Sleazy Politicians: Give Me a Break

Is It Just Me, or are politicians becoming more sleazy by the day?

Now I grant you I've never been a big fan of poliltics. I look forward to campaign season only because I know I'll have plenty of time to read books since I turn off the TV to avoid their annoying ads. I hate that they're exempt from telemarketing laws and free to bombard me with pre-recorded messages several times a day, most of which do little except bash their competitors (for the record, I firmly believe there should be a law prohibiting all candidates from even mentioning the name of any other political officeholder, or candidate for such an office, during their own campaigns. This would, I believe, force them to talk about what they personally believe and plan to do -- the only things I'm interested in hearing from them anyway).

Perhaps it's because of where I live -- northeastern Ohio -- that I feel the pain so much. Over the past several years, any time my husband and I go on vacation and happen to mention where we're from, it's a sure bet at least one person will look aghast and say, "Isn't that where that U.S. Congressman who got sent to jail is from?"

Just when we thought we might enjoy a summer free of such references, along comes our state attorney general, who hails from our neck of the woods and has, in the relatively short time he's been in office, managed to follow in the footsteps of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer -- apparently both in temperament and in actions. The only real difference, so far at least, is that "our" AG is stubbornly maintaining he did nothing really wrong, despite mounting evidence of what has been, at the very least, unethical behavior while in office.

No, I'm not talking about his admitted extramarital fling-ding. That, I believe, is a personal matter that has little, if any, impact on how well he can do the job (although it does fly in the face of his campaign theme that was based on returning honor, integrity and honesty to the AG's office). And, the fact that it reportedly involved a subordinate employee -- with all the implications that brings with it -- puts an entirely different spin on

Rather, it's the behavior that's led to the dubious distinction of having the local newspaper apologize for endorsing him prior to the election, saying the editorial board should have known that he was "completely unqualified ...to run such a large and important state office." The board "had an inkling," the editorial said, that all would not be well once he assumed office.

So did I. In part, my opinion was based on being on the receiving end of an e-mail asking for contributions -- a message that was at the very least questionable ethically because it was sent to state employees and also because it arrived totally unsolicited (this from someone who had pledged to crack down on spammers). When I complained, the response was that the errant messages had been sent by a mistake that had since been corrected.

Ah, I thought -- but who approved the sending of those messages to that list of recipients? How did his campaign staff get the list of e-mail addresses in the first place? Perhaps he didn't personally authorize any of this. Call me crazy, but I believe the buck stops at the top. If he doesn't know what his campaign workers are doing -- or knows what they're doing and can't put a stop to it -- why would I think it wouldn't be more of the same once he's in office?

Unfortunately, my suspicion has come to fruition, as hand-picked employee after hand-picked employee has been fired for an assortment of reasons that reportedly range from inaccuracies on a resume to sexual harassment. As I write this, the entire Democratic contingent in Columbus -- including the governor -- has asked for his resignation. His response? So far, in true Spitzer-like fashion, he's insisted that he's staying put.

What will happen next I don't know; what I do know that he's become this year's poster boy for sleazy politicians. By the time you read this, I hope in my heart of hearts that he's had the decency to clean out his desk and get out of Dodge. Too bad the place he'll end up is the same place I'd like to be proud to call home.

Update: On May 14, Ohio's attorney general announced his resignation from the office he held for 17 months.

Or Is It Just Me?