Democrats Disappointed at Spitzer Sex Scandal
That Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York is ensnared in a sleazy prostitution scandal is both a shock and disappointment:
- A shock because Gov. Spitzer has built his career on aggressively prosecuting crime, and presents himself as a relentlessly uncompromising crusader for ethics, morals and law-and-order.
- A disappointment to liberals who've long admired Spitzer as a rising, principled star with a bright future in Democratic party leadership. In fact, Spitzer was on at least one vice-presidential short list in 2004.
See Profile of Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York for more details.
Reports are that fellow New Yorker Hillary Clinton has already removed Gov. Spitzer's ringing endorsement from her campaign website. (The very last thing the Clinton camp needs is the whiff of another sex scandal.)
Political leaders, both Republican and Democratic, certainly survive sex scandals.
One need look no further for recent examples than Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LS), both supposedly strong spokesman for the conservative agenda of "family values." And, of course, President Bill Clinton has a dizzying history of sex scandals, one which led to his impeachment for lying under oath.
The facts and evidence surrounding the Spitzer sex brouhaha are presently unknown as no indictment has yet been filed. The possibility exists that charges could include more illegalities than soliciting a prostitute, which would pose additional problems for Spitzer's political survival.
And there are plenty of high-ranking people dying to dance on Eliot Spitzer's political grave: with his aggressive, take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement, Gov. Spitzer has made more enemies and burned more proverbial bridges than any other political leader in recent memory.
Like all of us, political leaders are imperfect people. But hypocrisy may be the unforgivable sin in public life.
I personally hope that Gov. Eliot Spitzer can make a comeback as an admired Democratic leader. He has much to offer in progressive vision supported by a long record of principled achievement.
But I may be among the few who hope for that... As I write these words, CBS News is reporting that "Gov. Eliot Spitzer was not expected to continue as governor and may resign by Monday evening, sources told CBS 2."
(Photo of Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Silda Wall Spitzer taken on March 10, 2008: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Related Reading
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's Inaugural Address
Silda Wall and Eliot Spitzer Marriage Profile
ABC News, March 10, 2008: It Wasn't the Sex; Suspicious $$ Transfers Led to Spitzer
Comments
GOV. SPITZER DESERVES A BENEFIT OF DOUBT AND FORGIVENESS
New Yorkers Should Not Rush To Judge Gov Spitzer
I have just heard the news of Gov. Elliot Spitzer being implicated in patronizing a prostitute.
This is one of the saddest news I have ever heard in New York besides the 9/11 tragedy.
However, New Yorkers should breathe a sigh of relief that the tryst involved a woman and not a man like the New Jersey case.
Besides the woman involved is not one of his staff! (Or an intern.)
Gov. Spitzer is among the most intelligent Americans.
And sometimes intelligent men can make serious errors.
Infact only very intelligent people are capable of making serious errors!
Can you imagine a moron making an error?
I do not think that having a tryst is a big crime, so the question of Gov Spitzer resigning should not arise.
Millions of people all over America and the world visit and sleep with hookers and watch porn online.
Almost 60% of American women and girls are directly or indirectly involved in prostitution or porn.
So, to the bull dogs who may want to pounce on Gov. Spitzer, I say take it easy and back off.
Let everybody remember that Slick Willie had some trysts including one in the White House, the highest office in the land and yet he was elected the President twice and never resigned.
Let everybody remember that he is alleged to have had a tryst.
He did not commit murder or send 19 yr old innocent children to go die in a senseless war oversea.
He did not blast a few ICBMs at an innocent country and killed innocent women and children just to cover up his wrong doing like some other elected officials have done.
He did not exchange arms for drugs and did not sell weapons to terrorists!
So, let us keep things in perspective.
This is about sex, yes, just sex.
And once in their lives, men are tempted to have trysts.
This is common among most men.
Men are tempted to have trysts due to many reasons that may include boredom, stress and frustrations.
And it is not only men who have trysts. Women have trysts too.
Gov Spitzer is a human being and he should be allowed to make a few mistakes and errors in judgment.
What elected officials do in their spare times including sexually, should not become issues for the public to discuss because elected officials are human beings too.
Gov. Spitzer had worked very had for New York for many years and helped many New Yorkers to fight injustice.
The state should give him a benefit of doubt and allow him to finish serving his term in office.
If all elected officials are systematically investigated, I am sure many would be found to have committed far more serious errors in judgment that would make Gov. Spitzer’s mistake look like a joke.
I also urge Gov Spitzer’s wife to be forgiving because it is unfair to judge a good man because he made just one mistake.
To err is human and to forgive is divine.
I ask her to be merciful and help her husband to examine their marriage and fix any areas where there might have been problems that they neglected.
It is unwise to allow one mistake to destroy a 21 yr happy marriage.
Besides, the Gov has apologized.
He did not try to deny it by saying “I met that woman but did not have sex with her”.
Or “I slept with that woman but did not cuum, so I did not have any sex, so I did not break any law of my country”
Therefore, I urge New Yorkers to overlook this and let us move on!
It could have been worse!
> Almost 60% of American women and girls are directly or indirectly involved in prostitution or porn.
Where in the world did you get that figure? It makes everything else you say sound nuts.
How do I feel about Spitzer? I was a big fan until months ago he sold out an upstate county for developer’s dollars.
I think he’s a hypocrite and not worthy to govern (although his Republican predecessor was even worse).
But I also question the government wiretapping him on such a minor issue. Republicans out to get those who challenge?
Sorry to see his career go down in flames, but he wouldn’t be vulnerable if he kept it in his pants.
You are kidding about this POS hypocrite, I hope. The sooner he gets off the stage and decent people get on, the better. He has destroyed liveds and careers all his life with the sly inuendos and not only did he sic his State Police guards on Sen Brune, a huge misuse of his power, he now gets caught using the services of a Mafia run prosty ring. Then we get the crocodile tears and he is sorry. Of course he is sorry. He got caught. That is the only thing this POS is sorry about. I am with all the Wall Street Traders who cheered when the news came down about this. Could not happen to a nicer guy unless Bubba got caught. Both are totally despicable people and the sooner gone, the better.
It has amazed me for most of my life how silly we as people are, Americans I mean. Not sure about people in other countries, since my international travels have been limited to Canada. On to my point, why do we continue to place 100% of our faith in another human being? I just don’t get it. I mean love your fellow man or woman. Respect and admire them. But we are ready to stamp people with the label of perfection because we elect them or they are in the public eye, when we ourselves fall short every day, multiple times.
Someone who has done good things and helped many people is demonized and dragged through the mud because they did not meet this level of perfection. No wonder we are all confused like children lost in a park. We are waiting on this perfect person to tell us what to do, so we can do it. Stop being surprised when someone slips, we all will or have. Show mercy and forgiveness, you will be better for it.
Now, that does not mean, pretend like the act did not happen, if you do that no lesson will be learned from it, but people are slinging words at him and his family like they are arrows and those people are enjoying it. Maybe it takes their focus off of who they see in the mirror. Maybe thats why we do it, if we can point the finger at someone else, we don’t have to think about the 3 fingers pointing back at us.