Repost: John Kerry's Divorce

More than a year-and-a-half ago I first posted about John Kerry's divorce, and as you can see from my top search word list it was a very popular topic for visitors. I doubt Kerry's past womanizing and gold-digging had much of an effect on the election, but there's no denying that people cared about the issue. Here's my original post.

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I haven't seen this discussed anywhere else, but am I the only one who thinks it's significant that John Kerry couldn't remain faithful to his first wife? Some people like to make a big deal about the "sanctity of marriage" with regards to gay marriage, but isn't Mr. Kerry's divorce in 1988 (after six years of separation) relevant to the same issue? What's more, the circumstances aren't particularly flattering for Mr. Kerry.

Most people seem to think Mr. Kerry's carousing in the 1980s isn't important, but for most of the decade he was still married.

During the period the Kerrys were separated, for instance, the senator apparently felt little constrained by his marital vows. Gossip columns at the time linked him to Morgan Fairchild, Cornelia Guest and even President Reagan's liberal daughter, Patti Davis. An upcoming Boston Globe expose will reportedly feature details of the Massachusetts Democrat's 1980s affair with a 25-year-old British reporter.

According to a previous account offered by the paper, the fact that Kerry was still technically married till 1988 "reportedly came as a surprise to some of his frequent companions."

The epidemic of divorce in America (and around the world) absolutely dwarfs any threat posed to the sanctity of marriage by homosexuals.

If John Kerry couldn't keep the vows he made to his first wife, why does anyone think he'll make a trustworthy president? He hasn't done anything to acknowledge the divorce was wrong -- and I doubt he thinks it -- so there's no possibility that he's changed his mind over the years about the seriousness of keeping his word.

No one talks about it, of course, because the majority of marriages fail and no one wants to denounce a failure committed by so many people. There aren't many people with moral authority on this issue, which goes straight to the heart of the matter, doesn't it? Everyone does it, so there's plenty of incentive for everyone to treat divorce lightly, as if it's of no consequence.

I think it's despicable and disgusting.

Update:
Rev. Sensing points out in the comments that the divorce rate isn't 50%, and he's right, although it's close. Here are some statistics I gathered last year on marriage and divorce that break the divorce rate down into various groupings.

1. Median duration of marriage (1997): 7.2 years
2. Likelihood of new marriages ending in divorce in 1997: 43%
3. Adults between 25 and 34 years old never married in 1998: 14 million (35%)
4. Percentage of population (by area of US) who had never married in 1999: Midwest: 28%, Northeast: 28%, South: 26%, West: 29%
5. People (by gender) 15 years of age and over who have never married: Males: 32,253,000 (31.3% of men), Females: 27,763,000 (25.1% of women)
6. Median age at first marriage: Males: 26.8, Females: 25.1
7. Average age of marriage [first marriage and later] in 1997: Males: 28.7, Females: 25.9
8. Percentage of people that married under the age of 20 who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 40%
9. Percentage of people that married over the age of 25 who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 24%
10. Percentage of women whose parents were divorced who get divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 43%
11. Percentage of women whose parents stayed together who get divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 29%
12. In 1996, children of divorce were 50% more likely than their counterparts from intact families to divorce.
13. Fatherless homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway children, 85% of children with behavior problems, 71% of high school dropouts, 85% of youths in prison, well over 50% of teen mothers.

Further, SS from Seldom Sober points to stats that show the divorce rate dropping.

Since 1990:
1991, 0.47%
1992, 0.48%
1993, 0.46%
1994, 0.46%
1995, 0.46%
1995, 0.43%
1997, 0.43%,
1998, 0.42%,
1999, 0.41%,
2000, 0.41%,
2001, 0.40%

That link has more info on how divorce rates are determined and how predictions are made. The standard "50% of marriages will end in divorce" meme comes from the Census Bureau and was reaffirmed in 2002.

My own prediction is that as baby boomers age and die the divorce rate will continue to drop. I predict that we Millennials will be more faithful to each other than our parents were. (Plus, fewer people may get married which could improve the divorce rate, depending on selection factors.)