I'm shocked by Eliot Spitzer. Appalled. And I've been trying to understand it. A story in today's New York Times seeks to explain why politicians are prone to self-destructive sexual shenanigans. Power, alpha behavior, risk-taking, etc., etc. It doesn't explain it for me. I don't buy it.
Now, Spitzer's case is unique in that not only was he doing something tawdry, he was doing something tawdry that he prosecuted other people for doing. But let's put that aside for a moment, and I'll explain why I think it is that we care when our elected leaders can't keep their dicks in their pants. And I think an easy way to enter the conversation is by pointing out this passage from the Times:
Not always, of course, are political careers ruined by sexual irregularities. Rep. Barney Frank continued to win re-election in Massachusetts even after it was disclosed in 1989 that he had hired a male prostitute who ran a brothel out of his apartment.
But see, Frank is, as they say, a confirmed bachelor (or at least was, I have no idea what his current relationship status is). He betrayed no-one but himself, and as to limiting his career options, well, as an openly-gay politician, it's remarkable that he serves in the House at all, and it's hard to see him advancing above his current post. That was even more true in 1989. Those two caveats are key to why he was able to survive.
Spitzer is another story. He's Presidential material. You know the position has crossed his mind. Is perhaps even in his plan. And the more mainstream the politician, the bigger the scandal. What's more, he's married. Seemingly happily.
And that's why we care. I think we care less about the tawdry behavior than about the things that engaging in said behavior say about one of our potential leaders.
It says that you are willing to betray what should be the most basic covenant you make--that with your spouse. Sure, many Americans betray this same trust. But they are not the governor of New York, nor the President of the United States. If you can't be trusted in this most basic relationship that you have established in your life, how can we trust that you will not betray us?
Second, it speaks to your judgement. If you are so ready to gamble everything on an illegal tryst, what does that say about your judgement and ability to determine what is or is not an acceptable risk?
It isn't the sex. That's not the scandal. What's scandalous is the baffling combination of stupidity and recklessness.
