American Madness

From the daily specials at lower east side bar Spitzer’s Corner.

Too good not to share (from Eater):

Photo from Eater

While I will not focus on the direct implications of the Spitzer Scandal, let’s call it HookerGate, I do like the peripheral reporting and news that it generates.

First, the NY Times has excellent coverage about everything you might want to ever know about ‘Kristen,’ a.k.a. Ashley Alexandra Dupre, yes, including her real name and her MySpace page. Let’s welcome the nations new Monica Lewinsky with open arms (never mind, that will cost extra). I have to ask though, was the MySpace page really necessary? Kind of seems like more of something that would go around the net and be posted on a bunch of blogs, did the NY Times really need to link to it? (of course I am just feeding into the frenzy). Can we also note the six fake Facebook pages created int he last 24 hours or so (all using pictures from her MySpace page) and that no one bothered to make a fake Friendster page for her (though talk about an impressive LinkedIn Network).

Next up we have a set of photos from NPR from Monday called Standing by Their Men. The images show images of politicians at their low points (Teddy Kennedy leaving court after pleading guilty, Nixon resigning, Marion Barry admitting his involvement in smoking crack, etc.) with their wives standing by the them during their moment of disgrace. An interesting set of pictures especially since most of the scandalized men are answering allegations that they were cheating on their wife. My favorite by far are the McGreevey’s who just look like they are having a blast. And, of course, guess who the last picture is of… Eliot and Silda standing side by side and looking none too pleased that she has to put on her game face to deal with this whole mess.

With every media outlet around happy to have something other to report on then the election I figure why should I be left out.

I am going to elect not to focus so much on the scandal, but rather a NY Times article calling into question his bodyguards. Did he sneak away from them? Were they guarding the door to his room? Did he get a booty call for them as well.

The article asks if they were not fully doing their job or if they were aware that this was going on (siting Clinton’s affairs in Arkansas as the precedent for that).

My guess is that they were fully aware of it all but felt it was a better idea for their futures to not say anything and let Spitzer do his thing. An interesting alternate perspective on the scandal. Though there does seem to be some question as to what the job of the security guard is- Titled ‘Despite Constant Security, Politicians Still Find Trouble‘ does this mean the security detail is there to protect a politician or to prevent him from getting into trouble. I would guess there are other people who have the job of help politicians keep their pants on. I think being willing to take a bullet is enough for these guys.

Hillary Clinton is once again hurt by a high-profile sex scandal.

Thanks to Eliot Spitzer’s (aka Client 9) rendezvous with a petite, brunette, American woman-of-the-night named “Kristen,” in a Washington D.C. hotel room, his resignation from office is eminent. Sources tell the Associated Press an official resignation announcement will come today (March 12) at 11:30 am EST.

Once Spitzer steps down, he will be replaced by his Lieutenant Governor David Paterson. David Paterson’s post will then be filled by the president of the New York State Senate Joseph Bruno. Bruno is a Republican and is not a fan of Spitzer (to say the least) (Bruno was to be steamrolled by our philandering governor).

So what does all of this have to do with Hillary? (more…)

The NYTimes really amazes me sometimes. Are they so pusillanimous that they can’t simply call for the resignation of our disgraced governor?

it is hard to see how he will recover from this mess and go on to lead the reformist agenda on which he was elected to office.

It’s not “hard to see,” it’s impossible to see! The man allegedly (and not for the first time) transported a prostitute over state lines to have sex with him for money. He’s our governor and he committed a federal crime! And a state crime!

What the hell else do you need to call for someone’s resignation? While it’s also entirely poetic that he’s a galactic-class hypocrite and bully who is getting what he deserves by being outed so publicly, it is not necessary to dwell on the moral angle. It’s simply enough to note that the state’s chief executive is being accused of criminal behavior. He’s not even denying it!

He has to go. Immediately.

“I’m a steamroller, baby. Oh, yeah….you like that…you like that Bruno — You mind if I call you Bruno, honey? — Take THAT Bruno…”

This is ASTOUNDING!

We would like, at this point, to say: I told you so!

And now we will relish watching as Voldemort’s enemies all gather ’round.

I know most New Yorkers (and the vast majority of the press) believe that Eliot Spitzer will win the primary and general election hands down.

They question why Tom Suozzi is campaigning, in what appears to be a futile Sisyphusian ordeal.

I do not know why he is running, but I know that asking “why” is the wrong question. The right question, the moral responsible and pertinent question is who SHOULD win the primary and who would make a better governor. The far more compelling answer is Tom Suozzi.

I met Tom once, at a back-yard fundraiser for a local Long Island judge. The crowd was thin and Suozzi’s time was wasted at the event. He was then in need of a bigger audience as he was running for chief executive of Nassau County, a deeply troubled area that had for decades been run by an entrenched Republican leadership.

But Suozzi made an effort for smaller reformers and they repaid him. He took over Nassau and you can read about the results, which are astoundingly positive. If this doesn’t seem like much of a resume, consider that Nassau’s $2.4 billion budget is greater than that of 16 states. That is a key Suozzi statistic, and justifiably so, as he has turned the County around.

Suozzi could do much to fix NY State, which is (as I need not remind anyone) in bad need of political reform.

Spitzer, on the other hand, despite all his sound and fury, has achieve only headlines. Anyone on Wall Street or in the insurance world familiar with his research settlement or his other corporate “reforms” could tell you how counterproductive they have been both to commerce and, ironically, to individual investors. The Wall Street Journal editorial page, with which most people have a conflicted relationship, has been correct on Spitzer for some time now. Go back and read their opinions: they are well articulated. (Here’s a good one, in which the Journal notes that Spitzer tends to accuse with proof that falls down upon scrutiny: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110006805.)

(Here’s another: The Passion of Eliot Spitzer: Is he telling the truth as he tries to “take people out”?)

I have seen Spitzer up close, as well, and I am continually amazed that news reports fail to report the smell of sulfur that lingers in his wake.

One man has a tangible record of reforms. The other has a tangible record of publicly attacking large corporations and pushing them to newsworthy (but dubiously effective) settlements.

I urge registered Democrats to look closely at the records of both men, and make a decision based on that, and not on Spitzer’s image as a reformer. Alas, unlike the more populist-minded states, registered Republicans or Independents in New York State may not at this point (that is, within eyeshot of a primary) change party affiliations to vote, so please push your Democratic friends and relations to consider this issue!

Suozzi and Spitzer will debate tonight on NY1 at 7pm.

You can watch on TV or via the web site below:

http://ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=3&aid=61268