Political scandals are nothing new, and no political party has a corner on the market. But these are our scandals. They're more than embarrassing. They'll hurt our state and our politics. And, unfortunately, they'll have an impact far beyond our borders.

David Paterson. Charlie Rangel. Eric Massa (whose story gets stranger by the day). Hiram Monserrate (who, despite being expelled from the Senate, is going to run for his seat again).

Joe Bruno. Eliot Spitzer. Alan Hevesi.

The all-encompassing scandal of the New York legislature.

These are not trivial things.

Odds are, Paterson's scandals and the investigation will distract him when he should - and maybe could - be leading the state in a difficult time. He does have power as the governor, and he could use it to force through some painful but essential budget measures. His decision not to run in November could have freed him to use that power. I can't imagine that's possible now, though.

And there's a risk with Andrew Cuomo's investigation of Paterson. Cuomo's obvious conflict of interest could taint the investigation, further divide his party, and heat up racial tension. It could taint him.

Charlie Rangel's assumption of privilege is disappointing beyond words. It hurts not only his own record of service but also that of his leader in the House, Nancy Pelosi. And Republicans in Congress hardly needed more ammunition to use against her.

As for Eric Massa: words simply fail. For a moment after the first reports of the ethics investigation, Massa seemed to take responsibility - at least for "salty language" and for behavior that, as he put it, failed to meet his own standards.

But by Sunday, he was turning on his party, insisting that Democrats had forced him out because he had voted against their health-care plan. And Tuesday, Massa was appearing on Fox News' Glenn Beck show and on Larry King Live, presumably trying to see what additional damage he could inflict.

Shenanigans like this haven't escaped the attention of voters. And while Republicans have had their own trials, Democrats will probably bear the brunt of voters' anger in November. Most of the current scandals involve them, and besides, they're in charge, in Albany and in Washington.

But voters don't like any politicians right now. Our little scandals simply up the anger - and the disaffection.

At the national level, this could erode any possibility that Barack Obama - elected by a strong majority of voters - can get anything accomplished.

In November, we may act on our disgust by throwing out all the incumbents (no matter who they are). More dangerous: most of us may be so upset that we don't vote, and the next political leaders will be elected by a tiny minority - who could be savvy and well intentioned, or could be nutwings.

Last week, City reader Tom Janowski, who described himself as "a die-hard supporter" of Eric Massa, posted his disappointment on our website. "Until Wednesday," he wrote, "Eric Massa was the only elected official I had respect for."

But, he said, Massa's resignation, and his explanations for it, have raised too many questions. "For activists like myself," wrote Janowski, "these questions, and the questions to come, will be like open wounds. Will local activists continue to support and work for candidates? Can activists be disappointed time after time without eventually giving up? I struggle with these questions constantly and come to realize that no matter what, there will be disappointment. Sometimes the very best aren't even very good."

I wish politicians in all political parties would read Janowski's words and grasp their importance. Voter turnout is abysmally low in most elections. The governance of our cities, our states, our country are irrelevant to many Americans. Now, the disaffection is spreading to the people who are interested enough in the democratic process to be involved.