Of course, only a few hours after I posted about how impressed I was with the guy, New York's new governor, David Paterson, and his wife have to go and hold an incredibly candid press conference where they divulged the details of their own extra-marital affairs. Suddenly, on one level, he seems no better than the man he was just sworn in to replace. And it begs the question: just what is it about our government that tempts politicians toward infidelity?
I can see why Paterson went public with this very personal information: He wanted to get all the dirt out of the bag so he could begin his term as governor with a clean slate. He knew that a government position of such high ranking as governor (and of the state of New York, no less) leaves even the most personal aspects of your life wide open to the public, and he wanted to get that out of the way so he could move on to more important subjects -- like the passing of the new state budget, which was the topic of another press conference held later in the day. Still, though. Was it truly necessary?
Though I am in no way in support of the choice people make, no matter what their ranking in government or society, to turn to infidelity as an excuse for other problems in their lives, I suppose it should be commended that Paterson and his wife realized they both had a problem, sought counseling, and learned to work harder at giving 100% to each other and their marriage. And I do still think he'll be a good governor.
10 comments:
Too bad. I think infidelity is a big problem for most of the country, not just the politicians (I guess they just get all the press). Just another of Satan's tools to break up families - discontent with the one you chose!
Good for a man who comes clean, good for a couple who decided to seek counseling and move forward ... there is a thing called "forgiveness".
Love your blog!! (I got here through MommyJ).
When Pres. Hinckley was on Larry King Live he said something to the effect (in regards to Pres. Clinton, I believe) that when you are in the public eye you have made a choice to live a better life where you should not give in to things like infidelity. But to come clean right off the bat is very admirable and I think forgiveness is a great attribute.
I'll look for Pres. Hinckley's actual wording and post it later.
It is a shame, isn't it? While I agree with you in that I still think he'll be a good governor, it is a frustrating and complex situation. I do think coming clean makes him a better man than Spitzer, but I feel let-down (I know, I'm not a New Yorker, but I am really into politics). The worst part of that press conference was he said, "I think we have a marriage like many Americans, maybe even like many of you. Elected officials are really just reflections of the people we represent." I hope I'm not wrong in saying this, but I don't think the majority of Americans have affairs when their marriages get challenging. I felt a little insulted that he would make that statement. Anyway...ummm...sorry about the rant.
Oh, you know I have to weigh in on this one.
1. I think it was incredibly necessary, politically speaking, to air his dirty laundry. When the Clinton scandal broke out, the people felt they had been lied to, and they had.
2. What makes this guy better than Spitzer, is that he worked out his private life in private. True, Spitzer didn't have much of a choice to work things out in private - seeing as he already held a visible office - but his wife had to suffer in the public eye. That's just tough - even as an affair - but add to it the element of prostitution....
Yeah, they're different. My 2¢.
I agree that it was a good move, politically speaking, to lay this out on the table right up front. But at the same time, it was incredibly discouraging to see these headlines after he'd been praised as an excellent replacement for an apparently immoral governor. I do believe in forgiveness, of course, and was very pleased to learn that both he and his wife, though they had made mistakes in the past, had been able to work through them and are now more committed to each other. And I was also very happy to see that, only a few hours after this press conference, he was hard at work trying to reduce state spending on the new budget. That shows me that while yes, he made mistakes, he's admitted to them publicly and is ready to put it behind him and get to work. So, it was hard news to hear, but since the past can't be changed, I have to say he handled things pretty well.
And Emily, I agree: I really hope that his assumption that most Americans are not loyal to their spouses is wrong, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be too surprised if it wasn't.
Also, welcome Claudia!
I don't trust anyone who has infidelity as one of his attributes. If he won't think twice about cheating on his wife, he won't think twice about cheating his constituents.
I agree with roundy: that is totally insulting. I know plenty of people who would never even consider cheating on his/her spouse.
Immorality has been given such a pass in this country it's truly sad.
As I understand it Gov. Paterson "came clean" after the rumor mill in Washington started churning. Apparently his infidelity wasn't all that secret it just hadn't gotten any interest until now. In light of that I find it interesting that when he was audaciously asked by a reporter whether he had every solicited prostitution his incredibly insightful response was simply to say "only the lobbyists". He was inaugurated a day or two later and at his first official press conference as Gov he addressed his marital concerns. Why didn't he mention it before? I'm not sure that he should or shouldn't have but if he was going to talk about what was the benefit of waiting until after the inauguration? Maybe he just figured NY had had enough? I don't know. Also there was a good op-ed in the NY times on Friday on this.
That last comment was from Davey not Rachel. Just so you know.
Yay for politics on your blog! It makes me feel more brave to post my two cents on mine... Oh, and I just have to say that MY governer wouldn't have gotten into this mess (though adam gets mad when i call Schwarzenwhatever my governor still--see my latest post :)
Post a Comment