Eliot Spitzer's Downfall

Taylor Marsh makes a point about the sadness of seeing Eliot Spitzer, the former governor of New York, being a pundit on CNN:

At a time when Democrats need financial sheriffs, because Pres. Obama and the Democratic elites aren’t up to it, it’s infuriating Mr. Spitzer’s still benched.

Doesn’t anyone understand or remember this man saw the financial crisis coming, as well as the fundamental reasons it was about to occur, before anyone else? Not only that, but he was actually doing something about it before it hit.

In France he’d be made a hero, with his sexual proclivities ignored, his fighting instinct to go after Republican Fat Cats hailed.

In America, the disgraced “sheriff of Wall Street,” at a time when we could use someone with balls, is relegated to the punditocracy.

If he was a Republican he would have not only stayed in office, but the legislators would have supported him. Instead, because of his bull in a brothel styling, his colleagues in New York bailed on him.

Sacrificing Eliot

As Taylor notes, Spitzer is something of a jerk. He didn't have a lot of friends in politics, nor generally. He was guilty of something that was both illegal, and somewhat hypocritical given his own past campaigns against prostitution. Nevertheless, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that Taylor's right about how the Democrats continually abandon their own.

ACORN did nothing wrong, yet Democrats in Congress felt the need to pass what amounted to a bill of attainder against them, an act extraordinary for both its cowardice and inattention to the Constitution.

Van Jones did nothing wrong, yet the Obama Administration panicked and abandoned him the moment the usual crowd of right wing loudmouths started making the usual stupid noises.

Shirley Sherrod did nothing wrong, yet the Obama Administration couldn't fire her fast enough when a known liar made an accusation against her.

Dawn Johnsen did nothing wrong, yet the Democrats abandoned her as well, rather than return to a constitutional government. They had no qualms about keeping her on a string for more than a year, though, when they had no intention of nominating her.

It's not the first time I've made the observation that the Democrats' tendency to abandon their friends when those friends need them is a prescription for disaster. Yet I continue to be amazed at that crowd of fools who will either imply or state outright that I must support and vote for these cowardly assclowns. Politicians who won't even do what's right when it's in their interests don't deserve anyone's support. They only deserve contempt.

The Democrats richly earned their demise this fall, not only by lacking the courage to do what's right, but by not being smart enough to understand the obvious consequences of their actions.