Spitzer Impeachment

For being linked to a prostitution ring, the impeachment of Governor Eliot Sitzer is may be sought in the immediate future.

On the other hand, our President — who is a member of the same party — is responsible for an illegal war which was started under false pretenses and, by extension, the deaths of millions.

Not only was he reelected a few years ago, it looks like he’s going to finish up his second term. He should have been booted out ages ago!

Okay, I understand that a person of authority should have a better-than-average personal life. I understand that what they do affects themselves, their family, and even their constituents to an extent.

However, I wonder why it is we look to boot people out of office over personal matters (Bill Clinton, anyone?), yet when someone is literally messing up the country, foreign affairs, another nation, and more (George W.), we let him complete his term(s).

Why?

When I was in high school, I thought Clinton should be thrown out of office. A few years ago, I defended George W. Bush’s war whenever I had the chance. Looking back even at those things, I have no idea why I thought that way.

Maybe it’s the sweet Florida air affecting my judgment, but why conservatives react the way they do to the actions of politicians is beyond me.

11 thoughts on “Spitzer Impeachment”

  1. Sounds like the “sweet Florida air” is having a positive effect on you.

    Perfection is the enemy of the good.

    As we insist on our elected leaders to be “perfect,” we discourage those who might actually provide good leadership but know full well that they have failings in their past and, most likely, their future.

  2. Mr. E. Nigma — Oh, you’re absolutely correct! I apparently misread an article which led me to believe he was a Republican. I’m registered Republican, but I definitely lean toward the Constitution Party.

    Senior — It’s good that leaders are held to a higher standard, but you’re right — an insistance upon perfect could certainly dissuade viable — and worthy! — candidates from running.

    I thought about adding to the above post something about church leadership and how Christians react toward them as a parallel to how citizens react toward politicians, but I thought better of it. Even still, it’s interesting that even though the Pastoral Epistles call elders and deacons of a church to a fairly high standard, it is impossible to get away from the fact that they are no more or less sinful than anyone else on the planet, no more or less worthy of God’s love and favor. Even still, I think that when dealing with the special qualifications of church leaders, it’s often very easy to neglect that Jesus called everyone to be perfect as God is perfect — a standard which none of us can escape.

    In that way, it could be said that although politicians do have special qualifications / standards which apply to them as representative of their party and constituents, the same law of the land applies to them just as much as to us, and justice demands the same level of lawfulness for us all.

    Knowing now that Spitzer is a member of That Other Party, it’s less surprising to me that the Republican Party would have sought his impeachment (had he not announced his resignation, as he has).

    Bill Clinton screws up; impeach him!
    Eliot Spitzer screws up; impeach him!
    George W. Bush screws up; … well, he’s made some mistakes… but by all means, he’s finishing his term, whether things are getting better or not.

    Party solidarity seems like it should be wholly secondary to justice — especially when the injustice is causing thousands upon thousands of deaths on foreign soil.

  3. I agree fully on Bush, but what Spitzer did was illegal and what Clinton did was immoral. I thought too, at the time, that Clinton was wrong, but I now believe his personal life is not my business and he would not have lied about the affair if he had never been asked.

  4. Sandi’s point is a good one. Spitzer did break the law. All on his own. No one was pushing him or entrapping him.

    Clinton lied under oath, but only after millions of dollars of investigation pushed him to lie in answering a question that by any reasonable measure shouldn’t have ever been asked in the first place.

  5. Hi Rick,

    What specifically makes the war illegal?

    I think any policitician should resign if they cheat on their spouse. Why? Because character matters. We take a vow when we marry, and politicians take an oath when the take office. To violate either means they have shown the weakness to go back on what they promise people.

    Too much money and too many programs are at stake for policiticians to have such low character traits. The electorate should demand more from those we’ve entrusted. Trustworthiness is a necessary virtue in a healthy society. If we devalue trustworthiness we jeaprodize our culture.

    -Steve

    -Steve

  6. Back home again in Indiana. :-D

    Sandi & Senior — Right, what Spitzer did was illegal (and certainly immoral), and what Clinton did was not nearly as bad (according to civil standards, anyway). However, what I’m saying is that it is the Republican Party which casts the stones toward them, wanting them both to be impeached for their offenses.

    In that way, I wonder if a parallel couldn’t easily be drawn between modern political conservatives — many of whom use religion to back their social agenda — and the ancient Pharisees, who did pretty much the same thing. They too were quick to cast the stones of judgment!

    Steve — Regarding the war in Iraq, didn’t we attack prior to any sort of authorization by Congress? To be a Constitutionally legal war, it would have had Congress’ authorization beforehand. Also, it is (or at least was) in violation of the UN Charter (and thus illegal in that respect, also).

    Regarding politicians’ moral standards… Difficult issue there. After all, by and large it seems that Americans’ have fairly low regard for any sort of moral standard — a quick look over our celebrities, sports heroes, reasons given for divorces, and so on show how low America’s moral standard has fallen. So it isn’t surprising that we have such a hard time putting a person of high morals into office — so few of us would even recognize such a person, I think!

  7. Here’s where the wisdom of men and of God diverge.

    God condemns lies, adultery & murder. Mankind uses lying, the carnal man worships adultery & legislates murder. A good politician does not tell lies or commit adultery, but we let them off free on abortion. Yet, they impose laws and restrictions on illegal wars condemning murder. They condemn and condone the same thing, only because they wrote the law that made the war ‘wrong’, and they wrote the law that made abortion ‘right’. In this way they deny God in their conscience and become confused. Morality is thus strewed about becoming relative to some indiscernible point, but following a line largely paralleling their conscious rejection of God. We should not excuse one sin because another has sinned. Judging politicians by politicians is foolish. Judge them by God’s Word.

    Can there not be a right lie? If it is not under oath?

    Can there not be ‘okay adultery’? If it is within the parameters of the law which man has written?

    God holds leaders to a higher standard, and so should we. We need to quit with this idea that ‘its’ excusable because it’s a private matter’.

    It’s only ‘okay’ when we exalt the law of men in our minds, above the Word of God.

    Latest from Brandon: Overcoming: The Craving

  8. Brandon — I read your comment a few hours ago on my phone, and I have to say that I strong feeling of thankfulness welled up in me for what you said.

    Sometimes — nay, oftentimes — I shift my focus from the Law of God. I’ve noticed that I remember it most easily when I fall into the error of the self-righteous Pharisees — I condemn the specks in others’ eyes while walking around ignorant of the planks in my own.

    It is undeniable that I cannot love God if I am unwilling to keep His commandments — may my heart reflect Psalm 119!

    The more I think about God’s Law, the more I realize how glossed over sin is in our world today — there is no longer any shame in it. Reality TV makes entertainment out of it. People joke about lust, lies, adultery, and more. “Repentance” is more offensive than cursing your fellow man.

    Not that those things are in any way surprising.

    rob — As much as I’ve tried to take an active interest in politics over the past few months, I think you might be exactly right.

    If I believe in the Law of God, how would that even leave me time to contend for the laws of man (e.g., the Constitution).

    Are my priorities not totally screwed up if I’m more concerned about Supreme Court justices overstepping their bounds than I am over even one brother or sister who sins?

    Are my priorities not utterly jacked up if I’m more concerned about getting a Constitution-loving candidate into office than I am getting just one more soul out of the impending death of hellfire?

    It is with much shame that I’ve observed myself over the past few months telling more people about how great Ron Paul is than I’ve told people about the only person that they actually need to know about — that being the only God and our Savior Jesus Christ — in a long time.

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