The Fall Of Governor Eliot Spitzer And The Republicans’ Hypocrisy

By Chukwudi Nwokoye Esq.

Upper Marlboro , Maryland , USA

“Let us preach what we practice. But let us also practice what we preach”-Winston Churchill

Eliot Spitzer, who until a few days ago, was the governor of the Big Apple state, shot himself in the foot. He epitomized the double-life of politicians, preaching and doing one thing in public and doing entirely different thing in private.

It is no longer news that Eliot Spitzer “was involved” with a call girl over a period of time while he was the attorney general and up to the time he was governor of New York . Many politicians as history revealed were involved in one scandal or the other, sexually or otherwise. All tragic characters have that flaws that almost always bring them down from grace. It is always disheartening to see a promising candidate get involved in a very reckless scandal that would later consume him.

But the former governor’s fall from grace did not come because he admitted having a prolonged affair with prostitutes. His political demise was as a result of his double standard. His reputation during his years as attorney general was that of “Mr. Clean”. He carried out a public crusade against corporate crime and insider trading. He was an over-zealous prosecutor that goes after all kind of powerful people in the Wall Street. He was also accused of destroying even innocent people. He made lots of enemies including even his fellow democrats who would have fought for him in his time of despair. However, quite ironically, what sealed his fate was that he led two high profile prosecutions of prostitution rings. It was he who helped to increase the penalty for prostitution from 3 months to 1 year. So when the scandal broke, people including his fanatical supporters saw the hypocrisy as indefensible. He, just like King Saul, fell on his own sword.

The former governor’s woes have not even ended. He remained under investigation for a possible violation of Mann Act, which prohibits interstate travel “for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery” or for other “immoral purposes”. He could also face money laundering and conspiracy charges. He could lose his license to practice law because under New York law, lawyers convicted of felonies in the state court are automatically debarred.

Politically, former Gov. Spitzer is history. He has been a rising star in the Democratic Party. He was elected in November 2006 with 69 per cent of the vote, which is quite unprecedented in a New York governorship race. Some democrats have started mulling a possible presidential run in the future, as he has a chance of a lifetime to be the first Jewish president of the United States of America . So having squandered this opportunity, I would say that his fall was as strong as his rise. His involvement in sex scandal was like the proverbial kiss between the gun powder and the fire-whenever they kiss, they are consumed.

But all these are not the purpose of this article. My main purpose is to highlight as usual, the Republican Party hypocrisy. Both democrats and republicans condemned in strong terms the conduct of the governor, which action to me is despicable for any public official. But the republicans are always those with that “holier than thou” attitude which quite ironically was what destroyed Mr. Spitzer. The democrats did not shout “hosanna” for the governor’s conduct, but republicans were ready to, as usual, shout “crucify him”. The republicans were very gleeful as to the calamity that befell the man and his family. They were set to start an impeachment proceeding against him and gave him 48 hours to resign.

But where was the outrage when the then Republican House Representative from Florida , Mark Foley, was discovered to have propositioned male pages in Congress, no republican called for his resignation. Mark Foley resigned on his own after lots of pressure from his constituents and the general public, and after he knew that his political career was over. Even republicans including the then House Speaker, J. Dennis Hastert knew of Mark Foley’s escapades with young pages, but looked the other way.

Where was the outrage when Deborah Jeane Palfrey, called “D.C. Madam” whose extensive prostitution client list included republican Randall L. Tobias, who abruptly resigned as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development?

Where was the outrage when the same client list contained the name of a Louisiana Republican Senator, David Ritter, who shamelessly remained on the job and refused to resign? To this day, there has been no investigation and no calls from the so-called holier-than-thou republicans for him to resign. By the way, nobody as yet knows who and who among the elected official are included in the list. I guarantee you that if the list contains all democrats, by now, the list would have been opened to the public and a call for resignation by the republicans would be renting the air.

Where was the outrage and call for resignation when republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty of lesser charge of disorderly conduct after he was busted proposition for sex from an under-cover male police officer? Senator Craig continued to maintain that he was innocent and that he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct to make the issue “go away”. He refused to resign from the senate insisting on serving out his senate term thereby making the republicans to keep his seat. Senator Craig has been accused by some male prostitutes of having extra-marital affairs with them. Larry Craig maintained his homo-sexual conduct even as he was shouting to the high heavens how despicable Bill Clinton was during Monica-gate, and how the former president was a “bad boy”.

What of Colorado Springs Pastor Ted Haggard, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and a strong supporter of the republicans who paid for sex with gay prostitutes? I did not see they outrage for him to resign as president of the mega-church. Even though he resigned on his own, the republicans’ action was just to distance themselves from him.

How about Newt Gingrich, who was the former House Speaker and former President Bill Clinton’s tormentor-in-chief during the Monica-gate? It should be remembered that the same time he was calling for Bill Clinton’s resignation, Newt Gingrich kept a mistress whom he fathered some kids with unbeknownst to his wife. He has since apologized and admitted to the wrong-doing only because it was revealed to the public.

How about former New York Mayor, and former republican presidential candidate, Rudi Giuliani; who openly kept a mistress even when his marriage was still subsisting? Many republicans urged him on, in their desperate quest to win the presidency by all means and at all cost.

The list can go on and on and on. No sexual misconduct by our elected official is more serious than the other. All have “sinned” and have come short of our expectations and of the glory of God. We should judge every one of them by the same standard. If the standard is for them to resign whatever post they are occupying, this standard should be applicable to both democratic and republican public officials. Sex scandals are not impeachable offenses or “high crimes and misdemeanors” only for democrats.

Further more, I found it amazing that American society is mostly obsessed with sex scandals over and above any other scandals. Even lots of issues that affect the daily lives of average people are relegated to the background. Where was the outrage during Katrina disaster? Where was the outrage when the Bush Administration misled the world and rushed America into war in Iraq that has cost thousands of human life and limbs, and has cost the taxpayers billions of dollars?

I have not seen the outrage by the republicans when the veterans of the Iraqi war return home to face shameful neglect, with no health insurance. Some lost their houses, lost their limbs, some lost their minds, lost their marriages, face harsh economic conditions at home, and some in the reserve lost their jobs etc…where is the outrage.

I have not seen the outrage about tax cuts for the wealthy and a squeezing economic condition for the middle class; with the price of gasoline approaching $4.00 per gallon and the mortgage industry is crashing under the Bush economy? How about the dwindling dollar against the major foreign currencies; and the monumental US debts and rising budget deficits?

In conclusion, it is sad that the people would not make the republicans accountable for leading this great nation into abyss and for taking cheat shots at democrats when they are equally as guilty.

*Chukwudi Nwokoye Esq., is a former United States Marine and a member of the Disabled American Veterans.

nwokoyeac@hotmail.com

Robot  # 1 | 19.03.2008 23:02

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