Client 9: What was he Thinking?

How could a man with seemingly unlimited career prospects squander so much for so little?

I'm not of course talking about the $4,300, which, at the time, may have seem liked a good deal. Powerful men, as the saying goes, don't pay prostitutes for sex, they pay them to go away afterwards. $4,300 for a tryst in a DC hotel room might seem higher than the market rate, but the escort in question was, so far as anybody knows, discreet.

What really makes the transaction so surprising is that "Client 9" must have known that to get caught would be political suicide. As a prominent political figure his personal affairs were of de facto personal interest -- and as a former attorney general he was well-aware of the methods of crime enforcement.

Yet proceed he did; what's more, the act in question wasn't -- at least not entirely -- a crime of a passion, in the traditional legal sense of the phrase. Rather, we can infer (from the financial subterfuges used to cover the transactions) that his decision to take the risk was likely premeditated. It would appear that Client 9 knew perfectly well that what was he doing was something he didn't want anybody to know about, and took elaborate measures to try make sure nobody found out.

This is not just a case of a man being led about his hormones, to the exclusion of the rest of his brain, but something more complicated: a case in which an extraordinarily intelligent man used all of his rational capacities to form a track-covering plan -- yet seemingly focused none of his cognitive wherewithal on evaluating whether that plan was worth pursuing in the first place.

Freud, wrong about so much else, was certainly right that the mind is forever locked in internal conflict; where he talked about "id" and "ego", modern scholars see something slightly different, a clash between "ancestral systems" and more modern "deliberative cognition", but for present purposes the point is much the same. Id beat ego, just as it has so many times before.

Why does this happen so often? The answer, in a nutshell, is this; evolution blew it. When our fancy new deliberative reasoning systems evolved, evolution, which lacks foresight, took what amounts to the lazy way out, crudely grafting the new capabilities onto the older ancestral systems, with nary a thought as to how the two would work together. The ancestral mate seeking systems that led Client 9 by the nose thus still receive extremely high priority, whether or not their actions are in the interests of our minds as a whole.

Was Spitzer's philandering a victory for his selfish genes, as some evolutionary psychologists might have it? Well, yes, and no. His genes, in some very crude sense, made him do it, but his actions weren't in his own genetic self-interest.

Ultimately, our genes can only take us so far: they help guide the development of our brains (and hence our minds) -- but they can't anticipate the complexities of the real world; instead our genes then largely cede control of our day-to-day actions, leaving our somewhat clumsy brains in charge.

It's up to us to keep that conjunction of genes and clumsy engineering from getting us into trouble.

Gary Marcus, author of Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind

Comments

[researcher]

Now it is selfish genes. True our animal nature is very powerful and these ladies were very beautiful. What are the other variables? What was his relationship at home with his wife and daughters? Raising three daughters or three sons can drive some men overboard.

Did his wife love him? maybe she married him for his money. We do not have or know all the data but yet we talk and act about his decisions as if we did.

So many variables so little data but yet I bet everyone that posted on this blog would claim to understand the scientific method. Often men with great power have great egos and actually think they are beyond the law and it will be impossible for them to be caught.

At least he is not claiming his getting caught was due to having a wide stance. His “soul” has a great opportunity to learn from this; maybe more than any other thing he will ever do in his life.

[DocManhattan]

True. Nobody knows the true nature of his relationship with his family -- these things can be far more complicated than the outside world imagines.

His hypocrisy leaves a bad smell, though. He should not be in the job he's in.

[cheesewiz]

Here we go--blame the wifey and even the daughters. Does it ever end for you guys? Females are capable of infinite, unending orgasms, yet we have put that on hold for the good of society and family. But we are told that guys with their little, meager capacity for orgasm are the ones who cannot (More like will not) control themselves. Why not say that he cheated with a whore because the wife served baked potatoes instead of mashed, makes about as much sense.

[DocManhattan]

cheesewiz, are you aware of the number of marriages there are out there where the partners have basically stopped having sex, but choose to stay together nevertheless? Children, for instance, would be a good reason.

Under those circumstances, perhaps even with their spouse's blessing, the sexually frustrated partner in the marriage may turn to extra-marital sex, but insist on zero emotional attachment since they still love their husband/wife. Under those circumstances, you're faced with a choice: either make a habit of breaking people's hearts or turn to professionals. I'd say the second option is less cruel.

Of course, I'm speculating. But you never can judge the mechanics of someone else's marriage from the outside.

[Camel54]

This should not be billed as a Dem on Dem issue. This should be used to bring the Larry Craig, David Vitter scandals back into the spotlight. Spitzer needs to resign saying it's because it's the right thing to do after doing something so horribly wrong. Then he needs to question why Craig and Vitter, extremely vocal proponents of what's right, did not do the same thing after betraying their constituencies. the Dems can use this to help postpone McCain's headstart against them in the general.

[OleHippieChick]

With bu$hCo's wiretapping all in place, how does anyone in politics dare try this anymore? Don't they know they're the targets and have been since pre-9/11??? Stupid schmuck.

Id-ego, schmid-schmego. This is not a victimless transgression, btw, this so-called political suicide. Spitzer's family, his staff, his fans, his party...all hurt for a long time to come by Spitzer's peenie-following brain.

[mandycat]

Surely it's a lot simpler than this somewhat convoluted explanation. Mr. Spitzer thinks there's one set of rules for himself and another set (to be rigidly applied no matter what the consequences) for everyone else. Everyone else on the entire planet apparently.; he went to a lot of trouble and spent a lot of the taxpayers' money to put a U.S. travel agency out of business because they sent men on sex tours to other countries. "He stands astride the whole world like a giant .." Oh wait, that was Larry Craig.

[AZM]

Is it a victimless crime when there are children involved? Who supports his family (wife and children) when he is in jail for committing a felony?

[Ramus]

Spitzer is rich. Was always rich. He doesn't need job to support his family.

[Checquoline]

I don't understand these wives standing by their men. In my case I would be standing on the curb waiting for a cab with a suitcase in each hand. The last thing he would see would be my ass on the horizion.

[OleHippieChick]

Not if you were keeping the house, which you would do, of course. ;-)

[DANOSC]

Mrs. Spitzer had a tough decision to make this morning.
"Bergdorf's or Saks first?"

[AlgerHiss]

I hate the way Spitzer humiliated his wife on national TV! As if the fact he betrayed her was not enough, he drags her to his side when he gave his apology speech. She looked absolutely gutted!

And then in his speech, which sounded so awful, delivered with so little emotion, he didn't even apologize to HER! He apologized to his "family."

Can you believe that? Married to her for 21 years, sleeps with a prostitute, someone with whom he had no relationship, and he can't even apologize to her.

Absolutely horrendous. So cold-hearted, it's unbelievable. This is worse than Clinton, IMO. At least he had some kind of relationship with Monica. Spitzer had nothing.

[Promise]

I agree...I feel so sorry for his wife to be not only personally betrayed but publicly humiliated. If I were her I would have refused to be seen with him. He visited the prostitute by himself; let him face the press by himself. But, who knows..maybe she really loves him and is supporting him . We don't know.

[darker]

What are WE AMERICANS thinking???
What are we punishing, SEX? How stupid are we?
How can we be led by the nose by Republican panty sniffing manipulators?

WHY should Spitzer resign for sex?
Why don't Republicans RESIGN FOR CORRUPTION?

WHY?

What about Republicans like Bush-Cheney & Company who LIED, started a FRAUDULENT FOR-PROFITS Iraq War, REPUBLICANS SCREWED middle-income Americans with HUGE TAX BILLS FOR DEFICIT,
& HUGE BILLS from BIG OIL pals in their fake "oil shortage" that exists ONLY ON PAPER. They screwed middle-income Americans.

Why don't those Republican CORRUPTORS RESIGN?

What are we punishing here-- SEX? That is insane. How stupid are we?
WHEN WILL WE PUNISH CORRUPTION, INSTEAD?

[hollyo]

YES!!!!! All the sex scandals destract us from our REAL problems and the REAL culprits.
We are a stupid people to be led around by these things.

[schatsie]

GANNON,GANNON, GANNON...

Remember Bush had this gay prostitute under his OWN roof at the frigging White House and nobody even put that in the paper at all..

And McCain, of course nothing happened there sure sure sure...

I have to agree about the paper trail, but what kind of terrorist investigation was this????? and what really happened in the White House with Jeff Gannon???

[MikeDu]

Want to see a portrait of a stiff-backed public official succumbing, against his better judgment, to feminine charms? Rent Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution". Admittedly, the parallel only goes so far. Spitzer isn't working for the Japanese, and this wasn't all a secret plot from the outset to bring the man down... or was it?

[marguerita]

To Eliot Spitzer,

Why ?

In a world dominated by disorder and decay, a man lost his standing towards himself.

Let all of us the audience of this unraveling theater of the absurd , be calm and thoughtful. A man ,supposedly comfortable in life, turns out to be poorer and more miserable than the dirtiest pariah or beggar around, for this man, has lost touch with his inner self. He is ,a mirror of the restlessness that is overwhelming all of us, living and sharing the same space and air. The decadent and sick environment that is crying loud to deaf ears.

The absence of an interior monologue, the lack of ownership of one’s soul, a priori, is the path to that unavoidable abyss.

Eliot Spitzer chose to be a man with buoyancy ,a resilience to attempt the wonderful ideal of finding harmony and balance in the ongoing chaos, only to fail into the human weakness of his own self.

He was looking for clarity only to descend into darkness.

And now, we are his partners in pain and the ones to join ,hand in hands to attain happiness.

No need of pantomimes or fake smiles. Only to be real and open our hearts and

lend our warmth.

We are all hurting. At last, the fantasy of Power and Wealth have lost their masks.

The bottom line, is Love. Love thy self and learn to love Life.

Be alert to the sound of the birds, the colors of Nature, tune into every moment of existence and be aware of how we all need each other.

Feelings.

Life is not a rehearsal.

Looking up Umberto Eco, in The Name of The Rose ,”Aristotle had dedicated

The second book of the Poetics specifically to laughter, as laughter is important.

Many others had devoted entire books to sin, which is important but evil.

Aristotle had spoken of laughter as something good and an instrument of truth.

On the end we are all humans .And perfection is a fantasy.

We need healing.

http://thepoignantfrog.blogspot.com/2008/03/eliot-spitzer-and-human-condition.htmlition.html

[research]

Conservatives wanted Spitzer gone, so they found some dirt.

Maybe Cheney heard about it during some illegal wiretapping. "Reportedly, the information came to light from a federal wiretap of his cell phone"

Now the US Justice system serves the fascist republicans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Spitzer

Meanwhile the conservative BushCo fascists continue to commit war crimes.

[philistine]

I can't help but unhappily agree to your assertions. How many of us have skeletons in our closets? How many of us are thus subject to manipulation, extortion, subornation? Does that explain why so little has been done to derail the NeoCon machine? The nature of the problem - the hiding of bad behavior - means that we stand little chance of knowing the whole story; most bad behavior stays hidden.

Damn these unclean people.

[zuzuzpetals]

Calling it id is a little simplistic.

Could be closer to Bill Clinton's problems--i.e. the real thrill is fooling everyone, giving the finger to authority, going to the edge of discovery--but pulling out an escape at the last breathtaking moment. (Think " the come-back-kid").

Getting away with it, breaking rules seems to be the real drug for these guys. This isn't quite id--it's more the need to feel in control (of the prostitute, of the rule-system, of those who would control him) than any simple ancestral drive.

Getting caught and punished and humiliated can be part of the drug-rush. His guilt may have built up too much--time to get busted and punished.

These things arise from early parent-child relationships, not quite "drives", though drives are involved.

This is closer to how post-modern psychology would describe it.

[DietrichMoody]

Get Busted was something Bill Clinton did, Punished was something he didn't. Time and Time again, Hillary kept him from getting punished, believed him, protected him. True Love.

But because President Bill is loved more than ever by some in his Party, where is the motivation to stop that behavior. Spitzer's political career, who apparently will resign, is finished. Clinton's Political career is still relevant. Can we apply this to Hillary too? The thrill of taking the Party off the Cliff. The thrill, both love playing with matches. Fine let these thrill seekers live their own personal lives, who cares, but running a Country? Their "thrill ride manners", only leave everyone in the Country or state they wish to govern, bankrupt. I have no problem with their personality traits, just don't run a Country with them.

[MikeDu]

"....Punished was something he didn't."

What do you mean by 'punished'? Are you advocating the breakup of the Clinton family, a public divorce, alimoney payments, visitation rights? Or do you want him thrown in stocks in the public square like in pilgrim times, be forced to wear a big scarlet 'A' for the rest of his life? Or do you want to go 'Taliban' on his ass, bury the man up to his neck and force his relative to throw stones at his head until they kill him? Perhaps you were simply hoping he'd shoot himself.

[wildflowermaven]

I would consider all the public humiliation he experienced, and the censure by Congress to be a huge punishment. I think you don't remember the Monica years quite clearly.

[Ramus]

good zuzupetals..about right

[DietrichMoody]

Here's what it interesting: $4300 for a Prostitute, on a Governor's Salary. Don't you think the wife would have noticed " honey what the f*ck is this $4300 dollar debit from the account" There is more to this than Prostitution.

There appeared to be some questionable money transfers. Did Lobbyist pay for this? Etc. The Prostitution aspect is a ruse and may have us argue over the rational for making prostituion illegal. However, the Old Fashion Democratic Party, is filled with Opportunist Galore, people in Government wanting their money, and not wanting to have to pay for anything, not even a can of coke. It's all about the money thing. He probably cannot pay for his own prostitutes.

[memoirsofagaysha]

you might get your facts straight.

the man comes from a wealthy real estate family in new york city. though it might be hard for non-new yorkers to conceive of this, that kind of money is just not a big deal. his wife would hardly notice.

there are certainly judgement issues at stake here; but corruption? puhleeze.

[salmon10]

As a knowing prostitute once observed :
"There is nothing dumber on this planet than a white man with a hard on"

[JailNeoconVicts]

More like a conflict within the ego: I'm so great I can get away with this/I'm a fraud posing as a great man and therefore I set myself up to be exposed.

Of course, in any other civilized country, no one would give a damn about this kind of thing. But here, in the United States of Rapture (or is it Torture), victimless human frailty is to be dealt with by public humiliation in the stocks, if not actual waterboarding.

[BluGrrl]

Victimless? What about the guys wife? Or doesn't she matter? It doesn't matter if getting a prostitute in another country is legal, it not legal in America. You know ... the country we actually live in.

Ethics, smethics, right??

[StephenSmoliar]

This point is well taken, but it primarily serves to demonstrate that we have to be more careful in the terms we use. The issue is not whether or not there are victims but over the more fundamental premise that ALL ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, and this is where the relevance of the Freudian theory comes into the foreground. One of the great advances in brain science in recent years has been in our understanding of how the human brain can "reason about the future," so to speak, particularly in terms of "envisioning" the consequences of an action being considered. The Freudian model gives us a "conceptual" (rather than physiological) localization of such brain activity, and that localization is the Ego. However, no matter how good the Ego may be at dispassionate reasoning about consequences (and, as has been amply demonstrated, Spitzer was very good at this), it is always in conflict with those "drives" that are the domain of the Id; and Marcus was right to reduce this whole argument to the question of why Id is so good at beating Ego.

Personally, I like his appeal to evolution but dislike his portrayal of evolution as an agent with intentions (which he may have done for the sake of a more readable text). It is not a question of what evolution intended but of who has survived the process of selection. This introduces the hypothesis that, while both Ego and Id clearly contribute to our survival as a species, when "push comes to shove," as it were, the Id carries more weight in survival value. Think of all those situations in which survival depends on aggression unattenuated by reflection, such as, at the risk of taking a sensitive example, what it takes to have an effective military force:

http://therehearsalstudio.blogspot.com/2008/03/wikipedia-fight-club.html

This is not to say that Spitzer's specific behavior had survival value; but, like it or not, it was part of the baggage that came along in the relationship between Ego and Id that led to the survival of our species. As Jimmy McNulty (a paragon of unbridled Id) said on THE WIRE, "It is what it is!"

[philistine]

I would love to know how a woman in the Netherlands feels if she discovers that her husband consorts with prostitutes. Legal or not, I imagine that she would not be happy.

Morality and legality are not perfectly correlated.