Politics is one of a handful of topics I avoid, here at Spo-Reflections. This piece isn’t so much ‘political’ as a comment on American psychology.
To start, Mr. Gingrich gives me the creeps. It is not his foibles and human failings that bother, but his hypocrisy. You know the issues: he condemned Clinton’s shenanigans and he lauds ‘defense of marriage’ while being no better if not worse.
Americans have a mania for morality, or at least the facade of such. We are such as black-white country, allowing nothing less than snow white virtue in our leaders. Once upon a time a bit of scandal used to colour a man; now it just wipes him out. Our monstrous desire for morality is making politics a no-win situation: those who would be decent politicians understandably avoid it. Anyone with a skeleton in the closet is not going to enter the scrutiny of the election process (Do you know anyone without skeletons?). This leaves us the crazies and the “psychologically split-off” for to run for office.
Any Jungian psychologist will tell you splitting off and denying Shadow parts is a recipe for doom and disaster.
What puzzles and amazes isn’t the psychological or hypocritical types who enter politics, but the “sheep” who are willing to look the other way or can’t see it. Are there that many so unconscious and/or stupid here in the States? The fearful answer is: yes.
I am not ashamed to admit to a history of ‘warts’ and Shadow parts. I hope however, I own up to them and don’t deny them. Yeah, I am a walking encyclopedia of zany and sensual escapades (some of them quite juicy wouldn’t you like to know). I guess this public confession means I won’t ever run for office, but I have no regrets.
I am willing to vote for someone who is straight up front with his or her laundry list of past failings and sexual affairs, saying “Look, this is my past, I won’t lie or cover or condemn others likewise. Now, I would like to run for office, I think I would be good at it, and please give me a try,”
I need no saints in politics.
Nor hypocrites.
14 comments
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January 20, 2012 at 8:30 AM
Shawn
Gingrich, or Swingrich as I have seen his name since yesterday, is not the only one who gives me the creeps.
I will leave it at that….
January 20, 2012 at 8:30 AM
anne marie in philly
“Are there that many so unconscious and/or stupid here in the States? The fearful answer is: yes.” – this can only explain the likes of michele bachmann, rick perry, rick “mr. frothy mix” santorum, the newtster, sarah palin, etc. running for president.
I fear this country is 98% stupid; we, the intelligent, think-for-ourselves 2%, are trying to have our reasonable voices heard above the loud baaaaaahing of the stupid sheep. (sigh)
January 20, 2012 at 8:35 AM
Will
At the moment, Mr. Gingrich is doing something like what you advocate, saying that he has been up front about his past, has sought forgiveness and found religion, and now wants to move on. Perhaps everyone is listening: I had expected Mrs. Gingrich #2′s interview last night to be covered this morning on the news but there was not a peep on the news I watched. Perhaps the fact that the supposedly most explosive part was all over the radio and some other places yesterday afternoon defused the whole thing.
I still think he’s slime.
January 20, 2012 at 8:41 AM
johnmichael42003
These politicians are always throwing stones at one another, and yet each lives in a glass house on the very same block.
January 20, 2012 at 9:25 AM
Raybeard
I know you so many sensible Americans are suffering and want to tear their hair out at a certain aspect of your politics, with so many politicians on the right yearning for, in essence, a Christian fundamentalist theocracy – yet simultaneously shuddering at the thought that their own foibles will sometime be brought into the open. If I didn’t care about my dear American pals like your own good self, Dr Spo, and what you have to live through, from this side of the pond it would be almost entertaining.
Sure we have our own crazies here, but try as they will, the electorate tends to give them short shrift and essentially votes on a party’s own policies irrespective of an individuals politician’s life. This was not always the case, but is largely true now, Unless it’s really egregious such as an uncovered propensity towards young children, a politician’s personal life is generally regarded as his/her own business. As a rule, their married state, affairs, family or their sexuality is not a major factor. What is so scary about your own country is that these clowns have not only so much power but that they can get so many people to actually vote for them – and potentially lead the country. Terrifying..
January 20, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Jay
I think it is interesting that so many people exhibit this behavior. (Hypocrisy) I think it has something to do with the rejection of evolution and our “animal” nature. Is it repressed sexuality that leads us to hide our foibles in the closets? Is it something we got from Victoria and her age? That and the unreasonable expectations that everyone must subscribe to a certain set of moral “values” which are not values at all but very high standards which sets a lot of people up for failure. We were made to take pleasure in sex and sensuality but have ben taught to reject and hide that pleasure.. Just wondering.
January 20, 2012 at 2:33 PM
Old Lurker
On the one hand we don’t want politicians to have skeletons; on the
other we accuse them of being spineless.
January 20, 2012 at 4:35 PM
tigerchanter
Skeletons in the closet aside, all of the Republican candidates this year (with the possible exception of Jon Huntsman) have been, in a word, vile….
I will leave it at that, as I am finding in my older years that I cannot keep a civil tongue in my head when discussing these nincompoops.
January 20, 2012 at 5:13 PM
truthspew
I see the world in varying shades of gray too. Look, it’s a messy, ridiculous world out there.
And that’s the other thing. The human condition is funny to me. How can you not laugh at some of the things life does to us?
January 20, 2012 at 5:23 PM
Buddy Bear
“Some of them quite juicy wouldn’t you like to know”… says who? I think that many Spo-fans would pay money to hear these juicy details!
January 20, 2012 at 8:10 PM
Laurent
I think it comes down to as Lee Siegel said in the NY TImes defeating the unacceptable black man in the White house, but you have to vote for a white Christian like Gingrich because the other choice is the Mormon guy, who is not acceptable to a lot of Americans.
So in the end Obama is going to win again.
January 21, 2012 at 10:21 AM
mikeinphx
I wish as a country we would revise the term that a president can be elected for. How about one six-year term. The sitting president might actually be able to get some work done that would help the American people instead of immediately starting his campaign reelection bid.
All the rhetoric this season seems to be very racially charged. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle the next 11 months.
January 22, 2012 at 9:12 AM
Ron
Dr. Spo,
Again you are right on the mark. A person’s sexual history, short of child molestation or bestiality, doesn’t bother me but hypocrisy does. I don’t care even if Gingrich DID have an open relationship (which I do and always have had with my spouse), but what bothers me is his hypocrisy in going after Clinton’s sexual escapades. I too have a sexual history of which I am not ashamed of but the Lily Whites might (you think?) would be appalled at. This country is so uptight about sex. We’re still not over our Puritan legacy.
Each of us has a sexual history that is our own business and should be nobody else’s business, including politician except when that politician is portraying themselves to be “pure” while at the same time demonizing me for being in a same sex relationship. I don’t know who is worse in the current crop of finalists for the GOP nomination. Gingrich the homophobe who is a hypocrite. Santorum who at least isn’t a hypocrite (or appears to be) but consistently equates same sex partners with polygamy and bestiality or the Cute Little Old Man who is just an old fashion homophobe who calls gays “queers.” All of them discount the GBLT community as less tthan human. I discount them as less than human because they don’t get it, all men (and woman) are equal. They may have a pretty smile like Santorum (I don’t see it), or the Cute Little Old Man persona of Ron Paul, or even the hunky sons (some of them anyway – have you seen Craig Romney?), but they are all hateful human beings who do not deserve to be running for president of ALL the people of this county. Gingrich is perhaps the worst because of his unapologetic hypocrisy.
January 22, 2012 at 11:41 AM
mikeinphx
Which one of Romney’s sons is going to come out of the closet? One of the five has to be swinging for our team.