South Carolina Gov. Sanford admits extramarital affair

[Capernicus]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/...lina.governor/

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, just back from a secret trip to Argentina unknown to his staff or his wife, admitted Wednesday he has carried on an extramarital affair.

"I've been unfaithful to my wife," Sanford told a news conference in Columbia, the state capital. "I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina."


His voice choking at times, Sanford apologized to his wife and four sons, his staff and supporters, and said he would resign immediately as head of the Republican Governors Association.

More on the link.

Cheating is wrong, m'kay. But you have to admire his honesty and desire to work things out with his wife. He's not being a jerk about it at all.

Although he has resigned as head of the Republican Governors Association, he does not appear to be resigning as governor. Also, before this news he was a strong candidate for the 2012 presidential election, and now would be crazy to think he could run.

Thoughts?

[Teddy2116]

I really don't think cheating is all that wrong (depending on how they did it) but yes I will say it takes a lot for a man to admit he's wrong so for that I clap for him

[The Unwanted]

Haha, way to lay down the law governor

[Gjallarhorn]

Republican politician:
[ ]molested little girls?
[ ]molested little boys?
[ ]slept with a harlot?
[ ]is actually gay?
[ ]took bribes for political position?
[ ]took personal bribes for tax leniency?
[x]cheated on his wife?

I'm somehow not surprised.

[Eris]

How is this relevant to his politics?

[Gjallarhorn]

How is this relevant to his politics?

It's not, but Americans will support people based on some pretty strange things. Remember Sarah Palin? She got votes because she gave birth to a son with downsyndrome. Remember Mit Romney? He lost votes because he's a Mormon. Remember the non-theists of America? They'll never hold political office.

Hell, there's people who support Obama right now because he's a cool guy. Ask them what his policies are, they have no idea. Ask them what he's done so far, they have no idea.

The former govenor of New Jersey paid for some high-end "escort service" over a period of 2 years, forced to resign.
There's been a couple similar cases over the last few years. They all resign because they all lose support.

Oh aren't you Mr. know it all. You know everyone in America? No? Them stop judging them on what you believe

Statistics are statistics.
History is history.

There are blantantly obvious trends amongst voters, amongst voting groups, amongst the majorities, amongst the minorities, and amongst political parties. It doesn't take a genius to observe the world around him.

[Capernicus]

I can understand both sides of the argument of whether a politician's personal life should matter. On the one side, yes, politicians are supposed to be respected figures in society, role models of sorts. 90% of Americans agree that cheating on a spouse is morally wrong, and if there are no consequences for this man then younguns will think that kind of behavior is acceptable when most people agree that it is not. Also, politicians are often responsible for pieces of legislation regarding moral issues(ex stem cell research, cloning, gay marriage, etc). Americans expect politicians to uphold the will of the people and keep those policies in place that are consistent with those morals. If a politician has morals that differ from the public, then the public fears that the politician will not uphold said morals.

On the other hand, whether a politician is faithful to their spouse or not does not have a direct impact on their ability to do their job. Their political affiliations haven not changed, nor has their economic, health care, education, public safety, etc policies changed. Therefore, he/she is still, in essence, the same candidate that the people voted in. So why should a matter of their personal life have such a huge impact on their public approval polls? Why should there be calls for resignation? It's just a backwards concept.

I'm still unsure of where I stand on this issue to be honest.

[DOOM!]

Because every politician's a Star, and their family's image is the wage. The outcome is something less funny than The Osbourns, which weren't funny at all.

[Cross Avantgarde]

Cheating is wrong, m'kay. But you have to admire his honesty and desire to work things out with his wife. He's not being a jerk about it at all.

Agreed; cheating is wrong, and I certainly admire his candor in his press conference (which lasted about 20 minutes). One politician in SC has called for his resignation already (Dem. Representative Rutherford of Columbia), so it's unknown what the fallout will be save a missed chance for a 2012 run for president. I don't think he'll resign, however.

Concerning the talk over politicians and morals, voters have every right to expect that their reps/leaders/legislators practice what they preach, as it were. On this one issue, I respect what both Sanford and his wife have done in light of the affair.