Another Politician Can't Keep it in His Pants; Is This News?

Imagine my surprise when I went to CNN's homepage and saw John Edwards' smiling face under the headline: "Edwards admits to extramarital affair." I personally was as surprised as I could possibly be at the news of a politician sleeping around on his wife. Edwards seemed like a nice guy (must have had a great PR team) and also seemed to be there for his wife since her cancer diagnosis in November of 2004. Unfortunately, Edwards has thrown all of that good family guy image away with his admission of infidelity. This, however, is not what people should be outraged about.

A brief history of politics in America will show a long list of politicians who cannot remain monogamous. After Watergate broke and journalists took a more investigatory and invasive approach to Washington politics, that list exploded. So, in a sense, cheating on one's significant other is par for the course in these circles. And while many people say that a man's sexual activities are his own personal things and have no bearing on his ability to politick, if a man is sleeping around on his wife, who he made a promise to, how can he be trusted with his constituents, who he also made a promise to (represent)?

It would be impossible for people to expect their politicians to be perfect. Everyone has vices. But to ask someone to keep a bond they made with their wife is not that heady of an expectation. The problem I see with all of this infidelity is just that; these people are not loyal. If you want to sleep around, I do not really care. Just don't make a promise to someone if you cannot keep it. And that is where John Edwards' sin lies: he deceived his wife and all of America.

Asked repeatedly on the campaign trail (the rumors about his affair were rampant and it was not exactly a well-kept secret), he continued to deny them, saying it was "tabloid trash" or mere rumors. This repeated lying is where the outrage should originate from, not the fact that Edwards was banging some other woman. Honesty and open government are two things that have been lacking the past 8 years (at least) in Washington and it is this shortage of logic and honesty that has brought this country to where it is today (economically and in the eyes of the world). Edwards simply embodies this dishonesty with his repeated lies to the American people on the campaign trail.

I also want to address some things that I have been reading on the internet. One of the most common things I read in comments sections and message boards is "See, Republicans aren't the only ones who cheat on their wives. Where's the outrage when it's a Democrat?" There is outrage, but I can agree that it is not as widespread when it is a Democrat. One of the reasons for this is the fact that many Democrats are not hard-core "family values" pushers as many Republicans. One of the reasons Larry Craig was lambasted so bad after his "wide stance" incident was because he was anti-gay marriage and, for all intents and purposes, anti-gay and here he is out trying to get some bathroom nookie. Edwards certainly tried to paint himself as a family man and a loving husband, but it did not define him in his politics like poverty did. It was an image he put out, but not a political stance.

Another thing I see is "Well, McCain just cheated on his wife after coming home from torture camps in 'Nam and then married the woman, which is not as bad as what Edwards did or Spitzer did or [insert another shamed Democrat here] did." My number one qualm is this: at the end of the day, these people lied. It doesn't matter under what circumstance. When you are a politician, you are expected to be honest and to represent your constituents in the best way you can. Proving that you cannot keep a marital bond that you made with someone you were very closed to and loved speaks volumes about what you would do for thousands of people you have never met but have sworn to serve their interests for them. Just because a Democrat did a shitty thing, it does not excuse a Republican doing a shitty thing. Partisanship has nothing to do with lying and doing sleazy things.

At the end of the day, I am glad that Edwards is not the presumptive Democratic nominee. Not only would this kill him in the polls, but if he were elected his authority would be greatly undermined by the fact that he had lied to the American public throughout the primary (and may have continued to lie had he won the nomination to keep his image as clean as possible). Not a good way to start a presidency. In other words, John Edwards' infidelity is not emblamatic of either party's misgivings, it is emblamatic of Washington's culture of deceit. Peace.

Photos - John Edwards (www.cnn.com), Rielle Hunter, the other woman (nymag.com), Washington (www.usatourist.com)