The Politics of Divorce

The temperatures are rising and the boards are buzzing ... this could mean spring is finally here -- either that or we're tackling two - two -TWO hot issues in one! Over the weekend, The New York Times featured an article about presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani, his family woes and the larger question of the delicate intricacies of blended families. Giuliani was forced to comment on his family discord and the struggles of stepfamilies after his son Andrew, 21, disclosed he had a "little problem" with his stepmother Judith Nathan. And as we all know, "little" is the new "big". Makes you wonder just what those problems really are ... hmmm. Giuliani tactfully offered, "It’s the kind of thing that I think affects a lot of families these days." Well he's certainly no help in letting us in on the dirt!

But he does have a point. As a divorced mom preparing to blend some families of my own, I know it's never easy and often it's even more difficult than you ever imagined it could be. But do these personal issues reflect a campaign problem for Rudy? Or is it more about how the rough spots are managed, rather than the fact of a divorce itself?

On the Morality Debate board, the question nags at a few members. One mom writes:

Life happens, and lots of people are divorced. It doesn't automatically make a negative statement about them, or their ability to lead.

But, then I realized that he has had multiple divorces, and it did give me pause....

Another weighs in:

I don't know why it should affect the way I vote. Lots of people have divorces for a number of reasons.

We've already had a president who was divorced. Ronald Reagan was divorced. Of course he had already been married to his 2nd wife for quite awhile before he ran so no one noticed.

They're also tackling this issue on the Stepmom/Bio Mom Debate board ... one mom in a blended family says:

I find it interesting how this man's personal life is being completely exploited...I have to wonder what the real story is behind his supposed "abandonment" of his children.

When are they going to stick with the real campaign issues?

It's the age-old question, isn't it? Is a politician's personal life relevant to the campaign trail? Does Giuliani's marital track record make him less electable? Or, perhaps, it makes him more in tune with what is the day-to-day reality for millions of families trying to make a second (or third or fourth) marriage work at the same time as treading lightly through the mine fields of stepfamily politics. Where do you see this issue fitting in to your election decisions? How does this debate reflect your own family struggles, if at all? Lay it all out here and tell me what you think!