299) The Secret Lives of Politicians

(Photos from NYT.)

Today, news broke that New York Congressman Christopher Lee resigned. As the story goes, "Mr. Lee’s decision to step down came after a photo of him without a shirt appeared on Gawker along with e-mail exchanges that reportedly took place between him and a 34-year-old woman from Maryland who had placed a personal notice in the 'women seeking men' section of Craigslist. The woman’s posting complained about the lack of attractive men on the Web site: 'Will someone prove to me not all CL men look like toads?'" (New York Times)

The thought of a Congressman perusing Craigslist during a session or in his office tickles me. Maybe because I think of the site as so low-brow, so everyman-esque. While the married Mr. Lee's indiscretion isn't the worst of its kind - politicians have been caught in strip clubs, gay bars (the loudest anti-gay proponents, of course), with a secret lover in Argentina, and worst, abusing an aide - it raises some thoughts on the secret lives of politicians.

We all do things that we don't want others to know about. Maybe not on the scale of cheating or molestation, but everyone has secret behavior, whether quirky, socially questionable, or just plain weird.

The theory is that politicians shouldn't hide anything from the public. That is, because they are an elected official, there is an expectation of transparency - the public wants to know what it's getting. In a world where everyone has a multi-faceted self - a work self, a home self, a friend self, a lover self, etc, - those in positions of leadership and under the scrutiny of the public eye must turn off certain aspects of themselves. Some better than others.

When scandals like this break, we eat it up. Aside from the national gossip, it's strangely satisfying to see the "mighty" or those with power being brought down to the level of a common cheat, or a Craigslist troller. While an extremely minor offense (one shirtless pic doesn't seem that harmful), Lee's role as a Congressman sets expectations of a higher moral code.

(Mini aside - Have been feeling really uninspired lately, and I'm sure it reflects in recent posts. Need a break in routine, some fresh fodder. It's always tempting to write about what I've been working on at the office, but there are confidentiality issues involved, so I shy away from it. Hopefully this inspiration rut passes soon.

Also, THANK YOU to those who left comments and sent emails regarding the job. It really means a lot. Questions about continuing to write after the 365 days of The Plan are up will be answered soon. Still forming a plan as we speak, er, read.)