Well, we knew the lib’s would try to defend Spitzers action, and we were not disappointed. Alan Dershowitz goes off on us Americans being so stuffy and hung up on sex that we would have the audacity to rake Spitzer over the coals:
Big deal! Married men go to a prostitutes all the time!
I wonder how even the liberal women in the crowd feel about that?
Via Newsbusters here is this longer segment from the same show with Tucker Carlson saying, heh…what the hell is the big deal, us men are all the same. Contessa Brewer wasn’t buying it:
Tucker: You shouldn’t be going to hookers on the road, whether you’re working for the state of New York or anyone else. it’s wrong. I’m not defending it. I will say Spitzer, the one thing people always said about him, he’s abrasive, he’s arrogant, he’s annoying, he’s power-mad, whatever, but he’s smart. Not so smart to use your pager to communicate with a hooker! Again, to quote Alan Dershowitz, men are
pretty dumb when it comes to stuff like that. It’s kind of who they are. They’re dumb.
I would argue, if you’re against Eliot Spitzer, and I think his public career has been shameful, this is not the way to get him. Spitzer’s true sins, in my view, are the ones that he commits in public, crushing other people for the sake of his own political career, for instance, which has been the hallmark of his time in public life, not going to a hooker! That’s no way to get, in my opinion, at your political enemies. And to see the press, a group that you know, frankly, has pretty unconventional personal lives, by and large, getting all high-handed about the fact that a grown man went to a prostitute is nauseating. [Laughs]
Brewer: Wait, wait, wait, not just a prostitute, not just he’s a governor who went to a prostitute, but that he himself had busted prostitution rings, and when he did so, got up and made a big show of
how angry he was.
Carlson: Okay, I’m sorry I didn’t get that news flash. I missed that. So he’s a hypocrite unlike the rest of us. I mean — Of course, of course he’s a hypocrite! But the point is, that’s not the problem with Eliot Spitzer. The problem with Eliot Spitzer is the way he hauled his political enemies into court abusing the power of the state, again, so he could become elected governor. I just think it’s a shame – and here I am defending someone I detest and disapprove of – but I think it’s a shame when we go into these spasms of self-righteousness, when we all beat our chests, and say, look at the bad guy, we’re nothing like him, when in fact a lot of us are like him, frankly.
Brewer: Really?
Carlson: I’m not! I’m just saying I don’t like, there’s something, that I believe is unattractive about public displays of self-righteousness of this kind. And you’re going to see it over the next 24 hours, analysts going on TV and saying, “That’s repulsive!” You know, where were they when Spitzer was crushing his enemies using public tax dollars and the threat of prison. They didn’t say anything about it. They cheered him on like some kind of Robin Hood, when in fact he’s the opposite, and now just because he goes to a hooker, they’re beating up on him.
Brewer: As I said, he said he was going in to clean up Albany, he said that it was ethics reform. Talk about unethical, he’s got a wife he’s been married to for more than 20 years and three daughters and the public trust.
Doesn’t sound like Contessa was too happy with Tuckers take huh?
Do we really have to wonder how this would have played out if Spitzer had been a Republican? The “indignation” and “self-righteousness” that Tucker talked about was in full display when one of them played footsies in a bathroom. But Dem’s…..they’re expected to do this sort of thing I suppose.
The thing is, if a politician will betray his wife for kicks why should we not assume that he will betray the US voter for kicks? Those rides in the lobbyists jets and limos and the weekends in Cabo, the fact finding trips to China….he would never betray the American voter would he?
Naw….its just us dumb men being men.
See author page
Alan Deshowitz is not on the left wing.
But I am surprised why no one has commented on the obvious, why was only one name leaked ?
Why in a Federal investigation was the name of this one John leaked ? Should it have been ? Should ALL of the names be leaked, they certainly were not when the D.C. madame Deborah Jeane Palfrey who had a client list of thousands (mostly amassed during the time the Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress) was arrested. I expect more questions WILL be raised along these lines. With millions in fees the other names could be equally as interesting…
Alan Dershowitz is most certainly a liberal
Count me out of that group. Mr. Dershowitz notwithstanding, Mr. Spitzer was wrong. For now I can’t say if I really believe he should lose his job over this or not. But either way, I will not say that it is “OK”. It is not.
John Ryan is attempting to turn this into a Republican scandal.
When do I get my thong from the Flopping Aces store for being right once again?
Was Tucker playing Devil’s Advocate there, or is he that stupid?
The deal is- the man put himself in a precarious position. He was blackmailable by the right person seeking something from the state or his person. People forget that when the talk about President Clinton. What if the Chi-Coms found out about Monica before anyone else?
Details in the criminal complaint here:
http://www.wnbc.com/download/2008/0310/15557442.pdf
“Client-9” is Spitzer. You can read the arrangements he made for his tryst in Washington, DC at the Mayflower Hotel. (about page 29)
It’s amazing that Governor of New York would think he could play around in a hotel like that with the security that accompanies him nearby not to mention other prying eyes.
Still looking for Spitzer’s party affiliation…nope, not there. And everyone knows that if this were a Republican, it would be in the headline…plain and simple.
Orin Kerr posted the same thoughts Mike:
The Drive-by Media is still spinning the story toward the sex angle. Truth be told, the Feds came onto the Prostie Ring while investigating suspicious money transfers by Client 9. The investigation centered around “structuring”, a form of money-laundering used mostly by drug dealers to avoid Federal reporting requirements. The Prostitution ring is incidental. What’s more, if any of this money is traced back to public coffers, Eliot “John” Spitzer will be filing change of address forms to Big House, USA. I’m thinking he’ll resign, cop a plea and testify for the Feds.
Hey Richard try harder.
The first-term Democrat was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet a prostitute from a call-girl business, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still going on. -MSNBC
Before Monday, Eliot Spitzer was a rising star in the Democratic Party. Now, after being linked to a prostitution ring, political advisers are split over whether the New York governor has a political future.-CNN frontpage
Oh please Fact Checker — did you see the initial reports? Nope, you’re too blinded by your bias to see that. And you conveniently ignored the fact that if this were a Republican, it would have been all over the headlines — “Rising Star Republican linked to Prostitution Ring.”
Remember Foley? Or, Craig? Please…
I can see it now. . . . . Sainthood bestowed upon Spitzer for aiding those less fortunate, to the tune of $5,500 for an hour of debauchery, and conservatives demonized for no good reason.
Yep, as it is written. . . . Bad will be called good, and good will be called bad.
Maybe I live in a different world that Spitzer. I do not have time (or inclinations) for what these fools do, let alone have the shear volume of funds available to not only spend, but shuffle between accounts.
In Detroit, we have something similar going on right now with the mayor and multiple cases of, well, everything…. Exotic dancers at parties (at the mayor’s mansion) that turned up dead, sexual text messages on government phones, payouts for silence, and probably more coming soon.
But then I spent $5,500 or so last year on silly things like a new roof. Different priorities I guess.
Richard Romano notes – “…everyone knows that if this were a Republican, it would be in the headline…”
Indeed,
Check out this ABC psuedo-analysis piece. Where Republicans are mentioned, the traditional “R” is included. Numerous well-known Democrats are mentioned, but no “D”. Spitzer Shares Arrogance of Other Powerful Men
Alan Derschowitz certainly is a liberal. However, that said, the chief executive officer of a state – the person responsible for enforcement of the laws, should not be violating those same laws. Especially laws that he had vigorously enforced as the State’s Attorney General. Putting morality aside, he should have been aware that a lot of knives were out for him and that he had be squeaky clean.
Also apparently the ring that was ran the prositition and money laundering operation might be have some contacts with the Gambino crime family–three words a defense lawyer never wants to hear said in relation to a client. If that is true, Spitzer is in deep kim-chee.
Guess the only positive thing is, as a Brit colleague once remarked about a similar scandal– “at least it was with a woman.”
Re: “I can see it now. . . . . Sainthood bestowed upon Spitzer for aiding those less fortunate, to the tune of $5,500 for an hour of debauchery, and conservatives demonized for no good reason.
Yep, as it is written. . . . Bad will be called good, and good will be called bad.”
Has that actually been written anywhere (other than by you)? Or are you going to just make believe that it was said, then go on about those “Evil Liberals” based on what you pretended that they said?
Peter,
Have not heard the possible Gambino connection. Would not be surprised as it leads into a huge blackmail potential (as if this was not huge enough) which any organized crime member would love.
I forget the name of the New York commedian whose line was something like “my father is very successful. He owns a judge”.
slwerner,
That looks like a “D” by Gary Hart’s name. The other Democrats mentioned are so well known there’s no need to indentify them…
It’s not about sex, and it’s not about hypocrisy…it’s about “all men are equal under the law”. A basic American legal concept. That means that Spitzer doesn’t get to apply the law to certain people and not to others – himself in particular. One of the most outstanding features of dictatorships is the fact that the dictator can make any law he wants, and it only applies to those he chooses to apply it to. The most basic concept of corruption is that the law only applies to and is enforced upon certain people. Corrupted government means you basically have no democracy – in fact, imo, this is the greated danger to stable government in Iraq – and one of the reasons there isn’t democracy in other places is that corruption is such a long standing method of “doing business”.
Corruption isn’t when a politician illegally takes money for favors, corruption is when that politician isn’t prosecuted even when that act is known by those whose job it is to enforce the law. People will always be vulnerable to doing wrong, but when certain people are prosecuted and others are not – for the same wrong – then you have corrupt government.
Re: Philadelphia Steve. . . “Has that actually been written anywhere (other than by you)? Or are you going to just make believe that it was said, then go on about those “Evil Liberals” based on what you pretended that they said?”
Sure Steve, it was written. . . . Isaiah 5:20 Now that I’ve shown where you err, you go on about those “evil conservatives” based upon your ignorance of Truth. . . .
Even if he manages to beat the prostitution rap somehow, they can and should crucify him for violating the Mann Act (that’s the law that says, among other things, that you can’t deliberately structure your financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements). For what it’s worth, I’d be just as happy if all of these laws were gone – but if they’re on the books, let them be enforced on the high and low alike.
Have you seen that the Chief of Police in Tehran was also busted in a prostitution scandal?
Bbartlog,
I did not see the thing about Tehran’s police chief.
Your point is true though. Laws exist and if they exist must be either enforced equally/justly or nullified (some for very good reasons)… If not, why have laws in the first place?
“I did not see the thing about Tehran’s police chief.” Story
“Iran: Tehran police chief arrested in brothel with six prostitutes”
“before he was arrested, Zarei was in charge of the programme for the ‘moralisation of the city’.
It is alleged that in the past six months, hundreds of young people have been arrested in Iran for not respecting the Islamic code of behaviour.”
The picture of his wife standing beside him failed to develop.
Pagar,
Thanks… Interesting article when one realizes the depths of the story. The bribes to officials to keep the brothel operating, the blackmail list of “clients” that makes the DC Madam’s look tame, the other ‘clients’ the brothel must have had in Iranian government circles…. I doubt we will ever get much more of a story out from this. Most likely, the Tehran Chief of Police was taken out in a “political hit” and will be replaced by someone allied to the mullah who made the hit.
It is like the old Soviet Premiers “getting sick”. You know what really happened, but can never prove it and Iran will never tell us.