Feeds: 
symbol identifies content for paid subscribers only.
WHY SPITZER HAD TO GET GOT.
John Heilemann makes the point that Spitzer couldn't survive his political scandal because there were no enemies he could use to rally the troops. No Linda Tripp, no Ken Starr, no Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. In politics, picking your enemies is a helluva skill. Find odious enough assailants, and your supporters will want so badly to foil them that they'll accept just about anything from you. What happened to Spitzer is that, without enemies to beat, he became the party's enemy. His presence would've dragged down their efforts to take back the Senate in the 2008 elections and given the Republicans a potent counterissue. So he had to go.
COMMENTS (5)
Worst thing about the Wire, inspires white people to talk like this.
Posted by: Jake | March 17, 2008 10:22 AM
STILL think the supreme irony of the whole kerfuffle*
is that he had to resign because he comes from a place still found on the moral compass
Were he a Vitter or Craig...and oblivious to the whole moral force of hypocrisy...
We would still have a crusading Governor running New York and... be far the worse for it.
Sad...too, a bit
[*doesn't anyone? 'sides me think this should rather be a kerfluffle.]
Posted by: has_te | March 17, 2008 3:12 PM
True dat.
Selective prosecution is the biggest unreported story here. Moving around a bank less than ten thousand dollars several times results in the fall of a Democrat governor who attacked Wall Street. Coincidence?
Posted by: Board Agent | March 17, 2008 3:41 PM
Worst thing about the Wire, inspires white people to talk like this.
Indeed.
Posted by: osmosis | March 18, 2008 3:08 AM
Spitzer's error was less cavorting with prostitutes, than cavorting with prostitutes while saying that he thought Wall Street deserved prosecution rather than bailout. Diaper-boy Vitter did not make that mistake.
Posted by: RLaing | March 18, 2008 6:40 PM