Open Thread – Eliot Spitzer
OK, he can’t make moose chili, and he doesn’t ride a snow machine, and he doesn’t even make up his own words, but he is an ex-governor. And he seems to have a little bit more to say than that other governor that keeps coming up in conversation.
I found this interview absolutely fascinating. Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer talks candidly about progressive politics, understanding markets, what Democrats must do, Tim Geitner, Sarah Palin, the scandal that forced him from office, love, forgiveness and redemption. The whole thing is 30 minutes long, but very much worth the time.
If Palin gets behind a microphone and serves a helping of “word salad,” then Eliot Spitzer dishes up a big slab of New York steak, with those big seasoned fries on the side. The contrast is startling. I bet he even knows why there’s a North, and South Korea.
Zing you got me! I didn’t know there was a North Korea and South Korea on the continent of Africa, go figure!
Palin’s whine is oh so tiring. It’s so time for conservatives with a brain (and Palin isn’t a conservative, just 100 % narcissist, creep and brainless) to speak up for their values and their party before our eyes glaze over permanently.
I watched the entire Spitzer interview. He’s obviously a brilliant person.
I can only hang with Sarah’s word garbage for about twenty seconds. When she started her run for Governor, I felt like I was trapped in a live version of the emperor has new clothes. That feeling only intensified over the past two years. It’s as if nobody seems to notice that she is “intellectually” naked.
Thanks for posting this.
As an x-nyc resident all I can say is that what Spitzer did to himself is too bad. He was a hero, taking on the fat cats, but he acted like a fat cat and now he’s dead meat. It’s too bad, he is brilliant. I suppose we could hope that he will rise from the ashes and challenge the corporate ellites again, but I doubt it. Problem is, he got caught with his had in the cookie jar, and he was using what he took to pay or things that many folks have problems with. Too bad.
Contrast indeed…I can see Palin’s eyes glaze over now. Can you imagine the speech he would have given in Hong Kong in comparison to Palin’s? It is too bad he painted himself in a corner by his extra-curricular activities because he is a brilliant man. Maybe he needs to take a page from Bristol’s book and reinvent himself, maybe not as a born-again virgin but at least a scandal- free politician (is there such a thing?). Of course, since he is appearing more and more on news shows, perhaps he has done just that. He has a lot to offer so I hope he has.
Spitzer can’t reinvent himself, he misappropriated funds from The State of New York to pay for “his needs.” Hard rap to beat when you’re a crusader. Best, I suspect, he can do is write books and teach.
If you think I’ve got a chip on my shoulder about Spitzer, you’d be correct. He let a lot of us down. I used to hold him up as an example and when he went down, many of us, at least in the eyes of the Free Market at all cost types, went down with him. Spitzer was/is a serious disappointment. It could be argued that he did more harm than good.
Whores will do anything for money. That said, was Spitzer set up by Rethuglicon operatives in DC? See, that hooker’s name escapes me now, and I’m thinking she got a big payday from someone and had no need to look for real work. And look what happened to the DC Madam when she was prepared to “tell all” and name names. Whatever happened to her little black book–suppressed, right. And she was suicided, right in her mother’s backyard.
I don’t care about Spitzer’s use of whores, whatever. I do like his analysis of the financial news, he and Dylan Ratigan are the best on the air.
Martha, it’s the COUNTRY of Africa. I should know… I live in South Africa, a region of Africa! LOL
Mark Sandford used state funds to visit his mistress in Argentina. He is still the Gov of the dysfunctional fundie SC.
double standards if you claim to be a christian
Wow, he speaks as well as he writes. What a novel idea (wink, wink).
Can you imagine Mrs. Palin on bigthink.com? Nah, NEVER!!!
Besides his obvious intellect and knowlege, I was listening to him accept responsibility for his mistake, accept the media hysteria -without saying they were wrong, and his the sheer willingness to take what is his and not blame 100 people around him for what happend -he made a bad choice all by his big boy self. That’s what quitty pants does, it was you, it was me, her, him, the liberal media, the liars, the whores, the… well, anyone but her. She has never made a mistake, never not known anything, never spewed word salad. He talks about “reality” and accepting that reality, learning from it, moving forward for the good of self, family and community. Talk about black and white! Anyone can learn the difference between North and South Korea, not eveyone can embrace humity, accept the consiquences of their mistakes and learn/share a lesson in return.
Maria- You must live near me, as I also live in the country of Africa, in the souther part, north of the UK and South of North Korea, near the Yangtze river, which you surely know, runs through the city of Moscow, my hometown.
Sarah Palin magazine
At the grocery checkout yesterday, I saw a magazine titled “Sarah Palin” with a subtitle I don’t recall. I only had a minute, quickly flipped through for publishing information and found none. On the bar code the price was 8.99, and a “Sell until April 30, 2010″ notice.
It was basically a photo spread of 100 photos of what you’d expect. Can’t find anything about it online except a brief mention in comments at C4P. Makes me wonder who is publishing this …
My son says Palin would be better off just sticking to simple sentences, as suit her 2nd grade intellect:
I thought the speech was very, very, very, very, bad. He has ignored national secutiry which is really, really really, really, really dangerous. And I am so very, very, very, very, very, veeeerrrryy upset about this. I could do a much, much, much, much, much, much, much better job. Vote for me 2012 or you’ll really, really, really, really, really regret it!
Poorly written and executed, but at least one could understand what she actually said (and would go well with Shatners bongo beats, too boot).
He is brilliant. But I, too, as an old Lefty, feel great disappointment and sadness as I listen to Spitzer.
bet he didn’t use notecards….He is a very smart man, I have always been impressed when I have seen his interviews. Too bad he couldn’t keep it in his pants. That said, the double standard between Spitzer and the idiot Gov from SC is amazing. Fundies are cra-zazy!
Well he scuttled his own career. Which doesn’t mean his intellect is marred.
Well worth the time, unlike Palin, when I turn off the sound after a minute or two of Ya Betcha, and common sense refrigerator magnet sayings.
The call girl ,Ashley Dupre is doing well at the New York Post with Murdochs blessing. She has an advice column, and was even on the cover in the last week of so.
Murdoch and Ayles of Faux News are responsible for Palin being a political pundit of no intellect or insight. Ashley Dupre gives advice to the love lorn.
He is a brilliant guy & sorely missed. I hope to see him back in politics. We forgive you Elliott, now come back & help fix this mess!
Haven’t listened to the interview yet – don’t have half hour to spare right now. When Spitzer got caught w/the lowlife call girl (Ashley Dupree, stupid made up name), he was paying with his own funds, not NYers funds. There’s more to it than that. Within a week of his fall, I got an email from a reliable source to the effect that Spitzer was in DC to expose the *real* culprits in the mortgage meltdown, to the press. That he got caught up in an FBI sting shows that his plans were a real threat to the powers that be. I’m angry that we were left with an ineffective, unelected governor, especially after years of horrible governance (George Pataki really sux). Taking responsibility for being a member of the “Emperor’s Club” once he was caught doesn’t cut it. We never found out what he knows about the mortgage meltdown (and I have full confidence in his ability to follow the money, he was always great at that), and our entire economy has been suffering since.
I’m just glad, so it seems, that her own kind is chewing her up and spitting her out…I said, so it seems. Nobody listened to us or the facts all this time, but now that Faux and the likes are sitting within inches of her…they’re waking up!
so it seems…we shall see. I give Katie Couric & Charlie Gibson credit for showing us the real her, right out of the gate.
He may never be an elected official again but he is obviously still passionate about financial reform. I hope he uses that big brain to push Obama in the right direction. I mean, the left direction
Thanks for posting this…it is GREAT!!
ya know grandma68…my spouse thought the same..something was up…he was on to the big dealings in nyc when he got “busted”…like that behavior was something new? and for me…here in ny…I dont care who anyone is sleeping with or what they are doing…I dont wanna know..sometimes I wished we could go back to the days when everyone kept things like that under the carpet…
all I care about is what they do in their job..the one I am paying for with my tax dollars…. and for that I like him
Certainly what he did was wrong, but there is so much solicited sex in Washington by both parties. I’m beginning to think that the way that MSM covers certain “news” & the hidden agenda of corporate media influences how things are interpreted.
Wow. I had no idea Mr. Spitzer was so intelligent, knowledgeable, or human. He’s someone I could get behind. For those who think he’s unfit to lead because of a personal failure, I say, maybe it is that personal failure that makes him ready to lead. For one, he has taken personal responsibility for what he did. Secondly, he’s obviously not stupid and I really think he has learned from his mistake. I think the last thing he’d do with a second chance is go down that road again. He’d have people crawling all over him looking for something to bring him down. And making such a huge personal mistake himself and being caught, would make him more understanding of everyone’s human failings. Something the Republican, less government, but more government in your personal life, far right crowd could learn from.
I for one would not have a problem with giving Mr. Spitzer another chance.
He’s a very smart man who couldnt keep it in his pants.
Its a shame..
I remember seeing several interviews with Spitzer before his scandal. He was going after people who thought they were (and apparently are) above the law. He was fearless in going after wallstreet and was doing a great job for the people of NY.
We can’t forget that part of who he was/is. If he truly has conquered his demons, we maybe should forgive this guy for his personal failings.
I was excited when he ran for Gov. Was happy when he won. Was disappointed and peeved when he screwed up. Have missed him ever since. I really thought we were on to something good with him. Tides a-turnin’ , and all . What someone does in the bedroom is none of my concern but for goodness sake – If you’re a former Attorney General known for going after corruption and got elected Governor based on people viewing you as someone with integrity – can you maybe not hire prostitutes while in office ? Just sayin.
He can still make a difference by being a watch dog and analyst. ( He would be a great addition to my fantasy news channel ! )
I think he can come back. Come on-let’s face the sad reality. Affairs are like flies. Just when you swat one down, another pesty mess zooms on by. They are always in the closet (no pun attended). My thought is that sure it stinks and is sad but we wouldn’t have very many politician’s if we are looking for perfection.
Zyxomma -
Yes , there were some powerful forces that were keeping an eye on Eliot. Not sure we’ll ever get the full story. Roger Stone is a slimey Rethug operative who worked for Nixon as a teenager.
“Eliot Spitzer will not serve out his term as governor of the state of New York,” Stone said Dec. 6 on Michael Smerconish’s radio talk show on Philadelphia’s 1210 WPHT. He gave no details.
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/3/19/17121/9977
Not long ago, Spitzer appeared on The Daily Show, and in a few well articulated sentences he described what was wrong with our economy and what steps could be taken to improve it. Our problem is separating his personal life and personal bad choices from his ability.
Jack Kennedy was smart enough (or the press was forgiving enough) to keep his affairs quiet. Gary Hart, another really smart politician also made the world’s worst choice when he dared the press to catch him at his affair. They did. I still watch Dave Letterman and laugh at his jokes, despite his personal relationships with staff members who were not married to him.
The time when a person’s private life becomes our business is when he/she passes judgement on others, while committing the act themself. A Palin daughter comes to mind when she preaches abstinence for others after she has a baby out of wedlock. She and her mother “chose life” while denying that same choice to other women. Ted Haggard preached against people who loved people of the same gender, while committing the very acts that he preached against. It’s the hypocrisy that I can’t stand.
It’s too bad that Sptizer messed up his career, because he is one smart guy.
City Kid: I’m sorry but Eliot did NOT take funds from NY or any place other than his own bank account. I believe that someone from the conservative side pf the aisle decided they did not want him looking into their business and DELIBERATELY set him up by having someone in his bank ‘blow the whistle’ whenever he made withdrawals that approached a certain sum. It is a shame because he truly is a brilliant and well-educated man. But who among us can say we have never done anything wrong in our lives? I know I have done many things wrong and things I would never tell a living soul because I know I can never make up for them or even forgive myself, so how could I expect anyone else to forgive me? He knows he messed up, but that still does not detract from his brilliance or his ability to do a prosecutorial job again – perhaps not in NY, but maybe another state because we simply don’t have enough Eliot Spitzers doing that job the way he did it with much success. I can’t judge him because I am in no position to judge anyone, but I can continue to admire him and will continue to admire him. He made a mistake and it cost him dearly, but he is and has paid for that mistake every day especially with his wife and family [they matter most] – that does not mean he can’t still offer something back to society today or even someday in another capacity, and hopefully not in the too distant future. We need people like him because we don’t see many with his level of thinking or speaking who WANT to BETTER our society – if I have missed any, please feel free to let me know.
On a lighter note, I see whenever he speaks publicly, his title is ALWAYS listed as: ‘FORMER Governor or EX Governor’ – unlike Paylin who ‘prefers’ the title of Governor – nothing ex or former about her – and I believe that Greta [Faux Noise] LOVES to preface her questions to the imbecile with ‘governor’ just to get a reaction from progressives! Can any of us imagine the ‘sound bite word salad’ she would have provided to any of the questions asked of Eliot – the thought is too excruciating to even contemplate!
I just saw that Ms Palin has re-committed to speak at the Tea Party Convention, even after her loony friends canceled (of course they weren’t getting paid). If you dangle $100,000 in front of her nose, no doubt she’ll be there. She may want to cancel at this point but there is likely a cancellation clause in the contract that she signed. If she doesn’t show, she doesn’t see a penny but if they cancel, they are probably still on the hook for a lot of money to be paid to the profiteering princess. She may be crossing her fingers that they cancel then she collects the $ (if the above is correct) and she still gets to say that she is a tea party supporter.
He got too close to something.
I don’t know if he could have averted the big crash, it was all in the works and couldn’t be stopped.
We are a puritanical country, and that is a fact male and female Politicians need to take into account when they play around. He paid a higher price than his call girl Ashlee Dupree, who Murdoch seems to like. I wonder what her salary is at the Post.
I certainly wouldn’t ask for her advice.
Here’s a back story on how Spitzer was targeted, and a compilation of other stories that would have been on the front page at the time, but were largely pushed out of the news by the Spitzer sex scandal. No telling how many more Elevated Terror Alerts the Bushies would have had to fabricate w/out the Spitzer story.
“GOP political operative told FBI of alleged Spitzer sexscapades — Roger Stone, who shut down the 2000 presidential election recount effort in Miami-Dade County, is longtime Spitzer nemesis.
(21 Mar 2008) Almost four months before Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in a sex scandal, a lawyer for Republican political operative Roger Stone sent a letter to the FBI alleging that Spitzer ‘used the services of high-priced call girls’ while in Florida. The letter, dated Nov. 19, said Miami Beach resident Stone learned the information from ‘a social contact [i.e., his own hooker] in an adult-themed club.’ … ‘It is also my client’s understanding from the same source that Governor Spitzer did not remove his mid-calf length black socks during the sex act. Perhaps you can use this detail to corroborate Mr. Stone’s information,’ the letter said, signed by attorney Paul Rolf Jensen of Costa Mesa, Calif.”
Spitzer’s Sex Life Is Weapon of Mass Distraction from Bunch of Bad News for Bush –By Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/spitzer_sex_life_weapon_mass_distraction.html
MadasHelinVA — It was a provision in the Patriot Act that caused his “unusual” financial activity to be reported. It’s covered in one of the stories in my preceding link.
citykid…wasn’t the issue with spitzer a sex scandal, not a financial scandal?
I linked a story on Roger Stone , the Rethug slime ball operative and his connection to Spitzer’s downfall. The spam filter gobbled it up. Maybe it will come thru later. There indeed were powerful forces watching Spitzer and he foolishly gave them the ammo to take him out.
THIS JUST IN: Dr. Tiller’s murderer found guilty of 1st degree murder!
The jury took 37 minutes to decide.
Desert Mudpup -
Ha !! I see you are on the case. The link I had found was different and I’m not sure why it went to the bin. Roger Stone began his “career” as an operative as a teenager working for the Nixon campaign. He is quite the turd.
37 R’ipley in CT Says:
January 29th, 2010 at 9:49 AM
THIS JUST IN: Dr. Tiller’s murderer found guilty of 1st degree murder!
______________
good !!!
I’ve read all the comments now and see that the Mudpups have set Spitzer’s record straight. Thanks all!
And I agree that Spitzer deserves a second chance. After all, aren’t we still saddled with Vitter and Sanford and any number of other GOP nasties with questionable moral and ethical standards?
I also agree that Spitzer was set up. There’s tales to tell for sure about most political types… the stories only surface as a weapon. We can only hope the stories about a certain ex-half-term-gov’s questionable practices will bubble to the surface when necessary…
OMG — I’m not surprised Palin is attending, and I don’t doubt that P-Obama is partly responsible. She’s already in hot water w/ Tea Baggers over her endorsement of McCain and couldn’t pull out and offend them even more. Plus, you gotta’ know that inside her paranoid little psycho mind, when P-Obama said, “I don’t quit!”, she KNEW he was talking to her.
The worst thing that he seemed to have done was to his own reputation and of course to His Wife for his transgressions. She seems to have forgiven Him and has come to some sort of an agreement with Him. There is some sort of a mutual understanding there or respect…. between THEM. I’m sure some of the respect is lost or gone so maybe it is just simple ‘ forgiveness ‘ .
Looking at another politician though… how did he treat or show ‘ respect ‘ for his Wife.( Yes… which one…?) I’m thinking of John McCain.
I have heard the various bits and pieces of stories over the years of how he left her when she was sick in the Hospital.
Yet…. McCain does not have the title of ‘ EX ‘ Senator John McCain for the way he treated his Wife…? Hmmm
And I don’t think SHE has forgiven Him OR respects him.
Double standard…..? Obviously.
The nidjits over at Fox News actually have something they refer to as a “Brain Room”. Seriously – there are so many responses to that that I’m in overwhelm.
http://bit.ly/dledLy
>>> Yesterday (1/28) on America’s Newsroom, Martha McCallum told viewers that according to the Fox News “brain room”, President Obama was wrong when he said that the recent SCOTUS ruling on corporate donations to candidates would “open the floodgates” for foreign-controlled companies to spend in US elections.<<<
Sarah. Beck. Brain Room. HA!!!!!!
Just in…Palin’s Alaska polling #s:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/poll-alaska-now-divided-on-sarah-palin.php
Paylin’s ghostwriter has been b!tch-slapped by NOW:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32187.html
The ghostwriter was unavailable for a follow-up comment.
I know we keep saying “just when we thought they couldn’t go any lower in the the slime – they do.
Political Carnival
“Unspeakable”
By GottaLaff
scan down to the bottom of that article and there is a take off of the famous bipartisan poster of Obama with him hung with a noose and neck broken by the drop.
interesting stuff about national dept
I watched this on Rachel yesterday
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908
i also found this from a blog
http://trojansax.blogspot.com/2010/01/numbers-dont-lie-except-when-they-do.html
Here is the original website:
http://www.presidentialdebt.org/
sarah is going to the convention and she wants the GOP and Tea Party to merge. I love it !! Keep bumpin’ those gums , dumbf^*k.
**************************************************************************
“They need to merge,” she said. “Definitely, they need to merge. I think those who are wanting the divisions and the divisiveness and the controversy — those are the ones who don’t believe in the message. And they’re the ones, I think, stirring it up. We need to ignore that and we need to forge ahead with a cohesive message. It’s a common sense message. It, again, is, Government, limit yourself so that the private sector, our families, free individuals can grow and thrive and prosper and enjoy America’s freedom!”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/29/palin-urges-gop-tea-party_n_441847.html
My question is: Who is more dangerous to democracy? Mr. Spitzer’s hanky-panky or the Congressmen that are bought by the corporations? When we set the bar too high, the brilliant drop out and we’re left with the likes of Barbie and Ken.
” Wolf Moon” is tonight :
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100129/sc_space/biggestandbrightestfullmoonof2010tonight
It was just beautiful at 3am this morning. Hope I can see it clearly this eve.
51 austintx Says:
January 29th, 2010 at 10:53 AM
sarah is going to the convention and she wants the GOP and Tea Party to merge. I love it !! Keep bumpin’ those gums , dumbf^*k.
Sarah has no capacity or no willingness to see what the fall our of her acts and words might be, that is why she is always in conflict.
She may have steped in the big one this time. And it will be interesting to see some one who lacks rational thinking trying to rationalize to her rabble that it needs to unrabble itself, after she has spent some much time mandationing them to rabblize and they have risen to her rabbling cry.
Republicans are big government even more than the Dims and there is no way to get around that.
BuffaloGal -
Here is a moon pic. for ya.
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/3749005.jpg
That’s “fallout” and “so much time” I think.
I absolutely love our President. This was a brilliant move! I’d say he’s a little sick and tired with all the nonsense. Pssst, Scarah that means you too. Shoo, you know nothing bag of hot air.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20100129/pl_politico/32225
“In a remarkable exchange, Obama took Republicans to task for portraying health care reform as a “Bolshevik plot” — even though, he said, many parts of the bill were consistent with Republican principles.
“What happens is that you guys don’t have a lot of room to negotiate with me,” Obama said. “The fact of the matter is, many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable with your own base, with your own party because what you’ve been telling your constituents is, ‘This guy’s doing all kinds of crazy stuff that’s going to destroy America.’ ”
Still waiting on the envelope post. Two days left in next week.
Republicans are big government even more than the Dims and there is no way to get around that.
THAT’S RIGHT! What did Bush do after the failure of 9/11? Instead of requiring the existing agencies to work together, he created more agencies that will only make the problem worse—- AND he “grew” government, as they like to say.
President Obama is talking about streamlining agencies and taking a studied approach. It is hard to get rid of agencies once they are started. OHHH I guess that is if you are a Repub and it is an environmental agency, then they can just cut funding to it, which forces staff cuts.
43 Desert Mudpup Says:
Plus, you gotta’ know that inside her paranoid little psycho mind, when P-Obama said, “I don’t quit!”, she KNEW he was talking to her.
But to Sarah almost anything anybody says is about her.
I’m from NY, and like many others here, would gladly have Spitzer back rather than that clown who’s in there now.
# 58 pvazwindy Says:
January 29th, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Still waiting on the envelope post. Two days left in next week.
——————————
I was thinking the same thing when I logged on this morning. I was also wondering about that Anon-y-Moose letter. Hmm..?
Glad to hear AKM on the radio yesterday though. The regular Thursday appearance is good.
And Shannyn is coming up again now.
http://www.kudo1080.com/
Just my humble opinion. Spitzer is an intelligent man. I haven’t really followed the scandal, but as I see it, it was a personal scandal.
Why is Sandford still in office?
In Palin’s first interview with Bill O’Lielly, she said that she would go to the Tea Party thingee without any payday for herself if money was an issue. I remember it very clearly, thinking to myself that I’d like to hold her to that statement. I’m glad that I can recall that now, as the whole experience of watching her on television was extremely distasteful.
Eliot Spitzer could have had a very bright future in the Democratic party and national politics if his p@nis hadn’t gotten the best of him. Unfortunately you can’t make a name for yourself busting prostitution rings as Attorney General, when you’re one of their best customers.
Thank you for the video. I really hope he can participate again as an elected official. I think that it’s refreshing to listen to someone that has some brains for a change.
#58 & #61, I thought AKM responded to me last week that she was working on it & it should be up on Tuesday. I asked something like “When is the mysterious envelope post going up? I hope it’s something about princess sparkleburst.” Just took a look at a “full-screen” on huffpo of greta & simple sarah’s interview from last night. “you betcha I’m gonna be at the teabaggy thingy next week” said the money-grubbing twit. Also when they were side by side on a split screen they looked like surgically enhanced bobbsey twins. I’ve got to tell you I’ve never seen her look worse, her eyebrows were drawn on crooked, there was absolutely no doubt that she was wearing a wig. She also had that frantic air about her. I think she’s on the brink of a breakdown.
47 Tina in Tennessee Says:
January 29th, 2010 at 10:16 AM
Paylin’s ghostwriter has been b!tch-slapped by NOW:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32187.html
The ghostwriter was unavailable for a follow-up comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would CBS, I cynically wonder, run a ‘companion’ ad to the “Focus on [their idea of] the Family”? You know, one with mothers (like Tim’s) who had been advised by their doctor to abort a pregnancy, but didn’t, AND whose ‘outcome’ of that decision turned out *not* to be all sweet-smelling rosy, brilliant sunshine, and magnificent rainbows [as the LeBow's, apparently, did]?
Would CBS run an ad highlighting a woman (or two or a dozen) who ignored their doctor’s considered, statistically-backed, experience and education supported, kindly-given advice, and gave birth to a baby that has –through no *fault* of its own– inflicted on that woman, untold amounts of financial debt for its medical care/maintenance; incredible stress and strain to her relationship(s); unimaginable guilt and anguish; and constant, daily heartache?
Would CBS show the woman with her “choose life! – all else be damned!” child who is breathing (either on its own or with mechanical assistance) but that’s pretty much all that child can *ever* do…or be?
I’m certain a good number of the mothers who are experiencing such incredibly great difficulties would jump at the chance to show Super Bowl viewers what is also a very *real* result/possibility of ignoring a doctor’s medically-(and emotionally)-caring counsel about the most probable outcome of the pregnancy; of, instead, blindly doing what SP and FotF (et. al. heads-up-their-arses) are insisting *must* be the outcome of ALL pregnancies.
If CBS would run such an ad, I’ve got a hospital down the street from me with wards full to the breaking-point of such “children” (from newborn to well-over 50 yo) whose mothers had no other option but to place them there; mothers who are living daily heart- and soul-break because their child is ‘born’ but is *not* living…and never will.
Somehow, I doubt if CBS would run such an ad. beth.
I still don’t understand why a person’s sexual life has anything to do with their politics and their ability to do their job. If this country was not so hung up on a christian notion of monogamy we wouldn’t be able to use sexual activity as a yardstick for the worthiness of a person.
I bet there are a few people reading that have done things that were forgiven by their partner, or a few partners that have been forgiven for activities outside of their relationships. Sometimes a bond can be forged between two people that is strong and solid outside of their sexual conduct.
I think sometimes we judge public figures for doing things that “just won’t fly” in the average American relationship. Some like to live “vicariously” through those that explore outside of their relationship. Europeans take a much more liberal view of sexual activity outside the primary relationship. It’s not a “deal breaker” as far as I’m concerned. It also should have nothing to do with a person’s ability to do a job.
Forgot to say, Eliot Spitzer is smart and knows what he’s talking about. He understands the issues and can debate them and even help to solve the problems facing our country.
Unfortunately, this uptight American society judged him because of an act of what the majority perceived as infidelity to an institution that I personally don’t believe in.
I just hate it when people are caught in the act and lie about it and won’t stand up to their critics and ask “so what’s it really matter”?
AKPetmom says: “I still don’t understand why a person’s sexual life has anything to do with their politics and their ability to do their job. If this country was not so hung up on a christian notion of monogamy we wouldn’t be able to use sexual activity as a yardstick for the worthiness of a person.”
Still, I think resigning was the decent thing for Spitzer to do. And I wouldn’t support his candidacy if he ran for something again, because if he could prosecute prostitutes while sleeping with them, how do we know he wouldn’t end up cutting side deals with some of the banksters he went after? Just don’t trust him, and that’s too bad, because he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.
68 AKPetMom Says: January 29th, 2010 at 1:21 PM
I still don’t understand why a person’s sexual life has anything to do with their politics and their ability to do their job.
———
Spitzer is a putz of incredible proportions. It wasn’t about his “sexual life” but the fact that he put people in jail for doing the same damn thing. Indeed, he sometimes used a person’s “sexual life” as leverage to obtain a conviction. He’s got no more political worth than say a James Vitter or F&%$face Ensign or Mark Sanford or even a s’error palin.
7 Grandma68 Says: January 29th, 2010 at 4:39 AM
Whores will do anything for money.
——
Absolutely correct. And Spitzer is a whore of the worst type. All else – especially the part about whether he was set up (NO!!!!) – is unnecessary verbiage.
beth — Your point is well taken. Quality of life is a legitimate consideration – and gets much less critical attention when an end-of-life decision is involved. Another point that bothers me about the fundamentalist/anti-abortionists is that their anti-gov’t anti-socialism bs is taught by their churches – yet they never address the socialized costs of bringing unhealthy children into the world. Who bears the medical bills, etc, when the parents are unable to provide it, and when the parents die and leave a forty-year-old “child” or invalid behind, unable to provide for him/her self. The hypocrisy again – they just won’t step away from it and deal with complex realities instead of ideological absolutes.
Vitter wears diapers.
55 austintx You share such fine photos. I’ll explore that sky in some sweet dreams tonight. Thank you.
also, too, everybody, thinking of our dear muckraker’s radio show with Shannyn, and seeing mudflaps popping uninvited into my mind, and enjoying a little alliteration, and while certainly no mandation, do humbly offer…
MudFlaps with AKMuckraker.
L’shalom, all.
*with the wave of a wing from rainy southern skies*
# 73 austintx
LOL. Similar to the poor schnook of an astronaut on her cross country “mission” of vengeance?
Wonder what Vitter’s mission is?
I have to agree with sauerkraut # 70. Spitzer’s political demise wasn’t secondary to cultural mores involving sex….His political demise came about more pragmatically: he was hypocritically furthering his own career by prosecuting and jailing people for the same “crimes” that he was surreptitiously engaging in himself.
Hypocrisy is disgusting…..but hypocrisy combined with political power over the population is worse. Essentially, this hypocrisy is derived from a politician’s self-serving attitude that he/she is above the laws of the land that they have been sworn in to uphold. Think of SP and Troopergate…..her misuse of power in that case sprang from an attitude similar to Spitzer’s but involved revenge instead of lust.
Whether prostitution should be widely legal is a different debate entirely.
AKPetMom @68 – I hear you and agree to a point but , Spitzer broke the law. He didn’t simply get all funky in the bedroom with someone other than his wife. He’s a man that was gonzo about ethics and campaigned on that point. I WANT him to be in office but really – you just simply can’t go around being the guy putting other people away for breaking the law and then go ahead and break the law yourself. He didn’t just cheat. He hired prositutes . Might be a stupid law but it’s a law, nonetheless.
In my mind, the number of really good leaders are few and far between and I don’t want to throw a single one of the exceptional ones away. But, seriously – if they are upholders of the law, if they have made their life’s work all about calling out the lawbreakers, well then – they shouldn’t be breaking law themselves — even if they’re only breaking laws that many of us see as unnecessary.
I respect his intellect and if I had the chance I’d vote for him again. At the same time, I think he deserved to be called out for his actions. ( I also think he was caught by way of folks wanting to get him out of the way and looking for any way of doing so )
Here are some observations about Mr. Spitzer from someone who lives a few miles from the NY Capital, Albany, and who followed his career for years. I offer this because I think that Albany media probably covers the governor more thoroughly than any other market in the state and so we have a more complete history of his career than people who live elsewhere in the state, I think.
Eliott Spitzer was an outstanding Attorney General. He went after Wall Street and polluters, among others. That made him a hero to the progressive thinkers. He did A LOT of good, and became Governor with an overwhelming majority. BUT, he was not so good as governor. That job has different responsibilities than Attorney General and in NY — don’t know about other states — the primary job of the Governor is the budget which has to be worked through with the Legislature.
He was no longer going after the bad guys of corporate life or industry. He was trying to work with the totally dysfunctional NY Legislature which is full of its own brand of bad guys, and he was failing. He tried being tough with those old guys and they ignored him. He was stubborn and arrogant which did not serve him at all. Also, he got involved in a number of controverial programs/actions/appointments. His favorability ratings were tanking and he was not looking good for re-election. It was not good and there were many frustrated and anxious among his fans wondering if he could ever turn it around and live up to the promise we all felt when he was elected.
Then, the scandal sank him. But, you all need to know that his brilliance was as Attorney Genral and did not seem to carry over to being the chief executive which the Governor must be. So, much as I also yearn for his brain and his single-mindedness to be used to help us again, I think he would be better in a job that was not elected, but probably appointed with some “straighten up the mess” responsibilities, rather than running things. Am hoping that may come to be while Obama is in power. And, I wonder if he is setting himself up to run for Senator — has been speaking out and criticizing Kristen Gillibrand who was appointed by the current governor to take Hillary’s seat. Time will tell, but I am pleased to see him trying to get back into the action and will watch to see what he decides to do.
Thanks, AKM, for posting this interview with Eliot Spitzer. Like you, I found it facinating, and it filled in some gaps in my education on the financial meltdown. He seems to be a brillant man and I bet he is a great teacher. I hope he is allowed in some way to be a further asset to this country. We needs all the brains we can find.
HudsonElizabeth @79 -
Thanks for that ‘boots on the ground’ take on the Spitzer rise and fall. I, too, was impressed by his time as Attorney General and was excited to vote for him after way too many years of Wacky Pataki. He was a kick-@ass AG and I hoped, as did many others, that he would be a great Governor as well.
You’re absolutely right that his particular skills and combative attitude that made him such a good AG didn’t translate well to the Governor’s mansion. Whatever people may believe about personal lives and how they should be private, a person who is elected to office is given the trust of their constituents. When you have built your reputation and career on single mindedly prosecuting criminals, you just can’t break the law yourself and expect to have it dismissed.
When the scandal broke, he had no choice but to resign, and all of us who live in NY have been punished along with him when we inherited an ineffectual replacement.
I do get terribly frustrated at the hypocrisy and double standard in this country when someone like Spitzer is automatically expected to resign but when Republicans (who enthusiastically preach those good Christian values) are caught with their pants down (figuratively or literally), they are immediately forgiven, and continue in their political offices regardless of the scandals or trust they have betrayed. So wrong…
Here is an interesting article on why voters vote against themselves from the BBC. It covers why voters in America are against HCR, specifically in TX. I have puzzled over this very thing. Take a look. Very interesting and sad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8474611.stm
smart is so sexy.
can i say this here?
i can understand why his wife would forgive him. he’s a good human being.
Lisa Murkowski is up to her old tricks. And now she has some of the spineless Democrats helping her:
Subject: The Dirty Air Act Three
Dear Friend,
Democratic Senators Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson are big threats to the Clean Air Act. We have to stop this Dirty Air Act Three before their actions embolden more Democrats to join Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Coal)
Last week, Sen. Murkowski was forced to withdraw her amendment gutting the Clean Air Act from an unrelated budget bill because of the pressure she received to save the Clean Air Act.
But the fight continues. When Sen. Murkowski withdrew her amendment, she announced a new attack on the Clean Air Act. Murkowski’s “resolution of disapproval” would stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
With nearly all Republican Senators signing on as cosponsors, Sen. Murkowski also found three critical Democrats to join on the resolution. What’s worse, a “resolution of disapproval” is not subject to filibuster. Big Coal only needs to round up 51 votes to help her pass this bill.
Thank you for all of your help.
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/dirtyairactthree/?r_by=7548-1852020-olbvEwx&rc=paste1
@sauerkraut — So, how do you really feel about Spitzer? :>)
Living on the Left Coast, I do not have a really firm mental picture of the guy. My general impression is that while he was AG, he attempted to force corporations (and in particular, financial institutions) to obey the law. Since the Bush DOJ pretty much didn’t do that at all, and since the preponderance of the financial-services “industry” is located in New York, he appeared to be the point man in this effort. What limited success was achieved in regulating or sanctioning corporate misbehavior appeared to result from Spitzer’s efforts.
If he was — as you seem to imply — on a campaign against prostitution, or using involvement with prostitution as a legal lever in other case, I apparently missed that news.
BTW, I miss a lot of news — I haven’t watched a TV or cable newscast (except on the road, from boredom) for probably twenty years, and I haven’t had a newspaper subscription for five. I’m not disputing your facts, just pointing out that news does get diluted by distance. (I can probably tell you five irritating things about Ahnold you don’t already know).
Anyhow, it occurs to me that Spitzer himself may share your view of him as a hypocrite. That would, perhaps, explain the alacrity with which he resigned. Or, as HudsonElizabeth’s comment suggests, maybe he also realized that he wasn’t doing very well as Governor. But still, who resigns that quickly? Vitter? Craig? Jefferson? Baucus? Sanford?
Maybe it happens if you have enough self-awareness to realize you’ve been a hypocrite.
He’s still a putz for not considering the possible consequences of his actions, and I agree that as of right now it’s hard to say if the overall effect of his participation in political life is a positive or a negative.
Still a smart guy, though, and still on the right side of a lot of issues.
@lovemydogs: I’ll happily remind my Senators to watch out for this, but I am pretty nearly 100% positive that a “resolution of disapproval” from the Senate will have exactly zero impact on the EPA, which is an organization in the Executive Branch.
A Resolution is not a Bill, hence has no legal force. Even a Joint Resolution has no legal force. This is pure PR by Murko.
There is nothing the wingnuts won’t lie about –
It is believed that the commercial (Dobson’s Anti-Abortion Superbowl Commercial) will focus on Pam Tebow’s 1987 pregnancy, during which time she fell ill in the Philippines. According to reports, doctors recommended that she abort the pregnancy, but she chose to go through with the birth of her son Tim.
Because abortion under any circumstance has been illegal in the Philippines since 1930 and is punishable by a six-year prison term, Allred says she finds it hard to believe that doctors would have recommended the procedure.
The attorney [Allred], who has represented a roster of famous clients, claims she will lodge a complaint with the FCC and FTC “if this ad airs and fails to disclose that abortions were illegal at the time Ms. Tebow made her choice,” according to RadarOnline.
Thank you for posting this excellent interview with former governor Spitzer. He was a very effective attorney general and we urgently need his skills back in some important investigative role, such as leading the investigation into how the banksters almost demolished our economy.
The disclosure of his personal adventures into pay to play sex was unfortunate. It was used to stop him from further interfering with the banksters criminal enterprises on Wall Street. That was his real “sin”, trying to regulate capitalism. (When will America’s puritanical electorate recognize the facts of human biology? Males are not evolutionarily designed for sexual monogamy. Likely women aren’t either.)
I’ve read that in his pre-governor job as N.Y. attorney general , he was considered extremely arrogant. The man in this interview was anything but arrogant. Perhaps that humbling personal experience was needed to add compassion for human flaws to his character.
If so, he would make a superb U.S. Attorney General. Let’s hope, for the sake of the Rule of Law, he has a chance to do that job or something similar. His knowledge and tenacity are desperately needed if our legal and financial systems are to be restored to some kind of integrity.
I also thank you for posting this excellent interview with former governor Spitzer, .It gave me another perspective about him and yes he seems very knowledgeable and someone already asked the question I had ,Why he is a former Governor and palin isn’t.She is no longer governor so should be called former Governor,It seems to me that the Democrat people admit their mistakes and do what he did or at least most do,while the republicans think they do no wrong.
Like the majority of the commentors here, I would like to thank you for posting this interview. I have always thought the this guy was one of the smart ones, although, by his own admission, he did some stupid things. I don’t know anything about his life with his wife, but there is always a reason that we, as men, stray from the home fires. Enough said there. Too bad the US is so hung up on sexual mores. This is one of the wiser guys out there and I think he should be playing a role in our current government. Thank you also for introducing us to BigThink.com. Should be some great commentary there.