Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Wacky Wednesday: We Shouldn’t Care About Politicians’ Private Lives

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

--It’s private.
--We aren’t electing religious or even moral leaders, we’re electing politicians
--Sexual behavior has no connection to political aptitude
--Does it matter whether a mailman is gay?
--Carter was faithful. Gore was faithful. Reagan was divorced. Kennedy was, well, who really has any idea about everything Kennedy did?
--We should judge people by the quality of their performance, not by the activities of their boudoir.
--Such sexual fascism is keeping lots of otherwise highly talented people out of politics.
--This tawdry substitution of scandal for issues has turned political reporting into nothing more than a glorified witch-hunt a la TMZ.

Resources:
Politicians and Privacy (A Conversation)
Slate

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