The Just-Ass Department
Have you heard, kids? Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York got his dinky stinky with some high-priced hookers. Let’s get the giggling and snickering out of the way.
Original DVD cover.
Now for my little rant. No, it’s not about wives who stand my their men or any of that nonsense, because, as far as I am concerned, what goes on in people’s personal lives and marriages is their own business. So what do those poster have to do with what I am going to say? Nothing. But movie posters are fun to make. My real rant–make that 2 rants–are about the hypocrisy of the Republican party and the Justice Department.
David Vitter. Where were the calls for him to resign when he had his little hooker problem? The New York Republicans have threatened to impeach Spitzer if he doesn’t resign, but there was no hew and cry for Vitter to resign.
As to the Justice Department–first of all, don’t they have anything more pressing to investigate than a prostitution ring? The Chimpy administration has been screwing us for over 7 years without a marriage license, and you can’t get the Justice Department to enforce a friggin’ subpoena against anyone who ever worked for Chimpy or Deadeye Dick!
Is this another Rovian attack on a Democratic governor? Don Siegelman anyone? The Republicans are suffering at the ballot box. Is arresting all Democrats one by one their new strategery for getting back the majority?
There have been reports that the Justice Department will not press criminal charges against Spitzer if he steps down as Governor. 
Since when can someone avoid criminal prosecution by agreeing to quit his job? Is this the new role of the Justice Department–to force Democratic politicians to resign?
Then there’s this, courtesy of Jane Hamsher from Firedoglake:
Why did Mike Bloomberg suddenly start talking about running for governor recently? And why did he give $500,000 to [majority leader of the New York State Senate] Joe Bruno? He’s good buddies with Mike Mukasey. What did he know and how did he know it?
Well, that’s enough thinking for me for one day. Thinking makes my nose bleed.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
A pair of posters! Double the fun! Thank you, nonnie.
I’m going to say some things that are probably going to be unpopular here because I’m not very progressive about the meaning of marriage and other long-term relationships.
I don’t want to focus on the Stepford wives, but… I can’t imagine what possesses them to “stand by their men.” If they’re trying to hold on to some of their dignity, why don’t they REACT? SOMEHOW? Or, explain that they have an open marriage? Or, just skip the press conference altogether? In other words, why don’t they act like normal human beings? What message are they sending to our children? I don’t get it…
As for Spitzer’s “pecker-dillo,” it’s awfully difficult for me to be objective. I have a hard-nosed attitude about adulterers - all of them - famous or not, male or female, straight or gay. In my book, open relationships are fine if both parties agree, but cheating is not. Once might be a boo-boo, but repeated cheating pushes my personal morality buttons. So, although I absolutely believe that this was a set-up (as opposed to how Craig was caught), I don’t have much sympathy for Spitzer, either.
And, sorry, but I do think people who choose to be leaders, choose to be famous, choose to be idols, choose to be newsworthy should be held to a higher standard. And, I do believe that cheating says a lot about a person and it does impact my faith in their leadership style and abilities. I believe that politicians should accept and honor that responsibility to the public or go home, just as I believe that chronic adulterers should fix their marriages or end them.
I’m not talking about cameras in politicians’ (or anyone’s) bedrooms, but they should not cry foul when they are exposed because they behave not only badly, but indiscreetly. Spitzer and the rest don’t just hurt their families. They harm their elected offices, their parties, their supporters, their constituents, as well as their country and her children.
I think Spitzer should have resigned and so should have Craig and Vitter. And, don’t even get me started on Rudy’s behavior! Or Clinton’s for that matter…
OK. let’s hear it…
March 13th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
i think that every relationship is complex, and every marriage is different. i neither applaud nor condemn anyone who chooses to stand by their man or their woman, for that matter. it’s none of my business what they do or what kind of deals they work out as far as their marriages go. i think personal lives should be off the table. i don’t give a damn what religion someone is, how often they go to church, how their marriages are, or if their kids are drinking. what matters to me are their actions in carrying out their public duties. leaders in other countries have affairs and they don’t hide it. it is only in puritanical america that we have these ridiculous litmus tests that we think people need to pass in order to do a particular job. are we electing popes? let’s face it, we don’t ever really know the truth as to what goes on behind closed doors in anyone else’s marriages or families. we only know what the public relations spinners tell us and what the press might accidentally trip upon. even when the press knows something, it is then a matter of whether the reporter and/or editor happens to like the particular politician or not. is character important? yes. but only so far as how they do their job. would you not go to a surgeon who is the best in his field if you found out he was cheating on his wife? what does his cheating on his wife have to do with his surgical skills?
you may find this odd, but i don’t think vitter or craig should have resigned because of what they did. i dislike both of them, because i think they are bigoted hypocritical assholes and because i don’t like their stands on the issues. however, what they did has nothing to do with their jobs. the same thing with spitzer, unless it comes out that he was using state funds for his little jaunts with the hookers.
i am not saying that politicians should never be forced to resign when they are found to have done illegal acts. however, i am saying that there are illegal acts and there are illegal acts. where do we draw the line? do we impeach someone for jaywalking? parking in a no-parking zone? how about parking in a handicap space without a decal? don’t they show disregard for the law? and how about soliciting a prostitute? who got hurt besides mrs. spitzer? there were only consenting adults involved. mrs. s is free to divorce him and take everything he owns. i don’t think it is anyone else’s business.
do i think that politicians (or anyone else) should be reckless? no. but i recognize that people who put themselves out there to do extraordinary things are often risk takers. should their talent be left to rot just because they are imperfect people? if someone has a gift to run a country, get the economy back on its feet, help the poor, get healthcare for everyone, and do all the other things that we need done, should s/he be discarded because s/he did something in her/his personal life that we don’t agree with?