Memo to Pols: Competence Trumps Morality

[Arthur Dent]

I agree that claims about personal morality are a poor basis for leadership, but I don't think morality is irrelevant to public policy. It can't just be reduced to maximizing efficiency. For example, my main objection to the war in Iraq is that it is immoral regardless of whether it has been carried out competently.

[Hungary Jack]

I don't know what you mean by "messing up"...unless you mean that he messed up by not being true to himself.

Yeah, I personally don't see anything bad about dancing on this guy's grave. I love this stuff. Maybe if he actually did something wrong I'd feel bad about that.

Well it doesn't do much good to celebrate anyone else's failings. I just wish the pols would take notice and stop deluding themselves that they are somehow "different" and capable of occupying a higher moral standard than others. We are all primitive beings, IMO.

[haltz]

I don't know what you mean by "messing up"...unless you mean that he messed up by not being true to himself.

Yeah, I personally don't see anything bad about dancing on this guy's grave. I love this stuff. Maybe if he actually did something wrong I'd feel bad about that.

Well it doesn't do much good to celebrate anyone else's failings. I just wish the pols would take notice and stop deluding themselves that they are somehow "different" and capable of occupying a higher moral standard than others. We are all primitive beings, IMO.

I just don't see it as a failing, I guess. I don't know if this guy has a family or whatever, so in that sense I don't celebrate his indiscretions, and bathroom sex won't go over well for any politician, but that's obviously not the story here.

[jim]

I don't know what you mean by "messing up"...unless you mean that he messed up by not being true to himself.

Yeah, I personally don't see anything bad about dancing on this guy's grave. I love this stuff. Maybe if he actually did something wrong I'd feel bad about that.

Well it doesn't do much good to celebrate anyone else's failings. I just wish the pols would take notice and stop deluding themselves that they are somehow "different" and capable of occupying a higher moral standard than others. We are all primitive beings, IMO.

I just don't see it as a failing, I guess. I don't know if this guy has a family or whatever, so in that sense I don't celebrate his indiscretions, and bathroom sex won't go over well for any politician, but that's obviously not the story here.

I know he has a wife. Don't know about children. That's the sad thing if it's true, the kids and wife.

But I don't lose any sleep when any politician goes down.

[TimeForGuinness]

But I don't lose any sleep when any politician goes down.

...a better choice of words may have been more appropriate.

[jim]

But I don't lose any sleep when any politician goes down.

...a better choice of words may have been more appropriate.

lol.

Didn't exactly mean that.

[ghostrunner]

Guys, Im sorry, but this "woe is us" act is a little far fetched. Are we saying invective hasn't been heaped on Republicans over the years by the poor little Democrats? Cause that's pretty inaccurate. Republicans have had to hear it from actors, comedians and politicians for as long as I can remember. That's all fine but let's not act like liberals or Democrats are a bunch of peace loving martyrs in this particular war. Seems to me the mud has been slung from both sides.

[Cronos]

Guys, Im sorry, but this "woe is us" act is a little far fetched. Are we saying invective hasn't been heaped on Republicans over the years by the poor little Democrats? Cause that's pretty inaccurate. Republicans have had to hear it from actors, comedians and politicians for as long as I can remember. That's all fine but let's not act like liberals or Democrats are a bunch of peace loving martyrs in this particular war. Seems to me the mud has been slung from both sides.

Thank you.

[Hungary Jack]

Guys, Im sorry, but this "woe is us" act is a little far fetched. Are we saying invective hasn't been heaped on Republicans over the years by the poor little Democrats? Cause that's pretty inaccurate. Republicans have had to hear it from actors, comedians and politicians for as long as I can remember. That's all fine but let's not act like liberals or Democrats are a bunch of peace loving martyrs in this particular war. Seems to me the mud has been slung from both sides.

Well yes. My impression of the far left is that they would rather whine about problems that expend mental energy to find real answers to real problems. IMO liberalism has lost sight of the ethic of rugged individualism and self-reliance that founded this country. But I find morality-based approaches to solving problems to be equally ineffective. The outer fringes in both parties just don't seem to have pragmatic approaches for dealing with the issues of today.

[clement]

I'm sorry I missed this thread because it actually addresses a lot of another thread that I just created in Social.

Snayke: I stand by my topic title. When someone votes to legislate morality, it suggests to me that they should at a minimum follow through on that morality in their own life. I don't see that as taking pleasure in his downfall, it's about pointing out his hypocrisy (as others have said). I'm more angry than anything. And I'm also angry that the base of his party's response to this is to sort of confirm their belief that homosexuality is wrong, and therefore they want him to resign and they're leaving him out to dry.

You mentioned the part about trying to abuse power, but who among the media, the left or the right is even saying anyting about that. It's all just about the sex. And if the Democrats or liberals or whatever were going around trying to legislate sexual morality, then they would be hypocrites too. But that's not on their agenda.