Sarah Lenti
I am going to date myself here. January 1998. Graduate school.
I was in the car at about 8:30 p.m., driving to Yummi Yogurt in Palo Alto, Calif., listening to NPR. (NPR. I know, how very liberal of me.)
Back to the story. I was driving to Yummi Yogurt and NPR broke the news that President Bill Clinton had admitted to an extramarital affair with Monica.
My heart dropped. It dropped all the way to the floor board of my Ford Probe. I kid you not. I found myself devastated by the president’s confession and the drama of the blue dress.
Yes, I realize that this was a totally illogical response from someone who was also a self-professed Republican. But this was my honest response. You see, I wanted to like — actually like — President Clinton. My rationale for wanting to like the president was this: I love America and respect the democratic process. As such, I felt compelled to respect my president, no matter what his party affiliation.
So, while I found myself agreeing with very few of President Clinton’s policy decisions, I wanted to respect the president for being the president.
Well, that respect was fleeting. In a nanosecond, my weak spot for President Clinton was over. Just like that, it was completely over.
Why?
Two words: lying and infidelity. I hate it; he displayed it. A double whammie.
An issue of character
There is a reason why I am rambling about Bill Clinton in 1998. Simple. I am about to lay into Republican Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. As a result, I want my fellow partisan, bipartisan and non-partisan colleagues to understand that I am consistent in my disgust. This is neither a Republican Party nor Democratic Party issue — this is a character issue.
If you can’t trust a man with his own flesh and blood, why should I trust him with my own? Just a hypothetical.
Governor Sanford is currently on his “Forgiveness Tour,” battling and begging to keep his job. In a Wall Street Journal article last week, Governor Sanford referred to himself as “zen-like.”
Well, I am glad he is so at peace with himself! The rest of his state sure isn’t. Indeed, the Republican speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Bobby Harrell, is among those calling for the governor’s resignation. In a Sept. 8 letter to the governor, Harrell wrote:
“Your actions have amounted to a self-inflicted wound that has forced unnecessary suffering on the people of South Carolina. This has placed tremendous stress and uncertainty on the citizens of our state at a time when we need to be focused on more important issues. South Carolina is currently facing a severe economic downturn and we should be focused on job creation, education, the state budget and health care. It is time for you to step aside so that we can get back focused on dealing with the important issues facing our state.”
Harrell could not be more correct here. With the state up in arms and in economic distress, this is not the time for self-absorbed “Forgiveness Tours.” People need leadership, they need certainty, and they need honesty.
And, again, if you can’t trust a person with his or her family, why should you trust them with your family or your government?
Let the people move on
I am well aware of the fact that life is long and that people make mistakes. Understood. However, when it comes to holding public office, I am a little old-fashioned and expect a little bit more. By taking the oath of office — be it president or governor — those in leadership positions are essentially agreeing to take on the role of Public Spectacle in Chief.
In short, the chosen ones (meaning the elected ones) should know better than to cheat and than to compound the cheating with lying.
Of course, Sanford is only the most recent example of infidel/liar in the public arena. There will be more.
Let’s learn from this. In the future, it would be much easier on the electorate if those found guilty of having their pants down would come clean immediately when being called out, rather than lying and further crushing public trust in and regard for the office, and if they would understand that the ego of the leader is much less important than the will of the people, especially in cases where the people are calling for resignation.
Let the people move on. Let good governance move on.
Unfortunately Governor Sanford is doing just the opposite by promising to fight to stay in office. I can assure him that neither the people of South Carolina, nor members of the Grand Old Party, will thank him for it.
For the sake of good policy — and let’s just forget about “for the sake of the party” nonsense for the moment — I wish Sanford would break his promise, lose the ego, ditch the “Forgiveness Tour” and step down.
Lenti currently works as a policy consultant and advisor to Republican Party leaders, executives and candidates. She has worked in New Mexico and other states on presidential and congressional races and has a background in national security. Contact her at sarah.lenti@gmail.com.