The Eliot Spitzer story is certainly a big story. What's noticeable is the silence from the liberals who wanted David Vitter to resign for going out with the DC Madame's escorts. Oh they'll point to Senator Vitter's standing ovation from fellow Republicans as right wing hypocrisy (which it is), but no calls from several prominent liberal bloggers that Eliot Spitzer should resign.
And of course the right is creaming itself. Little Green Footballs has several posts and updates concerning Mr. Spitzer's actions. Michelle Malkin is probably dancing in her house at this story if her posts regarding this are any indication of her position and glee at this.
Crooks and Liars has not actually condemned what Spitzer has done. A Daily Kos diarist says it's impossible for Governor Spitzer to be a hypocrite because he's a Democrat.
Kevin Drums suggests that the usual charges of hypocrisy in prostitution/infidelity scandals come into play here, but I don’t think that accusation is wuite as fair this time. As a prosecutor, it was expected of Spitzer to bust prostitution rings and it’s not as if he (like the Republicans) touts his commitment to sexual morality— over that of his political opponents— in order to get elected. He may be a hypocrite if (as is presumable) he tells his wife he’s faithful to her, and he tells people that they should stay faithful to their spouses, etc. But politically, he’s not a hypocrite, and it doesn’t have it anything to do with his politics the way it does for some others who got caught.
I chalk this event up as an (embarassing) personal failing, but as far as what the typical cheating scandal is like, to me this one is more like personal business and less appropriate as political news or a political criticism of him. You can’t even call it a double-standard for Republicans, because it’s the Republicans who make it an issue for themselves by claiming to have an iron-clad commitment to pbserving these kinds of taboos.
Bullshit. Eliot Spitzer is a hypocrite, and because he has touted himself as a tough law and order guy, to violate easily the most well known law next to murder and theft, makes him a hypocrite.
My problem isn't that he had sex with a prostitute. As George Carlin said, there are much worse things to give someone than an orgasm, and prostitution should be legalized, if only because the black market for it would be eliminated. However, I find it utterly contemptible and disgusting that he cheated. On the day before Valentine's Day. That takes an amazing amount of disrespect for one's wife.
I firmly believe, and have even when I was a militant Atheist, that cheating on one's spouse or relationship partner is one of the most vile things one can do. What he did is unconscionable. However, after coming back to the Catholic faith, I do realize he's human, and I do hope those he's hurt forgive him, but he must be sincere in his disgust with his actions.
I pray that this ends positively for all those involved. The joys I've seen from both liberals and conservatives when one of the opposite political ideology hurts their family in this manner is sickening. People are hurt, sometimes irreparably by actions such as these, and to delight in the awfulness of something like this is just as disgusting and inhuman.
I'm on the fence over whether he should resign. My libertarian streak says "he violated a stupid law." My annoyance at law and order types violating laws causes my libertarian streak to quiet down.
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