SEX AND THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, PART II

COMMENTARY

THE HYPOCRISY OF BOURGEOIS POLITICS

IDAHO SENATOR LARRY CRAIG GETS THE AX BY BROTHER ROMNEY

Earlier this summer I made comment on a small controversy that flared up between straight-laced Republican presidential candidate ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and fellow presidential aspirant Illinois Democratic Senator Barack Obama over the appropriate age to begin sex education in the public schools. I have reposted that commentary below. Why? This week, the week of August 27, 2007, long time Idaho Senator Larry Craig a leading senatorial supporter of one Mitt Romney’s bid was unceremoniously canned from that campaign for some men’s room misconduct. Now we have become fairly inured to these sexual escapades,one sort or another, by politicians from both major bourgeois parties but the hypocrisy involved by those who would deny gays and lesbains equal rights makes small comment necessary here.

This writer made the point in the commentary below that given the haphazard nature of sexual education in late capitalist society that more and earlier sex education is the beginning of wisdom. The bizarre nature of the particulars in this case and last year’s Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley’s case only add fuel to that observation. To speak nothing of poor proto-Victorian Romney’s response. Indeed, as I observed below, this issue cannot wait for the introduction of socialism. Again-for now the more real sex education the better.


SEX AND THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN (PART I)

COMMENTARY

OBAMA AND MITT DUKE IT OUT OVER SEX EDUCATION


For those who expected some lurid copy about the behind the scenes sex lives of the above-mentioned candidates, forget it. This is much more prosaic. It is hard to believe but in the year 2007 this writer is compelled to make a few comments on the latest 'tempest in a teapot' on the campaign trail over the question of the appropriate age at which public institutions, mainly the schools, should make children aware of sexual issues. Mitt Romney, staking himself out as the king of ‘family value' issues in order to cozy up to the social conservatives, believes that sex and kindergarten students do not mix. Obama, rightly in this case, believes that age appropriate sex education can be started at that age.

Mainly this is a question of public policy guidelines and as is the case with most current state-mandated sex education programs aimed at the youth there are opt out procedures for those adults unconformable with public institutions teaching their children about sex. That, however, is not the real political or cultural question. For those of us who learned about sex the hard way on the streets or have been stuffed with erroneous knowledge about sex or have had to face the sometimes bizarre nature of sexual mores under capitalism without much guidance early sex education would seem to be the beginning of wisdom. Ignorance never did anyone any good. This simply program, moreover, is not something that has to wait until we are in a socialist society. Trotsky reputedly once spoke of the three great tragedies of life- hunger, sex and death. He noted that Marxists had staked out the struggle against hunger as the axis on which they would fight. But he also noted that these other issues would be addressed most fully under socialism. And they will. But for now- the more real sex education the better.

THIS IS PART OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THE 2006-2008 ELECTION CYCLE UNDER THE HEADLINE- FORGET THE DONKEYS, ELEPHANTS, GREENS-BUILD A WORKERS PARTY!