Heterosexual Adultery and Politics

[Estro Felino]

It turns out in the United States there is this weird and unnatural relationship between politics (male politicians) and their sex life.
Meaning that a male politician is supposed to be married, and to be a faithful husband and a loving father, in order to win the Americans' heart.

I have re-read so many things about Clinton-Lewinski case. And I have realized that before the perjury there was this insane attention in Bill Clinton's sex life.
As if his adultery, his affair with a woman were politically relevant.

These allegations are false...
he sounds like someone who is talking about state secrets...serious matters. Pentagon, CIA stuff...and on the contrary...it simply deals with his sex life...that has nothing to do with the US state affairs.


There is an Americans' obsession with heterosexual adultery...even as for Hunter Biden...lately.
On the contrary I am realizing that Americans couldn't care less if some politician cheats on their wife with a man.
As if homosexual adultery was not real adultery.
Is that true?

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

On the contrary I am realizing that Americans couldn't care less if some politician cheats on their wife with a man.
As if homosexual adultery was not real adultery.
Is that true?

Nope.

 

[Estro Felino]

Nope.

I do believe it is true.
Because I have never read about the tabloids or the press in general investigating about politicians' homosexual affairs.
It's like they don't interest the public.

If there is one case, show it to me.
I don't think all male politicians are 100% straight...in the US.

 

[SomeRandom]

I do believe it is true.
Because I have never read about the tabloids or the press in general investigating about politicians' homosexual affairs.
It's like they don't interest the public.

If there is one case, show it to me.
I don't think all male politicians are 100% straight...in the US.

To be fair, homosexual folks likely have far more…”practice” when it comes to hiding their sex life from the public. I’d argue even now

But I do agree with you otherwise. US political scandals often seem more like tabloid stories to me, really
I mean yeah we have such scandals here too. But it’s relegated to tabloid crap. Even obvious political hit pieces on certain figures tend to focus more on the policies they support/enact and what that means for the public, rather than anything to do with their sex life

 

[Estro Felino]

To be fair, homosexual folks likely have far more…”practice” when it comes to hiding their sex life from the public. I’d argue even now

But I do agree with you. US political scandals often seem more like tabloid stories to me, really

In both cases, I wouldn't care whether a politician is an unfaithful spouse, whether he has an affair with a man or a woman. I wouldn't care.
Because to me his political honesty matters.

 

[SomeRandom]

In both cases, I wouldn't care whether a politician is an unfaithful spouse, whether he has an affair with a man or a woman. I wouldn't care.
Because to me his political honesty matters.

Same here
Can I ask, does your country have a legal requirement for folks to vote?
I only ask because since voting is legally mandatory in Oz, I suspect that causes folks to focus on what policy a politician supports/enacts and therefore renders their sex lives as a matter of a “none of our business” attitude. Because everyone here has, by default, got a real stake in political outcomes.
But that’s merely a guess, I genuinely don’t know

 

[Estro Felino]

Same here
Can I ask, does your country have a legal requirement for folks to vote?
I only ask because since voting is legally mandatory in Oz, I suspect that causes folks to focus on what policy a politician supports/enacts and therefore renders their sex lives as a matter of a “none of our business” attitude. Because everyone here has, by default, got a real stake in political outcomes.
But that’s merely a guess, I genuinely don’t know

No, here it's not a legal requirement.
The opposite. In order to vote you need to have both a valid ID and a valid electoral card.
There have been countless cases of people who lost the electoral card and were not allowed to vote at the polling station.

Many people are interested in politics, even if they don't always vote, because they don't feel represented by anyone.

 

[SomeRandom]

No, here it's not a legal requirement.
The opposite. In order to vote you need to have both a valid ID and a valid electoral card.
There have been countless cases of people who lost the electoral card and were not allowed to vote at the polling station.

Many people are interested in politics, if they don't always vote, because they don't feel represented by anyone.

Interesting.
Then I suppose our US brethren caring about how many politicians cheat has more to do with their Puritan heritage. Which I mean isn’t exactly a shocking revelation lol

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

If there is one case, show it to me.

Sure:

Secret gay life of married 'family values’ lawmaker was not so secret

 

[Estro Felino]

Interesting.
Then I suppose our US brethren caring about how many politicians cheat has more to do with their Puritan heritage. Which I mean isn’t exactly a shocking revelation lol

We are a former monarchy...and so we have the British parliamentarian model as system.
Where parliamentarians are the protagonists, even if the Prime Minister has executive power.
In the US, it's all about the POTUS.
Because it's pure presidentialism.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Interesting.
Then I suppose our US brethren caring about how many politicians cheat has more to do with their Puritan heritage. Which I mean isn’t exactly a shocking revelation lol

It may do. People dislike hypocrisy too though. When U.K. PM John Major decided to make “family values” (whatever that means) into a political slogan, the press quickly unearthed his affair with a colleague. There was a kind of justice in that.

As for Bill Clinton, I think he was targeted for purely political reasons. But then he shouldn’t have left himself open, and he shouldn’t have abused his position as a powerful man, to seek sexual favours from a junior.

Being a flawed human being shouldn’t disqualify a person from holding political office, but on the other hand, being a lying ******* probably should. Oh, who am I kidding ffs…

 

[SomeRandom]

We are a former monarchy...and so we have the British parliamentarian model as system.
Where parliamentarians are the protagonists, even if the Prime Minister has executive power.
In the US, it's all about the POTUS.
Because it's pure presidentialism.

Yeah Oz is the same so we have the same set up really.
Whilst there are a number of eye roll worthy political scandals in my country I can point to. I think it does differ to the US mindset in a lot of ways even still

 

[SomeRandom]

It may do. People dislike hypocrisy too though. When U.K. PM John Major decided to make “family values” (whatever that means) into a political slogan, the press quickly unearthed his affair with a colleague. There was a kind of justice in that.

As for Bill Clinton, I think he was targeted for purely political reasons. But then he shouldn’t have left himself open, and he shouldn’t have abused his position as a powerful man, to seek sexual favours from a junior.

Being a flawed human being shouldn’t disqualify a person from holding political office, but on the other hand, being a lying ******* probably should. Oh, who am I kidding ffs…

Lol that’s fair enough.
Though I think if one were after an honest politician they would be looking for very long time indeed. Regardless of country lol

 

[Estro Felino]

As for Bill Clinton, I think he was targeted for purely political reasons. But then he shouldn’t have left himself open, and he shouldn’t have abused his position as a powerful man, to seek sexual favours from a junior.

Why not?
I don't discuss his sex life. I could also say I understand M. Lewinski because he was a good-looking man back then, and the flesh is weak. I would have gone for it too, had I been Monica.
I don't understand why it is politically relevant.

I am shocked whenever people point out that Obama is a perfect, loving family man, and a faithful husband. As if these were scores.
No...they are not. Mr Obama probably is the most faithful and irreprehensible husband and father in world politics,...but that doesn't make him a good politician.
On the contrary ...countless elements make his political choices bad

 

[Brickjectivity]

It turns out in the United States there is this weird and unnatural relationship between politics (male politicians) and their sex life.
Meaning that a male politician is supposed to be married, and to be a faithful husband and a loving father, in order to win the Americans' heart.

I have re-read so many things about Clinton-Lewinski case. And I have realized that before the perjury there was this insane attention in Bill Clinton's sex life.
As if his adultery, his affair with a woman were politically relevant.

These allegations are false...
he sounds like someone who is talking about state secrets...serious matters. Pentagon, CIA stuff...and on the contrary...it simply deals with his sex life...that has nothing to do with the US state affairs.


There is an Americans' obsession with heterosexual adultery...even as for Hunter Biden...lately.
On the contrary I am realizing that Americans couldn't care less if some politician cheats on their wife with a man.
As if homosexual adultery was not real adultery.
Is that true?

No, and remember that the persecution of Bill and Hillary was partisan. In other words it was all just one party attacking another party. That year the Republicans wanted to impeach Bill Clinton. They couldn't find grounds to do it, so they asked him about his sex life while he was under oath. When he lied (under oath) they used it as a reason to impeach, but his own party (Democrats) was equally as powerful and the impeachment failed. Bill Clinton remains as popular and as unpopular as ever, even today.

Years later Newt Gingrich as leader of the Republican majority in Congress was exposed in an affair (with a woman other than his wife). This would have hurt him politically in his home state (his election base) and his church. He apologized publicly and retired from office early. He also may have felt like he would be a bad example (to children etc) since it became known. Despite his affair he probably did not believe that affairs were a good thing. It would not have lost him his position in the congress, but it was his home state and his personal relationships which caused the affair to be unpopular. Even though he had an affair and retired, he remained a well known person and a part of public dialogue about politics. He is also a regular correspondent on Fox News.

 

[Stevicus]

It turns out in the United States there is this weird and unnatural relationship between politics (male politicians) and their sex life.
Meaning that a male politician is supposed to be married, and to be a faithful husband and a loving father, in order to win the Americans' heart.

I have re-read so many things about Clinton-Lewinski case. And I have realized that before the perjury there was this insane attention in Bill Clinton's sex life.
As if his adultery, his affair with a woman were politically relevant.

It's not just in politics. Unmarried men are often discriminated against in business, denied promotions, and generally (and irrationally) viewed as less stable and suspect than their married counterparts. The only President we've had who never married was James Buchanan.

It's kind of ironic, in a way. Our society has actively rejected and discarded the old-fashioned, 1950s-era, Middle Class Morality. Yet, for whatever reason, men are still expected to be Ward Cleaver just the same - and this is doubly true for men in politics or other high-ranking positions.

It wasn't just with Clinton, although at the time, public opinion started to shift more in the direction that his private affairs had nothing to do with his job as President. That was a noticeable shift from what public opinion was 10 years earlier, when Gary Hart was forced to drop out as a candidate due to being caught having an affair.

These allegations are false...
he sounds like someone who is talking about state secrets...serious matters. Pentagon, CIA stuff...and on the contrary...it simply deals with his sex life...that has nothing to do with the US state affairs.

There is an Americans' obsession with heterosexual adultery...even as for Hunter Biden...lately.
On the contrary I am realizing that Americans couldn't care less if some politician cheats on their wife with a man.
As if homosexual adultery was not real adultery.
Is that true?

Sometimes, I think there may be a reaction against hypocrisy, particularly when it's observed among those in the upper classes. When a public figure tries to pass off an image of a fine, upstanding family man, there may be those who want to tear down that image and expose them as some kind of lech. Since gay rights have gained greater acceptance in society, being gay, in and of itself, is no longer a dealbreaker in politics. Yet, there still seems to be a similar expectation of being an upstanding family man, kind of like a gay "Ward Cleaver" of sorts, where cheating on one's spouse would still be viewed as a black mark against someone's character, even if not a total dealbreaker in politics.

 

[Estro Felino]

No, and remember that the persecution of Bill and Hillary was partisan. In other words it was all just one party attacking another party. That year the Republicans wanted to impeach Bill Clinton. They couldn't find grounds to do it, so they asked him about his sex life while he was under oath. When he lied (under oath) they used it as a reason to impeach, but his own party (Democrats) was equally as powerful and the impeachment failed. Bill Clinton remains as popular and as unpopular as ever, even today.

Years later Newt Gingrich as leader of the Republican majority in Congress was exposed in an affair (with a woman other than his wife). This would have hurt him politically in his home state (his election base) and his church. He apologized publicly and retired from office early. He also may have felt like he would be a bad example (to children etc) since it became known. Despite his affair he probably did not believe that affairs were a good thing. It would not have lost him his position in the congress, but it was his home state and his personal relationships which caused the affair to be unpopular. Even though he had an affair and retired, he remained a well known person and a part of public dialogue about politics. He is also a regular correspondent on Fox News.

He shouldn't have answered at all.
He should have said: I will not answer because that's my private life.
And so nobody would have accused him of perjury.

 

[Revoltingest]

It turns out in the United States there is this weird and unnatural relationship between politics (male politicians) and their sex life.
Meaning that a male politician is supposed to be married, and to be a faithful husband and a loving father, in order to win the Americans' heart.

I have re-read so many things about Clinton-Lewinski case. And I have realized that before the perjury there was this insane attention in Bill Clinton's sex life.
As if his adultery, his affair with a woman were politically relevant.

These allegations are false...
he sounds like someone who is talking about state secrets...serious matters. Pentagon, CIA stuff...and on the contrary...it simply deals with his sex life...that has nothing to do with the US state affairs.


There is an Americans' obsession with heterosexual adultery...even as for Hunter Biden...lately.
On the contrary I am realizing that Americans couldn't care less if some politician cheats on their wife with a man.
As if homosexual adultery was not real adultery.
Is that true?

Bill's controversies weren't just about sex.
There were also issues of using government
employees to enable it, & accusations of rape.
(Corruption & rape aren't equivalent to sex.)
And his dubious acts were accepted by people
of his party, & even outside of it. This even
included feminists.

 

[Revoltingest]

He shouldn't have answered at all.
He should have said: I will not answer because that's my private life.
And so nobody would have accused him of perjury.

It wasn't just his private life. Sex with a
young intern in their workplace is more
than just inappropriate.
Then he compounded the matter by
committing & suborning perjury.

 

[Estro Felino]

Sometimes, I think there may be a reaction against hypocrisy, particularly when it's observed among those in the upper classes. When a public figure tries to pass off an image of a fine, upstanding family man, there may be those who want to tear down that image and expose them as some kind of lech. Since gay rights have gained greater acceptance in society, being gay, in and of itself, is no longer a dealbreaker in politics. Yet, there still seems to be a similar expectation of being an upstanding family man, kind of like a gay "Ward Cleaver" of sorts, where cheating on one's spouse would still be viewed as a black mark against someone's character, even if not a total dealbreaker in politics.

Bravo, bravo, bravo.
That was the point of the thread. That's where I was getting at.

I meant that the heterosexual male is more and more discriminated against.
Because if a US politician (who is supposedly heterosexual because he is married and with children) is caught cheating on his wife with a man...no tabloid will care because homosexuality is more and more praised and protected even if it's practiced by a married person.