Guiliani's GOP Family Values

[Polly]

Oh, what a good family man America's Mayor is!

http://news.aol.com/elections/president/story/_a/giuliani-estranged-from-his-children/20070305131309990001?cid=2359

Polly

[Jejune]

See, while Guiliani sounds like a really unpleasant person in many ways, and while I will never vote for him, it bothers me that this is being brought up in context with his presidential campaign in the article. I don't care what kind of relationship my president has with his or her kids. That's their business. I'd assume that anyone running for president has probably devoted a lot of time to their career and is not that close with their family just as a default. Clinton cheated on his wife, Carter made his daughter serve as an example, Reagan failed to recognize his adopted son at his college graduation and alienated most of his kids...being a high powered politician just isn't good for families.

[Mary]

Big fat ditto to Kristen.

[Beka]

ditto to Kristen- a family man doesn't at all equal a good political leader- Blair is quite the family man, a dedicated father who had a late in life additionto their family during his term but politically he's been little other than a hand puppet for Bush

[Lori]

I agree with Kristen, in this instance. Now, in a case where a politican is running on a so-called "pro-family" platform, and are trying to legislate morality in all sorts of ways, then I have no problem with hypocrisy being pointed out. If a politician is going to push for a ban on gay marriage because they claim it is destroying families, and it turns out they cheated on their wife, then I have no problem with that being pointed out.

But Guiliani--unlike other politicans--isn't running on a socially conservative platform, he isn't (AFAIK) scapegoating groups for destroying the family, and he isn't claiming to be the arbiter of what morality means in American. In this case, his personal life should be his personal life. If he started talking about how divorce should be banned or how gays are responsible for destroying the American family, then his marital failures would, IMO, be relevant.

I also agree that being a successful politican and being a good parent and spouse are often in conflict. To get to such a high level in politics--as with getting to such a high level in any field--people are going to have to put their work ahead of everything else. Their family will come second, much of the time. And while some families might be able to withstand that, many can't.

[gr8mommy]

As Lori stated above, I think it would be an issue if Giuliani was trying to present himself as something he is not. With him, what you see is what you get.

[Kristi]

I agree with Kristen. I think a person's ability to run a country has nothing to do with whether or not he has a good relationship with his children or other members of his family. While I understand that having one or appearing to have one would appeal to some voters I really can't believe that anyone would base their vote on that. I can only imagine how demanding it is to be a politican and how hard it would be to do things like run for an office and maintain a tight bond with your family.

[Kristi]

Good Point Lori. I agree that if he was pretending to be a family man and presenting himself as one then it would be okay to call him out on it. But what is the point of the media pointing a finger at this issue now when he has not done anything to make anyone believe that he was a great family man.

[Christine]

But what is the point of the media pointing a finger at this issue now when he has not done anything to make anyone believe that he was a great family man.


:lmao Considering that his affair was entirely played out in the media already, I have to totally agree with this sentiment!

[Kristi]

:giggle Exactly. I had not even thought about that.