If there is one absolute rule in politics, it is that there will be scandals. Scandals generally fall into four categories: corruption, abuse of power, criminal violations unrelated to office and sex. It’s the last type of scandal that seems to get the most public attention, but is the least serious. Personally, I don’t care who politicians sleep with (provided their partners are adults). Everything else being equal, I would prefer a candidate that is faithful to their spouse, but infidelity will not keep me from voting for the candidate I think will do the best job or who I most agree with on the issues.
Of course my four categories are not mutually exclusive. Sex is often involved in other types of scandals. Here in the NYC metro area we have had 3 governors resign in 4 years over different types of scandals.
In August of 2004, I was temping at a law firm and getting ready to start my first year as a teacher. Someone in the office said that New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey.was going to resign because he was gay. My first reaction was why would he resign for being gay? Of course, that wasn’t the reason he resigned. He resigned because it was revealed that Golan Cipel, the man he had appointed to be New Jersey’s Homeland Security Advisor was his lover. The appointment had been criticized from the start because Cipel had no experience to qualify him for the position, not to mention he was ineligible for a federal security because he was not a U.S. citizen. This of course made no sense at all until it was learned he was the governor’s lover. Here is a scandal that falls in 3 categories, sex, abuse of power (appointing an unqualified person to a vital state position) and corruption (a state job and salary to his lover).
John G. Rowland, the three-term governor of Connecticut, was not only forced from office but served 10 months in prison when it was revealed contractors doing business with the state paid for and made improvements to his vacation home. This was a corruption, but since there was no sex, probably the least memorable.
That brings us to Client #9. Eliot Spitzer resigned when it was revealed he had illegally patronized a high-priced prostitute. Here is a scandal that involves sex and criminal violations unrelated to office. I think there are far worse sins for a governor than patronizing a $5,000 a night prostitute. But Spitzer has committed those as well. The real scandal was Spitzer’s abuse of power in ordering the state police to target his political enemy, Joe Bruno. It has now come out that Spitzer may have committed perjury in denying his role in the scandal.
Spitzer’s replacement, Governor David Patterson had no sooner taken office when he was involved in his own sex scandal. Patterson has had multiple affairs and has a history of drug use (into at least his early 20’s). He came clean with them because reporters were apparently snooping around. In one sense I admire his honesty. But I think he should have just taken a stand and said my private life is private and I will not answer questions about my marriage or my sex life. Don’t deny the affairs; just refuse to talk about them because they are no ones business but his family’s.
Before I end this I want to talk about Bill Clinton. While Clinton’s involvement with Monica Lewinsky was a sex scandal, Clinton was impeached because he committed perjury and obstruction of justice. You may understand why a man in Clinton’s position might lie about infidelity with an intern. But defendants in sexual harassment cases often have to answer embarrassing questions. People may lie under oath all the time and get away with it, but when they are caught, there needs to be serious consequences. I don’t care who Clinton has sex with, I really don’t. But I do care that as an attorney, I was told on multiple occasions by a witness not to call them for a deposition because if I did they would lie. After all, as everyone was saying just a few years before, perjury in a civil deposition is no big deal.
So how about we spend less time investigating politicians sex lives and more investigating their job performance?
Of course my four categories are not mutually exclusive. Sex is often involved in other types of scandals. Here in the NYC metro area we have had 3 governors resign in 4 years over different types of scandals.
In August of 2004, I was temping at a law firm and getting ready to start my first year as a teacher. Someone in the office said that New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey.was going to resign because he was gay. My first reaction was why would he resign for being gay? Of course, that wasn’t the reason he resigned. He resigned because it was revealed that Golan Cipel, the man he had appointed to be New Jersey’s Homeland Security Advisor was his lover. The appointment had been criticized from the start because Cipel had no experience to qualify him for the position, not to mention he was ineligible for a federal security because he was not a U.S. citizen. This of course made no sense at all until it was learned he was the governor’s lover. Here is a scandal that falls in 3 categories, sex, abuse of power (appointing an unqualified person to a vital state position) and corruption (a state job and salary to his lover).
John G. Rowland, the three-term governor of Connecticut, was not only forced from office but served 10 months in prison when it was revealed contractors doing business with the state paid for and made improvements to his vacation home. This was a corruption, but since there was no sex, probably the least memorable.
That brings us to Client #9. Eliot Spitzer resigned when it was revealed he had illegally patronized a high-priced prostitute. Here is a scandal that involves sex and criminal violations unrelated to office. I think there are far worse sins for a governor than patronizing a $5,000 a night prostitute. But Spitzer has committed those as well. The real scandal was Spitzer’s abuse of power in ordering the state police to target his political enemy, Joe Bruno. It has now come out that Spitzer may have committed perjury in denying his role in the scandal.
Spitzer’s replacement, Governor David Patterson had no sooner taken office when he was involved in his own sex scandal. Patterson has had multiple affairs and has a history of drug use (into at least his early 20’s). He came clean with them because reporters were apparently snooping around. In one sense I admire his honesty. But I think he should have just taken a stand and said my private life is private and I will not answer questions about my marriage or my sex life. Don’t deny the affairs; just refuse to talk about them because they are no ones business but his family’s.
Before I end this I want to talk about Bill Clinton. While Clinton’s involvement with Monica Lewinsky was a sex scandal, Clinton was impeached because he committed perjury and obstruction of justice. You may understand why a man in Clinton’s position might lie about infidelity with an intern. But defendants in sexual harassment cases often have to answer embarrassing questions. People may lie under oath all the time and get away with it, but when they are caught, there needs to be serious consequences. I don’t care who Clinton has sex with, I really don’t. But I do care that as an attorney, I was told on multiple occasions by a witness not to call them for a deposition because if I did they would lie. After all, as everyone was saying just a few years before, perjury in a civil deposition is no big deal.
So how about we spend less time investigating politicians sex lives and more investigating their job performance?
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