Politics Make Strange Hypocrites

No one is quite sure where the saying "politics make strange bedfellows" originated but it has been understood to mean that in order to get elected, politicians would welcome and even seek out support from people who they wouldn't enjoy having dinner with much less (metaphorically) sharing a bed.

Some of us for example can remember 1960 when John F. Kennedy picked his primary rival, Lyndon Johnson (about 180 degrees opposite in personality and background) to be his running mate in order to help win Southern states. Believe it or not, Democrats had a good chance then in the South before Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy ( not so subtle racism) kicked in.

Eventually due to a number of sex scandals, not to mention married (and other) couples such as the Clintons both being active politically the term was sometimes inverted to read "bedfellows make strange politics".

Now however we are about to witness the ultimate in hypocrisy-- Mitt Romney who viciously and continuously attacked Rick Santorum (and vice versa) is already making nice to Santorum just hours after the latter suspended his campaign. This is more than just the two maybe becoming bedfellows (OMG--that term would drive both of them crazy!) it means asking the electorate to just totally ignore every barb, negative ad and surrogate attack each made on the other over the last six months or so.

What's changed from the JFK/LBJ days of 1960 (the era of Mad Men) among other things, is that every word and invective each has hurled at the other (not to mention Newt Gingrich) is preserved on videotape and after careful editing will be used against Romney this Fall thus further exposing the hypocritical side of someone whose real opinions and policies, if any, are subject daily or hourly to the political expediency of the moment (see: Etch-A-Sketch). Early speculation that Santorum will be the VP choice seems farfetched, but...?

To be fair, Mitt Romney is not the first hypocrite seeking high office. Or low office for that matter. If a politician turns out to be relatively decent and honest, we're generally surprised. As another old saying goes "we get the leaders we deserve".