What's With These Guys?
Once again, the question is being asked; ‘What’s with these politicians?’
As New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the crusading saint of righteous indignation takes it on his square chin; the faith of Americans in their leaders is weakened again. Are any of them for real? It depends on what real is.
If by real you mean perfect in every way — the answer is no. If by real you mean subject to the same demons and temptations as the rest of us — the answer is obviously yes. Gov. Spitzer — a public man of law and order who was tempted by the very sins he condemned from his position of trust — is just the latest to dramatically prove the point.
A few years out of the White House, former Democratic operative George Stephanopoulos wrote a book titled “All Too Human; A Political Education.” The lesson Stephanopoulos learned at the right hand of Bill Clinton was the human frailty of the politicians we put on a pedestal. We expect so much of them, we idolize them, and in some cases we aspire to their example. We are always deeply disappointed when they turn out to be just like us.
Trappings Of Power
Despite all the history, we are always surprised. We play a part in our own deception by conferring on those we elect special standing and privileges. Mansions, limousines, armed guards and all the trappings of power that can make someone holding public office believe the rules do not apply to them. Once those feelings begin to take hold, they can be blinding.
Stephanopoulos was a true believer, who slowly began to see the flaws in President Clinton’s character, but learned to compromise his standards for the greater good. There came a time when it all turned too ugly and it became obvious the cause he was supporting was no longer the greater good; it was the mere political survival of a flawed man.
Even the grandeur of the White House could not mask the inner most secrets of Clinton’s lifestyle, the blind ambition of the first couple and the scheming of the powerful people who surrounded them. Our understanding of their character is in part responsible for Hillary Clinton’s inability to secure her party’s nomination. Another eight years of a Clinton administration may be too difficult to take when the other candidate seems unhumanly pure.
Moral Failings
Spitzer is a special case. It is not hard to imagine a governor less sure of his own moral superiority surviving a scandal involving prostitution. Senators and congressmen have done it for years. Spitzer’s case is so different because he made his career as an attorney general damning all those who did not meet his standards. He used every weapon available to him, including public humiliation, to take down anyone in his sights.
Now, though many feel for his family, precious few are willing to do anything to help as they delight in his fall.
His own humiliation is a tragedy. Not in the way a fatal car accident is a tragedy, but in the theatrical sense of a protagonist whose greatest strength is also his greatest flaw. Hubris is defined as “exaggerated pride or self-confidence.” It takes great pride and confidence to survive in high public office, but when healthy pride turns to malignant hubris, Spitzer-like tragedies are the result.
We can and should demand the highest standards of our elected leaders, but we should never be surprised when they fall short. No law can defeat the dark side of human nature and the men and women we place in power are all too human.
Dean Pagani is a former gubernatorial advisor. He is V.P. of Public Affairs for Cashman and Katz Integrated Communications in Glastonbury.
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