Does Character Count?

Three big political stories in the news last week caught my attention: Mitt Romney announced his candidacy, John Edwards was indicted on campaign finance charges over payments to hide an extramarital affair, and Congressman Anthony Weiner was accused of sending lewd photos of himself to a woman in Washington.

Does character count in politics? We want our politicians to be smart — we even like them tall– but do we care if they are faithful to their families? Philandering by politicians has been around forever, but if George Washington cheated on Martha, the whole country didn’t find out about it. Now, with Facebook, Twitter, and cable news, cheaters are not only found out, the news spreads across the country within minutes. We, as voters, are privy to information that we can act on — should we?

The recently married Mr. Weiner, after adamantly denying any wrong doing, admitted yesterday that he had sent messages and photos “explicit in nature” to six women he had met online over the past three years via Twitter, Facebook and Email. One of the pictures appears to be of a shirtless Mr. Weiner in his office. While he is not accused of breaking any laws, using government computers or phones  to transmit explicit pictures would be an ethics violation. Mr. Weiner has said that he won’t step down. The people of New York’s ninth district will have to decide if Mr. Weiner engaging in online dalliances is worth their tax dollars, and they will have to ask themselves this: Do I tacitly condone Mr. Weiner’s behavior by giving him my vote?

Meeting with the press last week after his indictment, John Edwards said that he was so sorry for the pain that he had caused his family, but that he had not done anything illegal. I’m betting that he did. He lied about the affair he had with his campaign videographer and he lied about the child from that affair being his. Why should we believe him when he says that he did not do anything illegal? Again, a politician that pushes the boundaries, crossing the line morally, pushing the envelop legally and lying until he is totally surrounded.

Juxtaposed to Mr. Weiner and Mr. Edwards, Mitt Romney stood on a podium at a farm in New Hampshire and announced that he would be running for president; of course, his wife of forty-plus years was with him. Mr. Romney was governor of Massachusetts for four years, ran for president in 2008, and has continued to be is the spotlight, yet there is no hint of scandal around him. He is often described as “squeaky clean” and even held his wife’s hand when the two were on The View. Mr. Romney, a devout Mormon, doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke and by all accounts, doesn’t fool around. Watching Mitt and Ann Romney last week amid the Edwards and Weiner scandals was like a breath of fresh air.

The movies The Hangover part 1 and 2 went from funny to obscene, music has gone from suggestive to explicit, and politicians aren’t expected to be role models anymore. Raising kids has gone from hard to near impossible. Character has become obsolete and I’m truly getting worried. America is suffering from a character deficit, as well as a fiscal deficit.

John Edwards’ political career is over. Anthony Weiner and Mitt Romney will both be seeking offices next year. I hope that when Americans go to the polls they cast their votes for character. We need more Mitts and less Weiners.