Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Must be somethin' in the water
Once upon a time, the state of New York was widely respected for elevating distinguished politicos to the national stage. One could disagree with the political views of a Jake Javits, a Pat Moynihan, or a James Buckley, but one would have admire them as decent human beings and dedicated public servants.
Beginning in 1998, New Yorkers adopted a terrible habit of electing self-serving fools to statewide office. First came U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a shameless media hound without peer. Two years later, New Yorkers sent a carpetbagging Arkansan, with not-terribly-disguised presidential ambitions, to the U.S. Senate instead of a four-term U.S. Representative from Long Island (you know to whom I'm referring). And then came Eliot Spitzer.
When word came down yesterday that Governor Eliot Spitzer was embroiled in a prostitution scandal, I will admit that my first reaction was barely concealed glee ("Tee-f****in'-hee," I said to myself). If ever a public official was deserving of a fall from grace, it was Spitzer.
During his years as New York's Attorney General, Spitzer not only turned the full force of his office against Wall Street crooks, real and imagined, he went after prostitutes as well. Indeed, in 2004, he indicted dozens of individuals for operating "escort services" in New York City," and that same year he prosecuted several individuals for operating "sex tourism" tours that originated in the state of New York.
That said, it's more than an understatement to state that the hooker-loving Gov. Eliot Spitzer is a hypocrite. Hypocrite or not, I'm pretty sure - nay, I'm quite confident - that if New Yorkers were presented with this electoral choice tomorrow -- Spitzer vs. Generic Republican Candidate for the New York governor -- Ol' Eliot would win by 4-6 percentage points.
You know I'm right. (And it is something in the water ...)
Beginning in 1998, New Yorkers adopted a terrible habit of electing self-serving fools to statewide office. First came U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a shameless media hound without peer. Two years later, New Yorkers sent a carpetbagging Arkansan, with not-terribly-disguised presidential ambitions, to the U.S. Senate instead of a four-term U.S. Representative from Long Island (you know to whom I'm referring). And then came Eliot Spitzer.
When word came down yesterday that Governor Eliot Spitzer was embroiled in a prostitution scandal, I will admit that my first reaction was barely concealed glee ("Tee-f****in'-hee," I said to myself). If ever a public official was deserving of a fall from grace, it was Spitzer.
During his years as New York's Attorney General, Spitzer not only turned the full force of his office against Wall Street crooks, real and imagined, he went after prostitutes as well. Indeed, in 2004, he indicted dozens of individuals for operating "escort services" in New York City," and that same year he prosecuted several individuals for operating "sex tourism" tours that originated in the state of New York.
That said, it's more than an understatement to state that the hooker-loving Gov. Eliot Spitzer is a hypocrite. Hypocrite or not, I'm pretty sure - nay, I'm quite confident - that if New Yorkers were presented with this electoral choice tomorrow -- Spitzer vs. Generic Republican Candidate for the New York governor -- Ol' Eliot would win by 4-6 percentage points.
You know I'm right. (And it is something in the water ...)
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, March 11, 2008 
