Two Governors

Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson have both sat in the governor’s chair in New York State. The also have something else in common. They have both been unfaithful to their spouses. It would seem that Paterson has been the worst offender. His extra-marital affair lasted about two years. Spitzer was implicated in a one-night flings with an employee of an escort service.

The media love these kinds of stories. The way they handled both men was very different, though. Here’s why.

Eliot Spitzer had a good reputation for fighting against corruption in New York. However, he was caught deceiving the public. He had a hidden side to him, something he didn’t share with the public. It was something he didn’t want people to know. That is why he used another name when he engaged the services of the agency.

Had he not gotten caught, I guess all would have been fine, but he did. The fact that he had this secret life caused the media to ask many questions. Was this something that happened only once? Did his wife know about it? Why would he risk his reputation for such a thing, particularly since he fought against corruption? At the end of it all, he provided few details, which will only make the media ask more questions. He only said that he was sorry, which is perfectly understandable.

A lot of the focus was on his wife. There she was right beside him, but her every expression was analyzed by the pundits. Who knows if they are right? Maybe she was a cold, cold woman who denied Eliot any pleasure. We will probably never know, but when answers are not provided and the public wants to know, the analysts can only work with what they have.

The young lady who was paid for her services was found and her history told to millions. We know more about her than our next door neighbour. My guess is that she will eventually profit from her experience. Playboy or another similar magazine will pay her a huge sum for her to pose on their pages. The public always likes to see something that reeks of scandal – something that was supposed to be hidden.

My guess is that the media are not finished with Eliot Spitzer. It will continue to dig to try to discover just how much he was trying to hide.

David Paterson was different. He called a news conference, appeared with his wife, and admitted to his affair. He also told the media that his wife had been unfaithful, too. Without going into too much detail, he told the truth, explaining that like many couples, he and his wife had had problems, but they had sought counseling and everything was fine now. He also mentioned that he was telling everyone so he would not be able to be put in a compromising position, but he considered the matter a private affair.

Aside from the initial coverage, I didn’t see much else on David Paterson. I don’t imagine that the other woman in his life will have her life story told or appear nude in a men’s magazine.

Both men have been unfaithful. One hid the secret. The other told the truth. Which one would you trust the most? Why? Which one do you think would be easiest to forgive?

Is it not easy to understand why Eliot Spitzer would get more coverage than David Paterson? And the media, being the way they are, may have gotten some of it wrong. Unfortunately, they can only put the pieces together as they see them. For one, they had to figure out what happened; the other supplied the pieces. Which story do you think might contain more facts?

Suspicion only breeds more suspicion. Trust builds on itself. I think most New Yorkers feel that they now have a governor they can rely on, even though Spitzer’s reputation had been very good until that fateful day.