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 Spitzer Steps DownPosted on Mar 12, 2008
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, as expected, announced his resignation Wednesday morning, making a brief but graceful exit with his wife, Silda, at his side. Spitzer didn’t say what his specific plans would be after his successor, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, takes office on March 17, but he pledged that he “will try once again outside of politics to serve the common good.”
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By Hemi*, March 14 at 9:23 am #
He harrassed and had others sentenced for this crime. “What’s good for the goose...” If you want to make sex for cash legal, it’s another issue. Are there bigger fish to fry? Hell yes. If we can get a minnow or two into the pan maybe there’s a chance of landing the tournament winning Bush......er...a I meant to say Bass. You got to start somewhere folks and I say a billionaire is as good a place as any. Why should only the poor be in prison? Equality baby!
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, March 13 at 1:55 pm #
The maximum penalty for the same offense he recommended to the judge while district attorney, plus a day.
Report thisBy Sara, March 13 at 9:44 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
My problem with this situation is that I fail to see how relevant this man’s pecker is to this country when we have a cabal ruling. Why didn’t Americans demand that Bush resign just as forcefully? Surely, he’s committed much graver crimes. This has become a nation of deluded hypocrites. WAKE UP AMERICA!
Report thisBy Howard Mandel, March 13 at 9:12 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
The “rule of law” that every pontificating politician or voter claims as justification for character assassination is a selective weapon.
Every American brakes the law. There are so many stupid unenforceable laws that it would be impossible to be a human being and not break the law occasionally. Besides, in America we don’t create laws to solve problems, we create laws so someone can say they addressed a problem. This has created such a tangle of social and moral quagmires that we’ve lost sight of what a law should be. With such a morass it seems unfair to use ‘respect’ for the rule of law as an argument. How about arguing whether or not the behavior had a victim and address that. When people we don’t like do things we don’t like we get our lawmakers to make a law. Another perfectly harmless activity (if a little unseemly) criminalized.
Illegal immigrants are criminals. Pot smokers are criminals. Fast drivers are criminals. Gay bathroom cruisers are criminals. Powerful men who can afford to screw beautiful women when they are out of town are criminals. However, people who can cause the death of millions and attack American democracy at its core despite the “rule of law” are not criminals. Because crimes like influence pedaling, war profiteering, genocide, treason, fraud, spying are only prosecutable if they come with a healthy dose of hypocrisy.
Report thisBy dick, March 13 at 6:49 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
The citizens everywhere lose out, with the exception of the crooks, who are relieved.
Report thisBy cyrena, March 13 at 1:21 am #
If only we could work this out QuyTran.
Yep, if only GWB could get caught with his pants down, having sex with ANYBODY, it might work.
Nothing else has.
But alas, it’s highly doubtful that GWB engages in such human activity.
Report thisBy NYT9237723, March 12 at 9:59 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Spitzer is a public figure who made a lot of powerful enemies. A man in his position needs to be careful of what he does in his private life. Bill Clinton should have taught him this.
Sex? Who cares besides Mrs. Spitzer and the Spitzer daughters? I’m stuck on trying to figure out how long it would take anyone in my family to save $80,000. The Spitzers have way too much money, and should donate at least half of it to orphans in need of an eduation. While the rest of us scratch for a living Spitzer’s indulgence is obscene.
Anyone who could squander that kind of cash to get a few blow jobs is an idiot. Anyone who would put a distinguished career working for the public good on the line for a few yanks is worse than an idiot. On some planets, this kind of stupid is probably a hanging offense.
Report thisBy samosamo, March 12 at 9:37 pm #
It’s late in the day, well actually it is tomorrow from this post and with another post on this site shouting the ‘gain’ for wall street which actually finished lower, kinda goes to show that nothing is written in stone except one thing for sure. Sex is a very STRONG natural drive and any reproducing organism strives to the utmost to pass its genes on down the line. And except for drugs/narcotics there really is nothing that feels sooooo gooood when that big orgasm burst forth. So a big question to me is why does this country deal with sex as being dirty, nasty and looked down on from the public point of view. Hell, people aren’t even supposed to talk about it according to the bible toters. So we make laws and create misery and suffering for a lot of consentual people having sexual intercourse.
Report thisThen on the other hand, we have hugh hefner sitting in his big house with his trio of perfectly sculpted females(for him at least and most nascar fans) and how many kids does he really have around? Not to mention the fact that he his paying these girls a lot of money for sex, sex and more sex. So much so that he probably has an IV hook up to a bottle of viagra. And this is approved by good house keeping and envied by most people in the country. I think this very well describes a schizoid type of society.
Before I am corrected, I am talking consentual sex, be it husband/wife, neighbor/neighbor, best friend’s spouses, prostitutes. It might be easier to stop the rain from falling than to stop people having sex. But too many laws try and hinder this grand and glorious act because there are a few people that are ‘uncomfortable’ with it.
I just saw a picture on msnbc’s site of the supposed girl in question. Man, if I had $5000 bucks to throw her way to pop a nut in her or get a blowjob, I would do it in a heartbeat.
So, give the best reasons to stop sexual intercourse so our lawmakers can totally ban it except for themselves.
By Herk, March 12 at 4:53 pm #
Posted by Liza: “God forbid anyone should be forgiven for a human weakness, especially after apologizing.”
Human weakness is getting a blowjob in the backseat. Arguably, that might be good fortune rather than weakness. paying thousands of dollars per night for whores is an incredibly insensitive act in a country where many have less income in a year than he spends on one night of questionable pleasure. Why on earth would anyone want to forgive such as this?
He was involved with an illegal prostitution ring, exactly the sort of thing he was supposed to be against, the sort of thing he was hired to prevent.
I don’t care that he had sex with someone besides his wife, and I suppose she didn’t care, either, or she might not be standing beside him. I do care that he’s such an incredible hypocrite with more money than brain. If most of us were having such a moment of weakness, we wouldn’t have access to high-powered attorneys like the one now accompanying Spitzer.
And this isn’t Spitzer’s first time in the news - earlier stories also reflect a very power-hungry, vicious person.
Report thisBy Dr. Knowitall, PhD, PhD, March 12 at 3:49 pm #
We gotta spread the wealth, Maani. Give some other “competent” sleeze balls a chance to practice their craft.
The people, losers???? You can’t be serious. Do you think for one minute that any one of those competent assholes in public service is indispensible?
There are a hundred others to take his place.
Report thisBy Dr. Knowitall, PhD, PhD, March 12 at 3:44 pm #
ES “assembled a high powered defense team.” This can only mean his future is already laid out for him.
I wouldn’t trade my life for his now, even if he threw in his $200 million, or whatever it is.
HAAAAAAA! Way to go, El.
Report thisBy RAE, March 12 at 12:48 pm #
If this man is guilty of anything it’s first and foremost, STUPIDITY, followed closely by hypocrisy and unfaithfulness… oh, hell, let’s throw in dishonesty for good measure.
I guess he should step down… his cover’s blown and his halo yanked clear off his skull. He’s been outed as a “common man.” Down off that pedestal, commoner!
But I still can’t get past STUPIDITY. Deep down he must have WANTED to get caught.
Report thisBy Liza, March 12 at 11:07 am #
What Eliot Spitzer has done isn’t even a parking ticket compared to what Bush/Cheney did to Iraq. And who has spoken up for Eliot Spitzer? Any prominent Democrats?
Why not just let the Enrons rule the world and forget about those who tried to make a difference.
What a sad story this is. Give us enough rope and we will gladly hang ourselves. God forbid anyone should be forgiven for a human weakness, especially after apologizing.
Report thisBy samosamo, March 12 at 10:50 am #
But tell me: what, if any, “public good” is served by his resignation?
I’ll tell you, but it has to do with point of perspective. From the perspective of white collar criminals this is one of the greatest days and probably will be made into a national holiday. Just one more barrier to unbridled criminality taken away to prevent crooks from gaining more control for their endeavors.
Report thisBy the way, did senator craig of idaho ever step down or resign? If not, then see? It clearly shows that being a republican makes them legal criminals. Any more questions?
It does gripe my senses to see someone that will go after white collar criminals do something like this even though sex is sex, one of the most natural things in nature. If someone wants to be paid for providing sexual favors and someone is willing to pay for sexual favors and the transaction is not done with illegal money, let em go for it. I can’t but help but wonder about the wives of these guys and why they stick with them other than there being a money/power thing.
By QuyTran, March 12 at 10:42 am #
Spitzer did resign, so when does GWB ?
Report thisBy Monish, March 12 at 9:54 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
In this Reaganesque age of soulless political and corporate criminals gone berserk, and hypocrisy and unremitting violence beyond shame or conscience, I had held out much admiration for Eliot Spitzer as one politician who could drag Wall Street and its criminal allies to at least a modicum decency and humanity.
So now Spitzer has fallen on the drummed-up “character” issue (merely adding to the tawdry ranks of Larry Craig, Mark Foley, David Vitter and on and on). Surely, his actions, like those of Bill Clinton, cannot be condoned, especially in a married person. However, as David Lindorf points out elsewhere, it is the sinister gaze of Big Brother upon one and all in this “free-society” that should concern one and all.
An illegal, criminal government, run by racist, corporatist xenophobes and brutal war-profiteers, has so paralyzed any notion of fairness and justice in government- it is simply mind-boggling. Torture, war-crimes, shredding the Constitution, criminal profiteering, ruining an entire nation economically, morally and in respectability, spying on citizens at levels unimaginable, blatantly ignoring or snubbing the authority of Congress- these mega-criminals have done it all. All the while spewing lies and despicable platitudes.
This Bushco age will and should provide writers and thinkers with prime material for the study of evil, cruelty, banality and unmitigated chutzpah for ages to come. Provided, of course, that this wounded world can survive the onslaught of these killers.
And provided, also, that decent, intelligent people with nobler human qualities, not liable for treason, genocide, mass-murder, criminal profiteering, and other high crimes and misdemeanors (the likes of which the current “government” and its operatives are indictable for many times over)- do not allow themselves to be entrapped and destroyed in a society with phony morality upheld by the corporations and their criminal honchos.
The strange silence or acquiescence of John Conyers, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Howard Dean, Tom Daschle, and the rest of them, blatantly even in the face of public outcry over the unprecedented abuse of power and treasonable crimes- this simply proves beyond any doubt that the fascist takeover of this country is complete.
The destruction of Eliot Spitzer (Wall Street’s nemesis) and the Governor of Alabama are but small examples of the extreme overreach of government of, by and for corporations that this imperial, war-mongering nation has become.
Report thisBy weather, March 12 at 9:49 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
of true Public service. Open-up the 9/11 investigation.
Report thisBy C Quil, March 12 at 9:49 am #
It shows what the guy was all about - extremely poor judgement, hypocrisy, fiscal irresponsibility, disloyalty, and poor impulse control.
He held a position with a lot of power attached to it. In return for this power, he owed responsibility.
I still hope his wife dumps him. There have to be better men out there (for her, their daughters and for NY) than that.
Report thisBy Ellis, March 12 at 9:40 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I guess Spitzer never listened to Bob Dylan....” But to live outside the law you must be honest.” Maybe he should have paid with a credit card ??
Report thisBy Maani, March 12 at 8:47 am #
Okay, Spitzer was a bad boy and a hypocrite. But tell me: what, if any, “public good” is served by his resignation? As Bob Scheer points out in another thread, how does this change the status quo of DC, or transnational power, or the situation in Iraq, or the economic meltdown - or anything at all?
The winners: Wall Street, the media and Spitzer’s enemies, particularly Joe Bruno. The losers: The people.
Peace.
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