Do candidates' personal lives matter?

(published 30-Jan-2012, Appleton Post-Crescent online)

You can argue the issues all you want and claim to be objective every time you enter a voting booth. But you and I both know that it really comes down to whether you think you could have a beer with the guy, right? Is he at least middling honest? Are the bribes he's taken modest? Do his children not gag too much whenever they attend one of his rallies? Does his wife look like she's actually smiling and not gritting her teeth? There's SOMETHING about the way a politician lives his life that affects you when you find out about it. We treat politicians like the tabloid stars: we revel in their affairs, peccadilloes, and bad judgment. All of that shapes our opinion much more than their stands on the issues, which, by golly, seem to shift around quite a bit. Issues? Phooey! Whatever sticks to the wall, man!

[This long series of "Recent Commentary" posts (beginning in November, 2003!) is from the Appleton Post-Crescent weekly Reader Reaction Forum feature.  Each submission can be no longer than 150 words.  Any comments to RRF postings on-line can be no longer than 2000 characters.  That explains some of the terseness of expression and cramming to fit. - Ed.]

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