We're Still Waiting Governor

It has now been more than a day since the bombshell broke about our Governor and his dealings with a prostitution ring. Now that we have many more details than yesterday afternoon, it is clear that not only did the Governor commit a misdemeanor by having several liaisons with hookers, but he violated the Mann Act and funneled money in not so ethical ways. Those two counts add up to 25 years in jail if he faced the full extent of the law. Prosecutors haven't said anything about charges yet, but that hasn't stopped the Republican caucus in the state Assembly from acting.

From MSNBC:

NEW YORK - As Gov. Eliot Spitzer faced mounting calls to resign, Republican legislators indicated they will seek to impeach him if he doesn't quit within 48 hours, a spokesman for a leading New York assemblyman said Tuesday.

"The governor has 48 hours to resign or articles of impeachment would be introduced," Josh Fitzpatrick, spokesman for Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco, told Reuters.

Online editions of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that Spitzer's top aides expected the governor to resign, although the timing remained uncertain.

While the resignation rumors go back and forth, the clock is ticking for the Governor. Now no Democrat (myself included) likes the idea of Spitzer being impeached, but that is exactly what the caucus intends to do. If it ended up being a party line vote then Spitzer would escape (but not the press) but I have a feeling there are many people in the Assembly that would vote to impeach him. The hypocrisy of it all is so damning it would be ridiculous for an Assemblymember to try and go back to their district and explain that vote. There is one thing that will start to make this go away, and that is the Governor's resignation.

Wayne Barrett Discusses Spitzer With K.O.

Barrett, who has covered Eliot Spitzer for years makes many good arguments about the mess that has enveloped Albany and the rest of the state from the Governor's actions. The way he was caught and the hypocrisy of it all really does scream "please come catch me." Unless his ego was really that big that he thought he couldn't be caught, then, well, thats just insulting to New York.

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.

Spitzer Blows His Career, Among Other Things

Barely into his second year of being Governor of New York and it looks like End Times for Eliot Spitzer. He should be giving a press conference momentarily about being a client of a prostitution ring that was recently broken up by authorities. This has to be one of THE biggest political scandal in New York history, and that is saying something. Whats worse? He has a wife and three young daughters!

From The NY Times:

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved.

But a person with knowledge of the governor’s role said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified as clients in court papers.

The governor’s travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February. One of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, the Emperors Club VIP on the night of Feb. 13.

What an ass****! And not only that, a hypocrite:

Mr. Spitzer gained national attention when he served as attorney general with his relentless pursuit of Wall Street wrongdoing. As attorney general, he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force.

In one such case in 2004, Mr. Spitzer spoke with revulsion and anger after announcing the arrest of 16 people for operating a high-end prostitution ring out of Staten Island.

“”This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multitiered management structure,” Mr. Spitzer said at the time. ”It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring.”

And now you are associated with a prostitution ring Mr. Governor. So much for ethics and reform. Seriously, what a joke. The implications of this could be huge and not only affect Spitzer and his family. If I were Joe Bruno, I'd be jumping up and down right now with glee.

Update from the Gothamist:

I have acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family... I apologize first, and most importantly, to my family. I apologize to the public… I do not believe politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what is best for the State of New York. I am disappointed that I failed to live up to the standard that I accepted for myself. I must now dedicate some time to regaining the trust of my family. I will not be taking questions. Thank you very much. I will report back to you in short order. Thank you very much.

Report back? That is rather vague Mr. Spitzer. Please follow through with the rumors and resign, for the good of the party and the state of New York.