Insomnia ([info]insomnia) wrote,
@ 2008-03-11 02:15:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
NY Gov. Spitzer -- a corrupt, hypocritical idiot.

As most of you probably know by now, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has gotten himself into hot water as a known client of a sex ring / high priced escort service.

The charges that Spitzer face are quite serious, too:

- Violating the Mann Act, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment for knowingly persuading or inducing any individual to cross state lines for the purposes of prostitution.

- Structuring: creating a series of financial movements designed to evade reporting requirements for large transactions and to obscure the true purpose of the payments. The maximum penalty is five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

- Prostitution (up to 90 days in jail, or a fine of up to $500, or both, for the first offense.)

Not enough can be said about just how idiotic Spitzer's behavior is, especially considering that he is the former Attorney General of New York, whose former career was supposedly based on fighting corruption. In fact, it was only four years ago when he boasted about busting up a massive prostitution ring, promising to send sex workers and ring organizers away for up to 25 years.

Amazingly enough, Spitzer doesn't seem like he's planning on resigning anytime soon. He even referred to it as a "private matter" in his press conference yesterday, despite the obvious implication that it is now anything but. Certainly, it's not viewed that way by most New Yorkers. A new SurveyUSA poll indicates that a 58%-32% majority of New Yorkers say that Spitzer should resign.

The survey also indicates that support for his resignation cuts across all demographics — gender, age, race, party, ideology, marital status, region, and support for presidential candidates — with the only variation being in by just how much these different groups want him to go.

But will he go?! I kind of doubt he will do so without a great deal of prodding, in part because this whole issue is becoming politicized. You see, both Spitzer and his possible replacement are Clinton superdelegates. If Spitzer steps down, his replacement would gain control of Spitzer's superdelegate vote, but lose control of his own, and would be unable to name a replacement... thereby losing Hillary Clinton one delegate in the presidential race.

As a result, expect Clinton's supporters to spend the next several months defending a corrupt, hypocritical lame duck politician, who potentially faces multiple years in prison, on multiple counts of several of the aforementioned crimes. (As you might note, this is historically a pretty normal "state of affairs" for diehard Clinton supporters.)  

So, what is it about hopelessly damaged New York politicians that they won't step aside and give another skilled party member a chance, instead of dragging their party and everything they stand for down in a pique of total career suicide?!  Just sayin'...  



(Post a new comment)


[info]granting
2008-03-11 10:49 am UTC (link)
Eh.

I still see Sens. Vitter and Craig both still in office.

If I was Vitter I'd say, "When they resign, I'll resign."

(Reply to this)(Thread)


[info]insomnia
2008-03-11 11:24 am UTC (link)
The problem is, the gov admits it... and he's also guilty of more significant crimes. And also, I think that Democrats should hold themselves to a higher standard of conduct.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]granting
2008-03-11 11:40 am UTC (link)
Both Senators admitted it too, although obviously our Idaho friend retracted. But he even plead guilty to a crime... said he would resign...and he's still there. So it will blow over (pun intended) and Spitty will remain gov.

Yeah that whole "higher standard of conduct" thing is a good way to not being in power and letting the Republicans control everything. I literally think he should tell people he'll resign when the Sens do.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]insomnia
2008-03-11 01:07 pm UTC (link)
"that whole "higher standard of conduct" thing is a good way to not being in power and letting the Republicans control everything"

I disagree. I think it's essential to have a very low tolerance for criminality, and that lt. governors exist for a reason... to take the place of dead or critically wounded governors. And that is exactly what Spitzer is right now.

Really, I simply don't see how it's all that hard for elected officials not to be criminals facing up to 30+ years in jail. I don't think that's an unreasonable standard to expect politicians to live up to.

I mean, in Britain, the leader of the Liberal Democrats stepped down after admitting a drinking problem. Now *that's* accountability... arguably too much. So, why is it asking too much that our politicians don't commit felonies for a few years? That's what I just do not get.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]granting
2008-03-11 11:50 pm UTC (link)
Strictly speaking, by the federal sentencing guidelines he wouldn't really be facing 30+ years.

Regardless, I agree with you in principle. But that only works if both sides play by the same rules.

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]gaminette
2008-03-11 11:32 am UTC (link)
I can tell you that the mood here in NYC was one of "omgwtfbbq!" Yesterday was the day that my boss also made a donation to the NYPL - everything was in place and the t's and i's just needed to be crossed and dotted respectively. But, at the last minute in the afternoon, the Mayor's City lawyers suddenly had to add a "moral turpitude clause"!

I'm so, so disappointed with Spitzer. Among all the news stories my co-workers an I were following, I could have sworn there was mention that he really was resigning (now that I think more on it, I believe it was Fox news... Yeah.)

(Reply to this)(Thread)


[info]insomnia
2008-03-11 01:18 pm UTC (link)
Yeah... I heard of the "resignation" on Fox too, but I will believe it when I see it.

He *should* resign though. Give the blind guy a chance to lead and excel, rather than be permanently stained by Spitzer's inane, self-destructive behavior.

I find it both desperate and ultimately corrupting how much people at the top -- and oftentimes, even the voters who put them there -- want them to stay at the top, regardless of the circumstances. People aren't *supposed* to stay at the top. They're supposed to serve the public for a limited time and then return to their ordinary lives. That's how you get honest, unentrenched government.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]gaminette
2008-03-11 01:31 pm UTC (link)
Totally agree - he should absolutely resign.

And yeah. They're supposed to serve the public for a limited time and then return to their ordinary lives. They're not doing us a favor out there! O_o

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]antihope
2008-03-11 12:09 pm UTC (link)
Dunno, except that he's opposed prostitution before, I don't really care what is in his sex life. I don't think who he's having sex with or why (except when there's an obvious underage or unwilling victim) should have any bearing on politics. I'm also a supporter of prostitution, and don't feel the government should have the right to tell women who they can willingly have sex with or why.

(Reply to this)(Thread)


[info]insomnia
2008-03-11 01:01 pm UTC (link)
I don't care about his sex life either, and I personally believe that prostitution should be legalized and regulated for safety, etc.

That said, I don't think this is about sex. It's about the fact that Spitzer is a ginormous hypocrite who, despite his knowledge of the law, clearly violated several very serious ones with serious penalties. He was the attorney general, and frankly that's all the more reason for him to not ignore the law to such a degree.

He's now a severely wounded, lameduck governor who should step aside for the benefit of everything that he claims to value. It's what terminally damaged politicians *should* do -- and the public should insist upon -- far more often. Frankly, I wish that Bill C. had stepped aside and let Gore actually have a chance at creating his own legacy. If he had, I suspect that Gore would've beat Dubya quite handily.

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]john_of_arabia
2008-03-11 01:29 pm UTC (link)
I looked into what I would have to do to get him recalled. Apparently, we can't. If I had my way, he would have been gone yesterday.

(Reply to this)(Thread)


[info]insomnia
2008-03-11 02:49 pm UTC (link)
What drives me nuts is that I have been reading other online news / politics sites out there where people are saying things like:

"but it's his business, and besides, why should any of this be a crime?"

And I feel compelled to explain that he made it their business, in large part because what he did *WAS*, in fact, a serious crime... and that's generally not a quality you want in governors, especially ones who are former AGs.

Time to give the blind guy a chance. I bet he has considerably more common sense.

(Reply to this)(Parent)


[info]putzicus
2008-03-11 02:52 pm UTC (link)
Any truth to the rumor that Hillary used to go by the nickname "Kristen"? It could explain a lot about her seemingly unending source of campaign cash.

(Reply to this)


[info]booo_urns
2008-03-11 03:53 pm UTC (link)
One news report said that he arranged for an escort to ride the train from NYC to D.C. to see him. Who does he think he is? The D.C. escorts were good enough for Cheney. Does he think he's better than the V.P.? I'm outraged!

Seriously thought, this is another hypocritical politician that went after certain activities as a way of covering for the fact that he engaged in said activities.

Eh.

(Reply to this)


Create an Account
Forgot your login?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…