This is just a passing observation that may or may not spark a little debate. But It’s my recollection that McCain cheated on his first wife with Cindy [and others] and yet when the press talks about John and Cindy they say, “…it was a fairytale romance…” Does something seem inherently wrong with that to anyone else?
Is the media or GOP simply staying away from the subject? NPR certainly isn’t. Maybe I am missing something, but is there some sort of age related get out of media free card?
Personally, I think it’s BS his infidelity years are not on peoples minds - well perhaps they are and that’s part of why the conservative right was luke warm about him.
I don’t understand it being made into something positive, but I think it’s a total non-issue in this race. It was entirely personal, had no bearing on his job, and happened a long time ago. The fact that his first wife has remained on friendly terms with him and takes at least responsibility for the situation makes it even more of a non-issue.
I’ve got to be honest here… I don’t really think it’s relevant to his candidacy either. That said, it does make me even angrier at all of the stone throwing the Right did during Clinton’s administration, making him into the lecher of all lechers and having you believe that he was somehow less fit to lead because he fooled around outside of his marriage. BFD. A non-issue.
I don’t want my politicians deciding how I should behave behind my bedroom door and I’m more than willing to extend the same courtesy to them.
Not sure it is being restructured (outside, perhaps, of some republican talking points - but I haven’t even seen those personally.) I think it is being ignored as irrelvant to the political process, an approach that I agree with.
…are you all guys? Because the women I talk to about this tend very strongly to see it as a negative revelation about McCain’s character, and quite relevant to their assessment of him.
Do you have a cite? Certainly casting their meeting as a fairytale romance is pretty disingenuous, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any press outlet refer to it as such.
In anycase, I agree with the above posters that it doesn’t really have too much bearing on what I think about McCain.
I’m female and I find it reprehensible. I find how people treat those closest to them tends to representative of how they treat the world at large, and it speaks very poorly of McCain’s character.
Heh, nice!
Regarding whether it irreverent or not - isn’t this a character issue? If McCain is arguing that his character makes him a better choice for president, like, say, if he makes an ad entitled “Character Forged By Family”, shouldn’t him cheating on his wife be pertinent?
Maybe because much of the press, and most politicians also, have done it? One thing you have to give McCain, at least he cheated on his wife with another woman.
Yes, Edwin Edwards morality is now the standard to be judged by.
That is sort of my point. McCain has 7 kids, 3 with his first and four with Cindy. It may not be relevent to some but I certainly think it speaks to his charactor…I’ll try and dig up a cite for the fairytale thing, I hear it on NPR.
ETA: the reason I said **restructured **is *because *of the talking points.
They claim the gays are a threat to marriages, yet divorce is the only real threat. His philandering went on for a long time and it obviously impacted his marriage.
“…largely amicable…” in that Mrs McCain #1 had serious health problems, no personal fortune & wanted the children to come first? And Mrs McCain #2 was younger & much richer? Why fight a losing battle?
Please, share any details that will convince me there was a “fairytale romance.”
However, fear not that McCain’s tawdy marital history will turn me against him. I realized long ago that I’d need serious convincing to vote for any Republican. McCain isn’t the one…
Eh, I’d vote for Bill Clinton (or FDR, or Jack Kennedy) again despite their infidelities. While the current President Bush, Nixon and Carter were all, so far as I know, faithful to their spouses. That marital fidelity somehow shows some sort of “moral character” necessary to be a good president, while cheating makes for a bad one isn’t really supported very well empirically.
Obviously Obama needs to get off his high horse and fool around with an intern to get my vote.
