New York Governor Resigns amid Ethics Scandal
Mar 17th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsWorld press speculates on the meaning behind moral blunder
NEW YORK
The resignation of New York governor Eliot Spitzer following revelations that he patronized a high-priced prostitution ring ignited conversation, debate, and acrimony over the ethics implications of the jaw-dropping turn of events.
Among the angles taken by the national and world press:
- From London, the Economist notes that the revelation about Spitzer stood in sharp contrast to the fact that he rose to prominence as an attorney general known for “holding New York’s powerful financiers to the highest of ethical standards.” In an analysis, the Economist notes, “It was this image that convinced voters to elect Mr. Spitzer as governor of New York in 2006 with a sweeping mandate to clean up state affairs. He promised to battle corruption and to usher in a new era of ethical standards. The exposure of his hypocrisy is all the more poignant given that he busted at least two prostitution rings during his time as attorney general.”
- From Mumbai, India, the Economic Times, theorizing that the “ethical tightrope” of U.S. politics “has its origins, in part, in America’s puritanical heritage,” researches the hard numbers behind public sex scandals. After consulting the Chicago-based consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the Economic Times reports that in the past 30 years, U.S. politics has been rocked by at least 50 major sex scandals, and no less than 60 corporate CEOs have been forced to resign over ethics issues related to their private lives in 2007.
- UPI reports that even before Spitzer was felled by the scandal, most Americans did not put state governors on a high ethics pedestal. In 2006, the Gallup polling organization found that just 22 percent of Americans said they held governors in “high esteem” for their moral character, compared to 26 percent who characterized governors’ ethics as “mediocre.” A spokesman for Gallup told UPI that the Spitzer scandal likely would further erode the reputation of state governors.
- In an analysis titled “Was Spitzer Doomed to Fail?” TIME magazine opines that “like many scolds, Spitzer seemed to believe his burning pursuit of right justified any personal failings — his boorishness, the overweening use of his offices and, one presumes, his philandering. ‘I think he felt he was totally invulnerable and could do whatever he wanted and there would be no consequences,’ says Ed Koch, a former New York City mayor who considers himself a friend of Spitzer’s.”
- In the days after the initial revelation, various New York media began a drumbeat for Spitzer’s resignation. In an editorial, the New York Daily News writes, “Eliot Spitzer brought his once-promising governorship to a crashing end with a display of recklessness and hypocrisy of such magnitude that you had to question his sanity. Three words to the man: Just get out. Spitzer’s patronage of a high-priced prostitution service drained what was left of his moral authority….”
Sources: Economist, Mar. 13 — UPI, Mar. 13 — Economic Times, Mar. 13 — TIME, Mar. 13 — Newsday, Mar. 11 — New York Daily News, Mar. 11.
For more information, see:
Related Newsline commentary, Mar. 17 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 4, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 16, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Aug. 1, 2005 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 11, 2005 — Related Newsline story, Feb. 7, 2005.
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