Topic: Does it matter if politicians have affairs? (Read 400 times)

Theoretically yes, it shouldn`t make a big deal - but it still makes a great opportunity for negative campaigning. Everybody may have affairs, but politicians are under constant pressure of media attention.
They should be extra careful, everything could be bloat out of proportion and used against them. 

That's the double standards of the Democrats and the liberals,  But having an affair shouldn't be a big deal as long as it doesn't interfere with them doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Personally, I do not care if they have affairs as long as they are doing their job and not letting their personal affairs affect it. If they are spending money on their affairs using people's taxes, or their mistresses are getting special privileges for being associated to them then I wouldn't support them. Otherwise, it's not my problem. It's their spouse's.

This is an excellent point. It's the reason that in the 1950s and 1960s, people with homosexual behavior were refused security clearances.

If an individual can't be honest and faithful to their partner, why would one expect them to be honest and faithful to their constituents? If an individual has an open relationship with their partner, I don't really see an issue.

Of course, society is mostly monogamist rather than polygamist. So of course when someone is being polygamist, people whine.

It shouldn't matter, but it does. Not for the reasons most people think. It matters because it can be exploited to force people into criminal activity and espionage via blackmail. I don't think any kind of moralizing should enter into it.

It does matter if politicians have affairs. A leader should lead by example and maintain a good relationship with his/her spouse. I look forward to seeing the citizens or opposition parties question political  leaders morality for having affairs in most African countries. A leader should be morally upright.

Every people have their own unique opinion. For me, it is not right if the politician have an affair/s, specially if the politician have good background from his past years in service. Once they make an affair with someone else beside from his spouse, they might be the subject on the gossip and even on the news if they are high officials. Another thing is, once they commit to have an affair/s it will remain on the peoples mind and change their mindset that this kind of politicians is not a good leader and not a good example for the youth. They should maintain their good images to keep them in the position, and win again on the next election.

Politicians' lives should be separated from their personal lives. It should not affect each other and must be independent from each other because a conflict in the politics could be potentially brought out to the family if the two concerns will not be distinguish from each other. However, I also believe that how the politivians serve their family is also how do they serve the people. Moreover, politicians should be an epitome of what kind of person you could be and what kind of person the country should have for us to be economically and at the same time, morally upright. But despite all of these, if the politicians' political lives in good service towards its people will not be affected by this affairs, then it does not matter and will never matter.

In my opinion, politicians must be allowed to express themselves and enjoy lives to the fullest regardless of whatever anyone thinks. As far as the affairs of politicians don't cause financial lose to the state, it is cool.

For me it matters a lot. If such a politician cannot exercise self control, how can he or she be able to have control over a city? As a leader and role model, will it be nice if all men or women all over his or her territory begin to have affairs alike just in line with emulating their leader? About using it against them during election, that is why politics is commonly known as a dirty game.

I think it is also a problem but not that big issue, if you are a good leader then don't make any problem that destroy/questioning being a leader. I know that everybody make a mistake and i know no body's perfect but you know what is right and wrong,people choose you being a leader because they know that you can handle the country.,

I would say implicitly she consented since they are still together. Who knows what goes on there.

That's a far cry from legally defending a husband from rape and sexual assault charges.

It is basically a stain in their name and image, but I think as long as they do what they have to do and work fairly is enough. I don't want also to tolerate that kind of doings  but it is more good if they don't have an affair.

Did Melania consent, too?

What you say is partly true, but it went far beyond that. For Clinton there were numerous substantiated reports of rape and other serious allegations, in addition to the Lewinsky affair that basically led to the Starr investigation.

Hillary was largely complicit in all of that including defending her husband on the rape charges. Yes in the last two years, FINALLY, people have swung against her for that.

Trump has an number of consensual affairs. I am not seeing that his behavior now or in the past even approaches the sexual predator activities of Bill Clinton.

The greatest risk is the risk of blackmail. If they could be open about it, then that would go away.

I think it will be also a problem but not that really a big issue to their work maybe it may affect their political performance and it may also affect how he or she will handle the huge work in the government well without making mistakes because of the issue and maybe some people will not trust that politician regarding to that matter.

To me it seems quite the opposite. Hillary Clinton was given grief how she was not a feminist because she did not leave her husband when HE had an affair. But Donald Trump gets to have affairs with porn starts and nothing happens.

I think it matters a great deal. People are defined by their actions, and an affair tells me this person is spineless, weak and willing to do as they see fit with the hopes they not get caught. They would carry this same attitude in being a government official IMO.

I personally don't care if you want to go bang the secretary, or whomever gets things flowing for you. Then turn to your spouse and say just that, the rest is for them to sort out. If you can't do this before going off and having an affair, you don't deserve to be a representative. People like to brush these scandals under the rug and point out that it doesn't matter, but I see it as a telling factor of ones being.

I would be far more impressed by a politician who ended their marriage; or came to some sort of agreement and was honest about it. I know honesty and politician don't go hand in hand, but one can hope for better.

Politicians don't lie, they are just economical with the truth.

Affairs are not wrong, but the deceit is. Thressomes are even more fun, but the media would have hieroglyphics over that.

Most people run into a load of trouble when they have an affair. Much of the trouble stems from guilt.

Politicians have often overcome their feelings of guilt just to be politicians. So, they have way more affairs than average people do.

While affairs are morally wrong, because they break spoken/unspoken contracts with their spouse, the benefit we get from politicians having them, is we can see what callous - even wicked - people we have in politicians. We need to take this to heart, and keep these people in government where we can keep an eye on them.

In the USA it only is an issue if it is a Republican having the affair. Those of Democrats are routinely ignored, not reported, and not considered in decisions about them.

It looks as if we have another sex allegation in the UK, and they always seem to surface just before a politician is likely to run for office, and the "establishment" doesn't like him ( or her ) for some reason. My personal view is that it doesn't matter, and I would rather have someone with some spirit who believes in his country, than the treasonous wet dishrags who sell out the birthrights of their voters. They don't seem to have enough red blood to maintain an adult relationship, and they seem to end up with rumours of paedophilia.

People are so prissy about sex and politicians. I think it was Gerald Ford who caused a scandal when his wife commented on the large bed that he had moved into the White House. She stated that he was still an active man, and that was his wife speaking. What did they want - some drooling dotard that was past it.

Sir Ralph Halpern ( the former chairman of The Burton Group) had an affair with a topless model, and she is reputed to have said that they had sex five times a night. Sir Ralph had masterminded the recovery of the Burton group, and many considered it to be a basket case. The shareholders supported him, and the share price went up after the disclosure. Lets have some politicians like this who can orchestrate a national recovery, and not just sell of off the national assets to the bankers to buy re-election from the stupid voters.