Tell me again: Why should we get all worked up over the revelation that the New York governor paid for sex? Will it bring back to life the eight U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq that same day in a war that makes no sense and has cost this nation trillions in future debt? Will it save those millions of homes that hardworking folks all over the country are losing because of financial industry shenanigans that Eliot Spitzer, as much as anyone, attempted to halt? Perhaps it provides some insight into why oil has risen to $108 a barrel, benefiting most of all the oil sheiks whom our taxpayer-supported military has kept in power?
Sure, the guy, by his own admission, is quite pathetic in all those small, squirrelly ways that have messed up the lives of other grand public figures before him, but why is an all-too-human sin, amply predicted in early Scripture, getting all this incredible media play as some sort of shocking event? The answer is that, while having precious little to do with serious corruption in public life, it does have a great deal to do with stoking flagging newspaper sales and television ratings.
The sad truth is that reporting on major corruption, say, the rationalizations of a president who has authorized torture, doesn't cut it as a marketing bonanza. Just days before this grand exposé, the president vetoed a bill banning torture, and instead of being greeted with horrified disgust, the president's deep denigration of this nation's presumed ideals was met with a vast public yawn. Torture, unlike paid sex, doesn't have legs as a news story.
Sex sells, and frankly it would seem far more exploitative for the news media to pimp this tale to the public than anything that VIP escort service did with the pitiable governor. His behavior was not really any more wretched than messing around with a young and vulnerable White House intern who didn't even get paid for her efforts, yet Bill Clinton survived that one, whereas Spitzer was presumed dead on the arrival of this "news." The New York Times, which editorially has supported the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, whose vast White House experience clearly did not include corralling her husband, now editorializes contemptuously about Spitzer's betrayal of the public trust as well as about his exploitation of his "ashen-faced" wife, who, like Hillary, stood by her man.
The media consensus from the opening salvo was that Spitzer must resign and he will be thrown to the dogs, which is unfortunate because, like Clinton, he has done much valuable work in the public interest, and the outrage over this personal dereliction, tawdry in the extreme, is excessive. I certainly never wanted Clinton to resign, let alone be impeached, but why is Spitzer's paying for sex more disgraceful than ripping it off? Yes, Spitzer allegedly broke a law that shouldn't be on the books, and his resignation in disgrace is inevitable, but it bothers me that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney remain in office despite having violated enormously more serious laws.
Frankly, I don't care what any of these politicians do in their personal lives as long as the practice is consensual, and the thousands of dollars that exchanged hands in this case would provide a presumption that the lady in question was indeed a willing partner in this commercial transaction. True, Spitzer is an outrageous hypocrite for having prosecuted others caught in what should not be considered criminal behavior, but since when is hypocrisy on the part of a politician, particularly as to sex, so shocking?
I wouldn't have written this column had I not read the Wall Street Journal's Page 1 news story headlined "Wall Street Cheers as Its Nemesis Plunges Into Crisis." The article begins with the crowing statement "It's Schadenfreude time on Wall Street" and goes on to quote those whom Spitzer went after over what should be considered the criminal greed that has predominated on Wall Street. It was Spitzer, as much as anyone, who sounded the alarm on the subprime mortgage crisis, the obscene payouts to CEOs who defrauded their shareholders and the other financial scandals that have brought the U.S. economy to its knees.
The best rule of thumb these days is that ordinary Americans should be mightily depressed over any news that Wall Street hustlers cheer, for they have been exposed as a dangerous pack of scoundrels quite willing to rob decent, hardworking people of their homes. And of course no one on Wall Street ever paid for sex.
Diane Tucker: How 9,000 Business Reporters Blew The Mother Of All Meltdowns
How could an army of business reporters blow the biggest story since The Great Depression? That's the musical question posed by business and investigative reporter Dean Starkman.
Did they have warrants for the original wiretap on Spitzer?
Or is he an example of why we need to give amnesty to the phone companies?
After seven years of Bush's irgnorance, instupidity, criminal incompetence, criminality and giddy insanity, what's left for him to do that would be considered newsworthy?
We may have to wait until he attacks Iran, Bob.
God, it's going to be a relief when this clown gets off centre stage.
Is this perhaps another Orange Alert distraction to obfuscate the administration's headlong rush to start WW3?
I hope Obama wins. But regardless of who wins, it's a long time from now through January of 2009 and a lot of people will die in Iraq by then because most of the politicians in the Democratic party are too cowardly to take meaningful steps to end this war. Clinton and Obama both speak vaguely about programs to "begin" withdrawing troops after they are in office, assuming they are elected, but I'll bet if it was their kid who was going to die in iraq in March, April, in June July or August of this year, they would be acting now and decisively and with great courage to do everything they could to end this war.
For those who are available, various groups including Move-On will be holding end-the-war demonstrations around the country next Wednesday, 3/19 (Five Year Anniversary: what is that? Paper?).
I'm sorry to see Spitzer brought down. But I'm much more sorry that the greedy lying thieving wall street criminals will take this as a sign for them to resume destruction of our economy, line their pockets, burn incriminating documents, loot pillage and burn without consequence.
Does it strike anyone else as disgusting that the AG selected by Bush, Feinstein and Schumer has refused to enforce the law against anyone in the criminal Bush Regime and instead has spent our tax dollars eavesdropping on the sex lives of Democrats. Thanks again Diane and Chuck. Good job.
Did they discover Spitzer in the midst of an investigation or did they target Spitzer first and then that led to the prostitution ring.
And why wouldn't that suprise me? Because these political hacks in the Bush Administration would stop at nothing to rid America of it's real enemies . . . Democrats.
Is anyone asking this question?
the answer is too obvious. Dershewitzh (can't spell the scoundrel's name) was Sphincter's mentor in the Ivy League and he defended him, saying on NPR yesterday that yes, he was targeted----of course his bank was spying on him. Withdrawing A few $1000's don't usually lead to this. He alienated too many powerful people.
also, hank Greenberg, the financial journalist, said on MSNBC this morning that he heard a certain Kenneth Langone--Wall Street investor and former head of NYStock exchange-- say during an interview yesterday that he knows someone who, at a post office in line behind the Gov, had seen him buying money orders for hookers . Greenberg said that was the strangest thing he had ever heard--Imagine two men of this stature standing in a postoffice, one (the governor) buying money orders worth $1000's. After much scepticsm, they finally replayed the tape to prove Langone had said it , and then all the pundants concluded that private investigators must have been following Spitzer trying to dig up dirt like this and that's where Lonagone got the story...
Could I go off topic slightly? The FED and the Bush aministration took advantage of the Spitzer and Mississippi primary stories to announce a $200 billion bailout of Wall Street and the bankers in which taxpayers will assume the cost of many bad mortgages. These mortgages are security for the "loans" - really giveaways - to big financial institutions. That means the taxpayers now own these mortgages. If you get a chance, that would be a great story to resurrect and document in a few days when it might get more coverage.
Also once he became governor he agreed with Bloomberg that "overregulation" was detrimental to financial institutions.
Sex is bad but corruption is --OKAY? Why?
Are Republicans EXEMPT FROM INVESTIGATION?
What's all the FBI, CIA WIRETAPPING all about?
Why are middle-income Americans paying for a FOR PROFIT Iraq invasion that benefits
the "nanny state for the rich & corporate welfare queens" liek Big Oil, war profiteers and Cheney's CORRUPT Halliburton Corp.?
It's time for CORRUPT guys like JOE BRUNO to be swarmed by media and INVESTIGATED BY F.B.I. for his chronic CORRUPTION.
CORRUPT power-guys "on-the-take" for decades, like Joe Bruno who has siphoned out our tax money--WHY is he still boss in ALBANY NY?
How stupid are we?
NYState Legislature's CORRUPT JOE BRUNO shoud go next.
Enough of Bruno's manipulations, posing as the FAKE "innocent farm boy" and his lies and corruption. Bruno has been at his nasty game long enough. He has paralyzed the NYState Legislature for many years.
It's time for Bruno to go. The FBI should INVESTIGATE Bruno's corrupt practices. Or are Republicans EXEMPT FROM INVESTIGATION? What's all the WIRETAPPING all about?
Getting DIRT on everybody else?
The spotlight has been focused on Spitzer, but now it's time to
refocus on JOE BRUNO whose time is way past "over" in the NYS Legislature.
The Spitzer debacle should NOT DISTRACT us from the CORRUPTION we need to oust in Albany NY LEGISLATURE.
Why don't news people understand that these distractions aren't wanted, how it affects us citizens is of far greater concern - and that doesn't even merit a line.
Timing!
To watch Spitzer crash and burn and Wall Street double-digit up is equal to and one story.
They are both bastions of prostitution.
Watching helocopters follow Spitzers SUV is like watching the OJ SUV years ago.