Eliot Spitzer Sex Scandal

Well, well, well...another politician involved in a sex scandal, a a fairly significant one at that. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, and a supposed champion on crime and immoral conduct, has now been linked to a high-cost prostitution ring in the Washington area. True, not all the facts have come out, but my goodness, Spitzer has a press conference yesterday, the day the news broke and admitted that he has done something in his personal life that violates his family vows and shames him to his constituents. Geez, I wonder what it is? I'm pretty sure he wasn't caught shoplifting.

Several people were arrested who is linked with this ring, and in the subsequent reports, Spitzer was positively identified as "client number 9", who met with a particular short, brunette prostitute that charges in the thousands of dollars per hour. He allegedly requested unusual sex acts and was bold enough to meet her at a Washington hotel, less than a month ago for their rendezvous.

The news coverage has once again shown that people are morons for putting certain people on pedestals. I've written about this before, so I won't rehash it, but this goes to show you that almost anyone who purports to be living an exemplary outward life has something to hide. I have always believed this. In this case, Spitzer was considered a person who as attorney general of New York state, had a track record of fighting prostitution rings, drugs, the mob, etc. The fact that he has been caught soliciting the services of a young prostitute shows the real hypocrisy in these elected officials who seem to live squeaky clean lives. In talking with my wife about this case, she suggested that it always seems to be these types who have something to hide, and I think this is nothing new - in the Bible, Jesus had His most stern condemnation for the religious leaders of His day (Pharisees) who similarly projected a outwardly stellar lifestyle, but inside were rotten to the core.

Of course, Republicans and some sensible Democrats are calling for Spitzer's resignation. No doubt, this will be forthcoming, since this now has criminal implications as well (of course, I believed that Bill Clinton should have resigned or have been thrown out, but the generally liberal political establishment back in 1998/99 did not have the balls to do the right thing and give him the boot. That, of course, set a bad precedent for dismissing moral character flaws in those we elect. Larry Craig, the Idaho senator who last year was embroiled in his own scandal (remember the wide stance toilet seat foot touching in a public washroom?), seems to have weathered it, more or less. But in this case, Spitzer has no choice but to resign; not only has he let down his state in his abhorent conduct, but he can potentially be convicted of a criminal offence. Hardly the resume you want your elected officials to have.

I often wonder, on the other hand, whether we collectively as a society put too much pressure on these guys in public office to perform to a certain standard. Maybe we do. These guys are always wearing suits and ties and always are expected to say the "right" things and when they don't, we and the media criticize them. Perhaps this drives these folks into a secret life where such things happen. Ultimately, though, people like this should take the responsibility and evaluate their own weaknesses and shortcomings before they enter into public office. A smooth talking guy (or gal) hardly is indicative of a upstanding private life. I think we need to place more value on substance and character, rather than focus on words, style, and presentation. But as is so often the case in today's world, people seem to have an idealized and romanticized version of others - perhaps it is in the hope that maybe just once, this elected official will be different. Unfortunately, what they fail to take into account is the fact that people are essentially the same everywhere.