There was a special election last week in South Carolina.\u00a0 Granted, most deemed it \u201cspecial\u201d because the vote was held to replace a senatorial appointee.\u00a0 However, the Intramuralist finds it \u201cspecial\u201d because of the uniqueness of the candidates.<\/p>\n
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While each candidate certainly sported a resume that deserved serious consideration, neither was noted most for any professional qualification.\u00a0 The Republican candidate was Mark Sanford, known most as the former governor who resigned 4 years ago after lying about his whereabouts as opposed to being forthcoming about his affair.\u00a0 The Democrat candidate was Elizabeth Colbert Busch, known most as the sister of popular satirist Stephen Colbert as opposed to any individual accolades.\u00a0 From a distant, arguably judgmental vantage point, it seemed a poor choice of candidates.<\/p>\n
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Poor indeed.\u00a0 Sanford won by an approximate 10% point margin.<\/p>\n
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While not a resident of the Palmetto State, part of me wonders if this is the wisest representation for the people of the 1st Congressional District.\u00a0 A former governor… a man who left because of lies \u2014 granted, they were entirely regarding his personal endeavors \u2014 left his wife, children, and statehouse to pursue the object of his infidelity. \u00a0He is engaged to her today.<\/p>\n
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Ah, yes, I hear the rousing chorus of \u201camen\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 In fact, I read the screeching comments in cyberspace and selective editorials in the immediate aftermath.\u00a0 \u201cIs this the best we\u2019ve got?\u201d<\/em> seemed the strong \u2014 and even oft articulated \u2014 implication.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Truthfully, I agree.\u00a0 Is Sanford the best we\u2019ve got?<\/em>\u00a0 Now many of you have participated in this dialogue long enough to know that the Intramuralist unabashedly believes in the giving of second, third, and even fourth and fifth chances.\u00a0 Many times I have mercifully been on the receiving end of those grace extensions, and hence, I believe wholeheartedly in the generous outpouring to others.\u00a0 But that outpouring is accompanied by one caveat.\u00a0 Only one.\u00a0 But a significant one at that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In order to freely offer that second or even seventeenth chance, the heart of the recipient should be willingly repentant.\u00a0 True, no man can fully gauge the heart of another, yet the question is: \u00a0was Sanford repentant of his actions?\u00a0 Was he truly repentant of the destruction of his family?\u00a0 Or rather, was he simply sorry he got caught?\u00a0 Repentance and remorse are two totally different things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again come the \u201camen\u2019s,\u201d especially, I assume, from those who supported the candidacy of Sanford\u2019s opponent.\u00a0 Of course.\u00a0 That\u2019s the way partisanship sadly works in 21st century America.\u00a0 When we desire the liberal candidate, we loudly pounce upon the indiscretions of one conservative Mark Sanford.\u00a0 Oh, wait; many of us will then turn a blind eye to the indiscretions of a liberal Eliot Spitzer or Anthony Weiner, two more whose unscrupulous behavior merited their political exit but are seemingly, currently, waiting for enough time to pass so they, too, can re-enter the political arena.\u00a0 Again, let\u2019s ask the question:\u00a0 are they repentant of their actions? \u00a0Or are they only waiting for enough time to pass? \u00a0Better said:\u00a0 has the heart of the man changed?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Too often we assume the heart has changed because the candidate in question advances our desired political cause.\u00a0 Sorry, but that\u2019s not enough for me.\u00a0 Call me an idealist.\u00a0 But the Intramuralist wants representation by a person who is wise and<\/strong><\/em> of solid integrity.\u00a0 Note that I\u2019m not talking about a man who is perfect and ever without error. \u00a0A man of solid integrity still makes mistakes.\u00a0 But he doesn\u2019t hide them.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t repeatedly lie about them. \u00a0He doesn’t just “repackage his behavior” in order to make himself sound better. \u00a0He also doesn\u2019t merely wait for enough time to pass so that we forget about the magnitude of his indiscretions\u00a0\u2014 \u00a0and\u00a0so he can resume a desired political career.\u00a0 He is instead truly repentant for what he\u2019s done.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs that the best we\u2019ve got?\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>The best, my friends, equates to nothing less than a man of integrity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully,<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There was a special election last week in South Carolina.\u00a0 Granted, most deemed it \u201cspecial\u201d because the vote was held to replace a senatorial appointee.\u00a0 However, the Intramuralist finds it \u201cspecial\u201d because of the uniqueness of the candidates. While each candidate certainly sported a resume that deserved serious consideration, neither was noted most for … <\/p>\n