Thoughts on Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson

Lieutenant Governor David Paterson was sworn in as Governor of New York this morning after Eliot Spitzer’s resignation, announced last week, became official. How will a Paterson administration affect New York? Will he be a strong leader, or will he just go to work day after day until the next gubernatorial election comes around?

 

The one good thing that I see coming out of Governor Paterson at the moment is that he is not Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer was a downright embarrassment. The first mistake he made was offering drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrants’. Apparently owning a drivers’ license was a right, not a privilege as I was raised to believe. New York senator Hillary Clinton supported/did not support his efforts. The proposition eventually failed. Secondly, he illegally used state police to monitor the State Senate Leader, a Republican. His third mistake came when word got out about his connections to a “high class” prostitution ring. The second I read about it, I knew he had to resign immediately, or else the Assembly would try their damnedest to impeach him.

 

Thankfully, after the Republicans in the Assembly did threaten to move on with impeachment, Spitzer resigned, thus ending 14 months of disastrous leadership. I can’t tell you how happy I was when he stepped up to the podium – with his wife by his side – and announced his resignation. I knew that New York could finally move on.

 

But to what New York will be moving on to, I do not know. What Governor Paterson needs to do is disassociate himself from Spitzer as soon as possible. He needs to convince the skeptics (like myself) that his administration will be a Paterson administration, not a continuation of the Spitzer administration. Will he do it? Time will tell.

 

If Paterson decides that he will just diddle around until the next gubernatorial election, which takes place in 2010, then I am certain that he will not be elected in his own right. This is especially true if New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg were to run. Bloomberg is limited to two terms as mayor; his second will be completed in 2009. Polls in mid-2007 showed that Bloomberg would have defeated Spitzer in 2010. If Paterson turns out to be a failure like his predecessor, then I can only imagine how handily Bloomberg will defeat him.

Reviews

[J. Marc]

I am not a New Yorker but as I have read your story, I cannot help making a few comments. How surprising that all these Spitzer stories came on the public place (that is, for the whole world to know!!!) at this time: aren't political parties supposed to check the background and potential behaviour of their candidates before throwing them to the lions and the public of the political arena?

Have read your "story" a couple of time but did not make the connection with "Socialist". Where should we link the story and this adjective? Anyway, thank you for sharing your thought with us in this forum and good luck for your readership!

[Ashley Campbell]

At first I thought about not reading it, but since this is a rather popular topic I thought "hey, what the heck?" In my honest opinion; you would make a great public speakers. This was actually quite entertaining to read. As for my person thoughts on the subject, I believe Paterson will do the best he can. I myself am legally blind in one eye and can hardly see out of the other, so if he's anything like me, he'll strive to show New York(and the country for that matter) that he can do the job as Governor well. If the man believes the way Spitzer did/does, I believe that's what he'll continue to do. Heh, he's probably just as stubborn as I am, but only time will tell...

This was definitely worth reading, and I most certainly love the passion within your words. As Haden said, "you're giving yourself away as a New Yorker". It's nice to have a little loyalty:)

Keep up the most influential writing.
~Silver Wolf

[Haden]

nice write - you're giving yourself away as a New Yorker. :) Spitzer will have at least one claim to fame - i found his picture
in my Webster's under the word "hypocrite". I guess they were wrong when they said that there was no such
thing as bad publicity. Bet he's kicking himself for burning all those bridges on Wall Street!

[THE BLACK SEAL]

interesting and educational to your view

[Azizi- - !!]

o-o Wow, powerful. I like it.