Eliot Spitzer was a contender

Here's how far Eliot Spitzer has fallen:

• He was elected governor of New York in November 2006, with 70% of the vote -- a phenomenal figure, even taking into consideration that the state Republican Party picked that year to implode. Indeed, Spitzer's mark bested by 3 percentage points Hillary Clinton's tally in winning reelection to her Senate seat -- a race on which she spent about $35 million, mainly as a dry run for the presidency.
• In writing about his victory, the Almanac of American Politics said Spitzer stood "like a colossus over New York state politics."
• His standing, inevitably, eroded once he took office, in part because of revelations that his administration ordered the state police to make a special effort to track the whereabouts of his chief political rival, state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican. Still, Spitzer was seen by many as a long-range presidential prospect.

Now, of course, the question is whether he'll remain employed.

If he does resign the governorship, he'll also lose his status as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention. He's endorsed Clinton, as has the New York lieutenant governor who would replace him in the top job, David Paterson (he's also a superdelegate).

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[PulSamsara]

Hillary's Big NY Supporter ! Hillary's Illegal Immigrant Drivers License buddy!

Hillary - you really are Experienced!

[wolf]

Poor Hillary. Always being reminded of her bad judgment... by the facts.

[Laura]

Here is a great example of the Clinton cohorts in politics. We seem to forget Bill and his dalliances but it's all the same. For the good of our country and its government please get rid of the Clintons...Vote Obama!

[Luke]

Correction: He coulda been a contender. Now he's just more damaged goods; see Villaraigosa, Tony, and Newsom, Gavin for more examples.

Someday we Democrats might learn that the "superstar" mayors ALWAYS have skeletons in their closets...or worse, in someone else's.

[Teri B.]

Is it Oba-black-mail?

When are these Dem-on-Dem hate crimes going to stop? Now the Obamamaniacs are after Spitzer because he dared to endorse Clinton? Is there anyone they won't mow down in their bid to seat their nominee, whether the majority of Dems agree or not?

Given the remaining primaries, even with revotes in Michigan and Florida, it doesn't look like either Dem may have the delegates necessary to outright take the nomination. But if Clinton's ahead, well to hell with the rest of us seems to the battle cry.

I don't like that Obama gives his supporters permission NOT to vote for Clinton if she wins, and slams the door on working out a deal between he and Clinton. Who's side is he on? His own apparently. At the rate it's going, neither of them will have the necessary delegates, and the super delegates will pick Obama because they'lll be too afraid of what his supporters will do if they don't. THAT'S JUST WRONG! And I think everyone knows it.

The entire discussion is completely polluted with constant, vicious mud slinging, and contrary to what they like to believe, Obama and his crew of surrogates and supporters are just as bad as Clinton, maybe worse, because they don't appear to have loyalty to ANYONE but him, not the party and not the country.

[Sam]

Amazing, another idiot in politics. A lawyer who iknows the law what a joke. I hope he goes to the big house, the ultimate hipocrite

[John Wohlmut]

To be the President of arguably the most powerful nation on earth requires supreme confidence and sound judgment. Obviously both candidates are doing what they think is best for the country. Obama fired one of his staffers for calling Clinton a monster.
Did McCain make any comments about his racist supporter who claimed al-quaida would dance in the streets if Obama is elected?
Hopefully Clinton will make some comment about Spitzer at the appropriate time? (Sooner than later?)

It would be fun to read the history books ten years from now. Did we make a colossal blunder or did we get it right?

[observer]

Vote for Ron Paul please. He is the only man here with integrity and true wisdom.

[Karen Gibbs]

O.K. Americans, you need a history lesson on your countries history. Note in the below article that there is less than 15% of the US population who wants these archaic, back-water current laws on prostitution. CHANGE YOUR LAWS, educate your people with TRUTH, and you will not have a problem. Get with it !

The Theology of Sex
by
Sabrina Aset

"From the time the Puritans landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, America's morality and sexuality has been controlled by a very small minority. Of the 18 married women who came to American on the Mayflower, only 5 survived the first winter. This created a ratio of 10 men to each women. Adultery was so prevalent among the Puritans at Plymouth that it is impossible to say who the Fathers of our Country really were. Yet as few as three male leaders were able to exert such absolute control over the people as to punish adulterers by flogging and branding. Fornicators were only flogged and that did not keep the majority from having premarital and extramarital sex. Premarital sex was so pervasive in fact that by the time of the American Revolution, 65% of Americans were bastards. (The English of course, believed all Americans were bastards.) Estimates of how many children were conceived out of wedlock but born after the mother married, range from 80-90%. Obviously revolutionary America did not believe in nor follow Puritan morality.
America was founded as a nation of minority rule where fewer than 15% of the eligible voters controlled the government. The actual majority, never considered by historians, the Native Americans, were never even considered for the vote. They may have marveled at Puritan bigotry but found themselves not only subject to the white-man's laws but to his genocides as well - after all those heathens, like the priestess of The Goddess before them, would pollute the morals of the Christian people.
How is it that a small minority could exert such absolute control over an entire nation, their morals and even over what could be taught or preached? To a very large extent it is still going on today, and the answer lies in the Puritan drive for self-preservation. The Puritan's zeal to convert the world, was, like the Catholics, second only to their desire to control the world. And control they did and although the Puritans originally were forced to endure great persecution, they became the great persecutors. It was at the height of persecution, when the Puritan movement was without political power, that Plymouth was settled. America was not the "promised land" but a hell-hole where no English colony had survived. Being sent, or fleeing to America gave only slightly more hope than being sent to the gallows.
Catholic Spain had laid claim to most of America and hoards of Spaniards were flocking to the New World. The threat of Catholic expansion sent torrents of fear into the heart of every Protestant - especially the Puritans. The Puritans had to succeeded where all others had failed because it was their "god's will for his people to rule", "his mandate to establish a new Jerusalem", which became, Salem. Puritan's success was not due to the providence of their god, however, but to their willingness to submit to the absolute control of two strong men, to combine intellect, resources and manpower; to hold all things in common - too many things in common to suit the married men - with a common goal of self preservation. This was religious communism. The Colonists who followed would adopt the ethic of the Puritans who were obviously "god's chosen". It also helped that most of the Colonists were Protestant, as Puritans were little more than Protestants with a different political view.
The Puritan's struggle was the ultimate trial by Wager of Battle, in which mortal combat was waged, not with the accuser but with nature itself. Trial by Wager of Battle which was an integral part of English law until 1820, in which the accused fought the accuser in mortal combat. Heaven would give victory to the man who was right. The success of the Puritan colony would, likewise, be seen as divine intervention in which the Puritans prevailed against all odds. So powerful was this divine-message that thirty-three years later the quintessential Puritan, Oliver Cromwell, was proclaimed "Lord Protector" of England. Cromwell only ruled for 5 years and was so hated by the masses that his body was dug from the grave and hanged on a gallows.
The Puritan's defeat in England did not effect America where Puritan arguments of purging the (English) Church of Catholic influence were meaningless. In America's promised, though hostile land, Puritan political power became so entrenched that Puritan religious views would be imposed on generations of colonists to come. 370 years later we are still subject to Puritan ethics and sexual proscriptions. The Puritans, both as a religious movement and a political movement are gone. Ideologically they have been replaced by fundamentalist Christianity which, like Puritanism, is as much a political movement as it is religious.
Sex is no longer just a religious issue, it has become a political issue. From school boards, mayors and councilmen of cities, legislators and governors of the States, to the United States Senators and Congressmen - the President - the politics of sex demands an outward profession of the Puritan religious ethic; an ethic which was never held by the majority at any time in our history. In no other country is a politician required to parade his wife, children, church attendance and sexual fidelity before the public as a sign of political worthiness. Yet this demand of an anachronistic sexual standard that is observed by no more than 15% of the people, is not only respected, but courted by nearly every politician in America. But even 15% may be too high a figure as Neo-Puritanism (Christian fundamentalism) reached its zenith with the "Moral Majority" which had the support of no more then 5% of Americans. Nevertheless, the failure of the Moral Majority to appeal to the masses was due almost entirely to its success in political control. The Moral Majority (which was neither) kept "Christian" Presidents (Carter and Reagan) in office for ten years and controlled a majority of both Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government. It could go no further. Six years after the demise of the Moral Majority, there is still a "Christian President" and a "Christian" Supreme Court which will dictate the morals of this nation for years to come.
In this "Land of the Free" where there is supposed freedom of religion, we are slaves to a minority faction of the dominant religion. For it is not Christianity which rules, but a small faction of purists Christians, be they Catholic, fundamentalist or bigots. Our education system had become a tool for the preservation of history as Christian history and morality. Sex education - denounced by their adherents - has become little more than a biology course in reproduction. Television prohibits offending Christian morality, and Congress overwhelmingly passed the Internet decency act which the Supreme Court found to be patently unconstitutional. Fundamentalists regulate what sexual material we can buy, where we can buy it and how it is advertised; and all this is to preserve and perpetuate their Judaeo/Christian religious doctrines. Paramount among these doctrines is that the "Adversary" uses sex to gain control over people - that sex is evil outside marriage.
But marital fidelity is as much a political concept as it is religious. The "Christian family" with the father as the patriarch ruler is as anachronistic as Christian America. Yet with 50% of all marriages ending in divorce, maintaining the "white Christian" family has become a political-religious issue. Just as abortion has become the quintessential religious issue and the imposition of the Christian doctrine that life begins at conception. But even that concept had no support outside the Catholic Church until about 100 years ago. The Common Law of England and the civil laws of most European nations held that life began when the infant drew its first breath of life. That of course was a doctrine of The Goddess religions, and like Her people who had been eliminated by Christian genocide, Her doctrines had to be replaced completely by Christian doctrines.
The sexuality of The Goddess was feared by Christians from the beginning, just as Her sexuality is feared today. Christians - Puritans - fundamentalists are in dread of a sex-positive religion which will have a greater appeal than their sex-negative, ascetic doctrines. Christians fear the haunting shadows of their forgotten ancestors - those ancients who worshiped The Goddess in Her temples and groves - who still bring up images of hidden memories of Her priestesses in their subconscious and speak a truth which Christians must openly deny. The frenzied appeal of the year 2,000, which many Christian ministers preach will harold the advent of their dead god, is already giving way to reason, and Christians fear the obvious.

[Marks]

Who is she the $5000 an hour babe, ruining a Governor should get her much publicity!

Her publicity career ascending while Spitzer's crashes and burns.

How else can a prostitute get fame and fortune quickly, her being with the powerful and famous! She can do the Playboy circuit, that kind of lifestyle.

If she takes that money, goes to college gets a degree, she's got level of respect back. Some report said she's 23.

People have to move on from this kind of public embarrassing moment.

Spitzer can apologize for many things, while resigning.

I value his time attacking Wall Street fraud, but he's made mistakes as Governor of New York.

Apologize running for Governor, it's not the job he envisioned. He can take back Hillary's endorsement.

Go into hiding for a month dealing with his family. If he has his wife and three daughters support, he can re-emerge.

Roger Clemons on 60 Minutes CBS TV show demanded he's not guilty using steroids. America didn't believe him.

Eliot Spitzer on 60 Minutes eventually, can own up to this hiring a prostitute. How many times has he done it before? Get America to believe he's recovering from making bad decisions.

Politicians at his level have mistresses and political careers continue with those.

No matter his endorsement of Hillary, I thought for a long time Obama could have chosen him as V.P.

Spitzer ruined himself for now, but his life isn't over. He'll get hired for a lot of money to work at some kind of investment company.

He'll make more money than being Governor or Attorney General. He does have financial talents that companies want.

[MG]

His wife looks like an aged Jennifer Aniston.

I just hope this situation does not interfere with his efforts to prosecute Wall Street re subprime lending.

Sad.

[BRYAN HERRING]

Maybe he wanted to give illegal alien hookers drivers
licenses.

[marina]

to karen gibbs - this isnt about prostitution or politics- it is about the hypocrisy of the attorney general of ny claiming the moral high ground for 9 years of public life while lying to his wife and disgracing his daughters.

[matt]

How you can post that long winded statement? Losers . . . all.

[LA-renter]

Wow! The NY governor paid for sex! That's illegal! That's naughty! The bad man must leave office!

Send 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000.... U.S. soldier to die for no clear purpose, torture foreigners, "preemptive strike" thousands and thousands and thousands... to their tortured death, widow thousands and thousands..., orphan thousands and thousands... and we honor you with a Presidential pension.

Hurray to the good man, George Bush!

God bless America!

[Jack]

I think some intrepid reporter should hunt down some pictures of this $5K hooker and let us all see. I really think they should. It's almost like a civic duty and stuff. Let's hope she looks better than Divine Brown.

[Ria Rhodes]

I'm guessing reports of sex hormones in the New York water supply wouldn't fly as an alibi? (~:

[Kentucky Thom]

You people just don't get it, finally there was a man who took on wall street corporations. These are the most powerful people in the world, these people pass laws, buy politicians, screw up the environment, peoples lives, steal, defraud, elect presidents, make world policy. This man was actually an honest man who was trying to expose these criminal corporations and individuals for what they are and just because the man wanted a little action he is all of a sudden a terrible person. When will you narrow minded Americans open your mind? If the man wants to spend several thousand dollars of his own money to get some strange and I say live and let live. This is only an issue that should be of importance to him and his familey. I say go Mr. Spitzer, you are the only honest SOB I have ever seen in Politics.

[singe]

spitzer has obviously been a complete idiot in allowing himself to be so exposed via a web site "gentlemen's club"...that said and given his political career is over the guy took on wall street, the insurance industry, coal fired plants in ohio which are ruining the northeast environment, the epa and on and on...he won some and he lost some but he did it at a time when most politicians were sucking up to corporate america and the right wing nuts in d.c.
i challenge anyone to come up with the name of an elected official anywhere in this country in the last ten years who did more for the common person than spitzer. try it.

so he was an asshole about satisfying his desires and now will pay...but don't, please don't pretend anyone else in this country did more progressive stuff than him.

[Such is Politics]

alas, spitzer is human like the rest of us. an idiot, for thinking he could get away with this.

but yes, the fact that you can be a george bush and stay in elected office for eight years while basically being a war criminal, while the plain, balding NY governor pays for sex but will almost certainly have to resign, says a ton about the priorities of the ruling class and corporate media.

[Sptizer IsMyHero]

Elliot Spitzer is a hero is me. While I am disappointed, he is still much revered in my eyes.. Everyone is capable of redemption. He failed himself and his wife more than anyone. I am sure he never meant to hurt anyone. He has done so much good and I will be quick to forgive him if he repents. I am sure he regrets his actions more than any of us who admired his work. He founght the powerful on our behalf. These were crooks who did not care if they hurt anyone. He has gained many enemies fighting the entrenched establishment of Wall Street. Interestingly, just weeks after he writes a story about how George W. Bush's agency (OCC) sued him when he was the Attorney General of New York to stop him from addressing banks who were breaking the law, information is leaked that he is not a good guy. He was stopped and now we have the subprime debacle that is another nail in the coffin of our economy. George Bush should be impeached for his mismanagement and disregard of the constitution. But we love to attack those who engage in sins of the flesh. Well, he is still my hero but more human now. If you read this, Mr. Spitzer, know that not all of us will abandon you in your time of need. I will pray for you and your family. Thank you for all that you have done. Learn your lesson and it will give you more compassion and grace for those who stumble. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[S.K. Duncan]

I am often reminded of Christian scriptures, though few seem to follow it's tenets. "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."
Yes, Eliot Spitzer is alleged to have procured the services of a woman for sexual relations. Where is the crime? The act was consensual.
It seems the IRS was chasing " terrorist financing". Yet they found a brothel. How does this threaten our national security.
When a man seeks a woman for consensual sex, it is neither the business of the government or the anyone else.

If the government or my neighbor is concerned about who I am sleeping with, than I live in the wrong country.

[S. Yin]

Teri B, interesting that Obama and his supporters are the ones who apparently don't care about anything or anyone except the Obama campaign. Need I bring up Hillary's claim that McCain would be better than Obama? Or her attempt to seat Florida and Michigan delegates when she was fine with their exclusion back at the beginning of primary season? Oh right, at the beginning, she couldn't stop preening over her nomination. If anyone is prioritizing personal interests over the greater Democratic party interest, make no mistake - it's Hillary.

[Sam]

This just reconfirms, all politicians are liars, theives and whores. What is truly sad is it appears the idiot had a beautiful wife and children who are impacted. This hipocrite should spend some time in jail.

[Jordan Hanlon]

I now see Obama is way too cocky for his own good and this will lead to his downfall. He is a good orator but lacks substance to back him up. I had planned to vote Democrat for whomever ran and won but have decided not to vote if Obama if he wins and I feel more people should regard this stance as a possibility.
It is obvious that if he were called at 3:00A.M. in the morning he would probably say "can't it wait until morning".
HE IS NOT READY FOR THIS CHALLENGE!
IF HE WINS JUST DON'T VOTE, IT'S YOUR CHOICE, USE IT.
Obamas' people HOPE he will be a good president, Hillerys' supporters KNOW SHE WILL BE A GOOD PRESIDENT.