Was Client 9 Just A Bad Dream?

Could all of that yesterday just been a joke? Is Eliot Spitzer still our trustworthy Governor and all is well in the land of the Empire state? Sadly no, today is day two and he still is in office, tainted by a massive scandal. The Feds found suspicious activities through money transfers, the authorities thought he had done something far worse. No guys, it wasn't money laundering or shady campaign finance deals, just a way to pay for a prostitute. Yet it is still possibly illegal.

Now on the legal totem pole what Spitzer did isn't really high up there. Operating the ring certainly is but not being a client. So if this isn't so bad then why all the outrage? It is his personal life and if this were in Europe, no one would care, right?

Wrong.

This goes beyond him soliciting sex. Spitzer violated the trust of his wife and his family. If his family can't trust him, why should we? More so, this is a man that ran on cleaning up Albany and doing business a different way. So far it has been more of the same, the only difference is that this story is more salacious than others out there. That does not mean we excuse it.

Then there is the political aspect of this. New York Democrats are one, ONE, seat away from taking back the state Senate. Now there are two ways of looking at this. First of all if Spitzer resigns Paterson becomes Governor and Joe Bruno would be Lt. Gov. That would make him the deciding vote if we as a party only take one seat this fall. Now are we only going to win one seat? That is the question.

When the voters go to the polls less than eight months from now how are they going to make their decision? Of course the individual candidates matter but so does the state party as a whole. Will they see us as condoning Spitzer's hypocritical behavior or as a party that makes its leaders accountable. Besides, the Governor said it best yesterday, "I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what's best for the state of New York."

You already know what to do Mr. Spitzer, New York is waiting.