On the EDge: Character still matters

December 11, 2017 Utah Channel 3

OPINION — I’m not going to defend former Sen. Al Franken.

I cannot.

As an advocate of women’s rights for many decades, I will not compromise my principles simply because I share a liberal ideology with Franken. What he did was wrong and it is clear his actions do not reflect a one-time lapse in judgment. There are enough women who have come forward with complaints to justify the call for his resignation.

And, as far as those who will compare his actions to those of others, well, you cannot have it both ways. Just because you find common ground politically does not mean you should put your moral standards in a box and place them on a shelf.

But, while I am truly disturbed and disappointed in Franken, I must also congratulate him for his resignation.

It sets an example of what we should demand from our elected leadership.

If it results in further political imbalance in the Senate, well, that’s the way it goes.

This draining of the swamp we have heard so much about applies to both sides and just because I fly liberal colors does not mean that I should give the man a pass.

Democrats, in general, are getting a lot of flak from extreme party loyalists for not fighting this situation more vigorously, for not pushing the misdeeds to the side in the interest of “politics.”

But, all that does is perpetuate the madness that is The Beltway and the problems that we now face with deeply rooted charlatans who preach one message but live by another.

And, it makes it perfectly clear, once again, that when it comes to improper behavior, it doesn’t matter which party you belong to, which religion you profess to follow or the circumstances of the culture that produced you.

I hope this lesson in character is absorbed by others, although I doubt it.

We already have seen the president push aside the serious allegations of child sexual assault as he supports a person who a number of women have claimed offenses against when they were not of age for legal sexual consent. Of course, the president has gone on record as a serial womanizer who, whether single or married, used his celebrity to accost women. At least 16 have come forward with accusations.

Yet, come election time, even as video and audio tapes came forward with damning evidence – from his own mouth – he found Jesus and courted the Christian right, which holds key votes in key states that helped him squeeze out barely enough votes in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to win in the Electoral College. I mean, you would be hard-pressed to find evidence of him uttering the words, “God bless America” prior to his running for the presidency.

His recent conversion, if you will, was enough for the born-agains to overlook his statements about how his money, power and celebrity allowed him to assault women by kissing them or grabbing their genitals.

Sex scandals in politics, or Hollywood or sports or anywhere else, as a matter of fact, should not be surprising any more.

We have seen enough of them, some shocking, some rather predictable.

That doesn’t mean we should be able to pick and choose who to punish and who to give a pass.

Sexual predation is unacceptable regardless of who it involves, their societal rank, their fortune, their “professed” religious beliefs, their political affiliation, and if you don’t get this simple fact, you really need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

Remember, these were fully grown, chronologically mature men acting badly, whose life experiences should have made them into better people.

There is, of course, the hard and cold fact that nobody is perfect.

We all make mistakes, we all error, we all have lapses of judgment.

A moralist will learn from those situations, will grow, will strive to maintain a moral compass pointing them back to civility.

But, as we are learning from the exploding headlines, there are a lot of folks who repeatedly ignore that little voice inside, that steering component of their moral compass, which is supposed to guide them to the right decisions.

Oh, they find it quickly enough when they can use it to hammer away at a particular foe or opponent, without grace or mercy. All too frequently, we see the tables turned as, a little further on up the road, they find themselves involved in a serious scandal of equal proportions, when suddenly, the accuser becomes the accused and their hypocrisy is exposed. At that point, the apologies and tears cannot flow quickly enough, but I suspect they are motivated more as a result of getting caught rather than sorrow for their behavior, especially when they continue their predatory behavior.

You can split hairs all you want.

You can draw the lines of indecency wherever they are the most comfortable for you.

Want to give Al Franken a pass?

That’s your business.

Want to give the president a pass?

That’s your decision.

Want to let Bill Clinton off the hook because he was a brilliant economist who righted the country despite his predatory actions?

That’s up to you.

I can keep going, of course, with an ever-growing list of offenders, but I think you get the point here.

You see, as far as I’m concerned, character still matters.

And, former Sen. Al Franken’s resignation is a lesson in character, regardless of which party you support.

It doesn’t erase what he did, it doesn’t remove the lingering impact of what his actions provoked, it doesn’t mean we should shrug our shoulders, say “boys will be boys” and move on.

It means that at least one of these predators understands that there are consequences for his actions.

And, that’s a lesson these other guys also should learn.

No bad days!

Ed Kociela is an opinion columnist for St. George News. The opinions stated in this article are his own and may not be representative of St. George News.

Email: edkociela.mx@gmail.com

Twitter: @STGnews, @EdKociela