American Morning
Politicians' public affairs becoming predictable?
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has joined the growing list of high-powered politicians who are seemingly powerless against temptation. Are we seeing a pattern here?
CNN's Carol Costello reports.
Bennett: Sanford affair hurtful to Republican Party
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/25/bill.bennet.2.cnn.jpg caption="CNN political contributor Bill Bennett says Sanford's affair is hurtful to the GOP."]
Governor Mark Sanford was a rising Republican star before yesterday's stunning admission that he was having an affair. But does his bad behavior reflect on the Republican Party as whole? Is there a credibility issue?
Bill Bennett is a CNN political contributor and radio host of “Morning in America.” He spoke with Kiran Chetry on CNN’s “American Morning” Thursday.
Kiran Chetry: These are things people just don't want to hear about in the midst of huge domestic problems. South Carolina has a double digit unemployment rate of 12.1% right now. Governor Sanford became the face of opposition to wasteful spending. And now his constituents find they were left in the lurch. He was in South America with his girlfriend. How does that affect the credibility of conservatives?
Bill Bennett: It doesn't help in South Carolina at all obviously and it doesn't help the Republican Party. I don't know about conservatives but it sure hurts the Republican Party. It's just too much of this, too many of these. Family values are an important part of American life. The Republican Party was founded to combat, as we said in 1854, the twin relics of barbarism – slavery and polygamy. So that was a stand for family values. But it hurts the party when you have so many, if you will, defecting from the cause. Mark Sanford was regarded as a future leader, not anymore. It’s a sad and regrettable thing. Obviously it happens on both sides. But Republicans do hold these values dear. It’s part of our charter. So it's a hurtful and harmful thing, there’s no question about it.
Chetry: You're right, it does happen on both sides. The reason I'm asking about the problem is because it's been a bad few weeks for the GOP. We heard also from Nevada Senator John Ensign, he admitted to an affair. Both of them are conservatives. And both of them not afraid to inject morality into the public discussion so then the question of hypocrisy comes in. How do you maintain that credibility when there seems to a double-talk problem?
President playing favorites?
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/25/obama.press.conference.getty.art.jpg caption="President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House June 23, 2009 in Washington, DC."]
It is unusual for a town hall meeting to be held in the White House, but President Obama knows how to use the media. But that doesn’t mean the media is allowing itself to be used, although as Republican Congressman Lamar Smith puts it, “Right now I think they (voters) are not getting the facts and therefore it’s hard to make good decisions, and therefore our democracy is threatened.”
But in the world of broadcast journalism, last night ABC New’s “Questions for the President: Prescription for America” was a “coup” and a political football. The Republican National Committee went on the offense and ran an ad saying, "Today a national network turns its airwaves over to President pitch for government run healthcare.
A not-so-veiled attempt, some say, to paint not only President Obama's healthcare plan as "socialist" but make the media a willing partner. Independent analyst and Daily Beast columnist, John Avlon says, “I think what you have is the newest incarnation of the oldest story that so many of us are sick of, which is partisan talking points clouding all common sense.”
Fair criticism or not, some say the President is fueling the fire by playing favorites. Before holding a press conference Tuesday, the White House gave Nico Pitney from The Huffington Post a heads-up the President was going to "call on him."
President Obama: “Nico, I know that you, and all across the Internet, we've been seeing a lot of reports coming directly out of Iran. Do you have a question?"
In short – that's unusual. And it didn't sit well with some journalists.
South Carolina governor admits extramarital affair
Update, 2:44 p.m.
(CNN) - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, just back from a secret trip to Argentina unknown to his staff or his wife, admitted Wednesday he has carried on an extramarital affair.
"I've been unfaithful to my wife," Sanford told a news conference in Columbia, the state capital. "I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina." His voice choking at times, Sanford apologized to his wife and four sons, his staff and supporters, and said he would resign immediately as head of the Republican Governors Association.
The affair was discovered five months ago, Sanford said.
Nixon tapes revealed
Former President Richard Nixon's library has just released a collection of memos and tapes including more conversations on Watergate and a revealing 1973 conversation about President Nixon's views on abortion just after the Supreme Court ruled on Roe V. Wade.
CNN's Elaine Quijano has the report.
Boss watching you online?
The city of Bozeman, Montana was asking people applying for city jobs to hand over their passwords to social networking sites – like Facebook and Twitter.
After the story spread online – the city backed down but the question remains: just how much privacy can you really expect online?
CNN's Alina Cho has an update on the story she first told us about a few months ago that involved two workers who got fired for what they said on Myspace.
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