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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Kenneth T. Walsh
The character issue is back, leaving voters wondering anew if their leaders can be trusted and, in all likelihood, intensifying the anti-incumbent mood across the country. Specifically, two recent incidents have underscored the doubts shared by many Americans about the political establishment and, at the same time, raised familiar questions about whether Washington is populated by phonies, hypocrites, and liars.
Republican Rep. Mark Souder of Indiana resigned from
In another heavily publicized incident, Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut was forced to fight for his political life after the
These are only two in a long series of character questions that have swirled around Washington in recent months. There were the allegations that caused Democratic Rep. Eric Massa of New York to resign after he was accused of harassing male staffers. There was the admitted adultery of Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who has refused to leave office.
There was the criticism of Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York for accepting
corporate-paid travel to the Caribbean. Outside
Of course, the most vivid example of the character issue in recent years was former President Bill Clinton's
affair with former
The episode had important, long-range political consequences. In the end, the public made a key distinction in Clinton's case, separating the president's private character, which they found lacking, from his public record, which they found laudable. This kept Clinton's job-approval ratings high even in the midst of the Lewinsky scandal, when Americans considered his personal conduct reprehensible.
As a general matter, the character issue never seems to go away. "It's always out there," says historian Robert Dallek.
What makes all this particularly important now is that the latest moral lapses might further undermine trust in government and contribute to a "throw the bums out" mentality, which is already running strong across the country. One side benefit, however, might go to President Obama, who benefits from pervasive perceptions of his good conduct. By all indications, he has a very strong and committed relationship with his wife, Michelle, and with his two young daughters, Malia and
But in assessing what to do in the November elections (when Obama won't be on the ballot), voters are again considering matters of morality, and the character issue will be an important factor in determining who survives.
Available at Amazon.com:
The Virtues of Mendacity: On Lying in Politics
Bush on the Home Front: Domestic Policy Triumphs and Setbacks
The Political Fix: Changing the Game of American Democracy, from the Grassroots to the White House
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Sex, Lies, and the Character Issue in the Midterm Elections | Politics
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