Eliot Spitzer to Run for Governor of New York
December 7, 2004 9:06 AM   Subscribe

 
The guy really intrigues me, especially when I found out banks are using his name as a verb. TIME Magazine "Crusader of the Year" article here.
posted by malaprohibita at 9:11 AM on December 7, 2004


Wait... you mean he was interested in highr office after all that?
posted by allan at 9:18 AM on December 7, 2004


He should be running for President, but this is a good start.
posted by EmoChild at 9:20 AM on December 7, 2004


"accountability and responsibility" are nice PBS-isms and all, but we flaccid yuppies here in NY love our SUVs too much. spitzer's doomed before he begins.
posted by Lisa S at 9:20 AM on December 7, 2004


He seems like a good guy. New York's government is a disgrace, so I welcome this. George Pataki: a pro-conservation stance doesn't stop you from being one of the worst politicians I can remember.
posted by ParisParamus at 9:21 AM on December 7, 2004


Pataki isn't just a bad politician, he's a do-nothing politician, which is the worst kind. I couldn't believe my state elected such an empty suit in November 1994 (especially following a guy like Cuomo who had such charisma and ideological motivations), and I really can't believe he's still around 10 years later. In fact, Pataki is the first long-serving NY Gov. in some time *not* to be a real force on the national scene, as NY Govs have almost always been (Teddy Roosevelt, Al Smith, FDR, Dewey, Rockefeller, Cuomo, etc.). There's a reason for that, he inspires little in even his most ardent supporters.

Spitzer is a rock-star and seems destined for national prominence, either as a politican or as Attorney General under the next Democratic President.
posted by thirdparty at 9:30 AM on December 7, 2004


A presidential hopeful with a receding hairline? So many implications.
posted by quiet at 9:36 AM on December 7, 2004


The number of people I genuinely think are quality politicians in the two major parties in this country I can count on one hand.

Eliot Spitzer is one of those people.

He doesn't have my vote yet, but he does have my attention.
posted by chicobangs at 9:37 AM on December 7, 2004


Elliot Spitzer is ready, and yes, a rock star. He can help us crawl out from under that dumb rock, Pataki. He's dedicated, loves the city (sorry Lisa S, still lots of non-flaccid, non-yuppies motoring around), is super smart, deep inside, NYers respect him ... Best of all, he will keep a close eye on Rudy and his security-biz biatch, Bernie. Plus, he's hot.
posted by thinkpiece at 9:47 AM on December 7, 2004


Spitzer v. Giuliani? Maybe Rudy will run for the Senate instead now.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:48 AM on December 7, 2004


The Atlantic Monthly had a long article about Spitzer in its October issue:

Eliot Spitzer, the attorney general of New York, has risen to national prominence by emulating Teddy Roosevelt and fearlessly taking on powerful interests. His aggressiveness has made him a lot of enemies—but it may propel him to the governor's mansion and beyond
posted by CKZ at 9:56 AM on December 7, 2004


I do believe I'm going to give that man some money.

Go Eliot!

*prays for a decent democratic nominee to run in Florida in 2006*
posted by contessa at 9:59 AM on December 7, 2004


um. er.

I'm not saying anybody should go there, but it appears his North Country issue page has been...goatse'd.
posted by contessa at 10:00 AM on December 7, 2004


(at least, it was before I refreshed it. that was creepy. I guess it got caught by the webmaster.)
posted by contessa at 10:02 AM on December 7, 2004


Spitzer has done such a good job pissing off Wall Street, it should be interesting to see the moneyed interests stack up against him. And they're going to have to come up with something better than recycled David Brooks drivel, because Spitzer's got some fight in him.
posted by eatitlive at 10:05 AM on December 7, 2004


(I saw it, too, contessa. That'll teach them to have an open photo blog on a campaign website.)
posted by eatitlive at 10:07 AM on December 7, 2004


functional link for Lisa S. though i don't get it.

i just watched most of the Now program on Spitzer and he's an interesting guy. i think i'd rather have him working in the legal arena than as a governor, however.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:19 AM on December 7, 2004


I'm plussed. Finally, the Dems might run somebody worthwhile for governor here. Does anybody even remember who ran against Pataki last time?
posted by fungible at 10:25 AM on December 7, 2004


File under hero.
posted by fatllama at 10:39 AM on December 7, 2004


He has my vote.

I don't fungible, and I'd bet the guy who did doesn't remember either.
posted by tommasz at 10:50 AM on December 7, 2004


fungible: Carl McCall (the former comptroller) under Dem, businessman Tom Gallisano as a third party.
posted by Kellydamnit at 10:51 AM on December 7, 2004


This man really is a hero, as fatllama said. He's taken on some pretty powerful people and won some pretty amazing concessions for the public, all while managing to keep his job and the good graces of the media. Spitzer and Obama are two people to watch over this decade, regardless of your political leanings.
posted by spaghetti at 10:55 AM on December 7, 2004


He's dedicated, loves the city

so... not to be snarky or anything, but do new yorkers realize that there's more to the state than that big city in the southeastern tip? i quite often get the impression that the 89% of the state that is outside of NYC limits is kind of ignored. am i right about this, or just an outsider's perspective?

anyway, the gov. of NY quite often has a good, solid shot at the white house. if this guy is as good as you all say, by all means encourage him to run. we need more people in office who will actually take action.
posted by caution live frogs at 11:03 AM on December 7, 2004


But do new yorkers realize that there's more to the state than that big city in the southeastern tip?
Ummm, as a resident of the city, yeah, I'm pretty aware of whom I'm bankrolling.
posted by DenOfSizer at 11:14 AM on December 7, 2004


anyway, the gov. of NY quite often has a good, solid shot at the white house.

where do you get that idea, exactly?
posted by jpoulos at 11:19 AM on December 7, 2004


do new yorkers realize that there's more to the state than that big city in the southeastern tip?

Actually, there isn't.
posted by jpoulos at 11:20 AM on December 7, 2004


No snark taken, caution live frogs. Yes, we understand that, but we also understand (as does the rest of the state) that we basically foot the bill for everyone else ... state politics are a joke, byzantine and about as old-boy as it gets, and in Albany, yet -- journalists dread the beat. Ever notice how even the NYT hardly writes about state politics, preferring to focus on whatever our petulant mayor's been whining about? Spitzer can rise above that, see and also alter the big picture. Plus, he's hot.
posted by thinkpiece at 11:21 AM on December 7, 2004


Thanks, Kellydamnit. For some reason I had a completely different mental image. Odd, since McCall was fairly well known in the state. Spitzer is also well known, but he's been more of an activist than McCall.
posted by tommasz at 11:47 AM on December 7, 2004


Plus, he's hot.

Agreed. Hubba.
posted by contessa at 11:53 AM on December 7, 2004


i quite often get the impression that the 89% of the state that is outside of NYC limits is kind of ignored.

89%? You must be talking area here.

And yeah, DenOfSizer has it right. We're bankrolling your lazy ass, so I could really care less who you support.
posted by bshort at 11:54 AM on December 7, 2004


And yeah, DenOfSizer has it right. We're bankrolling your lazy ass, so I could really care less who you support.

Way to work together to affect positive change. You should study the county break down and look at the results of the last Presidential election. NY was not too far off from being a red state, and comments like yours will not win anyone over.
posted by a3matrix at 12:44 PM on December 7, 2004


Indeed. A lot of upstate NY is Republican outside of the cities and none too happy to see tax dollars go somewhere else. It's one of the reasons the population isn't growing (but hardly the only one).
posted by tommasz at 12:54 PM on December 7, 2004


Actually, outside NYC, the population is shrinking handily. The implosion of manufacturing has left it a place where most kids go away to college and don't come back.

NY state government may be the most broken, dysfunctional state government in the U.S. And residents are paying some of the highest combined tax burdens in the nation to fuel the circus.

The stage is ripe for a candidate who can credibly claim to offer reforms. We'll see whether Spitzer can sell himself to voters that way.
posted by sacre_bleu at 1:32 PM on December 7, 2004


a3matrix: "NY was not too far off from being a red state"?? Yeah, only 18 points (and 1.2 million votes) away. A real nailbiter.

sacre_bleu: Great points. And if Spitzer can't sell himself that way (and I believe he can), then Tom Suozzi is waiting in the wings.
posted by thirdparty at 1:59 PM on December 7, 2004


Hot? Whaa?
posted by PrinceValium at 3:45 PM on December 7, 2004


Sadly, the rest of the state is dying. Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, Utica and Syracuse are all shadows of their former selves. But you know Eliot is going to know and visit every corner of the state. You'll see him everywhere, and I think he has an oustanding chance to get many people to cross party lines.
I think he'd knock Saint Giuliani on his ass too now that he has become a part of the industry Eliot is cleaning up. Exciting, exciting news!
posted by TomSophieIvy at 8:05 PM on December 7, 2004


A lot of upstate NY is Republican outside of the cities and none too happy to see tax dollars go somewhere else.

???

You realize that NYC is sending billions of dollars in taxes to Albany that gets distributed around to the rest of the state and that the city never sees. I'd love to see NYC (and whoever else wants to come) secede and become the 51st state. We subsidize far too many dysfunctional cites in this state.
posted by bshort at 9:46 PM on December 7, 2004


comments like yours will not win anyone over
Oy.
posted by DenOfSizer at 5:25 PM on December 10, 2004


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