If news is the first rough draft of history, then history this week seems to have thrown two unrelated stories at us that when taken together are fraught with lessons about modern politics. One is about a beloved politician, Ronald Reagan. The other is about an increasingly scorned politician, John Rowland. The lives of both were under scrutiny this week for different reasons, and the details that have emerged tell us a great deal about why we like some politicians and don’t like others.

President Reagan’s popularity has grown in the years since he left office. The outpouring of affection for the late president and his family this week was marked by story after story of his personal warmth, humor, integrity, devotion to family, and steadfast commitment to his view of what it means to be an American, which happened to be embodied in conservative politics. He was a man of principle who was respected by both friends and adversaries for his simple direct manner and for his genuine belief that everyone counts, and no one should be counted out. Even though his surrogates were committing crimes in the Iran-Contra Affair, and even though Oliver North lied to Congress and the American people on his behalf, most people wanted to believe, and still want to believe, that these things were done without Mr Reagan’s full knowledge or sanction.

Mr Reagan’s continuing mystique derives in large part from his life experience. The son of a shoe salesman, he worked as a construction worker, a lifeguard, and when America was reeling from financial collapse in the Depression, he left his humble home and forged an incredibly successful career, first in radio and later in movies and television. He also served in the Air Force in the 1940s, and was for a time a labor leader. His solid work ethic, his stubborn optimism, and eye for opportunity also served him well when he turned to politics at the age of 56, twice winning elections for governor in California and for President of the United States, surviving an assassination attempt along the way.

Even though critics often derided him as just an actor, most people thought of him as a class act – a man of substance and conviction who had made his own way in the world.

Governor Rowland, by contrast, has seen his popularity dissipate quickly after admitting that he lied about accepting gifts from friends and state contractors. The intense examination of his political and personal life that continues in Hartford reveals that while he did have an eye for opportunity, he had few bedrock principles to guide him outside the parameters of political expediency. His life experience is limited to his meteoric political climb. He was a state legislator at age 23, a congressman at age 27, and governor at age 37.

We have a hard time identifying with politicians who have never been anything but politicians. We get the feeling from them that not everyone counts — just political insiders.

In this election year, the odd juxtaposition of news headlines of this week may just help us understand what it is we must look for in our leaders. Some we like, some we don’t like. The great thing about a democracy is that the choice is always ours.