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Anthony Weiner, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tiger Woods. What do they all have in common? They cheated on their wives. How is Tiger Woods’s situation different from the other two? Woods is a professional golfer while Weiner was a New York congressman and Schwarzenegger was the governor of California. Why is this difference important? People hold elected public officials to higher standard than private citizens or celebrities, which may explain why their unfaithfulness was enough to cost (or nearly cost) them their jobs.

Why? It’s because elected public officials are just that: elected. When a person becomes an elected public official, there is a certain level of trust and responsibility that comes with the job title. People voted Weiner and Schwarzenegger into office. They should take that responsibility seriously. When they break the public’s trust and are not responsible, the public rightfully feels a bit betrayed because they put their faith into those two men.

Did Weiner and Schwarzenegger do anything illegal by cheating on their wives? And, should that warrant an immediate removal from public office? No and no. Cheating on your wife isn’t illegal (but may be considered morally wrong) and therefore does not warrant an immediate removal from public office. 

Does the public have a right in demanding that both Weiner and Schwarzenegger resign from office? Yes. Why is that? The answer goes back to the original point: people hold public officials to higher standards than private citizens. When they cheated on their wives, it showed a lack of judgment and character that the public feels may also be lacking in their jobs. If they showed poor judgment by cheating on their wives, who’s to say they won’t show the same lack of integrity when it comes to their respective duties of holding an elected position?

There was outcry when Woods cheated on this wife, to be sure. The difference is that no one asked Woods to quit golf because Woods was not elected to the position. Taxpayer money does not directly pay his salary, and his job does not require him to represent and make decisions for a group of people. Although politicians may see themselves as celebrities or private citizens, the truth is they aren’t, and the public should not be afraid to demand more from those who represent them.

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