Now that the scandal with former Governor Eliot Spitzer has pretty much blown over, I was hoping we would get a break from having to listen to discussions about unfaithful, adulterous politicians and the spouses who put up with them.
Unfortunately, I was only half right. On Monday, David Paterson was sworn into office as the first African American governor in New York, and the state’s first governor to be legally blind as well. With so many interesting facets for the media to pick up on, I was thinking extra-marital affairs would be pretty far down on the list for things to talk about.
I was wrong. Only one day after taking office, news stories centered around the fact that both Paterson and his wife had extra-marital affairs during a rough patch in their marriage. Of course the stories had none of the scandal that went along with the Spitzer story, but after hearing yet another account of unfaithfulness on the part of a politician, I’m starting to wonder if there are any who are faithful. At least Paterson avoided a scandal by discussing his situation early in his career as governor, but why is it that the affairs have become such an everyday occurrence that it seems everyone has something to confess?
Winning in politics takes a lot of determination and self assuredness. Sometimes that’s a good thing, but very often it also makes a person think they can and should have whatever they want. Paterson and Spitzer are just the tip of the iceberg. If you take a few minutes to look back, they’re have been hundreds of well publicized political affairs, and probably countless more that weren’t so publicized.
Some people seem to think the numbers appear high because, as public figures, the politicians’ lives are under the scrutiny of the media, but if a comparable number of people on the outside of politics are also having affairs, I think the nation has a serious problem.
As political leaders, aren’t these people supposed to set an example for the rest of the country to follow. If you’re a politician railing on the decline of family values and morality, maybe you should lead by example. Just like the celebrities and athletes who mold young children’s dreams should probably try to act decently when they’re in the public spot light.
I know it’s probably never going to happen. They are only human, and as such, they’re probably going to make countless, countless mistakes until they eventually get caught, but I guess I would just like to see them use their judgment and think about the fact that they are supposed to be a better role model than the teeny-boppers on the Hollywood circuit.