While the rest of us common folk are accountable to our boss, spouse, kids and conscience, politicians seem to repeatedly skate out of controversy, scandal and bad ethics without a scratch.
No matter what their ideological stripe, politicians often get themselves into trouble yet come out unscathed. Bill Clinton’s “sexual relations”, Ralph Klein’s men’s shelter rant and Gordon Campbell’s “had one to many” Hawaiian vacation are just a few high profile examples of politicians who have crossed the line but live to tell about it. Christy Clark has just been elected the leader of the BC Liberals and the province’s next Premier in spite of the fact that she and her family were linked to a fraud scandal. It still remains to be seen if federal Minister Bev Oda will rise above her memo-altering affair, and if Alberta MLA Raj Sherman can recover from making serious and currently evidence-less allegations about Alberta’s health care system.
Halfway around the world, the same Teflon coating applies. There is Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, embroiled in a massive sex scandal, but still leading in public opinion polls. All while Germany’s cool defence minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, is expected to survive the scandal involving him plagiarizing most of his PhD thesis.
So if you or I abused our power at work or broke laws while on the job, the consequences would likely be very different. So what is it about a politician’s DNA that ensures scandal and controversy never stick?
Do they have limitless stamina, allowing them to tough through the bad times knowing that this too shall pass?
Do they employ great PR people and spin doctors that know how to strategically message and communicate them out of their mess?
Is it that democracy is based on the fact that voters have short term memories? So what people care about today will not be what they even think about a few months from now.
As law makers, are politicians not held to a higher standard? Or is it simply that we are a forgiving bunch? Because deep down, we know we are all human.
Very thought provoking! My take is that those who provide council to and strategize for elected officials have come to recognize the impact of the shortened news cycle, and the ubiquity of information (content) on the perceptions of the public. Foul, untoward or criminal activities are reported on a weekly basis from governments and corporations across our country and around the world.
Think back just two weeks at all that has happened:
– the conclusion of uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, the beginning Lybian revolts, the rise in oil prices (and gasoline), Berlisconi’s Bunga Bunga scandal, earthquake in NZ, occupancy of the legislature in Wisconsin
– Bev Oda, the in-and-out charges, Jason Kenny in the federal arena;
– Redford and Griffiths entering the PC leadership, waiting for Gary Mar to announce, new ministerial appointments, speech from the throne, the budget and more Raj Sherman in Alberta
– the arena debate, murders and horrible, horrible weather in Edmonton.
I’m sure that I’ve missed a few in there. The point is, that’s a lot for people to retain, process and care about. And two weeks from now, there will be an equally large new list of events and issues to look back on that will in whole or in part, displace what has concerned us recently. It’s not that we don’t care about transgressions, or that politicians have some kind of special skill to avoid accountability – it’s that they know we can’t hold on to our anger forever. There’s simply too much happening to allow for it. When faced with scandal they play on that. Deny. Be patient, and wait for the next opportunity to control the narrative.