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New York's New Governor and Wife Both Admit to Extra-Marital Affairs

I doubt this will bring any solace to Eliot Spitzer, but after his swearing in today, New York Governor David Paterson and his wife told the New York Daily News they each had had extra-marital affairs.

In a stunning revelation, both Paterson, 53, and his wife, Michelle, 46, acknowledged in a joint interview they each had intimate relationships with others during a rocky period in their marriage several years ago.

In the course of several interviews in the past few days, Paterson said he maintained a relationship for two or three years with "a woman other than my wife," beginning in 1999.

What prompted the interviews? Threats of exposure:

The 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.

Paterson and his former paramour trysted at a Manhattan Days Inn Hotel.

Asked if he had stayed with anyone else since 2001 at the same West Side hotel, Paterson said, "From time to time I used to take Michelle to that hotel."

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  • Display: Sort:
    Que! (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by NJDem on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:46:13 PM EST
    Talk about TMI...taking his wife to the same hotel?

    And call me crazy, but the Clinton's (former) marriage issues are looking more and more normal.

    I kinda hate discussing this stuff as it's really no one's business--but do any politicians NOT cheat anymore, Jeez Luise...  

    The Clintons are more normal... (5.00 / 2) (#5)
    by kredwyn on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:54:08 PM EST
    than most people are willing to admit when it comes to this kinda thing.

    Parent
    Hmm... More normal than most people? (none / 0) (#26)
    by cymro on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 04:52:37 AM EST
    Isn't that an oxymoron?

    Parent
    Maybe (none / 0) (#36)
    by cannondaddy on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:04:56 AM EST
    A redundant oxymoron?  

    Parent
    not if you read the sentence. (none / 0) (#46)
    by kredwyn on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:17:53 AM EST
    You missed the rest of the relevant sentence... (none / 0) (#45)
    by kredwyn on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:17:10 AM EST
    "most people are willing to admit"

    The problem is that while the Clintons aren't all that surprising when it comes to yet another type of relationships, there are plenty of folks out there who are more than willing to use it as a political battering ram.

    I know lots of couples who are together...but live in various forms of Open relationships. They don't advertise them to the world, but they are out there...

    Parent

    OK. And I agree with you. (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by cymro on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 01:16:56 PM EST
    When it's that late, I think my fingers get ahead of my brain! I was amused by the apparent self-contradiction, and missed the point, which I do agree with.

    Parent
    abuse of power (none / 0) (#56)
    by diogenes on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:39:39 PM EST
    Doing it with an intern (Clinton) or doing it with a state employee when you're highly placed in the legislative leadership goes beyond a random affair with an outside person which is the person's own business.  

    Parent
    Being gay (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by facta non verba on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 03:44:26 AM EST
    I find you heterosexuals rather amusing at times. Why does this matter? If they are okay with it, then all's fine that ends well. The Spitzer case is different. That involved hypocrisy. And perhaps structuring.

    I like David Patterson. I read up on his stances. On energy, he is a peak oiler. He is for marriage equality. He will work for universal health care. This is a man who thinks things thorough and works hard. I like David Patterson.

    Yes, the Spitzer case is different (none / 0) (#29)
    by Kathy on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 06:50:45 AM EST
    he was ILLEGALLY seeing prostitutes.

    This is a marital issue that should be left out of the news.  I bet the person who scooped this is pretty mad to see the wife admitting the same thing.  You rarely see that happen.

    Actually, it makes me admire Patterson even more.  (Except for the Days Inn part--I know he's a government employee, but treat the women sometime.  And the same hotel...ew.)

    Parent

    Paterson (none / 0) (#38)
    by tek on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:26:09 AM EST
    must not see it that way or why the announcement?

    Parent
    I think all this proves (5.00 / 2) (#44)
    by scribe on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:09:37 AM EST
    is that Democrats have more sex, better sex, more varied sex, more enjoyment of the sex they have and fewer hang-ups about it.  When we compare that to the twisted kink in Senator Diaper Dave Vitter's behavior, or the grotesque self-loathing denial in Larry Craig's "not gay" pronouncements, or the rest of the "can't handle my being gay" responses various Republicans have made over the last few years, the difference is strikingly obvious.

    So, Democrats, why not turn what the media would call a failing (if not a vice) into a virtue?  Take on the position and tell prospective voters that, if you vote Democratic, it's a step in the direction they want to go - more sex, better sex, more varied sex, and less guilt about it.

    After all, the old story about young Republican males is that they all date Democratic women because they're more fun, and then have to marry the decidedly un-fun Republican women because their parents will disinherit them otherwise, hence the hiding, scandal and deceit inherent in Republican sex scandals.

    Stuck in the middle with You, You, and maybe You. (none / 0) (#52)
    by Mark Woods on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 11:02:13 AM EST
    I agree, Democratic Party members/voters definitely have more/varied/better sex.  [And we tend not to get arrested, since we have no need of having it in Minn. airport bathrooms with undercover police!]

    But with NY's new Democratic governor and wife and NJ's former Demcratic Governor, his boyfriend, his wife, and their alleged threesome buddy all making sexually vivid claims to the media in the same week, perhaps there should be a gameshow, reality show or a made for TV movie to capture this stimulating news?

    Parent

    Actually, (none / 0) (#53)
    by cmugirl on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 11:12:16 AM EST
    There was a survey in 2004 that showed Republicans were more satisfied sexually.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/News/story?id=180291

    I don't know why I remembered this - obviously shows you where my brain is! ;)

    And while I think this is TMI, this was probably good to get it out now - otherwise, if some reporter dug it up a year from now, it would be a scandal, even though they've apparently moved beyond it.

    Parent

    The U.S riding roughshod (none / 0) (#55)
    by jondee on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 04:25:37 PM EST
    over some jerkwater nation somewhere has always been enough to get most Repubs off, IMO.

    They dont require the direct experience per-say.

    Parent

    What's the big deal? (5.00 / 1) (#50)
    by ctrenta on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 10:05:42 AM EST

    Politicians are no different from you and I and many other people who blog here. Everyone's human, even those who are elected to higher office. Not to mention we all make mistakes. Why is this such a big deal? How does something like this impact their abilities to govern (and lead) effectively?

    The Pattersons have moved on from their struggles. Now let's focus on whether or not Patterson will run NY state as an effective governor.  

    I really like this guy (4.00 / 1) (#41)
    by DandyTIger on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:43:48 AM EST
    I think since he and his wife came out ahead of this story, and since there is nothing illegal in what happened in the past, I think they'll be just fine. Did I mention I really like this guy.

    why? (none / 0) (#2)
    by white n az on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:46:44 PM EST
    what is the point of actually talking about this?

    won't it just feed the rumor mills/tabloids?

    has America become just this stupid?

    Getting it out beforehand... (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by kredwyn on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:51:08 PM EST
    the stories become a "Been there, done that...meh. Now. Can we get down to the business of running the state?" thing.

    Parent
    Brilliant really. (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:55:20 PM EST
    This is a guy who knows how to work (none / 0) (#48)
    by scribe on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:32:47 AM EST
    the system.

    Also, see my comment at #44 on this thread, on how the Dems can use all this sex as a selling point for the Dem brand.

    If being a Republican gets you miserable and being a Democrat gets you laid, guess which one I'm choosing....

    Parent

    Actually, the revelation of (none / 0) (#4)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:52:22 PM EST
    former Gov. McGreevey (sp) that he and his wife had 3 ways with a guy is lots more salacious, except W denies.

    which makes it nothing like this (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:56:49 PM EST
    gossip with a denial vs. an interview with a news organization and admissions.

    Parent
    I agree it's different because (none / 0) (#31)
    by Deconstructionist on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 07:09:03 AM EST
      the story IS based on their own admissions. I guess we will never know how the press WOULD have handled it if they had refused to comment or denied the allegations. The cynic in me tends to think it might still have been published in some form. Then it wouldn't be so different.

    Parent
    Shoot - the driver admitted it in deposition (none / 0) (#43)
    by scribe on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:02:21 AM EST
    testimony, under oath, and brought about by a subpoena Mrs. McG had issued to him and served on him in their divorce case.

    A story rarely gets more solid than that.

    And, according to the driver, he would not have considered talking to the press but for Mrs. McG's over-the-top performance last week during the Spitzer mess.  Mrs. McG was all about how Silda Spitzer should be all vindictive, leave Eliot, and so on along those lines, and Mrs. McG made sure she was all over the press, too.

    Parent

    I forgot about the three-way story! (none / 0) (#8)
    by NJDem on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:57:37 PM EST
    Who ever thought they'd her the term "three-way" said with a straight face on CNN--that's how I woke up this morning...thought I was still dreaming.  


    After the reporting on (none / 0) (#13)
    by RalphB on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:38:46 AM EST
    the Starr report, I'm not surprised at anything said on the cable news anymore.  That was shameless.

    Parent
    the shameless part (none / 0) (#27)
    by Kathy on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 06:48:18 AM EST
    was all those idiots pretending to be outraged when you know that everyone of them were more than familiar with the aspects of what they were discussing.

    Over half the marriages in this country end in divorce and the people who don't divorce, but stick together and try to work it out, are the ones having to give a news conference about their very personal lives so the story won't "break" on the news and in the rags where their children can see all the salacious details.

    Family values.

    Parent

    As long as he wasn't client 10 (none / 0) (#9)
    by tigercourse on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:14:58 AM EST
    we're fine.

    I saw Congressman Hall last night and I came so close to making a joke about that but chickened out.

    But the Day's Inn? (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:27:43 AM EST
    That's pretty sad. (none / 0) (#28)
    by clapclappointpoint on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 06:50:15 AM EST
    Apparently, he took his wife there to try to spice up the love life and get the marraige back on track.  It's pretty hard to imagine how a Day's Inn could be seen as romantic.

    That said, they're still together and (probably) not screwing other people.  Marraige isn't all flowers and sunshine all the time and these people found a way to make it through what must have been a very difficult time in their relationship.

    Parent

    Dirty motel sex..... (5.00 / 2) (#51)
    by kdog on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 10:21:05 AM EST
    can be pretty hot.  Not in a romantic way, but a dirty freaky-deaky way:)

    Parent
    Love the Colbert Report reference (none / 0) (#34)
    by JoeA on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:00:48 AM EST
    in your name.

    Parent
    Yeah (none / 0) (#42)
    by clapclappointpoint on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:53:21 AM EST
    I hadn't remembered that that's where I picked up the meme until I googled it just now.

    Parent
    And so once again ... (none / 0) (#11)
    by Robot Porter on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:30:06 AM EST
    the Democratic Party rounds up the circular firing squad.

    I turned on Fox News tonight just to see how they were handling everything, and as I turned over they were just promoing their next segment and all they said was:  Wright, Obama, Spitzer ...

    When Fox doesn't need to do anymore than mention names ... I know we're in trouble.

    LOL! (none / 0) (#40)
    by tek on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:28:24 AM EST
    Ours is not to reason why. (none / 0) (#14)
    by oculus on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:42:53 AM EST


    I guess because (none / 0) (#15)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:50:13 AM EST
    I'm having second thoughts about how Spitzer was ousted in 4 days on the basis of information leaked to the media that was not yet voted on by a grand jury. Guilt sells in America.

    and because (none / 0) (#16)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:51:44 AM EST
    right now there are more than 1,700 news articles about it on Google.

    Parent
    I thought he should have just (none / 0) (#17)
    by oculus on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:52:02 AM EST
    waited, espec. since his wife urged him not to resign so suddenly.  

    Parent
    We should keep an eye on that, eh? (none / 0) (#19)
    by Fabian on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:56:25 AM EST
    There's more than one way to score a political coup.

    Parent
    This could end up like the (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by oculus on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:58:31 AM EST
    Saturday Night Massacre during Watergate era.

    Parent
    If (none / 0) (#39)
    by tek on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:27:35 AM EST
    SNL doesn't run with this they're not worth spit.

    Parent
    pushed out of office too fast (none / 0) (#21)
    by andrys on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 01:55:09 AM EST
    I agree with that, because he made too many enemies being "righteous" or getting people who were breaking the law etc.

      Obviously a threat to the way Wall Street was going.

      But they were getting ready to impeach him.  Repubs like to impeach in sex-related things.   I'm old-fashioned about what people do in their private lives through mutual consent being a private matter, though he went after prostitution rings and it's a form of karma.

      Could hardly believe I wasn't watching an SNL skit or Monty Python when I heard the news today though!  Surrealistic.

    Parent

    Meanwhile, Vitter is comparing (none / 0) (#22)
    by oculus on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 02:01:25 AM EST
    and contrasting his situation with that of Spitzer.  No, I didn't read it.

    Parent
    He probably thinks that Spitzer over paid. (none / 0) (#23)
    by Fabian on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 03:28:12 AM EST
    After all, Vitter had an entire stable of personal service providers retained for his needs.  A conservative knows how to get value for his money - a liberal just wastes it.

    </snark>

    Parent

    Fair enough, (none / 0) (#35)
    by JoeA on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:02:45 AM EST
    However I do think there are several orders of magnitudes of difference between this, and what Elliot Spitzer is accused of, and has tacitly admitted.

    Parent
    Personally, I don't. (none / 0) (#18)
    by Fabian on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:54:50 AM EST
    But there are Some People.....

    One commenter at dk said that they "despised" anyone who ever cheated on their spouse.  I pointed out that they despised close to a quarter of all married men and one out of six married women - according to the statistics.  That's lot of people to be "despising".

    If it's legal, private and consensual - then that's their business, not mine.  And of course, not paid for with taxpayer dollars - that would make it public, not private.

    Hey, well, ... (none / 0) (#25)
    by OrangeFur on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 03:50:39 AM EST
    ... if they decide to have a press conference, maybe we can all wonder why either of them is there to support the other, as we all did with unfairly burdened Silda Spitzer.

    Extramarital Musical Chairs (none / 0) (#30)
    by diplomatic on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 07:08:11 AM EST
    Who will be next?  

    There is a big difference, (none / 0) (#32)
    by Deconstructionist on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 07:16:16 AM EST
     at least in terms of how it affects suitability for office between having an affair and committing adultery and procuring sex through illegal means.

      Personally, I'm not going to hold a "normal"  affair against someone under most circumstances  (although I certainly respect the right of others to do so). Breaking the law for sex (especially by someone who enforced such laws against others) takes it to an entirely different level. the questions of judgment (or even sanity, likelihood of ignoring rules applying directly to public office and others are just far more serious in Spitzer's situation compared to this.

     

    So if NY State Gov. take issue (none / 0) (#33)
    by Dancing Bear on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 07:54:44 AM EST
    are we going to see a third NY Governor in two weeks? Joe Bruno? I laughed when I saw that they did the interview right after the swearing in. They both did.

    So how will the Press make this into a month long skeeze fest when both parties admitted the same thing and they both came out together? And they seem to have survived it.

    Jeeze, looks like those folks up North are having more fun than us Southerners.

    The People (none / 0) (#37)
    by tek on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:24:48 AM EST
    of New York should demand that Spitzer be reinstated!  It's the new politics.  You have a presser and say, "yes I did something entirely unethical or entirely illegal, but it was years ago and I'm not talking about it."

    I'm afraid politics has become so sleazy that principled people don't run anymore.

    No way dude.... (none / 0) (#47)
    by kdog on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:21:15 AM EST
    Paterson is much preferable to this NYer.

    Parent