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The Pandering Penitents
Why do so many American politicians -- from Bill Clinton to Mark Sanford -- use religious language when they make public confessions of marital infidelity? Are they truly penitent or just pandering? How can we tell the difference?
There are so many penitent politicians making their confessions of infidelity today, they could probably found their own religious order: The Pandering Penitents.
When a politician holds a press conference and tearfully uses religious language to "frame" his confession that he has not been faithful to his wife, you can be absolutely, certain that's pandering.
It's the religious language that's the dead give-away; a contrite heart actually has no need to force God-language into what is basically a secular situation. Politicians play the God-card when their backs are to the wall.
The religious language betrays that the confession isn't to God at all. The song "God is Watching You" basically says it all: "When you take that fated fall, God is watching you." The pious politician should know that God is already appraised of their infidelity.
God is not the intended audience of the tearful religious confession of infidelity before cameras and microphones. The voter is the intended audience. The unfaithful politician hopes the religious language will soften up the voters' hearts, to say nothing of their minds. The religious language used by the political penitent is actually a form of the sin of pride: 'I'm really a fine Christian because I am religiously penitent."
Actual remorse is something altogether different. It does not come from pride, but from humility. The humble heart would never, ever show up at a political press conference and drag God into a confession of wrong-doing.
The ranks of the Order of Pandering Penitents is growing. The good news is that the voters are getting wise to the rituals of the Pandering Penitents.
By
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
|
June 29, 2009; 7:26 PM ET
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Posted by: meand2 | July 8, 2009 3:04 AM
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Penitence has nothing to do with it. Sure, the politicians regret getting caught but that has nothing to do with the public face that they put on for the dog and pony show that has become de rigueur in American politics.
But the mea culpa charade works. Trust the politicians to milk it for all it is worth.
The amoral politicians are lucky to have gullible supporters.
Posted by: probashi | July 6, 2009 4:34 PM
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You are correct. The true religious adulterer would quietly resign his/her public job, realizing the extreme sin of breaking trust with constituents, and then move towards private reconcilliation with his/her spouse, family, church, and friends. The spectacle of these public "confessions" are selfish and frankly do religion no good to those ready to pounce on religion.
Posted by: schaeffz | July 6, 2009 12:21 PM
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How delightfully shallow. You are at your best in these pro forma recriminations. What a delight your spirit is.
Posted by: YourAffectionateUncle | July 2, 2009 11:15 PM
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How delightfully shallow. You are at your best in these pro forma recriminations. What a delight your spirit is.
Posted by: YourAffectionateUncle | July 2, 2009 11:14 PM
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How about this for a tongue twister?
The people are pretty profoundly pissed at the presumptions of the Pandering, Pretending- to be-Pious Penitents and are prepared to pull the plug on their professional political aspirations.
About sums it up for me. :)
Posted by: mokey2 | July 1, 2009 12:45 AM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
How many of these pandering penitents would admit to adultery or any other sin if they hadn't been caught? If they truly believed the things they say in a religious vein they wouldn't have committed the sin in the first place or would have privately admitted to it before being found out instead of turning it into a media event (Read: Vote getting opportunity) after being caught with their pants down in public.