THE HIGH profile Governor of the south eastern US state South Carolina, Mark Sanford, has been easily the most talked about US politician, probably next only to Barack Obama. The conservative Republican is the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and is widely expected to be the contender for the White House in 2012. His national profile soared when he mounted vehement opposition to Obama administration’s economic stimulus plan, advancing logical arguments that could not be brushed aside. The Governor says the package benefits moneybags in auto mobile, banking and insurance industry, which will put a long term burden on depraved population.
If Mark’s charisma bore striking similarity to former President Bill Clinton, the credentials of Jenny Sanford, South Carolina First Lady, has been even more impeccable than that of Hillary Clinton, currently Secretary of State in the Obama administration. Perhaps the most powerful woman in the world, Hillary was a tremendous source of strength to President Bill Clinton during campaigning.
Jenny made a name as brilliant investment banker and an expert in mergers and acquisitions in the 1980s. As the First Lady, she has focused on the upbringing of their four sons. But, she used her Wall Street expertise to completely reorganise operations at the Governor’s Mansion. While this led to significant savings to the taxpayers, she also oversaw refurbishment of Lace House, reopening the home for rental and public use. It generates approximately $250,000 to support the historical properties on the Mansion Complex grounds. In the 2012 campaign, Sanford was widely expected to be adopting the Bill Clinton’s USP with even more credibility: “Two for the price of one! Elect one, get two!”
That dream of the Sanfords and millions south eastern Americans may well have shattered. Mark, doting father of four boys, mysteriously disappeared over the Father’s Day weekend, leaving the public dumbfounded. Dramatically returning after a week, the Governor revealed himself to be the American version of former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan. The Indian politico is better known for his affair with an ambitious lawyer Anuradha Bali and they converted to Islam and become Chand and Fiza to get married, only to flip-flops repeatedly.
The popular SC Governor admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina in a bizarre press conference. To cut the long story short, he told reporters: “So, the bottom line is this: I have been unfaithful to my wife.” Sanford is not known to be a fervent moralist, like most Republican bigwigs are. But, he has frowned on infidelity in the past. He voted to impeach President Bill Clinton for L’Affaire Monica Lewinsky and declared before CNN cameras, “He (Bill Clinton) lied under a different oath, and that’s the oath to his wife. . . So, it’s got to be taken very, very seriously.”
There have been muted demands for resignation of the ‘unfaithful’ Governor. While not responding directly, Sanford has announced his intentions to resign from his position of chairman of the Republican Governors Association. A former director of RGA revealed: “Personal circumstances over the course of the last week have managed to shrink the front line of the 2012 possible contender list by 30 per cent.”
The most traumatized in the episode, undoubtedly, has been Jenny Sanford. She was shattered – more than as First Lady – being the mother of four kids and appealed to the Media: “This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives. I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.”
She started her statement, saying, “I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage.” She recalled having faithfully supported him in his public service to the citizens and taxpayers of South Carolina to the best of her ability.
Reiterating her belief “in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage,” she explained she worked immediately to “first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair” the marriage, when she found out about Mark’s infidelity. She revealed that she had asked him to leave two weeks ago when “We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong.”
The ‘trial separation’ with the goal of ultimately strengthening the marriage was mutually agreed to. He consented to not contact them during the period and they kept it private out of respect of his public office and reputation and to keep the kids from public gaze. It was after this agreement that Mark left secretly for Buenos Aires to meet the ‘other woman’.
Jenny quoted Psalm 127: “Sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him.” She therefore wanted to pour all energy into raising their sons to be honourable young men. “I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance,” she concluded.
There has been a mix of public reactions to Jenny’s cool response, like it was the case with Hillary Clinton after the Monica affair became public. Some women admired her strength and poise in private matters made public. Many sympathized with her as a victim of her husband's insensitive behaviour. Others accused of being an enabler to her husband's indiscretions. A few fiercely uncharitable commentators compared them both with Lady Macbeth, the Shakespearean character who suffers pangs of guilt for several years after remaining by the side of the King of Scotland.
There is no dearth of Indians who derive immense pride in flaying the ‘decadent West’, bereft of any consideration for family sentiments. The country is said to have nurtured millions of years of civilization and imbibed the tradition of family bonds. But, unfortunately, the current scene is dominated by fiery advocates of ‘modernity’. A small band of fervid feminists is bent upon destroying any semblance of family values. Tragically, this section has usurped power and enjoys clout with officialdom and judiciary.
The US too has a section of their ilk. But, it is a tiny minority that has no mass following. And unlike in India, these fashionable terrorists have no clout at the helm. This section accuses Jenny of cynically staying in a failed marriage and betraying womanhood.
‘Modern’ Indian ladies who find it fashionable to tear apart the institution of marriage in the name of women’s empowerment will do well to ponder over Jenny Sanford’s reasoning: “The greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street or the philanthropic activities. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind.”
Fiery feminists who stood solidly behind the ‘other woman’ in Chander Mohan case, only to be made into big fools by their repeated flip-flops, may not exactly agree with Jenny Sanford. Is it time for India to borrow traditional values from the West instead of vice versa?
