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Will You Vote For A Divorced Candidate?

Posted by Samantha Louis on Wed, 08/22/2007 - 3:50pm
Voters tend to grumble over the sameness of candidates running for high public office. Thankfully, the marital histories of this season's crop of presidential hopefuls offers a smorgasbord of alternatives. The Christian Science Monitor this week takes a look at the field, particularly the glaring contrast between Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani.

Next to his wife of 38 years, Romney's wholesome, Norman Rockwell-esque image stands in stark contrast to that of Giuliani, who suffered a very public divorce from second wife, Donna Hanover a few years ago, while still involved with his twice divorced wife Judi.

Still, only 9% of Americans say a divorce would make them less likely to vote for a presidential candidate, according to a Pew Research poll cited by the Monitor. Ronald Reagan, considered a god by most conservatives, was a divorced man. And the percentage who claim "old-fashioned values about family and marriage" has declined, dropping over the past two decades from 87% to 76%.

Like Hollywood, Washington is a funny place where the reflection of our social mores is often contorted as if by a funhouse mirror. And Giuliani's high-paid contortionists are no doubt doing their best to keep voters focused on issues other than personal history. Not to say there's anything un-American about divorce. But, you have to ask: Without Giuliani's personal history and skeletons, would Americans have been introduced to Barack Obama, let alone considered electing him to the highest office in the land?

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