Ask Me No Questions...I'll Tell You No Lies

This past 10 days NYC has been all consumed with scandal. First there was Elliot Spitzer and not only his challenges as Governor, but also a husband. I am the last person to cast stones on anyone’s relationship – but I think that when you are a ‘public person’ there is a fine line that you walk. Maybe understanding what the words “Public Person/Public Figure” really means. There is a certain level of trust we invest in our governmental representatives, and a certain amount of your private life you give up, just by nature of the term. Personally, I don’t care who they do don’t sleep with. I don’t care if they are gay or straight…I do draw the line when they choose to engage in any relationship and use my tax dollars to pay for it.

If you really pay attention to all the news that has been shared, Mr. Spitzer was tough on crime, and always chose to play hardball (no pun intended). As New York's attorney general, he broke up prostitution rings and on Wall Street, he prosecuted immorality as much as illegality. He was disgraced after it came to light that he allegedly spent over $4,300 for a few hours with Ms. Dupre in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. What makes this case different than Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, Jim McGreevy, Spitzer's case involves criminality. Prostitution is illegal and Spitzer allegedly paid a Ms. Dupre to take a train from New York to Washington, which also violates federal law. Some of Spitzer's financial transactions also raise legal issues. But Spitzer's hypocrisy drove the media frenzy.

Now we have David Patterson, New York States first African-American Governor. Mr. Patterson is indeed eloquent, a breath of fresh air, charming and very capable, not withstanding his near sightlessness. However, a question startled the packed Albany news conference: Had New York's governor-designee, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, ever hired a prostitute? Paterson touched his chin and leaned into the microphone, and replied, "Only the lobbyists."

Some thought given recent events, the question was in bad taste. In hindsight, maybe that reporter knew something that the rest of us didn’t yet know.

Hours after he was sworn into office, the new First Couple agreed to speak publicly about the difficulties in their marriage in response to a variety of rumors about Paterson's personal life that have been circulating in Albany and among the press corps in recent days. Yes, he too – rather they both had extramarital affairs.

Again, I am NOT judging. I will say that if you ask the question, you have to be ready for the answer. It reminds me of a friends story. Her boyfriend disappeared for several days after taking the state Bar exam. He resurfaced 8 days later, no explanation, but very tan and said that he was in the Bahamas. When asked directly if he went away with a woman she suspected he still had a close relationship with, he replied “No, she met me there.” This is when she learned you MUST ask the right question, and in Gov. Patterson’s instance, the reporter should have asked if he ever had an affair – PERIOD.

I started this by saying, I don’t care who you sleep with, as long as it’s with consenting adult and you are safe. What Gov. David Patterson did before he said that he would “uphold the laws, rules and regulations of the State of New York” is between him and his wife. I definitely applaud him for being open to marital counseling, and taking responsibility for his part in the cracks in their marriage. I wish them both well. What I do care about is the balanced State economy, and what he will do to bring this state back to the glory it once was.