On “Politically directed dragnet snared New York Governor Spitzer”
Mr. Van Auken:
Excellent analysis and call on this incredibly seamy development. My very first impression, upon reading of this scandal in the mainstream press, was that it was indeed a political “hit.” For whatever his faults, Mr. Spitzer has “crossed” this foul US administration and its cronies in the past, and payback certainly seemed the motivation for such a sordid, massively irrelevant, and clearly ruinous revelation by our corrupt Feds.
Superb piece! You elucidated the arguments for this conclusion with remarkable finesse. But then, you typically occupy a position of esteem in my mind for delivering the highest level of journalistic quality, both at WSWS and in general.
Bravo!
Sincerely,
JMF
12 March 2008
* * *Dear Mr. Van Auken,
This is to thank you and your colleagues at wsws.org for your outstanding work. Any one of wsws.org’s articles has more meaning and contains more intelligent insights than the all the hollow, vapid, superficial, sycophantic, bought-and-paid-for mainstream media coverage combined! I recommend wsws.org articles to all my friends and associates.
In solidarity,
TF
12 March 2008
* * *This was an excellent article, very astute. Thank you for your insight.
SG
Crofton, Maryland, USA
12 March 2008
* * *Greetings:
Thank you once again for taking the time to provide such a comprehensive discussion about an important current issue. While I believe that it is plausible that Mr. Spitzer was set up by the Bush administration and its allies in big business (to retaliate and vindicate against Mr. Spitzer’s past persecution of crimes on Wall Street) I feel strongly that there are other issues at work in this situation worth considering and discussing.
First, the fact is that not all of these sex scandals involve the same issues. For one thing, the Bill Clinton cases often involved him literally sexually harassing other women who he chased around his office and on two occasions he was having full-blown affairs with (Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky). On the other hand, Senator Craig had tried to solicit sex from a public bathroom! I was ready to forgive Mr. Spitzer for his use of a sex worker whom he allegedly paid thousands for sexual acts until I learned that she was a young woman of only 22 years who had had the stereotypical “hooker” past of abuse, homelessness and drug use, etc.
The WSWS can write a good story about how the only commodity that we are being left with in the US with which we can bargain for our daily livelihood is sex. Male chauvinism which is sanctioned by free-market economy that bestows all rights and privileges on white heterosexual males with money is predicated on female oppression. And the sexual relationship between the two genders will be perverted as a result. Sex as a commodity is big business in the United States and around the world and the ways that females and males too are used and abused in this economy is downright outrageous. The problem is the system of capitalism that forces people to relate in unequal ways.
MNP
Eugene, Oregon, USA
13 March 2008
* * *I do not think he has done anything wrong, in comparison to the murder the Republicans rally behind. How do we know the personal issues with him? He may be having sexual difficulties with his wife, and really who does it harm? Being a wife is more than someone to just have sex with. I know men need to be loyal, but we don’t know the reasons for the sexual appetite. It can be quite overwhelming, and so we seek to embarrass people publicly because of it; is wrong. It is none of anyone else’s business. It has nothing to do with their jobs, or security of the state or nation.
This sex hunting needs to stop. Really the entire government body should be chastised, because pornography is so rampant on the Internet and nobody says a word about that. In fact I consider the Internet worse than an actual act, because of the availability of so many photos. It is a sickness. Also they were wiretapping him, and spying on him. This is an invasion of privacy, and this needs to stop.
Sexual infidelity is not worse than lying to go to war, and killing people. In fact it is the opposite. Here we impeach for sex but elect for murder. That is totally unacceptable and insane. We should support the governor and also mention that it would be highly unlikely for a woman governor or president to be caught in a sex scandal. So why the continued woman discrimination in politics, especially in this year’s presidential election?
DJ
12 March 2008
* * *It is possible, if not probable, that something else is going on. It is hard to imagine what any one person could do to earn $5,500 an hour in our rapidly shrinking economy. Rather it would seem that something far more lucrative, or even justifiable, was going on.
Also, wouldn’t it be just as likely that such a sex ring would be patronized by other politicos of either stripe, and Spitzer was not alone in keeping the Mayflower afloat? Then again, if Spitzer, or client No. 9, did meet with a prostitute, so what? What does it prove other than that we are again being numbed to death with the same tired routine trotted out by a compliant media and an unreliable administration besotted with family values?
A more probable scenario is that Spitzer’s deserved or undeserved tongue lashing and ruined career is the result of fear—the likelihood that he might be tapped for some future significant post, or even a vice presidency.
KL
Chatham, New York, USA
12 March 2008
On “New York Governor Eliot Spitzer forced to resign in sex scandal”
Your article is yet another reason why I find scanning WSWS probitable. You’ve shown how “class warfare” is fought in the USA. Mr. Spitzer, a wealthy lawyer, decided to build a career as a politician. He found that becoming a champion of the people by exposing Wall Street greed was his path to power. He exposed Wall Street’s excesses and prostitution rings, which often catered to the uber-rich. Mr. Spitzer became a hated man on Wall Street but a folk hero. Mr. Spitzer was driven from power when agents of the wealthy exposed Mr. Spitzer’s use of high-priced prostitutes. Wall Street has taken its revenge on Mr. Spitzer. The former folk hero has been exposed as a pathetic John. The moral of this is don’t mess with Wall Street. Wall Street will get you if you mess with it.
LL
13 March 2008