Eliot Spitzer

[JI7]

anyone else disappointed in what has happened here. in 2004 he was one of the people i wanted Kerry to pick for VP. i was very happy when he became Governor of NY. he was just the type of guy we need in such places. i would have loved for him to be Attorney General in a Dem administration. even President some day.

and now he fucks it all up.

[TayTay]

1. It's just awful

I agree with what Howard Fineman said on TV tonight: this was a political suicide. Spitzer did everything he could to get caught. I guess he got what he wanted.

[karynnj]

2. I found it incredibly sad watching his wife standing there while he spoke

He really did have everything going for him - though I think he had been somewhat a disappointment as governor, maybe as the expectations were so high. The NYT said he has three teen daughters, which also has to make it worse. In some ways, it reminded me of HRC and Chelsea. Frankly, I can see that I could not be a political wife - there is no way I would stand there at that point. After all they got into that by themselves.

Then like now, it was not just sex but breaking rules, both legal and behavioral. Again there is the thought of what were these guys thinking. In Spitzer's case he always seemed a Democratic Guilliani - but clean. He did always seem a good AG candidate, but I'm not sure that he might have preferred Governor of NY.

[Inuca]

6. That was indeed painful to watch

I know it is way too easy to judge and feel righteous about it from the outside, but still I cannot for the life of me understand why these political wives "stand by their man". And I mean that literally. Why do they have to be dragged and be publicly humiliated like this? What the hell does it show or prove? Show of support? Ridiculous and pathetic! ANd why the hell do the intelligent ones (as Ms. Spitzer seems to be) accept it? I simply cannot fathom it, really. I do not say automatically throw the bum out, most definitely not, relationships are way more complex and nuanced than that. But it really makes me feel like throwing up when I see that. And of course yesterday we were treated to the full recap of wifely humiliation, Vitter, Craig, the NJ governor (can't think of his name now), etc. :puke:

[ginnyinWI]

8. there is no way I would stand there!

Let him go out there and twist in the wind all by himself!

[europegirl4jfk]

3. As a European can I ask you Americans a questions?

Why is all this sex stuff such a big deal in the USA? I mean, it's not nice to cheat on your wife, go to prostitutes etc. But isn't that more or less private and has nothing to do with how good you are at your job or not? I'm sorry but I don't really get it.

[wisteria]

4. You would think so, but many people see this type of activity as a moral and political weakness.

And,many Americans like nothing more than a good sex scandal to liven up their dull lives.

Spritzer, however is a special case because he turns out to be such a hypocrite. He presented himself as a tough crime fighter and very law abiding citizen. He knew prostitution was against the law, yet he obviously though this law did not apply to him.
It is a real shame for his wife and family. He seemed to have such a promising future.

[MBS]

7. I agree with you ! but the hard thing in this case is that

he broke several laws. Leaving aside the question whether those laws are reasonable or not(in Europe , especially, say,in Amsterdam, they probably wouldn't be, and even Americans question the way those laws criminalize the prostitutes more than their customers. . ), for an ex-attorney general of NY and current governor (in both roles, someone who enforces the law), and for someone whose reputation has been built on the image of absolute integrity and fierce adherence to the law, it's potentially devastating.

I also found it difficult to look at his wife's face on those TV shots. . she must have been in such pain.

[ginnyinWI]

9. it's about breaking the law

That's the first problem. Second is being a liar and a cheat--which are human and can be forgiven on a personal level--but politically it causes the electorate to lose confidence in their governor--it breaks trust.

What I think of all of this in a nutshell: it shows that this guy has made plenty of enemies and that this event was part of a pattern of corruption rather than a one-time thing. Otherwise whoever had the evidence wouldn't have had the guts to come forward. He's probably got it coming to him.

[europegirl4jfk]

12. Somehow I didn't even realize that prostitution is illegal in the USA

:blush: It isn't in most of Europe. I see I still have a lot to learn about your country. IMHO the moral pressure on people is sometimes to high, especially in the US. We are all human beings with flaws and sometimes bad behavior. But I begin to see the problem. As perfect morals are expected and people can't always live up to them, that opens the door to blackmail, corruption and political maneuvering.

What's totally beyond me is that the wives of these guys are always standing behind them at the press-conferences. If my husband did that to me, I would leave him and he could sort out this mess all on his own! I never understood why Hillary stayed with her husband after all his sexual adventures. While I don't think that politicians should resign because they cheated on their wives, I surely think that the women should give them hell.

[sandnsea]

5. Very disappointed

I guess they think they deserve every damn thing. I can't figure out why else they would risk everything for sex. He's one of the last men I ever expected something like this from.

[Inuca]

10. With all due apologies to any male lurkers :-)

I will never understand why so many otherwise seemingly smart men can be so blinded by their sexual "needs". Well... I guess I am lacking the hormones that may allow me to better understand this, I don't know... And one more thing: I found the amount of $ involved absolutely obscene. It killed whatever sympathy I might have had for his plight and all too human foibles. I don't care how much money you have, spending a month's well above average income on 2 hours of sex and then starting your mea culpa statement with a reminder of all the good things you have done and of all your lofty principles is just plain repulsive.

[ginnyinWI]

11. it's probably as much about ego as sex.

It's some kind of sense of entitlement, like you are deserving of more. Otherwise how can he excuse this kind of behavior to himself. It takes arrogance.

It makes me wonder if it's the first time, and whether his wife has been through this with him before. She had such a resigned look on her face. Very sad. We know that Hillary has been dealing with this in Bill for a long time, so that it wasn't so astonishing that they stuck together after Monica-gate. Something about powerful men makes some women stay with them no matter what.

[DoBotherMe]

15. You stay because you think they're going

to change. I took it for years, standing by and believing that he would stop. I finally realized that he couldn't stop, even when threatened with divorce. So I went to the internet and found Dr. Carnes website, and my eyes were opened. I tried to help him, but I could only help myself. Yes, he loved me and he didn't want to continue to hurt me, but he couldn't admit he had an addition to the high he got from sexual activity. It's real and it's prevalent -- it is estimated that at minimum 40% of the people in AA are also SA. I don't know that these guys are sex addicts, but it's pretty risky behavior for someone in the public eye. Any rational sane person could weigh the costs of getting caught and quit, an addict ... no. Just my two cents. D ; )

[ray of light]

13. I feel bad for his wife. I feel bad for all those wives!

I have to agree with Randi Rhodes. It's a travesty to have the wive, the VICTIM of the guy's actions, have to stand there in front of media pretending like she hasn't just spent the last 24 hours crying in the bathroom.

Nothing like hurting the victim more!

[karynnj]

14. This may be among the first Randi Rhodes comments I completely agree with

I really don't understand the wife's presence almost as ritual. I was amazed that Gov McGreevey's wife stood with him. It's almost like someone decided that if the wife stayed with them it was less "bad".

[MarjorieG]

16. McGreevey's wife said don't judge the wives. It's about the kids.

They are being supporting for their dad, when they are confused and hurt, depending on age.

[karynnj]

17. What a wonderful comment - I never heard that and it makes a huge amount of sense.

It is also a very selfless comment - and of course, the kids really are placed in an awful situation.

[ray of light]

18. Republican or Democrat, look at the womens' faces in these pictures

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scandal_wives-pg,0,6458663.photogallery

Clearly they stand up on the stage for the kids or the family, but the man (the louse) aught to have the courage and try to find an inkling of integrity to think about his family for a change and say, "No, you stay with the kids. I need to do this by myself."

As far as I'm concerned making the women go up there is a political ploy to try to give the deceitful m.f. some courage and standing.

I'm GLAD that the media is FINALLY talking about the toll on women and families.

[ray of light]

19. I never saw Craig's or Vitter's wives ... but look at their faces!

That is just so wrong how the wives get paraded out there.

[Inuca]

21. You are right

they are the two most painful to watch.

[DoBotherMe]

20. Addicts use other people to provide cover

for their addiction. We are called enablers. Hopefully the wives will get the help they need to learn to detach from the addict's behavior, or, like I did, to leave. D ; )

[BlueIris]

22. Fine, I'll admit it: I don't care what he did.

I just..flat-out do not care. I don't think it makes him evil. I happen to know it doesn't even make him uncommon. To me, the uproar is a reflection of how hung-up and repressed society is, not what an allegedly bad person Spitzer is.

Don't care. Embarrassed for our nation that anyone really cares. I can't even bring myself to care so much about what Spitzer's actions did or did not do to the Party.

[JI7]

23. i care because i think he is one of the best fighters we had

along with JK. i wanted him for VP.

it's not what he did in itself. that has more to do with his wife.

but he knew what would happen if people found out. he himself had gone after prostitution rings.

i do agree it's a problem with our nation. people's careers should not end because of these things. Gary Hart would have made a great President.

i'm feeling really bad about losing Eliot but what i'm reading and hearing about Paterson is making me feel a bit hopeful.

i would feel the worst if i lost JK. Spitzer was probably the level just below that of how i felt about public figures. having someone i know i can trust on issues that matter at the top makes me feel better. i felt dead after the 2004 elections. but when i saw JK for the first time in the Senate and elsewhere it made me feel better that he was still there having some influence.