A Messy Life, yet He’s Aloof From the Messy Politics of Forgiveness

The press is not entitled to know everything about my private life. . . . You are not the church. You are not the court.

--Rep. Gary Condit to Newsweek

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Well, yes, but the congressman’s comment last week missed the point and told a lot about why he’s politically terminal.

Condit’s a public official who was living a private life that he feared the public would learn about. He covered up and hid--so frightened of discovery that he kept from the public potentially vital information about a missing girlfriend.

True, the “press” is neither a church nor a court. There is only one church and one court in politics, and they are one and the same: the public. Specifically, the electorate.

The electorate hears confessions, grants absolution, assigns penance. It rules on guilt or innocence and metes out punishment.

And where does this church/court get most of its information? From the unruly press. That’s the system the nation’s founders created--one that, among other things, keeps our government hirelings accountable.

The press comes in many forms, everything from The Times to tabloids, from TV networks to the Internet. These days, it’s all called the news media.

This is the media’s impact on church and court, according to a Times national poll last year: When likely voters were asked where they got most of their political information (and allowed up to two replies), the answers were overwhelming--TV news 53%, newspapers 51%. Also: Internet 7%, magazines 6%, ads (all kinds) 5%, friends 4%, direct mail 1%.

So when a politician snubs the press, he’s snubbing the public.

And if the guy’s embroiled in a story of compelling public interest, he’s leaving an information void that the media will fill itself, often to his detriment. An angry aunt of the missing intern may get a little more air time; another ex-girlfriend, more ink.

It’s all pretty basic. It should be, at least, for a career politician like Condit. But when he needed it most, the system failed this Modesto Democrat because he feared and avoided the media. Always has.

“If you’re going to run for public office, you need to accept that the press is entitled to ask any question it wants,” says Democratic consultant Darry Sragow. “You’re entitled to not answer any question you don’t want to answer. But then you’ve got to be prepared to pay whatever price there may be.

“Voters can make the judgment about whether the question is on-base or off-base.”

Many voters regard serial adultery as a private matter between husband and wife. Others believe their elected representative should set a higher moral tone--and especially not get hooked up with a local, young intern. They want the information, even if the “who cares?” crowd doesn’t want them to have it.

One thing’s certain: The electorate--the church and court--will determine the acceptable boundaries of its representative’s private life.

Hypocrisy will be one measure. All those campaign brochures with pictures of a loving married couple don’t square with later tales of dalliance.

“If you’d never called yourself a family man, I guess you could argue that your private life is your private life,” says Democratic consultant Gale Kaufman. “But in Gary’s case, that’s not true.”

She adds: “We [pols] take advantage of the media when it serves our purposes, and we whine when it doesn’t.”

A politician can bypass the pesky press and talk directly to voters, especially in a rural region like Modesto--visiting coffee shops, holding town meetings. . . . But Condit hid. In fact, he stiffed some Fourth of July parades.

Longtime advisor Richie Ross finally talked him into dealing directly with voters through a personal letter.

The consultant urged the congressman to admit his mistakes and apologize, especially for the long public silence that may have hindered the search for Chandra Levy. He also wanted Condit to artfully acknowledge the romantic relationship. Ross’ troubled clients in the past had followed this strategy--a mea culpa and forgiveness.

But Condit angrily refused. And after two dozen drafts, the congressman mailed out a soulless letter that smacked of defiance and insensitivity.

“Unless you’re willing to be forthcoming and ask for forgiveness, it’s not going to sit well with voters,” says state Democratic Chairman Art Torres.

Notes Democratic consultant Bill Carrick: “Gary Condit wants to have his privacy. One solution is to announce that he’s not running for reelection and everybody will leave him alone.”

Condit clearly has a bigger problem with his own party than he does with the press.

As for the court, when the congressman finally did testify, he was not convincing. Probation is unlikely. Look for political exile.