Oh My Stars

[ceebeegee]

I suppose y'all have heard about this.

It seems more scandalous than anything to really worry about, but I just now read a blurb somewhere (Yahoo! front page perhaps--yup, here it is) that "Governor Expected to Resign."

Really?? I guess I'm too jaded about this sort of thing (well, I *am* a Democrat--that's the stock moral failing of Democrat politicians--extramarital sex ;) I dunno, resigning seems a bit extreme but maybe his political power has been too severely compromised. (And of course there's that thing about prostitution being illegal...)

Guys, guys. When will you learn? Politicians can never get away with this sort of thing--you always get caught with your pants down. There are too many people gunning for you. Fools.

Comments

huh

[nswakko15.livejournal.com]

Yeah, after reading how his opponents are saying he disgraced NY with this I must wonder, what if it were the governor of Nevada? Would he have disgraced Nevada even though prostitution is legal in Las Vegas? Plus, I think he disgraced his family more. I mean, have they ever walked up 8th Ave?
Yeah, whoring gets folks into trouble. You are 100% correct there.

Re: huh

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

after reading how his opponents are saying he disgraced NY with this

Well, notwithstanding my somewhat jaded reaction above, he has. Whether or not prostitution is a victimless crime, it's still nothing to brag about. But you're right, he disgraced his family much more.

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

What would your reaction be if he were the Republican governor?

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

I knew you would ask that :) I was just waiting for RMB to pop up on my LJ.

However this isn't about politics for me, it's about whether the penalty is equal to the crime. I don't know how I'd feel because I don't know how I feel about this situation. I suppose some people feel that a politician who actually breaks the law while committing adultery is too compromised to continue--I don't know if I agree. What's Larry Craig been up to lately? Has he been able to continue effectively in Congress? (Of course his case is extra-juicy since he actually campaigns against the very thing he was caught doing so there's a level of hypocrisy, plus he's a anti-gay bigot so IMO that's a moral failing that eliminates any sympathy I might have.)

If the governor in question were a good lawmaker and not politically divisive, I would probably say "he's not my husband. It's between him and his wife, basically." I dunno, extramarital affairs don't concern me--what makes this interesting is the law-breaking and of course his rather tarnished reputation as a crusader. And I believe Spitzer actually did speak out against a prostution ring, although I don't know if that predated his involvement with this one. If not, then he is also a hypocrite, which is bothers me much more.

Another thing to consider, frankly, is, uh, how sleazy was this place? Having read The Mayflower Madam, those girls seemed to be pretty well taken care of. But of course there are tons of places where the prostitutes are treated horribly--if Spitzer's ring was like that, then he's a pig and I have no sympathy for him.

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

I was all set to respond to this...but jayspec made my point far better than I was ready to.

So, what *he* said. (Other than the supporting him in the last election part, naturally).

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

Oh, and what I forgot to say was: this doesn't sound like a sleazy ring and poorly-treated prostitutes situation. The prices that were revealed in the government's complaint were astronomical. As in $5500/hour. Wow.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Aaaugh! Oh my stars! Well then, we have a whole 'nother thing to consider--was he using taxpayer money for that? Holy crap.

Jeez, though--his poor wife. This has to be devastating. I have to say, though, the poor-politician's wife of the decade has to be a tie between Mrs. McGreevey and Mrs. Craig. Especially Mrs. Craig--no matter what he says, there will always be doubt in her mind.

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

To be fair to Spitzer, I've heard nothing that suggests he spent anyone else's money but his own.

(One could split hairs: the encounter specifically mentioned is said to have occurred in Washington D.C., at a hotel where he was staying on official business and therefore on the taxpayers' dime, the travel to and from which would also have been paid for with public money. But he would have been there regardless, one imagines.)

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

But where would he have gotten that kind of money? He's been in public service for the bulk of his career, I believe.

$5500 an hour? Damn.

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

Wasn't he an attorney in private practice before becoming a prosecutor? I don't really know his biography.

The icing on the cake: apparently, he booked his session(s) under an assumed name, a certain Mr. Fox. Happens to be the name of a Democrat donor and friend of Spitzer's. Now, there's class.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Oh my God. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm laughing. What a way to say thank you!

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

I knew nothing about his background before, but it appears that he comes from money. Lots of it.

[jayspec.livejournal.com]

While I was quite distressed to see the fall of Bill Clinton, I'll be very happy to see Spitzer go down. I've been angered by his hubris ever since his vindictive investigation of Joe Bruno, and regretted supporting* him in the last election. It was already in my mind that I'd vote against him unless he improved significantly in the remainder of his term. I guess he didn't...

This is different from Clinton in that this just reeks from sheer hypocracy. It's much more like Larry Craig, where it turns out that the moralizer was doing exactly that which he preached against. Except it's still different, because Craig didn't specifically crack down on airport bathroom sex!

Mmm. The ironing is delicious.



* I would have voted for him, but I was in the hospital at the time.