There isn’t a doubt in the world that recently resigned Gov. Eliot Spitzer has gone down in a blaze of the burning stupids. Spitzer is a man who has been the Elliot Ness of his generation, taking on Wall Street and members of the Gambino family as quickly as he could when he was Attorney General of New York.
He irritated a lot of people how he blatantly used the court of public opinion in the cases he tried which was somewhat more destructive than how he tried cases in actual court. It was savvy and by some accounts, intimidating. The method worked for him though and it got Spitzer enough attention to win the office of governor in 2006.
Yet, the court of public opinion has backfired on him when it was revealed he was paying thousands of dollars for “time” with Kristen, a high-priced call girl.
Spitzer has set off a national frenzy with this revelation on several levels and this time it was public opinion that backfired on him. It’s more than the sex scandal, although that’s what’s getting most of the attention, that has sparked America’s interest. It’s an example of the highest form of hypocrisy which in this day and age will come back to bite any politician. We’ve seen this happen to Larry Craig as well within the last year.
The identity of his favorite girl from the Empire Club VIP was announced yesterday and pictures have been released of the woman who he was pay $4,100 an hour to spend time with. It is being investigated if he used illegal means in obtaining the cash to pay her, which sparked the internal investigation in the first place.
Gary Hart didn’t recover when details of his sex scandal played out in the press. Pres. Bill Clinton’s legacy will always have the shadow of his dallying with Monica Lewinsky.
As Eliot Spitzer is accused of paying for his time with Kristen, his scandal propels him into not being remembered for any of the public service he has done. And if it’s proved that he used illegal means to procure the cash, the man is in more hot water than even he could imagine from his days in the DA’s office.