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OPINIONS
Diane W. Mufson: Moral hypocrisy is the real issue with today's politicians
As Yogi Berra said, "It's déjà vu all over again." Another high profile political personage, this time South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford-R, has been caught in the web of moral hypocrisy. And again, we act surprised.
Let's face it whether we like it or not, human beings make mistakes, sometimes enormous ones. Ordinary folks often get caught in their transgressions; those with power and control have more ability to evade discovery of morally reprehensible behaviors.
But the real issue is the moral hypocrisy that permits powerful and political personages to demand that others follow their "holier than thou" dictums when in actuality it is their morality that is flawed.
History shows that lying, stealing, greed, adultery and other forms of moral turpitude have been with us since recorded time. But kings, princes, presidents and religious leaders have often been immune to consequences of their immoralities.
In recent decades America and particularly the Republican Party have been on patrol to make sure that only those of flawless moral character can assume leadership in our country. The truth is we are an equal opportunity nation when it comes to widely recognized immoral behaviors.
Gov. Sanford exemplifies moral hypocrisy. He not only hurt his wife and family by flying off to philander in Argentina, he left his state of South Carolina without a leadership plan.
But his glaring two-faced activity was publicly insisting that his moral views were the correct ones. The Miami Herald reported that when he was a congressman, he "voted for three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, citing the need for moral legitimacy."
Too many public figures have adopted the "moral legitimacy" stance only to find that it has come back to haunt them. Ex-Congressman Mark Foley, R-Florida, had an unhealthy attachment to young male pages in Congress; Sen. John Ensign, a conservative Republican who was until recently viewed as a future presidential contender, highlighted his moral position by having an affair with a former aide.
Lest you feel that I'm picking on Republicans, it's only fair to recognize Democrats such as former New York Gov. Elliott Spitzer's and former presidential candidate John Edward's dalliances. And while many of my generation adored JFK, fidelity wasn't his game.
In religion circles, Tammy Fay and Jim Bakker left a legacy of fraud. Paraphrasing Shakespeare, "Me thinks he doth protest too much" could be fitting for the former Rev. Ted Haggard, who along with his mega church, derided gays. The Catholic Church in Boston, Louisville and other cities has had to contend with revelations of decades of sexual abuse of priests toward young parishioners.
There is no group, political party, religion or nation that can or should anoint itself as the guardian of righteousness and morality. That only leads to hypocrisy. Power or political clout is not a license to be a morality judge. Yet, it is obvious that some of our nation's most vocal "keepers of morality" are but a newsbreak away from moral messes.
This week's winner of the moral hypocrisy award goes to Gov. Sanford. It's sad that he cheated on his wife, wasn't around for his four sons on Father's Day and abdicated his elected role. But it is sadder that he, like many others, who have lambasted the moral failures of others, turns out to be cut from the same cloth.
Diane W. Mufson is a licensed psychologist in Huntington. She is a former citizen member of The Herald-Dispatch editorial board and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page. Her e-mail is dwmufson@comcast.net.
