Monday, March 10, 2008
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Will Spitzer Resign?
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
3:27 PM
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In his statement, Eliot Spitzer notably didn't announce his resignation. Rather, he said the following:
"I do not believe that 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."
Spitzer may simply be waiting to resign, as doing so could be one of the conditions of a plea agreement. As a former Attorney General of New York, he presumably is well positioned to understand criminal law and the most advantageous way to handle this problem.
But his wording above is raising speculation that he may not plan to resign. If that's true, it's part of a new and troubling pattern in American political life. It's not a partisan thing; Larry Craig's refusal to resign was another manifestation of it.
The whole idea, pioneered by you-know-who and enabled by you-know-who-else, is that illicit sexual behavior and the scandals resulting therefrom can be brazened out by the insistence that they are irrelevant to the discharge of public duties. As I argue in my book, it's all part of a new ethical calculus concluding that -- uniquely in the constellation of virtues -- sexual morality is a subjective and purely personal matter that's of relevance only to "religious" people (or else prurient and "judgmental" ones), even when it impacts the public.
All of us are human, all of us are sinners, no one is perfect. Certainly, there but for the grace of God go any of us. But that doesn't mean that there should be no standards. In particular, it's unfortunate if and when public officials conclude that sexual behavior that's deeply disgraceful (not to mention illegal) doesn't merit resignation. It degrades our culture, makes others complicit in condoning conduct that shouldn't be condoned, and normalizes behavior that's wrong.
No doubt it's a sad day for Governor Spitzer -- long a Democrat shining light -- and his family. They merit our compassion on a personal level. But it's appropriate and right that the Governor resign.
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"I do not believe that 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."
Yesterday, I heard this line about two dozen times. It never rang true, it just didn't fit. It was as if Spitzer was padding his announcement to make it worthwhile to gather the press.
If it really "is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York," then his actions are a public matter.
If he did what is alleged, he cheated the people of New York as much as he did his wife.
Characterizing this as a "private matter" is an outrage.
His actions are imposing a very real, very significant public cost on the State of New York and on the federal government. It will not be enough for him to cop a plea and go away.
Significant investigative resources will be needed to unravel how far back this mess goes, to trace back the sources and waypoints of the cash he used, to determine how many others may have been involved in this or collateral schemes.
The federal government also will need to determine whether or not Spitzer was involved in any misdeeds during his prior terms as a state and federal prosecutor, and whether he was/is being blackmailed on any aspect of this Hoegate or any other issue.
It's a big deal. It's a big issue. We all pay.
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cjvwise1,
I hope you're comments are meant to be sarcastic. This problem is definitely NOT a partisan one.
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If you want privacy, confine your behavior to the places and people that have been considered legitimately intimate and private by healthy societies.
I supported removal of Bill Clinton from office on the grounds that he had shown such bad judgment that it disqualified him from the office. He knew that Washington does not keep secrets, yet he indulged his own sex drive in a manner that anybody could have foreseen would distract him, his administration and the nation from the real business of his office. That was a betrayal of trust.
The same applies, a fortiori, to Mr. Spitzer. |
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think they can get by with anything! |
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Is there no self disciple in the Democratic Party? Where is personal responsibility? Put a lock on the zipper and give the key to someone who stops to think about consequences. Maybe a four year old is up for the job. |
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Hearing this news, it reminds me of Bill C and the Left's argument that a public servant's personal life is irrelevant. This is not at all true. This is exactly the same kind of behavior when reacting to scandal that we should not allow from our public leaders, no matter which party they belong to. I have a brief blog post about it here: http://usandeurope.com/?p=85 |
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