The Presidential Piety Problem

And conflicted American guilt

Presidents have to prove themselves role models while running for office in ideal family life. People think it fair game to say the Third Wife can't be the First Lady and hail someone with seven or eight kids as someone who must be adhering to the catholic church's No Birth Control ban. Does anyone seriously think Karen Santorum didn't use birth control when for most of her 20s she was sleeping with an abortion doctor? Does anyone seriously think that Calista Gingrich who has no biological children of her own and has been sexually active since her 20s never used birth control? Then there's Mitt who on the stump actually admits "its working just fine." Taking a public view in some catholic church circles that this is an aspect of Papal wisdom that is a bit off its rocker can get you escorted out of the building. These candidates are supposed to be the paragon of religious piety or at least moral paragons of virtue.

Then there is the gay marriage thing. The Pope makes shocking statements like allowing for gay marriage is downfall of civilization as we know it. Really? If ten percent of the people who would never marry heterosexually, because they puke at the thought of heterosexual sex want to couple with their same gender that somehow threatens the rest of us who know from historic memory at least how good committed heterosexual sex is? The only people who could possibly think this are people who have zero experience or appreciation for physical intimacy. Oh-right, priests. They define holiness in a way that excludes physical intimacy- something Jesus never does. OK, its OK in proper marriage- something priests also are not familiar with on any physical level, which is a soul bonding level, that compels physical union. Just not a path they choose to follow.

It seems that the people most threatened by homosexual intimacy are those feeling most threatened by it. Like it's too tempting for them and they don't want to think of themselves in the ten percent born that way and are fighting it with every religious muscle they have. I don't blame them, they are all living with all men.
No one, I repeat who is really heterosexually healthy is threatened by a gay person who wants to marry a gay person really. It's (a) none of their business and (b) does nothing to discourage them from wanting to have sex the way they like it. But Republicans have to mimick that religious line that it is the downfall of civilization from guys who experience no physical intimacy which sounds like a pretty much unelectable line. Does anyone really think any heterosexual couple is saying to themselves, gee, we better not get married or have children because those gay guys down the street are going to get the same tax breaks. Ridiculous. But the radical right has to cater to this nonsense.

The qualities you should want in a President are confident humility- a guy or gal who knows that they can't possibly know everything they need to in a job they have never done before with Intelligence reports they have not been privy to before, because their advisors are going to be top notch state of the art geniuses and they are going to have the humility to listen to them. Someone who is bull headed and ignorant at the same time is not good Presidential disposition. That's assuming that they are not schemers in the first place with a bad agenda. Ideologues make bad Presidents. People who think moving to the middle is a sin make bad Presidents, because moderation is sometimes the only intelligent compromise. People who put down other's well thought opinions because they come from a different perspective make bad Presidents. Then there are red flags that should alert you to things you don't want to tempt fate on- like repeal of child protection or labor laws. Or people who just shout they want to repeal Roe v. Wade when they don't seem to have read the opinion carefully- because it does provide for certain stage State regulation of abortion and there was a progeny of following cases that say more. You want a smart President who values education, knowledge and intelligence and doesn't champion hickery dickery dockery.

That's why the most Presidential candidate, dispositionwise, valuewise, intelligencewise, and confident humilitywise is Barack Obama.