By Kara Hallam
Staff Writer

This is it. The moment we have all been waiting for. And the winner is…

Wait really? You chose him?

That feeling has all hit us when a little bit of contempt arises over hearing someone has won something we did not feel like they deserved. What is even worse is when you know they have more than a few skeletons in the closet.

It is no secret the political scene seems to double as the stage for public social scandal. Ever since it was rumored that Thomas Jefferson had had an affair and children with one of his slaves, American political campaigns have been all about mudslinging harsh labels at one’s opponents.

In the past few months the scandal has unraveled over Toronto Mayor Rob Ford who was caught smoking crack and has made several inappropriate comments since. Despite this controversy, Ford will still run for another term and is fully confident in his abilities to run the Canadian city.

Surrounded by the media hype we often forget that a leader’s job should be based off their contributions to the government or organization not what is smeared about them throughout headlines. It is more likely students remember President Barack Obama’s selfie scandal than his standpoint on the extensive budget cutting policies if sequestration.

In some cases there is a fine line between a leader’s social mistakes and his abilities to rule a country. However, this line can be blurred by the public spread portrayal of such scandals in the media. In high school, gossip has a way of twisting the views of people we do not even know, a lot like the major news stations.

We might pick a rumor or two on a fellow teammate and suddenly our opinion of them is absolutely shattered. It does not seem fair that someone who has done so many things wrong should serve as a leader, a role model, for you. But once you really get to know that person it is an awkward slap in the face to find that rumor that you so harshly judged someone off is not true.

The problem with social controversies is about whose job it is to tell people about them and if it is anyone’s business. Of course we all want to know if we can really trust our leader. If their actions are dishonest then we do not know if we can trust them to make the best decisions for our country.

But there have been many false alarms including a rumored affair between Oprah Winfrey and President Obama during his first presidential campaign back in 2008. The media has been off the mark several times and a high school girl could hardly be considered a reliable source.

You also have to consider if this type of scandal can affect how a person serves as a leader. We are in high school and we make mistakes. Sometimes we get crazy, mean, or wild even if just for one moment.

The mistakes we make show a lack of consideration for the consequences of our actions. But does it really affect how we run a club meeting? Just try to think about a time when your social life has legitimately conflicted with a school activity besides scheduling wise.

When it comes to your ability to be a leader they do not always correlate.

Bill Clinton may have cheated on his wife but he is the last president to have a budget surplus. With such a troubling deficit hanging over American shoulders, infidel or not, Clinton had the skill to provide the United States with economic stability that no president has been able to for almost 14 years. His capabilities are overlooked however and he is forever branded as the cause of Hillary Clinton’s grief.

However these matters are not purely black and white. Social scandals from affairs to criminal activity reflect poorly upon a leader’s integrity. They serve as role models for the community and their untrustworthy behavior conveys an image that is hard to place confidence in.

The situation is solely conditional and it must be taken into consideration the abilities and contributions the person has made in their position and how much truth is really in the accusation made about them.

Moral of the story: do not be quick to judge the next time a person you do not like is put in charge of you. If you try to see the positive in them, you would be surprised by how awesome a leader they are. They were chosen for some reason, how about you try to find it.