Should a President's personal life have any bearing on his or her fitness for the job?

Question

Bill Clinton was pilloried for his affair with Monica and impeached for lying about it. Many people in European countries had the attitude of "so what?" when discussing his affair. I tend to agree; I feel that as long as consenting adults are involved, it's nobody's business but that of the people involved. I do draw the line on hypocrites who talk about "family values" who then go on to have extramarital affairs or politicians who are anti-gay and who then turn out to be closeted homosexuals. But, as far as I'm concerned, I don't care if the President does it with sheep as long as he's competent at the job. Agree or disagree?

Richard C: To some degree you're right. To be fully consistent, I would have to allow the cases that I've excluded. Let's take the extreme case then: disregard what I said about "family values" candidates and so on, let's make it my position that the President's personal life is nobody's business but his or her own. Let's exclude the "sheep" part because sheep can't give consent. Would you agree?

Answer 1

I can answer that with a quote from Republican President Chester A. Arthur, "Madam, the private life of the President of the United States is nobody's damn business".

Answer 2

Only if his personal life makes a lie of every thing he is saying.

Clinton never said he thought folks who had affairs should be locked away, while a whole list of Republicans have pushed for laws that would have gotten them put away for what they themselves were doing at that time, because they did not think that it should apply to them.

The point is not the sex but the lie. A person who is duplicitous about his personal life is probably duplicitous about a lot more. And thinking one should be above the law is far more dangerous.

If the basic ideology is duplicitous, as it is with Neocons, Dominionists, Moonies, and most others on the right, then what they are saying is for the effect they want to have on you and not any connection to their actual belief or morals.

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Mitchel:
Gary Hart was Swiftboated by a made up story. If I am hiding outside a house with six bedrooms and four people, two of them married, anything that happened inside is purely in the imagination of the crazies outside hiding in the bushes.

If that whole story had happened today the net would have been all over it, debunking it, but the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy was still fairly secret in their abilities then, and the 'Net non existent.

Look up Donna Rice today and you will see that she is still a Republican Operative!

Answer 3

Well I'm concerned about their character. Remember when Gary Hart was the front runner in 1988? When the Donna Rice scandal broke, his campaign was sunk. But it wasn't because of the affair as much as how he handled it. He basically tried to blame the media for dogging him and deflected questions about his actions. Most people decided that if he couldn't stand up for himself in the face of adversity, how would he stand up against enemy nations.


The same can (and eventually) will be said about Giuliani. He married his own cousin, then after a messy divorce, remarried only to carry on with a mistress while Mayor of New York. Then he threw his wife and kids out and divorced his wife to marry the mistress, and now his kids don't talk with him. Many people will say, "Can a man who cannot show judgment with his personal life be entrusted with the well being of an entire country?"

I guess it's for each individual to decide.

Answer 4

I must disagree. There are points in every presidency when the people must simply trust (or not) the President. At that point, we can only rely on his (her) moral character as proven by his actions. I recognize that all people are fallible...including Presidents. If they have faltered along the way, but proven that they have learned from their past mistakes and have changed their ways, then I'm OK with that. But if they continue to make those mistakes AND show no remorse in them, i.e., Clinton, then I have to question his character...and consequently, his ability to lead and earn my trust.

Answer 5

The only person it should've mattered to were the three people involved especially Hillary. I am proud of her for standing by Bill though. It shows a lot of strength and conviction on her part. So what Bill likes sex. I often wonder how much of a set up that was though. Monica Lewinsky looks like a bltch to me.

Answer 6

If it didn't matter to some degree, then the hypocrites you describe would also receive a free pass. It cannot be exclusive to certain situations and not to others.

Answer 7

I agree! we're only human. No body's perfect like what U said as long as he's competent and doing he's job is A O.K.

Answer 8

First of all, it's a question of character. If you can't honor your oath to your wife, how can you be trusted to honor your oath to your country?

Secondly, what the President does on his own time is his own business. FDR at least had his fling at his own private getaway and kept it very discreet. But when you're in the White House, you're on the clock and screwing around on my dime. If I did that sort of thing at my place of employment, they'd kick me to the curb faster than I could say "I did not have sexual relations with that woman!"

And finally, your personal life is your own business, but if you have to lie about it to everyone including your own wife then you leave yourself open to blackmail. Not a good position for the leader of the free world to be in.

Answer 9

Personal life goes to the character of the person. Thu I think it makes a great deal of bearing on the type of decisions the person makes. Would you hire a pyromaniac to guard your gas station?

Answer 10

Yes, I do. Remember, the President is the most powerful person on this earth. It goes with the job.