Jonathan Zimmerman: Our Leaders' Privacy Isn't All We Might Lose
[Jonathan Zimmerman teaches history at New York University and lives in Narberth. He is the author, most recently, of "Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory" (Yale University Press).]
Here's an old cliché, tired but true: You never know what goes on inside somebody else's marriage.
But in the case of Al and Tipper Gore, why would you want to know? That's the real question raised by the Gores' separation, which they announced last week after 40 years of marriage.
The sad answer lies in the erosion of privacy throughout American politics. Today we think we have a God-given right to know every detail about our leaders' intimate lives. And that impoverishes our democracy.
Consider the expressions of shock and surprise that reverberated across the newspapers and the Internet following the Gores' announcement. If, say, Bill and Hillary Clinton were splitting up, we'd understand. But Al and Tipper? The romance-novel couple, straight out of Love Story? Say it ain't so!...
Did the bedroom betrayals of FDR and JFK illustrate deficits in their character? Definitely. But did these private antics render them unfit for public office? Hardly. They were inadequate spouses and inspired leaders. You can be both.
That brings us back to Al and Tipper Gore, both dedicated public servants. Their marriage seems to be over, and we don't know why. And we shouldn't want to know, either.
Read entire article at Philadelphia Inquirer
Here's an old cliché, tired but true: You never know what goes on inside somebody else's marriage.
But in the case of Al and Tipper Gore, why would you want to know? That's the real question raised by the Gores' separation, which they announced last week after 40 years of marriage.
The sad answer lies in the erosion of privacy throughout American politics. Today we think we have a God-given right to know every detail about our leaders' intimate lives. And that impoverishes our democracy.
Consider the expressions of shock and surprise that reverberated across the newspapers and the Internet following the Gores' announcement. If, say, Bill and Hillary Clinton were splitting up, we'd understand. But Al and Tipper? The romance-novel couple, straight out of Love Story? Say it ain't so!...
Did the bedroom betrayals of FDR and JFK illustrate deficits in their character? Definitely. But did these private antics render them unfit for public office? Hardly. They were inadequate spouses and inspired leaders. You can be both.
That brings us back to Al and Tipper Gore, both dedicated public servants. Their marriage seems to be over, and we don't know why. And we shouldn't want to know, either.