Will Sanford's Admissions Change Politics?

I'll have more to say about this later, but I think the answer is yes: Once again, Americans have another reason to throw their hands up and say, "There's another politician who couldn't keep it in his pants, and who abused the public trust."  Confidence in political institutions is as low as it was after Watergate, and the less confidence the public has in politicians, the less competitive elections will be; fewer good people decide to run for office, and the cycle perpetuates.  I'm not so sure the ultimate meaning of the revelation has anything to do with moral hypocrisy; the archetype of conservative moral scolds is no longer salient outside GOP primary politics. Imagine if Rudy Giuliani had run in this environment.... 

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/06/will-sanfords-admissions-change-politics/20067/