Tulsa World: Should Private be Public?

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Should Private be Public?

By Rachel Stromberg/NIE Blogger
Published: 9/29/2008 9:56 AM
Last Modified: 9/29/2008 10:00 AM

Should politicians’ private lives have any impact on their political campaigns? I believe that, to an extent, they should. Some people say that politicians’ private lives have nothing to do with their qualifications for the job.

On some basic level, this is true. Whether a candidate was ever arrested for drunk driving does not tell us whether or not he or she knows how to run a country. However, it may tell something about the candidate.

For example, an arrest for intoxicated driving might tell us that the rules of the road just are not that important to him or her. Initiating a romantic relationship when he or she is still married might inform us that honesty and loyalty, two of the most important qualities in a leader, are somewhat lacking in this candidate. Would these be things we would want in a leader?

Anyone who has tried to win an argument with someone stubborn knows that it is simply not possible to control anyone besides oneself. This holds true in politicians’ lives as well. And it is also just as true, if not more so, in parent/child relationships.

The recent announcement that Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is pregnant made a huge splash in the media. But Sarah Palin is not her daughter. No one is responsible for the actions of their friends or relatives, so their mistakes or failures should not be called out by the media as faults of the candidate.

People in positions of high political power need to understand and respect all laws and basic human codes, in their political campaigns

and outside of them. If they do, it should not be a problem for a candidate to remain consistent in all aspects of their life. If not, they should not be running.

They need to be ready for every tiny mistake to be publicized and used against them. However, it is cheap and childish to use the candidates’ acquaintances as sources for the media, as they are not the ones running. Of course politicians will paint themselves as perfect citizens, that’s just a given, but the truth might not be so pretty. And we, the people, need to know the truth in order to make a good decision. By Rachel Stromberg/NIE Blogger

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