entrust to make decisions on our behalf should be virtuous in all they do. I do, however, believe that we should also practice forgiveness with politicians as we should with everyone. While infidelity is definitely not virtuous, has working to fix a marriage instead of simply giving up become some sort of virtue that more could practice today?
As for Mark Sanford, whether or not he is forced out of office is irrelevant. His term ends in 2010, and term limits prevent him from running again. The more important thing is whether he and his wife follow through on their statements in the coming weeks, months, and even years. I applaud Gov. Sanford for coming clean before any stories were released. And I applaud he and his wife for attempting to fix their marriage. Hopefully, they will.
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I also applaud Sanford for his efforts to reconcile with his wife. It does seem as if he’s trying to make things right again.
Everyone makes mistakes. I am by no means calling for his removal from office – especially since I don’t live in South Carolina. I’m all for forgiveness and extending grace, but I also think that there are consequences for actions. The unpleasant truth is that when someone is unfaithful to their spouse, it makes me question their honesty and integrity in other areas of their life. That’s why virtue is so important in our leaders. If we can’t trust them to be faithful to the people closest to them, how can we trust them to be faithful to the vows they have taken for us?
I believe in reconciliation and rehabilitation, but I don’t think those things happen overnight. Rebuilding trust and integrity takes time, no matter how remorseful or repentant you are.
For Governor Sanford, it may not matter much right now since his term is almost over, but it might make a difference if he runs for office in the future. I hope Sanford and his wife are able to mend the damage done to their marriage, but I don’t think it will be easy. If they survive, it may be good news for his political career, but if his wife is unable to stand by him, I’m afraid it sends a strong message to everyone else. If she can’t move past the infidelity, how can the rest of us?
We’ll see what happens.
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