So we have all heard about separation of church and state, and it is an issue whose validity is certainly up for debate. However, I think that there is another separation that is interesting to discuss in the realm of politics and that is the separation of one’s political and personal life. For as long as America has existed there has been an interesting mix between our presidents’ personal lives and how they conduct themselves in office. I think this issue is an interesting one- how much should/does it matter how our leaders conduct themselves in the private sphere. There are many examples of how the personal lives of our presidents have leaked into the public realm; perhaps the case that our generation most readily remembers is that of Bill Clinton’s impeachment. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” (read with a Bill Clintonesque accent) has become a joke in our culture, a funny reference to look back on. However, it was certainly a huge political dilemma when it all came to a head in the nineties. Should Bill Clinton have been impeached because of events that took place in his private life? Should he not be remembered more for his political ideas and actions than for those personal? The American people are privy to a lot of kn0wledge that is not available to the general public in other governments. But is there a place where we are told too much, should we be allowed to see every aspect of the life of our leader? I certainly do not claim to know the answer to these questions, but I think they are important ones and I think they follow us into this 2008 election.
There have been plenty of accusations made about all of the candidates leading up to this point but it seems that as the race gets tighter the accusations are getting dirtier and more frequent. Of course, there was the accusation that Senator Obama recently plagiarized Deval Patrick’s speech. Senator Clinton called Obama out regarding this issue, stating, “That’s not change we can believe in, that’s change we can Xerox,” despite accusations that have been made about Senator Clinton’s plagiarizing of speeches. But one story that seems to be getting a lot of news attention is the recent accusation that John McCain had a suspiciously close relationship with a female lobbyist which he used to get himself ahead during the election. There was a lot of speculation that the relationship was not only used for political reasons, but may even have turned intimate. The Time’s article caused a lot of buzz among the talking heads and warranted a response from McCain where he denied all the accusations claiming, “It’s not true.” This recent accusation is an interesting one because it involves both the political and the personal spheres for John McCain. Obviously, the claim that his personal relationship with this lobbyist was helping him get ahead in the election is a legitimate political concern. But what is more buzzworthy, the fact that he was getting ahead politically, or the possibility of an affair? From the perspective of the American people, I’m not sure. Unfortunately I think it is easier to get people to pay attention to a juicy scandal than an action that might actually make a difference. Also, it is clear that people are purposely looking for flaws in these candidates as the competition gets heated. That is quite likely what has happened with John McCain, if what he says is true and the accusations are false. But does this not say something about our political process that it is not enough to focus on what the candidates stand for politically? It seems that in order to advance above another candidate in this country you must find something corrupt in the other’s personal past and exploit it to try to win votes. What has happened to “He without sin shall cast the first stone?”
Another issue is of course at stake here and that is the issue of forgiveness and how much our political realm allows for it. As Christians we are called to forgive as Christ forgives, but are we only supposed to forgive certain people? Is it too much to ask for us to forgive those in a position of power? Now, I know that the cases that I have mentioned above warrant different levels of forgiveness. The fact is, President Clinton lied under oath about what he did, which is what lead to his impeachment, which is obviously a bit different then if he admitted to the charges and apologized right off the bat. Barack Obama has not admitted to plagiarism, but instead said that his close friendship with Deval resulted in Deval giving him a few ideas for his speech. John McCain has adamantly stated that he indeed did not do what he was accused of. Who should be forgiven, and is forgiveness welcome in American political life?
I think that this issue of the personal and the political has always pervaded the American lifestyle, however it is more pertinent now than it has ever been. With the technological advances of our time we can now get the news minutes after it has been released via our televisions, radios, podcasts, cell phones, laptop computers, you name it! And the news we are getting is even more chalk full of the personal lives of those in the public light. I think it is time we reevaluate how much of a person's life should serve as our entertainment and that the media and the American people in general should decide what is really important to look for in the next President of the United States.
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