Public and Private

When President Clinton was caught having sex with Monica Lewinsky, Democrats defend him on the basis that what he did in his private life was irrelevant to his job as president. If two adults want to engage in consensual sex its none of our business, we were told.

Of course in Clinton's case, the sex either wasn't the end of the story (perjury) or wasn't consensual (e.g., Juanita Broderick; Paula Jones).

Setting aside the Clinton's situation, as a rule, should we evaluate politicians based, in part, on their private behavior?

I think, yes. When selecting a representative, the only relevant question is: will this person do a good job governing and enacting my policy preferences? The answer to that question is inevitably affected by the the politician's private life.

For example, a political candidate who cheats on his wife isn't keeping his word and is being secretive. With that information in hand, a voter might conclude that the politician will not be open with the public, and so will not govern appropriately. A candidate who breaks the law, may not be a good person to charge with writing or enforcing laws. At the very least, private problems may be a distraction from public responsibilities.

Thus, a politician's private life is relevant because it gives us clues about the politician's character. Character is more likely to be revealed in private behavior than in public statements, so private behavior can be particularly relevant to selecting a government leader.

Of course, character (and sometimes nondistraction) is only one factor among many that influence whether a politician will do a good job. Other factors can tip the balance in favor a candidate for office with some personal problems. I definitely would vote for a candidate that has some personal problems, depending on what the personal issue were, and how much time it will take to resolve them, and their relevance to the candidate's character.

Ultimately, though, if you're a politician, everything that bears on your fitness for office is public, and rightly so.