After the news Monday that he was involved in a prostitution ring, the pressure on New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer to resign began to mount. This morning The New York Times is reporting that he will do so this morning. An official announcement is expected at 11:30.Yesterday, it was reported that his spectacular failure in judgment to engage the services of a 'prominent' prostitution enterprise was not just a one time affair! Spitzer spent $80,000 on prostitutes and met with them in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, not just the originally reported Washington, D.C., according to new media reports.
After betraying his wife and kids, the public trust, not to mention the law, this former Attorney General, who won office by a landslide as a zealous prosecutor now finds that he is among the 'evil wrong doers'. He has gone over to the dark side!
Now while the Times is reporting on his imminent resignation from office humiliated and shamed, in the next few minutes perhaps, some are wondering what held up the announcement this long. The Times is reporting that his wife, whom he publicly humiliated, is urging him to stay in office. Lt. Gov. David A. Patterson would assume Spitzer's job upon his departure.
Spitzer is now like an ace pilot who finds that all of the sudden one of his engines is on fire and knows his time is limited and his life is in jeopardy. He is searching desperately for any clearing below where he might be able to land the plane without hurting anyone more and without crashing and bursting into flames. He knows the mission is over, and that this story will not end pretty (or soon), but he cannot bring himself to bail out of the plane.
Regardless of what happens to Spitzer in terms of his legal trouble, his shame could not be greater and there is no escaping that; there is nowhere to hide from the suspicious and disapproving eyes of people who will hold him in contempt wherever he goes. He will pay a very high price for his unfortunate misdeeds.
Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-12-2008 @ 10:37AM
Dougie said...
At least Democratic sex scandals involve the opposite sex!
3-12-2008 @ 11:12AM
Tommy said...
The wall street buzzards flew upstate this morning to circle albany in hopes of some spitzer carrion. These greedy grubs know as much about public sentiment as they care about ethics - a fat minus-50. If Gov. Spitzer has to go, so be it cas he did betray and hypocritize his public trust. But the crimes he committed are misdomeanor level compared with the misdeeds committed on Wall Street every day by the buzzard set. I agree with Obama and Clinton that this is more a sad time for the Spitzer clan than a time for the joy exhibited by the Wall Street carrion seekers and their equally slimey federal prosecutor ad hoc buddies.
3-12-2008 @ 12:09PM
tim said...
People make mistakes, I fail to see how his need for sex due to his obviously broken marriage hinders his ability to do his job. Probly makes him work even harder! but welcome to public perception 101, where the dumb masses lead our country
Tim
http://www.timothysykes.com
3-12-2008 @ 12:53PM
Gary E. Sattler said...
Sheldon, you're partially off the mark.
Remember that this guy's a Harvard schooled Democrat. Those folks watch out for their own, and you know it.
He'll most likely escape prosecution for solicitation.
He'll be paid handsome sums for discussing his foibles on television.
He'll get a book deal.
In six months he'll probably be holding spots on a couple corporate boards, making more money with less accountability.
You have to believe that he's had a backup plan ready just in case he got caught.
The ones who shall really pay the price are his wife and kids. My heart goes out to them.
There were no felonies committed here. Spitzer will skate... into the loving arms of his Harvard bretheren.
3-12-2008 @ 1:08PM
Sheldon L said...
I generally agree with you Gary. You have outlined a likely scenario. The Dem comment though is meaningless. The "ladies" were not asking for party affiliations and Republicans would follow the same path.