McCain's Wives
Monday, June 9, 2008
If you didn't know already, the woman who John McCain is currently married to is his second wife. I read this article today about McCain and the circumstances of his divorce.
Besides the obvious weak journalism (assuming that the only reason McCain left his wife was because of her physical appearance, outright accusing his ex-wife of lying that she's happily supporting McCain, etc. etc.) , I think this is something that McCain is going to have to eventually address. After all, his second wife is 20 years his junior and there is reason to believe (as the article insinuates) that he was actively pursuing her while still married.
After all, as part of a party that has become socially synonymous with advocating so-called ethics, cheating on your wife is hardly acceptable...and the social taboo of marrying a woman so much younger (not to mention that she's also an heiress) is something the media is going to start picking up on really quickly.
So, I open this up to you, my friends. You can leave an anonymous comment if you wish (but it'd be cooler if you didn't) but...in the realm of politics/deciding on a new leader for this country, do you feel like this is relevant?
No, seriously...write a comment.
Keep personal business separate from politics! The media always makes a big deal about stuff like this when it really none of their business! Sure, if he actually did cheat on his 1st wife, that may be considered unethical, but that part of his personal life isn't really relevant his ability in running the country (if elected). I doubt that McCain is an unethical person, as he's been a great political figure thus far. I feel like this is just a minor issue. Plus, it's his choice whether or not he wants to be with a woman, regardless of the reason. People have different views and beliefs...
I don't think its whether or not we should keep personal business seperate from politics(which I agree we should..) , I think its whether personal business IS kept seperate. In a country where we can attempt to impeach a president for personal business, obviously McCain is going to be asked some uncomfortable questions about this issue. And we know how the media can inflate an issue, it doesnt' help that his previous wife was crippled and is quoted saying things like, "My marriage ended because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25. You know that happens...it just does.’ "
Obviously political campaigns often resort to smearing and mud slinging, and I think this could minorly hurt his campaign in that sense. He doesnt' have the full support of his own party to begin with. And like you said Viraj, he can be somewhat set up as a hypocrite since he belongs to the Republican party, which is generally more stern on morals and ethics. To his defense though, no one knows the full story and this was a long time ago..
So is this relevant? Yes I think it will be? Should it be? Probably not as much as it will be made to be. Can it extremely deter his chances of winning presidency? I don't think so..
absolutely not, just like bill clinton's affairs didn't stop him from being the best american president in years :) anyways, I don't think personal business matters, but politics isn't exactly about sticking to your convictions, it's about winning.
It didn't stop him from being a good leader (just like I wholeheartedly agree that this indicates nothing about McCain's abilities as a leader), but when Clinton left office, it was with dismal approval ratings. They plummeted when the news about his affair went public both in the US and abroad, which is why I'd argue that while the two topics may seem mutually exclusive, they're actually pretty relevant.
