Character? No. Competence.
Amba links to the Kathleen Willey book/slander/tell-all/fantasy/revelation pick your term. And she asks a question a lot of people are asking: do we really want all that imputed Clintonian amorality back in the White House?
Here's my answer, with all due respect to Amba: I do not give a good goddamn about the moral character of the next president. I don't care if he or she fucks around on their spouse. I don't care if he or she enables fucking around. I don't care if he or she fondles the pets in a lewd manner. Unless they're bothering children, their sex lives are none of my damn business.
Let me put it this way: you're going in for a heart transplant. You have a choice. Doctor "A" is a living saint with a record of losing patients. Doctor "B" is a skirt-chasing, porno addict with a three pack-a-day habit and a fondness for vodka, who has a stellar record of success. So, who's your doctor?
Let me try another, more directly on-point example: Saint Jimmy Carter, or that old dog Bill Clinton?
The private lives of politicians are none of our business. We are their employers. We're not their mommies, or they ours. They do a job for us. As long as they do that job well, their personal lives are irrelevant.
Wait! What if their private lives impinge on their performance? Well, then the issue is their performance, isn't it? Right back to square one: you hire the person who can best do the job, and their peccadilos, and even their peckerdillos, are not our concern.
We've got President Upstanding J. Husband right now. President Early-To-Bed. President Exercise-And-Eat-Right. President-Teetotal. President I-Love-Jesus. Happy? You like? Want more like him? Or should we maybe see if we can hire someone competent to deal with the unholy mess this swaggering moralistic nincompoop has left behind?
Hillary? She's a sneak, a cold manipulator, a calculating ballbuster. I don't like her. But I will vote for her. You know why? Because she will do the job I pay her to do.
Here's my answer, with all due respect to Amba: I do not give a good goddamn about the moral character of the next president. I don't care if he or she fucks around on their spouse. I don't care if he or she enables fucking around. I don't care if he or she fondles the pets in a lewd manner. Unless they're bothering children, their sex lives are none of my damn business.
Let me put it this way: you're going in for a heart transplant. You have a choice. Doctor "A" is a living saint with a record of losing patients. Doctor "B" is a skirt-chasing, porno addict with a three pack-a-day habit and a fondness for vodka, who has a stellar record of success. So, who's your doctor?
Let me try another, more directly on-point example: Saint Jimmy Carter, or that old dog Bill Clinton?
The private lives of politicians are none of our business. We are their employers. We're not their mommies, or they ours. They do a job for us. As long as they do that job well, their personal lives are irrelevant.
Wait! What if their private lives impinge on their performance? Well, then the issue is their performance, isn't it? Right back to square one: you hire the person who can best do the job, and their peccadilos, and even their peckerdillos, are not our concern.
We've got President Upstanding J. Husband right now. President Early-To-Bed. President Exercise-And-Eat-Right. President-Teetotal. President I-Love-Jesus. Happy? You like? Want more like him? Or should we maybe see if we can hire someone competent to deal with the unholy mess this swaggering moralistic nincompoop has left behind?
Hillary? She's a sneak, a cold manipulator, a calculating ballbuster. I don't like her. But I will vote for her. You know why? Because she will do the job I pay her to do.
This entry was posted by Michael Reynolds, on
Wednesday, November 14, 2007.
You can leave your response.
4:47 PM
Because she will do the job I pay her to do.
Well, she can do the job at least, which is more than can be said for the others apparently. Whether or not she does remains to be seen. [SNARK ALERT]
3:57 PM
But, but, but... the Bible says, "Thou shall not commit adultery!" You're going straight to hell (save me a spot somewhere up front).
Mike, what happened to the old feature (which I was very fond of) where you had the Almighty speak His mind? Bring it back, please!