As per my last post, it’s too early to tell whether or not the Spitzer scandal will hurt Ms. Hillary.
Whether or not it hurts that Democrat of questionable ethics, it does represent a tremendous boon to the GOP, provided, that is, they don’t blow it. While numerous Democrats have had their own scandals since Bill Clinton lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky to a federal grand jury ten years ago, that was the last Democratic scandal to attract major sustained media attention. Until today.
Stories about improprieties involving such Democrats as West Virginia’s Alan Mollohan, Louisiana’s William Jefferson, even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid did not attract as much sustained media attention as did stories involving Republican in similar situations.
If Tony Rezko had been a leading fundraiser for a Republican presidential contender, his trial would rival the tribulations of Britney Spears as a subject for tabloid television.
Do you think the media would have paid more attention if an aide to a Republican governor were arrested for having sex with a teenage boy? They all but ignored when an aide to the Democratic governor of Massachusetts was arrested for such activity.*
Spitzer’s is the first Democratic scandal to attract national media attention. It should serve as a reminder that corruption is not just a Republican problem.
It’s too much to hope, however, that the media will look into John Murtha’s pay-to-play fundraiser, where lobbyists contribute to the Pennsylvania Democrat’s slush fund campaign coffers so that could press this Pelosi ally to sponsor earmarks for the companies they represent.
Given the sex and hypocrisy (the New York Democrat had prosecuted a prostitution ring) angle of the Spitzer story, the media simply can’t ignore it. And if the GOP doesn’t overplay its hand, it may well help the GOP, by reminding voters that Republicans do not have a monopoly on corruption.
Until today, the only thing which distinguished the partyies’ scandals was the Democrats’ success is keeping theirs off the front page.
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*Given that this guy married another man, you’d think the gay organizations, given their support for “marriage equality,” would have denounced his shenanigans as making a mockery of marriage in general and his union in particular. That is perhaps fodder for another post.
If Tony Rezko had been a leading fundraiser for a Republican presidential contender, his trial would rival the tribulations of Britney Spears as a subject for tabloid television.
It would make the O.J. Simpson trial look like a 3-ring circus. Oh wait….
I am confused on why he hasn’t been arrested? He did break the law by getting a prostitute right? The FBI has evidence…so yea, shouldn’t he be arrested for it?
I had to go through four or five msm sites until I confirmed Spitzer’s political affiliation. Of course, it was that right wing fascist, homophobic, sexist, racist Foxnews.com.
Spitzer was a lean and mean crusader rabbit who used the powers of his office to slap a lot of big targets around. Now the field mice can gang up on him and bop him on his little Bunny Foo Foo head. It was ever thus. Aesop wrote fables to warn about getting to sure of yourself.
Spitzer is going to slink away as soon as he covers his jail time problem and the press will consider him old news. Maybe he will go on an atonement tour or maybe he will just follow in the foot steps of Dick Morris. But, rest assured, there is a home for him in the Democrat stratosphere.Â
His wife and three daughters will just have to suck it up. That is the price they must pay for being connected to a vain glorious skunk. I pity the daughters. The wife still has time to figure it out.
"I love the smell of moral hypocrisy in the morning."
What is it with politicians (of both parties) that lulls them into a state of reference that allows them to pursue one course of moral superiority in public, while wallowing in it in private? Give me the old-fashioned corrupt politician with whom you knew what you were getting, who stayed bought when you paid him, and gave you value for money on the 90% he didn’t openly-pocket.
As for their wives, I have no pity nor sympathy for ANY wife who meekly stands one-pace back and to the right of their disgraced husbands at the press conference; Madames McGrevey and Spitzser…I mean you. You stand next to your bastard-husbands in front of the world, and the rat isn’t even sporting a black-eye and a limp? Shame….
And both political parties are worried about the subject of gay marriage…perhaps they should fall-back, regroup, and take a look at the universally-legal (hetero-) marriages within their own ranks; the divorces, the adultery, and the commercialized fornication with money that probably not theirs in the first place..
Seconding Julie’s point about the media maggotry not identifying Spitzer’s political affilliation. And offering this blast-from-the-past. A Lexis/Nexis word-search for pre-scandal Gary Condit showed ZERO use of the word "conservative" in describing him. After the scandal, it appeared over 14,000 times. With the word "democrat" appearing just over 200 times. Usually as something like:
"Condit, a very Conservative democrat who usually votes with the RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS".
The truth, of course was that Condit usually received grades from 20-40 by Conservative Organizations. Democrat Gene Taylor, consistently received 50-70.
Lousy marriages are not the reason to reexamine the issue of gay marriage. The privilege of gay marriage must be founded on positive reasons. I do wonder whether vicious divorce lawyers would ravage gays who are divorcing more than hetero-couples, especially in child custody cases.
I do wonder whether vicious divorce lawyers would ravage gays who are divorcing more than hetero-couples, especially in child custody cases.
One would think the trial bar would be pushing gay marriage like mad.
As The People’s Cube put it:
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, Bringing Prostitution To It’s Knees One Hooker At A Time!