What a frigging idiot! What in God's name was he thinking? Does this man have a death wish? His career is over.
I've heard all these things today -- and even said a couple of them myself -- about Gov. Eliot Spitzer, aka Client Number Nine.
And I also said that if these allegations are true, then he must resign. But the more I thought of it, the more I wondered whether he might actually be able to survive. He might even be able to win re-election. Do I expect it? No. But stranger things have happened.
But let's look at this possibility. He's got three years left in his term. He wasn't running the prostitution ring, and lots of people will say "Hey, he's remorseful, and he's only doing what men do." We've heard all this crap before too. I'm no political operative, but if I were, I'd have assessed whether the current crisis will completely undermine the governor's platform and support structure before deciding whether to recommend that he resign. In short, what political damage will this cause. Can it be surmounted. What will it cost to his credibility and ability to govern.
Frankly, I think the answer is that his credibility is in shreds. But I have read many of the posts on the New York Times blogs, and I found several people who said this shouldn't cause him to resign. Most said it should, but I was surprised at how many said he should remain.
See, the problem is that if he's guilty of soliciting a prostitute, then he committed a crime, and by allegedly doing it across state lines he would be possibly guilty of a federal crime. Plus, the presidential election could play a factor. How much would Spitzer's continued presence in the state house hurt the Democrats? In New York, probably not too much, but I'll let more educated heads prevail on that one.
Ultimately, Gov. Spitzer's biggest problem isn't an ethical one, it's a political one. Say what you will about his allegedly cheating on his wife (the term is "adultery") and subjecting his daughters to being ridiculed by their classmates (the term is "asshole"), his biggest challenge will be determining whether he can stay in office, not whether he should.
Indeed, if he were to stay, it would bring about a shift in power -- at least temporarily. To counter any calls for impeachment, I believe it would be Sheldon Silver, the leader of the state assembly, who could sway things.
I don't know how the government of New York is set up, but if it's like the federal congressional system, the Assembly would have to determine whether to bring articles of impeachment; Democrats run the Assembly right now. If they were to do it, Republicans currently lead the state Senate, where an impeachment trial would be conducted and heard. There is no way an impeachment trial could be conducted before the November elections. So if Democrats take the state Senate, then perhaps Spitzer can survive -- albeit, having conceded a lot to people like Silver and other ranking Democrats. If the Republicans retained the state senate, then perhaps Spitzer would fall on his sword like Donald Rumsfeld did after the Democrats retook Congress in 2006.
Personally, I think this governor is done. But if there's one thing I've noticed about Eliot Spitzer over the past several years, it's that he likes to fight. I don't think he's going quietly.
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