Wednesday, March 12, 2008

What we were all waiting for: The Spitzer Resignation


Today New York Governor Spitzer stepped down from his position as governor and apologized to the public about his "private failures" all with his wife by his side. Even though this is the resignation people were waiting for, he still has not been charged of any crime even though he has clearly violated the Mann Acts which prohibits participating in prostitution in another state than you currently reside.
From this scandal, what good can come from it? The Mayflower hotel in downtown Washington has now become a tourist attraction and, for the Obama supporters, the man that will be replacing Spitzer, a pro-Clinton super delegate, will be Lt. David A. Paterson, a pro-Obama super delegate. He will be making the transition on Monday, March 17- St. Patrick's Day -- apparently a good day to make an orderly transition.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think it is wrong that Americans as a whole hold their publicly elected officials to a much higher standard of moral scrutiny than they hold themselves. everybody makes mistakes, so i think that it is wrong to punish someone for a slight slip-up.

Noelle said...

I read this article on how Spitzer's wife stood next to him and how that reflects american women today. A lot of men cheat on their wives. But, is it really still the womans role to stand next to her husband through thick and thin even when he has publicly cheated on her? Greg I think it's the idea of staying in office after something like this that the press makes such a big deal about that has politicians running. But they only do it because after something like this, everyone's interested!

Josephine said...

Oh, so he did resign..well, good. and i totally agree with Greg's stance. Politicans seem to be on a different playing field than ordinary American citizens, operating above the law. I'm not too clear on what exact evidence they have against Spitzer, however, I am suprised and up set that he has not been charged of any crime.

Genevieve Lau said...

I agree with you, Greg, but I am also interested in the fact that he, as state attorney general, broke up two prostitution rings himself then goes and participates in one. And, yes, he is a human being, but as Governor of New York- and prior NY state attorney general- you would expect someone of such high stature to think more about what they are getting themselves into.

Kerina Chiu said...

It is hard to see officials as normal people when they are in the news 24/7. Although it is understandable if they make mistakes, these "leaders" should also understand the demands of their position which require setting a good example to the American people as well as following laws that they honor to protect.

Ziva said...

So, I was listening to NPR a while ago and I also read the same thing in Newsweek just yesterday: That NY's governor now, David Paterson, admitted to several extramarital affairs on his Inauguration Day. That's really strange considering what Spitzer just stepped down for. But, I guess the new governor decided to get things out in the open before he was seen as a hypocrite, goodie-two-shoes guy. Although, he is seen as sort of hypocritical now, but less so since he just admitted to affairs before someone exposes him. Just a “fun fact” for people to know…