In the last few weeks, two prominent Republicans have been a tad hypocritical. Senator John Ensign from Nevada is part of the fundamentalist Christian group \u201cPromise Keepers\u201d which preaches the \u201cfamily values\u201d angle. Ensign was also one of the possible contenders for the Republican Party\u2019s Presidential pick for 2012. Well, as you have no doubt heard, he recently admitted to no only cheating on his wife (breaking his promise), but doing so with a married women. Instead of coming clean about this affair, he hid it and continued to preach. Ensign, I should remind people, was one of the leading voices for the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton because he got a blow-job in the White House. Ensign also pushed to try to get fellow Republican Larry Craig to resign after Craig was caught in his own sex scandal\/affair.<\/p>\n
While Senator Ensign has stepped down from his leadership position in the Senate, I think he needs to step down as Senator. Senator Ensign should resign. I wouldn\u2019t be so hard on Senator Ensign except that he has made his political career touting his strong family values, his Christian purity, and trying to push out all those he felt were not as pure as he was. The same is true for Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina who last week \u201cdisappeared.\u201d His staff at first claimed that while they didn\u2019t know where he was, that they were sure he was safe. They later lied to reporters and said that he was on the Appalachian Trail. As it turned out, he was in the Vagina Trail in Argentina.<\/p>\n
Yesterday Governor Sanford admitted to having an affair. While he has stepped down as the head of the Republican Governors Association, I think he should also step down as the Governor of South Carolina. While as Governor he seems to have gone out of his way not to play the family values card to his mostly fundamentalist base, as a Congressman, he not only voted for the Clinton impeachment, he also pushed for it on the grounds that Clinton\u2019s blow-job of an affair was a violation of the public\u2019s trust. So why is it that Governor Sanford thinks that Clinton\u2019s blow job was a violation of the public\u2019s trust, but not his affair with an Argentinean woman? Both lied about what they did right up to when they got caught. I just think that it is funny that in the last few weeks two top GOP contenders for 2012 have had affairs which should destroy their careers.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t think that I only pick on the poor Republicans. I was just as critical of Governor Elliot Spitzer for cracking down on prostitution rings and then being caught with a prostitute. And then there was former Senator and Presidential hopeful John Edwards who was on the campaign trail bragging about his Christian family values and strong marriage before he was caught cheating on his wife. Lesson to be learned is, don\u2019t be a hypocrite. I don\u2019t have a problem with politicians who cheat on their wives as long as they aren\u2019t the politicians preaching the immorality of cheating. Former President Clinton is off the hook because he never touted his strong marriage to get elected or condemned other politicians for having affairs. The hypocrites on the other hand should be pushed to resign!<\/p>\n