So, I get that the title of this post may strike some as an utter contradiction. Leaving aside the positive aspect of whether politicians are actually moral, the normative issue remains- should politicians be moral? And, this is where I may actually agree with Republicans. Absolutely, politicians ought to live by a moral code of conduct and there must be consequences for violating these norms. IU is grappling with this heady issue right now after it was revealed that Sen. John Edwards will be speaking here in November. He will be paid $35,000 to lecture students on the recent election and what it means for the country. The initial price of the lecture was $50,000 but this figure was cut after revelations that Edwards was having an affair.
I should say that when the Democratic primary began ages ago, I was a fervent supporter of Edwards. Anna can testify to this fact- I defended his record on fair trade and reproductive rights several times. So, when I heard about Edwards’ affair, I was horrified. No matter how you spin it, cheating on your significant other is immoral (obviously, the exception here is if you were in an open relationship, which Edwards was definitely not in). I’ve heard some people argue that Edwards’ transgressions are not relevant to his career and this blows my mind. Public policy doesn’t operate in a vacuum and it shouldn’t. Our laws, our policies are codified by our sense of morality and I wouldn’t want it any other way. So, when people say that what Edwards did was between his wife and him, I strongly disagree.
What also astounds me about Edwards is the blatant hypocrisy. At the same time that Edwards was talking about the institution of marriage and denying it to gay women and men, he was cheating on his own wife. And now, we want to pay this man to come lecture students on politics? I made this point before but Universities act as gatekeepers of knowledge. They have the power to legitimize certain people and their opinions. So, when IU invited Ann Coulter to speak my freshman year, they validated her by acknowledging that there was some value in what she had to say. Same with Edwards. In this case, we’re saying that it’s ok to cheat and publicly humiliate your wife, oppose equal marriage rights while violating the sanctity of your own and generally act like an asshole. Maybe next year, we can bring Larry Craig to IU…
-Indira
