Soon we’re going to start hearing calls for Sanford to resign, if they haven’t started already. I just want to give one liberal’s perspective on public/private behavior of elected officials.
Sanford: I think he should resign.
Lest I be accused of being a hypocrite about the Clinton impeachment (I thought it was bogus), let me give my reasons. Sanford should resign because he neglected his duties as governor of South Carolina. Sanford didn’t take a vacation – he left the state in a lurch if something happened. He should have informed his staff and the lieutenant governor of how to reach him or turned over authority to the lieutenant governor. Sanford didn’t do that, and that’s one reason that he got caught. I don’t think Sanford should resign for having an affair, that’s his private life and is between him and his family.
Here are my guidelines for when a politician should resign:
Sometimes a politician who fits in category 2 but not in category 3 can hang on and continue to serve (Barney Frank), though I think it hurts their future careers if they’re ambitious. In my opinion, private behavior is private even if you don’t approve of it. I don’t think Ensign should resign and if Sanford hadn’t left the country without making sure the state was running properly I wouldn’t think he should resign either. If Republicans are enduring more ridicule it is because they sell themselves as having family values and experts on the state of marriage. Most people don’t like being preached at by hypocrites, and yes, we enjoy the schadenfreude.
What I’ve learned over the years is that life is messy and some people’s lives are messier than others. Who am I to judge the circumstances of someone I don’t know? I don’t have to live their life and it’s easy to throw stones from a distance. What happens between informed consenting adults in privacy does not affect me so I keep the attitude “live and let live.” That does not mean I necessarily agree with or approve of the behavior, but in the end it’s not me that is affected.