How To Do Politics in America

While the aim of the race for mayor of Montreal will be to clean the city’s name, New York is set to make a new name for former political outcasts.

First of all, former Democratic representative Anthony Weiner has his heart set on becoming mayor, two years after making a fool of himself by sending photos of his genitals to strangers. Then we have Eliot Spitzer, the former Democratic governor of New York, who, since Monday, we have been observing as he attempts to get elected as the city’s finance comptroller. Spitzer resigned in 2008 after hiring prostitutes for up to $5,500 per hour.

The candidates can’t be accused of ignoring the elephant in the room. In a long article published in The New York Times this past spring, Weiner and his wife explained how their marriage survived this challenge. A close friend of Weiner’s suggested that the man dreamed of returning to politics so that he might leave behind something other than the memory of the 2008 scandal in his political career.

As for Eliot Spitzer, he also admitted his mistake from the get-go: “I failed — big time.” In this polished commercial that he put online, he warns New Yorkers that his enemies will take advantage of the situation in the coming months by relaying all the details of his escapades. Which enemies? Those Wall Street brokerage firms that he is hoping to keep at bay, he suggests ….

Clever. But will it be enough?

Americans are fascinated by those who pick themselves up after a fall. What is important is not the fall; it is learning from your mistakes, getting back up even though everyone thinks you cannot go on, getting back in the ring and defeating the big, bad enemy.

It is not even necessary to go to the cinema to identify this very American trait. In the business world, an American who goes bankrupt is perceived as someone who has tried something. At a conference, Twitter’s founder Biz Stone stated once more that she is more inclined to hire someone who has experienced failure than someone who has had nothing but success.

This year in sports, golfer Tiger Woods has once again become number one in the rankings and the highest paid sportsman, three years after the showcasing of his infidelities and the breakdown of his marriage. In cinema, after making tabloid headlines over the past few years for his drug habit, actor Robert Downey Jr. is currently the highest paid actor in Hollywood.

Candy for the screenwriters ….

But what about politics? Bill Clinton managed to make everyone forget about his “inappropriate relationship” with a certain intern, and today is still one of the most popular former presidents. Last May, Republican Mark Sanford returned to the House of Representatives. He had resigned the governorship in 2009 after meeting up with his mistress in Argentina instead of going hiking in the Appalachian Mountains like he told his wife.

The New York elections will therefore offer two new opportunities to re-evaluate fallen politicians.