Gov. Spitzer and Prostitutes

By: Flipper
Published On: 3/10/2008 3:30:33 PM

New York Governor Elliot Spitzer has informed  his advisers today of his connection to a prostitution ring.  

According to news accounts, Sptizer has been identified in court documents as a client of a high-end prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP. High-end prostitutes associated with this group charge up to $5,500.00 an hour.  

What a disgrace.  Spitzer should resign.

Update by Flipper: According to the New York Times, Spitzer had been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month.  


Comments



"High-end prostitutes associated with this grop..." (aznew - 3/10/2008 3:41:08 PM)
Did you mean to write "group" or "grope" there? :)


LOL!!! (Flipper - 3/10/2008 3:53:35 PM)
I fixed the typo but I guess grope could have applied as well!

But on a serious note, what a sad turn of events.  Spitzer certainly had a bright future ahead of him.

But the hypocrisy of his public life versus his public life is appalling.  



Private vs Public? (LT - 3/10/2008 3:58:19 PM)
Didn't you mean "his private life versus his public life"?  


A disappointment certainly... (ericy - 3/10/2008 3:58:50 PM)

We are all human, and we all have our limitations and our failings.


Reportedly he will resign (Chris Guy - 3/10/2008 4:03:48 PM)
Lt. Governor Dave Patterson will be the states first African-American and legally blind individual to serve as Governor.


There seems to ba a lot of uncertainty about this... (ericy - 3/10/2008 4:12:48 PM)

In his public statement he didn't say a thing about it.  Were he to be planning to resign, I would have thought he would have said so right away if that were his intention.

These days the bar for what sorts of sexual escapades would require resignation seems to be set pretty high.



there seems to be no clear answer (Chris Guy - 3/10/2008 5:56:58 PM)
the thick plottens.


I love all the statements already (Terry85 - 3/10/2008 4:25:21 PM)
from Republicans demanding that Spitzer resign.  Where were these people when the David "Diaper-man" Vitter prostitution story broke?


And Larry Craig too.. (ericy - 3/10/2008 4:39:43 PM)

There are a number of Republicans who got caught in some sort of sex-related sting, and who never saw the need to resign.


One Less Clinton Super Delegate (Matt H - 3/10/2008 4:44:15 PM)
If you need to look on the bright side.


No bright side here (Hugo Estrada - 3/10/2008 8:17:53 PM)
Spitzer was a great liberal champion. He was talented and had a sense of justice during a time when justice seemed gone from our country.


He should resign (humanfont - 3/10/2008 4:51:50 PM)
Then we can ratchet up the pressure on Vitters.  Sticking around trying to stay in power while mortally wounded politically; is just vanity.

Larry Craig shouldn't resign because he didn't do anything illegal.  In fact Larry Craig should be the poster child for overzealous law enforcement bullying people into confession.   Making a discrete pass at someone in a public place is not a crime.



law enforcement bullying people into confession ????? (norman swingvoter - 3/10/2008 5:34:13 PM)
That might be a reasonable point if Craig pleaded guilty at the time he was caught.  However, he pleaded guilty in a court proceeding roughly a month later. I would bet money that he would have beaten the charge if he had chosen to hire a lawyer to represent him.  However he voluntarily chose to plead guilty.  


He shouldn't have had to beat the charge (humanfont - 3/10/2008 8:21:19 PM)
The guy didn't do anything illegal.  Waving your hand and tapping your feet isn't a crime.  If you didn't actually do anything illegal you shouldn't find yourself facing criminal charges.  
They told Craig plead guilty and this goes away quietly, fight us and we'll ruin your career and reputation.  Put yourself in the same situation; and ask yourself if you'd feel like justice was served.


I agree, but Craig's real crime (aznew - 3/10/2008 8:48:44 PM)
was a particular brand of gross hypocrisy. He used his position of power to demonize and criminalize people for committing the very acts which he himself committed, and for which he demands the protection of privacy and tolerance.


and that's Spitzer's real crime too (j_wyatt - 3/11/2008 1:18:33 AM)
-- gross hypocrisy.  

And, for the record, I'm no prude.

On top of the hypocrisy is the amazing lack of judgment and utter recklessness.  From a purely cold-blooded political context, what was he thinking?  Okay, maybe he wasn't thinking.  Maybe that's the problem.

Ninety-nine percent -- okay, ninety-five -- of the stuff that comes out of politicians' mouths are gobbledegook platitudes, political triangulations and strategy points written by speechwriters.  But if we are to know who these people really are, as human beings, in their heart of hearts, what truer way to assess their character than through the manner in which they conduct their private lives?

On the other hand, condemning someone's worthiness as governor or president solely on the basis of their personal behavior, specifically sexual foibles, ain't too smart either.  History is replete with great leaders and doers and thinkers whose extraordinary achievements are not readily diminished by what society might view as their unacceptable sexual lapses.

On the other other hand, there's a case to be made that President Clinton's, umm, errh,  well, okay, bj is likely the most expensive bj in the history of mankind.  Because the case can be made that if President Clinton had managed to practice a more conventional adult level of personal discipline, then Gore wouldn't have spurned his support in the 2000 elections.  And if, as a result of President Clinton campaigning for him, there had been a hard working President Gore at the helm, rather than Alfred E. Neuman, there would have been a decent back-to-the-future chance that 9/11 wouldn't have happened.  And even if it would still have happened, we most certainly would not be in Iraq.  So, yes, people's public and private lives sometimes do intersect to the detriment of all of us.



Sigh, you raise some good points (AnonymousIsAWoman - 3/11/2008 9:08:42 AM)
I'm no prude either.  And, as you point out, if we were to condemn the leadership of every president, prime minister, and world leader who marred his administration by sexual misconduct, we'd actually have a very slim list of great leaders.  

We'd have to exclude George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, FDR, JFK, just mention a few.  And I haven't even gotten to European leaders.

But in today's world of rapid communication where there is no "gentlemen's club" among the media that looks the other way as in the past, all this stuff always gets exposed.

What makes it so damaging for Spitzer is that he was a prosecutor who prosecuted clubs like this.  That's the double standard that raises it above the level of mere private transgression.

I don't see how he survives politically.  In addition, he could still be charged under the Mann Act of 1910 for transporting a prostitute across a state line.  That is a serious offense that carries serious jail time.  If he escapes prosecution for that, he should call it a day and consider himself lucky.

And yes this saddens me enormously.  He was a hero of mine.



I agree partially... (Terry85 - 3/10/2008 5:47:00 PM)
I think Spitzer should resign so Democrats can say Spitzer resigned while Vitter and Craig just stayed in office.  However, Larry Craig solicited sex in a public restroom and I'm pretty sure that's illegal.


hey wait a minute (heywaitaminute - 3/10/2008 5:23:22 PM)
No matter if R or D, when someone runs on the platform of sainthood it doesn't matter what kind of grope they belong to they have violated the pubic trust and in view of the hairy situation they now find themselves they should all exit from the rear and do something honest like sell aluminum siding to all these needy prostitutes that, due to no fault of their own, have now been exposed.


I presume that (Lowell - 3/10/2008 5:50:32 PM)
"pubic trust" was a Freudian slip?  If not, nice one! :)


Freudian slip (heywaitaminute - 3/10/2008 6:20:34 PM)
My mistakes were on purpose (I sound like Bush, shoot me now Dick!)


Stuff you can't make up (Chris Guy - 3/10/2008 6:02:44 PM)
Daily Gotham:

Hillary Clinton's unofficial surrogates in New York City have wasted no time trying to smear Barack Obama with the alleged involvement of Eliot Spitzer with a prostitution ring.

Specifically, less than 30 minutes after news of the Governor's alleged involvement with the high-priced Emperor's Club broke on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, I received an e-mail from one of the most persistent Hillary backers in New York.

To wit, "As a reminder that a scandal can always be brewing around the corner -- especially for those politicians who like to project that they are 'above it all' -- see Eliot Spitzer. The hypocrisy is rich."



This is toxic waste for Team Hililary (humanfont - 3/10/2008 8:33:29 PM)
The first thing I thought was what if this happens to Bill.  After all he's the sex addict.


Seriously (aznew - 3/10/2008 8:54:11 PM)
"One of the most persistent Hillary backers in New York?"

Really, if you're going to throw around an allegation like that on a blog, attach a name to the e-mail. Otherwise, it is meaningless.



Here's a name: Geraldine Ferraro (Chris Guy - 3/10/2008 9:24:28 PM)
If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.


Right. (spotter - 3/10/2008 10:18:16 PM)
That's why we have so many black men running the country.  It's so easy for them to get into those positions, what with their unfair advantage and all.  Why, you can hardly swing a cat without hitting six or seven black presidential candidates.

Once again, a new threshold for shameless chutzpah. (Yes, that would be redundant if applied to anyone but Hillary Clinton.)

We need to find out just what Geraldine Ferraro is doing these days and demand that she resign from it, immediately.

Is Hillary Clinton going to reject AND denounce this rancid trash?

Of course, SHE didn't get where she is by being "very lucky," did she?

No, she was absolutely, positively the best qualified person to be the wife of an Arkansas governor and president.



the monster's glass house (j_wyatt - 3/10/2008 9:13:43 PM)
Amazing chutzpah from the Clintonistas -- seeing as how they're advocates of someone who claims to be a feminist champion, yet who has always sided with her misogynistic, two timing husband while reportedly having his various girlfriends investigated and trashed.  

If there's a sex scandal brewing around the corner, it would be Bill -- per David Geffen, who should know, having personally hosted Bill on many of his sojourns in Hollywood.

 



again, Geffen on the Clintons (j_wyatt - 3/10/2008 9:38:33 PM)
"I don't think anybody believes that in the last six years, all of a sudden Bill Clinton has become a different person," Mr. Geffen says, adding that if Republicans are digging up dirt, they'll wait until Hillary's the nominee to use it. "I think they believe she's the easiest to defeat."

She is overproduced and overscripted. "It's not a very big thing to say, 'I made a mistake' on the war, and typical of Hillary Clinton that she can't," Mr. Geffen says. "She's so advised by so many smart advisers who are covering every base. ..."

... Can Obambi stand up to Clinton Inc.? "I hope so," he says, "because that machine is going to be very unpleasant and unattractive and effective."

Once, David Geffen and Bill Clinton were tight as ticks. Mr. Geffen helped raise some $18 million for Bill and slept in the Lincoln Bedroom twice. Bill chilled at Chateau Geffen. Now, the DreamWorks co-chairman calls the former president "a reckless guy" who "gave his enemies a lot of ammunition to hurt him and to distract the country."

They fell out in 2001, when Mr. Clinton gave a pardon to Marc Rich after rebuffing Mr. Geffen's request for one for Leonard Peltier. "Marc Rich getting pardoned? An oil-profiteer expatriate who left the country rather than pay taxes or face justice?" Mr. Geffen says. "Yet another time when the Clintons were unwilling to stand for the things that they genuinely believe in. Everybody in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it's troubling."

http://select.nytimes.com/2007...



So, it's ok for the unofficial Obama surrogates (AnonymousIsAWoman - 3/10/2008 10:15:59 PM)
to push slime and vitriol about Hillary while Obama pretends to be above it all but if an unofficial Hillary surrogate sends an email to a blogger - and the blogger never gave us the name so we can't check it out, that's the gospel truth, right?

Pardon me, but your double standard is showing once again, turning off more would be Obama supporters who are catching on to the tactic.



Please (Ron1 - 3/10/2008 10:35:57 PM)
AIAW, you know this stuff goes on on both sides. dKos and RK have become very pro-Barack (and anti-Hillary, I'll readily admit, sometimes in over-the-top fashion). Head to myDD or TalkLeft or Taylor Marsh or NLS ... well, it's the exact opposite, with vitriol against Barack left and right.

If that's how you want to make your decision on whom you support at this juncture, that's your prerogative. But I'll admit it doesn't make much sense to me to do so.



I agree, we must be the change that we seek (Hugo Estrada - 3/11/2008 12:09:48 AM)
Most of us try to be critical about objective faults and be above the vitrol, but we often get caught into the emotions of it and fail. I am guilty of this myself.

But AIAW does have a very good point: Obama supporters should try to live up to the unity that Obama talks about.

If Civil Rights activists back in the 1950s and 1960s were able to look after people who were violently attacking them, we should look after Hillary supporters.

And for reminding us about this responsibility, I am grateful to AIAW.



Thank you Hugo (AnonymousIsAWoman - 3/11/2008 9:19:49 AM)
And I repeat my pledge that I will not tear down Obama either.  I want unity going into November.  BTW, I do condemn Geraldine Ferraro's remarks unequivocally.  They were not just race baiting.  It was a racist remark.

I do not believe that Ferraro is a racist any more than I believe Samantha Powers is a misogynist.  But just as Powers stepped down, so should Ferraro after making that statement.

I always seem to bite the hand I try to support.  But wrong is wrong, regardless of which side says it.  

God, I hope this thing is over soon.



Meanwhile, back to Spitzer... (Kindler - 3/10/2008 10:32:45 PM)
What I'm wondering about is whether this sting operation by the Bush administration was just generally designed to catch prostitution clients or whether it was specifically aimed at catching Eliot Spitzer.

Granted, a man who has made so many powerful enemies should not have been so incredibly stupid as to fall into this trap.  But in politics, not a whole lot happens just by dumb coincidence.  FBI agents who should be chasing down terrorists, murderers and drug lords were being used for something else here, and I don't think it's because they were hoping to finally put to an end the world's oldest profession.

I smell a rat...



Check out TPM (Ron1 - 3/10/2008 10:38:13 PM)
Via ABC news, they have a pretty convincing explanation as to what happened. There were very large (and perhaps regular, I don't know) money transfers happening from the Governor's bank account, and the bank suspected bribes or fraud of some sort and reported the transactions to the IRS.

It seems rather stupid, boneheaded, and frankly hubristic for a man that made his name taking down big banks and investment houses in the big city to not think that his transactions would be watched.  



But you also have a very good reason to be skeptical (Ron1 - 3/10/2008 10:46:55 PM)
Bush et al have so destroyed the reputation of DoJ by trying to turn it into an arm of the RNC that it's very wise to question how this all went down.

Scott Horton at Harper's (a daily must-read blog, for me) follows your thought process:

http://www.harpers.org/archive...  



Yes, but he did use prostitutes (Hugo Estrada - 3/11/2008 12:12:01 AM)
Frankly, the only person who set Spitzer up in this scenario was Spitzer himself. Politicians should assume that their political enemies will find out everything about them.


I agree (Ron1 - 3/11/2008 1:51:55 AM)
But the Bush DoJ does not get the benefit of the doubt anymore, not one iota -- they have turned this country into a banana republic with their antics in Alabama (and Mississippi), not to mention the US Atty purge. In fact, anything they do ought to immediately arouse suspicion, especially in an election year. The NY State Senate is the only leg left the NY Republican Party has, and that's likely to fall this November, as well.

Still, whoring is whoring, and whoring is illegal. Dude, Eliott, just go to Amsterdam -- you can do whatever in the hell you please over there. Especially if you can afford $5500/hour.

I am constantly amazed at what people in positions of power think they can get away with.