A Woman's View Of The Spitzer Debacle
It has been some time since I posted something here. I believe the last time readers read anything I wrote, aside from our regular column at Common Conservative was over Christmas Break last year. I do apologize for that, however law school -- especially my first year in law school -- is no easy task. Additionally, I did take the advice of other law students to limit my "work" this year to school only. Thomas agreed. The only reason I am posting now is because it is Spring Break. While I have enjoyed the unwinding that was needed, I felt an urge today to weigh in on the self-imposed plight of former New York governor Eliot Spitzer.
Many pundits, both columnists anbd bloggers, have weighed in on this affair. I, however, have not, and it is not due to me not having an idea about it. It has more to do with the fact that I wanted to hear what people were saying, and how this was being described.
I would like to begin by chastising the MSM for claiming this incident is some sort of "tragedy." In my humble opinion, it is not such. A tragedy, aside from the Shakespearean or Greek sort, implies that a great loss has occurred. To be blunt, Governor Spitzer being forced to resign over this scandal is hardly a tragedy. The man was not liked by a great many people, and I believe his rise to the governorship was due to name recognition more than his prosecutorial endeavors. The bad news is that many are reporting that incoming governor David Paterson is said to be more liberal than Mr. Spitzer. That remains to be seen, and judgment should be withheld until the man has a chance to get his feet on the ground.
Additionally, to those claiming this is a victimless crime, please be quiet. You have no idea what you are talking about. As my husband noted this morning, the victim involved here is Mrs. Spitzer, and his three daughters. They were lied to and deceived by him, and I seriously doubt that the kiss-and-make-up/group hug session is going to come anytime soon. Given that the news reports say he has been doing this for over a decade, I sincerely doubt that Mrs. Spitzer will be entertaining any thoughts aside from divorce. I can honestly say that if this occurred between Thomas and I -- if he ever went outside of this marriage -- we may be able to reconcile, but it would take some time, and it would be out of the question if the transgression was more than once. While I do love him greatly, a consistent departure of the vows of marriage shows disrespect for the institution of marriage itself, and I find that completely unforgivable.
To those who claim that the federal investigators had no right to "follow the money, and investigate his private life, again, be quiet. The federal investigators were tipped off by the banks that an unusual amount of activity was going on financially, and investigators have stated that it looked as though he might have been being blackmailed. A perfectly legitimate assumption, given the amount of money in question. It turned out that it was was not blackmail at all, but rather him funding his own lascivious desires. While many will say that this is a private matter, vis-a-vis Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky, I contend that this goes deeper than that. As a former prosecutor, he went after individuals like those that he chose to lay with. It goes directly to his integrity as a public official. If he cannot be trusted to maintain fidelity in his marriage, how can he be trusted to carry out the duties of his office honestly, and with the utmost integrity? In fact, he was unable to.
As to his apology, I cannot accept it. Thomas was quite right this morning in noting that those that apologuze for crimes they commit, or misdeeds in their personal lives, are only penitent or compunctious because they were caught. Governor Spitzer believed he could continue to carry out these trysts without being caught. When he was, he trotted his wife out on the public stage with him, effectively dragging her into his own private Hell. That, in and of itself, sickens me. It presents an image that they are working things out, and as it stands right now, in news reports today, she cannot look at him, and even when she does it is apparent she is sickened by his very sight.
All in all, this is his own affair to deal with. Plenty of people will beat on him over it because there is a form of sadistic glee in going after a man with no scruples, or even a conscience, when it comes to his fellow man. I agree with Thomas that this could not have happened to a "nicer" person. But it underscores the simple fact that this man, who claimed to be a champion against corruption, himself became corrupt in his own right.
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." -- Lord Acton
Marcie
Many pundits, both columnists anbd bloggers, have weighed in on this affair. I, however, have not, and it is not due to me not having an idea about it. It has more to do with the fact that I wanted to hear what people were saying, and how this was being described.
I would like to begin by chastising the MSM for claiming this incident is some sort of "tragedy." In my humble opinion, it is not such. A tragedy, aside from the Shakespearean or Greek sort, implies that a great loss has occurred. To be blunt, Governor Spitzer being forced to resign over this scandal is hardly a tragedy. The man was not liked by a great many people, and I believe his rise to the governorship was due to name recognition more than his prosecutorial endeavors. The bad news is that many are reporting that incoming governor David Paterson is said to be more liberal than Mr. Spitzer. That remains to be seen, and judgment should be withheld until the man has a chance to get his feet on the ground.
Additionally, to those claiming this is a victimless crime, please be quiet. You have no idea what you are talking about. As my husband noted this morning, the victim involved here is Mrs. Spitzer, and his three daughters. They were lied to and deceived by him, and I seriously doubt that the kiss-and-make-up/group hug session is going to come anytime soon. Given that the news reports say he has been doing this for over a decade, I sincerely doubt that Mrs. Spitzer will be entertaining any thoughts aside from divorce. I can honestly say that if this occurred between Thomas and I -- if he ever went outside of this marriage -- we may be able to reconcile, but it would take some time, and it would be out of the question if the transgression was more than once. While I do love him greatly, a consistent departure of the vows of marriage shows disrespect for the institution of marriage itself, and I find that completely unforgivable.
To those who claim that the federal investigators had no right to "follow the money, and investigate his private life, again, be quiet. The federal investigators were tipped off by the banks that an unusual amount of activity was going on financially, and investigators have stated that it looked as though he might have been being blackmailed. A perfectly legitimate assumption, given the amount of money in question. It turned out that it was was not blackmail at all, but rather him funding his own lascivious desires. While many will say that this is a private matter, vis-a-vis Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky, I contend that this goes deeper than that. As a former prosecutor, he went after individuals like those that he chose to lay with. It goes directly to his integrity as a public official. If he cannot be trusted to maintain fidelity in his marriage, how can he be trusted to carry out the duties of his office honestly, and with the utmost integrity? In fact, he was unable to.
As to his apology, I cannot accept it. Thomas was quite right this morning in noting that those that apologuze for crimes they commit, or misdeeds in their personal lives, are only penitent or compunctious because they were caught. Governor Spitzer believed he could continue to carry out these trysts without being caught. When he was, he trotted his wife out on the public stage with him, effectively dragging her into his own private Hell. That, in and of itself, sickens me. It presents an image that they are working things out, and as it stands right now, in news reports today, she cannot look at him, and even when she does it is apparent she is sickened by his very sight.
All in all, this is his own affair to deal with. Plenty of people will beat on him over it because there is a form of sadistic glee in going after a man with no scruples, or even a conscience, when it comes to his fellow man. I agree with Thomas that this could not have happened to a "nicer" person. But it underscores the simple fact that this man, who claimed to be a champion against corruption, himself became corrupt in his own right.
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." -- Lord Acton
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 6:48 PM
1 Comments:
Tell his wife, daughters and parents that his fall is not a Greek tradegy.
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