Public Versus Private

Hopefully, the 8-day-old Spitzer saga will now be completely behind us. Gov. Spitzer is gone from office, and Gov. David Patterson, a smart, well-spoken, and self-deprecating leader, has taken the rains. As I said in my last post, it is time to move on. But, I'm afraid that a revelation from the new governor will spawn a whole new pointless argument.

Yesterday, shortly after taking the oath of office, Gov. Patterson admitted to the public that he and his wife both had extramarital affairs years ago, when their marriage was on the rocks. It made the front page of the New York Post. Fantastic. I don't care.

This is the difference between public and private. A personal situation involving a public figure does not automatically make it a matter of public importance. Had Gov. Spitzer not been accused of breaking multiple federal laws, I would have argued that his personal situation was not the purview of the public -- it's the illegality of his actions that have caused the real problems.

So, let us not obsess with things that don't matter. Most of the time in politics, sex is nothing but a red herring.