From Prosecutor to Prosecuted
It’s with a heavy heart that I say that disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer must resign. Recent allegations that he was ‘Client 9’ to high-dollar prostitution service Emperors Club VIP irreparably sullen the image that Spitzer had worked his entire career to cultivate: Mr. Clean, the noble knight riding in on the white steed and saving the day. In an instant, he transformed himself from prosecutor to prosecuted.
Too often people look for the “silver bullet,” but that gun is only shooting blanks now. You cannot talk your way out of what you acted your way into. There is no “spin strategy” that removes the blot of hypocrisy and arrogance, the two sins Americans will not forgive.
What happens next is that the paparazzi, print and broadcast media, and the blogosphere go on the warpath to find out who this woman is, where their dalliances occurred and how often, and every other sordid detail–preferably with pictures, and of course, the alleged audio tape. Who is Kristen? What does the room 871 inside Washington’s Mayflower Hotel look like? Where does Mr. Spitzer find the time to govern? And don’t forget how this investigation got started–with the FBI looking into the financial end of things and where the money came from to pay for services rendered. This time Little Red Ridding Hood caught the wolf and she is not letting go.
Traditionally in these situations, those on the defense look for allies who are willing to stand up for them, but how many friends does the Governor have left? The NY Times’ DealBook said it best with their headline that quotes a Wall Street trader, “There is a God….”
Precisely because of the persona he created, Governor Spitzer has lost the moral authority to govern. Another politician or a chief executive who didn’t make his bones on being the ‘nation’s attorney general‘ , beyond reproach, might survive this. His very brand is to purse criminals–how does he govern if he himself might soon be indicted?
If Governor Spitzer times his resignation, he still has something to trade to avoid a possible criminal indictment. Journalists will look elsewhere for targets, the Democrats can hope that this is forgotten before the November national election, and the Governor can leave with some sense of pride intact– “I failed to live up to the standards I set up for myself ” –and begin to rebuild his life. Prolonging this agony isn’t good for anybody.
Sometimes the best “spin” is no spin at all. Just a hard dose of truth and sacrifice.
