NY governor Spitzer reportedly admits involvement in prostitution ring

WTF?

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.

Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He is set to make an announcement about 2:15 this afternoon at his Manhattan office.

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

I imagine this will cause levels on schadenfreude on the Right similar to those experienced on the Left over the Larry Craig incident.

UPDATE: As governor, Spitzer is a superdelegate, and he has endorsed Hillary. So has Lieutenant Governor David Paterson -- and he, too, is a superdelegate, not because of his elected position but because he's a DNC member. So if Spitzer were to resign and lose his superdelegate status, and Paterson were to replace him as governor, there would be one less superdelegate from New York State, and one less vote for Clinton. Just saying! :)

Comments

[Joe Mama]

Didn't see that one coming.

[Dave]

Is there any such thing as a political darwin award?

[Joe Mama]

Was it a male or female prostitution ring? Figures the NYTimes would miss all the important dets . . .

[Marty West]

David Patterson is also legally blind. He will also be the first African American Governor in New York history.

[B. Minich]

Joe: I think the Times is having enough trouble keeping their website up to worry about clarifying small details. ;)

[4-7]

It has been well known for quite some time that Spitzer was as shady or more shady than the corporate neerdowells he promised to tame. This is absolutely NO surprise.

[yea]

spitzer is an idiot and is setting the new york democratic party back a decade. somehow hes managed to follow up patacki and look bad, something few thought was possible.

[4-7]

Democrats should have known better. This guy is the quintessential daddy's boy who easily gets into trouble but the public knows as the cream of the elite crop. Hillary was an absolute fool if she put in with him, especially given the news stories surrounding him the last two years - police misuse, bad real estate deals, and all the other dirty laundry that we never hear about but Hillary no doubt has access to.

[yea]

to be fair, hillary had no choice. spitzer was a rising star in ny politics and it would be stupid for hillary to make an enemy of him or blow him off. just bad luck for people associated with him. spitzer let a lot of people down, myself included.

[Trisha]

"I imagine this will cause levels on schadenfreude on the Right similar to those experienced on the Left over the Larry Craig incident."

As a new NY state resident and a Conservative, I take NO pleasure what-so-ever in his misfortune. I feel extremely sorry and sad for his wife of 21 years and their 3 daughters because they are the ones who will really suffer.

I have read of his speculated resignation, but I have yet to see any Dems demand it, as they did for Larry Craig. Is this because the democratic party stands for nothing, thus not having to hold themselves accountable for immorality within their own party?

I expect that his party will exhault him and ask him to run for President, now.

[David K.]

Uhh, the story broke today and already we have complaints that the Dems aren't demanding his resignation? Why don't you wait a few HOURS to see what happens, maybe even a day or two, shocking concept i know.

[Mike's brother Matt]

I take great pleasure in this story, not because of Spitzer being a Democrat, but because he was a thug who treated the state AG's office as his club to selectively prosecute Wall Street firms according to his own personal vendettas against particular firms. Him going down in flames will kill the lurking fear of him ever ending up in the Cabinet and making Ashcroft look sane by comparison.

[Trisha]

David, I was simply making a point. No one waited when it was Larry Craig, but I suppose we should allow the dems the courtesy that they don't allow others, huh?

[JT]

Most of the shadenfreude from the left when the right has a sex scandel comes from the perception of hypocracy. The conservatives are supposed to be the godfearing keepers of morality, preventing us from being subjected to nipples on tv and gay marriage. The left takes pleasure when people get caught doing things that are worse than the relatively benign consensual extramarital straight sex that us heathens are having(or in my case wish I was having). When self proclaimed conservative moral leaders get caught doing meth with gay hookers while condemning monogamous gay relationships the left no doubt takes pleasure because it pokes holes in the concept that pushing homosexuals back into the closet is healthy.
Spitzer is a hypocrit because he took on prostitution while being a user of the service. However, it's not the same kind of hypocracy that creates the lust for shadenfreude unless you think prostitution should be legal.

[Sandy Underpants]

Isn't Larry Craig still in office? I know he never resigned.

JT pretty much hit it on the head. Republicans embarrass themselves with what they say, and then embarrass themselves again by participating in the activities they condemn (e.g. all of them).

[kcatnd]

David, I was simply making a point. No one waited when it was Larry Craig, but I suppose we should allow the dems the courtesy that they don't allow others, huh?

Give me a break, Trisha.

[Aaron]

To follow up on JT's point... Trisha, who are the Democrats who demanded Craig resign? Let's have some names.

[Andrew]

I take great pleasure in this story, not because of Spitzer being a Democrat, but because he was a thug who treated the state AG's office as his club to selectively prosecute Wall Street firms according to his own personal vendettas against particular firms.

I second that.

spitzer was a rising star in ny politics....

Spitzer's star rose because of his incredibly thuggish tactics and the gift that was known as Enron, which opened the door for a populist, Wall Street-bashing crusader to go after every corporate biggie and crush their nuts because of the sins of a few. Good riddance!

[kcatnd]

It has been well known for quite some time that Spitzer was as shady or more shady than the corporate neerdowells he promised to tame. This is absolutely NO surprise.

You should have tipped off the press, 4-7!

[4-7]

I don't get your comment, kitty. Are you just not informed of simmering scandals or are you dubious ? Defending Spitzer ?

Yeah, I tried to call the NYT news desk and report that Spitzer was "shady" but they already knew that and asked me to call back when I had hard evidence.

[Alasdair]

4-7 - "hard evidence" - they required a photograph or video ? Sounds more like the National Equirer !