As we watch Eliot Spitzer skulk off into the sunset, we bid him a not so fond farewell and prepare to turn a new page. Monday (or sooner), we’ll turn our attention to incoming governor David Paterson.
But before we move on, here’s one last bit of Spitzerrific humor, courtesy of commenter E5:
Hilarious!
A few random morning-after thoughts on the Spitzer scandal:
As hinted at in yesterday’s post, I bought champagne for everyone at last night’s Manhattan Libertarian Party meeting to celebrate the downfall of The Sherriff of Wall Street. Really cheap champagne. You probably shouldn’t expect much from a $15 bottle of Russian bubbly, but it was even worse than it sounds. Especially since it was preceded and followed by pints of Guinness.
My schadenfreude over Client 9’s demise is tempered by the realization that soon-to-be Governor David Paterson will be no picnic. Granted, Paterson is not the bully that Spitzer is (Sonny Barger isn’t the bully that Spitzer is), but he’s more likely to be Sheldon Silver’s lapdog. At least Eliot offered some very modest resistance to our state legislatures wild spending and tax hike schemes. Paterson can be expected to roll over and give Silver and Bruno everything they want.
The New York Times has an excellent roundup of all the Spitzer jokes from the late-night comedians. David Letterman was truly inspired:
“Do you think it’s too soon to be hitting on Mrs. Eliot Spitzer?” David Letterman asked his New York audience on CBS. And then he was on a roll:
“The new scandal here in New York City, just breaking a couple of hours ago – Eliot Spitzer apparently involved in some kind of prostitution activities. You know what that means — hookers. And right about now, Spitzer is huddling with his advisers to develop a drinking problem.
“Did you happen to see the press conference? Very dramatic. Eliot Spitzer was there. He had yellow crime scene tape draped around his pants – crazy.
“Here’s what happened. It was one of those sting deals and they caught Spitzer – Governor Spitzer — with a wire soliciting a prostitute. I’m thinking, ‘Holy cow, we can’t get Bin Laden … but we got Spitzer. We got Spitzer!’ He apparently paid her an extra 100 bucks not to call him ‘Spitzer!’
“But here’s the lesson, ladies and gentlemen: This is why I always wear a fake mustache and pay cash. It’s the only way to go, if you’re going to get in trouble.
“The thinking now is that the governor may step down now to spend less time with his family.
“He’s caught now soliciting a hooker, but thank God, on the bright side, it did not involve an airport men’s room.”
Later, Mr. Letterman featured a Top 10 list of Eliot Spitzer Excuses:
10. “Oh come on, like you were never involved in a prostitution ring.”
9. “Hookers is fun.”
8. “Just trying to help the economy.”
7. “Have you ever been to Albany?”
6. “It’s part of my new MTV prank show, ‘Spitz’d.’”
5. “Haven’t been myself since Roy Scheider died.”
4. “Uh, tainted beef?”
3. “Whether it’s a hooker or your wife, you’re always paying for – you married fellas know what I’m talking about.”
2. “Wanted to be known as the Charlie Sheen of politics.”
1. “I thought Bill Clinton legalized this years ago.”
Eliot Spitzer caught with his pants down! I love it!! Expect the man who shall forever after be known as Client 9 to resign shortly.
That he was a patron of a prostitution ring with a name like The Emperors Club VIP makes it even more fitting. These guys really do think of themselves as emperors and the rest of us as serfs, above the laws they use to oppress the masses.
As attorney general, Spitzer prosecuted at least two prosecution rings — callously ruining dozens of lives over the quintessential victimless crime. Now he reaps what he sowed.
It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Be sure to come to the Manhattan Libertarian Party meeting tonight — the champagne is sure to be flowing!
As the Democratic presidential race descends to new depths of personal negativity and John McCain disintegrates, the cause of human liberty has emerged as the clear winner in the 2008 presidential race.
A little over a year ago few people had ever heard of Ron Paul, there were no Ron Paul meet up groups. Rudy Giuliani was a shoo-in to win the Republican nomination and probably the presidency. The Republican Party was firmly in the hands of the big government neo-cons and the Libertarian party was as usual pondering its naval.
Cultural change has to happen before political change and as Avery Knapp, leader of New York City’s Ron Paul meet-up puts it “ collectivism won the 20th century”.
What a difference a year makes! Today pretty much everyone, whether they like him or not, knows who Ron Paul is. Twenty-somethings debate non-interventionist foreign policy, the gold standard and elimination of the Fed and the IRS. By the way they don’t debate “whether” on these issues, they debate “how”.
Of course that debate hasn’t made it through the thick skulls of the vast majority of major party candidates yet or even a majority of voters. But no one is dismissing the Ron Paul Revolution anymore either.
Let’s look at a few areas where the Ron Paul Revolution won resounding victories. The internet is considered by many to be the campaign tool of the future and the Ron Paul Revolution buries the competition with 106,000 meet-up group members, in over 1500 meetups. Mike Huckabee is a distant second with 19,000 members and 496 groups. But let’s look at what those meetups are doing. Ron Paul meetups are 10 times more active than Huckabee’s and account for about 90% of all presidential meetup activities.
Candidate Members Groups meetup events
Ron Paul 106,000 1500 37,000
Mike Huckabee 19,000 496 3,600
Barak Obama 7,000 105 1,000
Hillary Clinton 1,800 36 334
John McCain 36 1 0
Source: http://www.meetup.com/topics/polact/cand/pres/
How about fund-raising? Of course the party of big money, the Democrats, have their fangs much deeper into corporate America. Clinton and Obama have each raised about $140 million primarily from people connected to financial institutions and law firms. McCain gets his money from people in similar industries and firms but he has only raised about $50 million.
Compared to the big money crowd Ron Paul, having raised about $32 million, might not look like much. But as Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney know, money can’t always by you love. And when an unknown guy who ”had no chance” raises nearly as much as the winner of the Republican nomination you have to ask yourself where it all came from. It turns out that the guy who wants to bring the troops home from everywhere, and leave health care to the free market gets much of his money from people in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Health Care.
It’s also worth mentioning that “budget-balancer” John McCain has about $5.2 million cash on hand and about $5.5 million in debt. You do the math. Is that how he’d run the country? In contrast “crazy” Ron Paul has about $6 million cash on hand and 0 debt. What? Zero debt? Excuse me – I’ll have what he’s having.
Sources: http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/moneyweb.asp?cycle=2008
What’s wrong with this picture?
The democrats are busy spewing venom.
The big government Republican nominee has more debt than money and his army consists of a professional campaign staff. The sitting Republican President is a world-class bozo with record low approval ratings and the neo-cons are in disarray.
On the other hand, the Ron Paul Revolution is flush with cash and bursting with young, energized, committed volunteers who are busy right now expanding their grass-roots decentralized, free market network. They are preparing for phase 2: running Freedom Movement candidates, raising awareness and educating the public as to why Human Liberty works better for everyone, and taking action to change outcomes in DC, State Houses and City Halls.
As Arlo Guthrie said if “50 people a day do it they call it a movement.” This one goes by a few names, the Freedom Movement or perhaps the Second American Revolution and it’s happening now, right before your eyes. Everyone doesn’t agree on everything. That’s the beauty of the free market. But we share a belief in Human Liberty as the best way to improve the human condition.
The majority of the Ron Paul army is Republican or “libertarian-republican” but there is a significant minority of “libertarian-democrats” as well. It also includes some members of the Conservative Party and Constitution Party. We also share critical principles with social liberals.
Major party approval ratings dwindle and the Ron Paul army has declared it’s intention to save the Republican Party, to turn it away from Bush, neo-cons, big spending and war and back to principles of freedom and small government. Meanwhile, Libertarian Party membership is up 25%. Freedom Movement candidates are starting to build their campaign teams with veterans of the Ron Paul primaries.
People are talking about non-intervention, sound money, free markets and all the other thinsg that go along with Human Liberty.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Nothing is wrong with it.
Ron Paul wins, and so does the human race.
My friend Mark Axinn, an elder statesman of the Manhattan Libertarian Party, often boasts that his first presidential vote was for George McGovern back in 1972. And apparently with good reason. I don’t think McGovern was really all that libertarian back then, except for the anti-war thing, but his guest editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal is indistinguishable from anything that might be published by Cato or FEE. He makes a principled yet pragrmatic free-market case for subprime mortgages, interstate sales of health insurance, payday loans and other bogeymen of the left:
Why do we think we are helping adult consumers by taking away their options? We don’t take away cars because we don’t like some people speeding. We allow state lotteries despite knowing some people are betting their grocery money. Everyone is exposed to economic risks of some kind. But we don’t operate mindlessly in trying to smooth out every theoretical wrinkle in life.
The nature of freedom of choice is that some people will misuse their responsibility and hurt themselves in the process. We should do our best to educate them, but without diminishing choice for everyone else.
Excellent stuff. Simply wonderful.
Our state legislators have been belly-aching for a raise for awhile now, and they’ll probably give themselves one before current session ends. The poor dears have to get by on a mere $90,000 on average for a whopping 63 days of work each year. They also get an additional $154 per diem when they are in session, plus generous pension and inusrance plans. And almost all of them have outside employment.
Nevermind that the state is looking at a $4.4 billion deficit this year. These folks need a raise bad. Sheldon Silver is seeking around a 20% increase, and Eliot Spitzer says he’s inclined to go along.
Here’s a breakdown of the legislature’s workload for February (via NYPIRG and Albany Watch):
Assembly
Total time in session: 15 hours, 3 minutes
Total bills passed: 149*
Average time spent debating each bill: 6 minutes, 4 seconds
Total session days: 8**Senate
Total time in session: 4 hours, 16 minutes
Total bills passed: 101
Average time spent debating each bill: 2 minutes, 32 seconds*
Total session days: 9*This does not factor in session time spent passing resolutions, introducing constituents in the audience, confirming appointments, or tending to other miscellaneous business. The actual time spent debating each bill is significantly lower.
**The Assembly did not convene on Super Tuesday, which is why they have one less session day than the Senate.
I suppose we should count our blessings. They could be up there spending our money and passing dumb laws full-time.
We’re surrounded by idiots. Apparently 69% of New Yorkers believe it is likely that parts of New York City will need to be abandoned because of rising sea levels over the next 50 years.
What’s going on here? Is there a full moon? Two of my most favorite New York politicians to despise actually came out with positions that I agree with!
First Congressman Anythony Weiner said the FBI and Congress should give it a rest already on whether Roger Clemens lied about HGH use.
“I do believe that public embarrassment is a sanction. The real consequences are a loss of revenue from endorsements and a loss of respect in the eyes of the fans. It may be that Roger Clemens’ entry into the Hall of Fame is in question. It may be that future employers won’t have an interest in his services.”
As Weiner views the role of the federal government, that should be enough.
That should be enough? Limit the federal government’s role?! Okay, buddy, what have you done with the real Anthony Weiner.
Second, the loathsome Dr. Thomas Frieden, NYC Health Commissioner — the instigator of the smoking ban and the trans-fat ban — actually came out with a pro-freedom proposal. He wants to change state law to allow pharmacists to give flu shots, just like they already can in 47 other states. Currently only doctors and nurses are permitted to give flu vaccines. According to Frieden, expanding access to the vaccine would save lives. Imagine that — greater freedom benefiting mankind.
I’m going back to bed before I read that Charles Barron thinks maybe some white folks aren’t so bad after all.
