Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Ambitious first lady watch
For those of you who have been watching the likes of Hillary Clinton, Theresa Heinz Kerry, and Michelle obama, we have an early hint that Silda Wall Spitzer is cut from the same cloth (bold emphasis added):
State government remained paralyzed on Tuesday as Gov. Eliot Spitzer, reeling from revelations that he had been a client of a prostitution ring, was engaged in an intense legal and family debate about whether to resign or, as aides said his wife was urging, to stay on....
Close aides to the governor suggested on Tuesday that the mood in the Spitzer home was tense, with the governor’s wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, recommending that he not step down, but they cautioned that the situation could change at any time.
Seriously? Either Silda is actually unqualified in her love of Eliot, or she has ambition as great as all outdoors. One wonders what the third explanation might be.
In any case, if Silda really is advocating that he stay in office under these circumstances, then I declare myself confirmed in my theory that this story from last summer, in which the governor said that his wife was suffering under the stresses of Albany politics, was disingenuous stagecraft rather than a genuine expression of feeling.
Anyway, I am not picking on Silda -- she has every right to make just about any demand on Eliot right now. I am just noticing that at this stage she must want Eliot to stay in office rather than spend the next five years in marriage counseling because she sees some advantage in it for her or her daughters.
Meanwhile, I need to center myself. Since I believe that an important function of politics in a free country is entertainment (and since I am only a minor New York taxpayer), I also hope that Eliot stays in office. A months-long impeachment fight in Albany complete with revelations of blackmail and "structuring" and hookers with book contracts is exactly what we need to take our mind off the ugly and degrading gang war between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
7 Comments:
By 
Fausta, at
Wed Mar 12, 08:19:00 AM:
I was just posting that she should get her daughters out of the country and spare them this. Of course, she's not going to do that.
By 
, at
Wed Mar 12, 08:37:00 AM:
I enjoy these sideshows as much as the next guy, but let the war of Socialists continue. Maybe everyone will soon be promised a new car by Barry. And I suspect Howie will be able to scream again.
Awesome show.
SEW
By davod, at
Wed Mar 12, 09:21:00 AM:
I read that he was using prostitutes for at least the last ten years. How did he decide which call services to prosecute?
By , at
Wed Mar 12, 11:26:00 AM:
Hoo boy, I wonder if the "decision" to go after certain call services came from someone who had knowledge of his indiscretions.
By jj mollo, at
Wed Mar 12, 01:01:00 PM:
I suspect that she was reconciled to his position as governor and now just wants things to stay the same as much as possible. She also knows that it would be better for him if he could hold on. Think what it's going to be like for her if he quits and is living with shame and defeat for the next few years. Politics is a hard life for the wives. This kind of complete public humiliation is going to be hard on them all no matter what he does.
By , at
Wed Mar 12, 04:11:00 PM:
Spitzer's tough approach to excessive prices may be missed if Hillie is elected president. Who will accuse her of price gougeing when she charges Spitzer ten times the amount for his pardon than Willie charged Marc Rich.
By , at
Fri Mar 14, 05:03:00 PM:
I'm a little late to this one (since Spitzer has already resigned by now) . . . but maybe she is thinking that trying to stay on as governor would cause him MORE pain -- constant criticism, possible impeachment proceedings, etc -- than simply resigning and (as much as possible) retiring from the public eye.
My wife has been quite clear that her response to a similar indiscretion on my part would be resolved with a pair of rusty scissors.
