Pained Spitzer Inflicts Pain On His Family

1. The idea of Eliot Spitzer some day running for President Of The United States: it is over. It probably never was there to begin with, but now it is certainly over. But he should not resign.
   
2. Nothing changes the fact that Spitzer is an extremely talented man.
   
3. He had an extremely rough first year. A load of it can be attributed to anti-Semitism. He got more votes than Hillary. But Albany did not respect that.
   
4. It is not easy to be Jewish, and be talented, and be a first, and be a fighter. You can end up alone.
   
5. The personal attack on his father, he took it hard.
   
6. At some level I was always uncomfortable about the fact that Spitzer made his wife quit her career. A job is not just about bringing in the dough to pay the bills. Silda is a wronged woman.
   
7. Minority men tend to be more sexist in family settings. The pain the world inflicts on them, they in turn inflict on their families. That is the psychological explanation, but that is not an excuse.
   
8. It was hard being Eliot Spitzer during his first year in office. And it was hard being his wife. It probably was harder being the wife. It is not easy to not be Jewish and still be able to relate to a man for whom the Holocaust - crime number one in the history of humanity - is heritage.
   
9. He should have sought counseling instead of prostitution. I think his wife would have accompanied him. But it takes guts to seek counseling. Spitzer is gutsy, but maybe not gutsy enough.
   
10. This is a Greek tragedy situation.
    

Spitzer Is Right, Albany Is Wrong
Processing The Holocaust Pain
The Jewish Identity In New York City



Working on my online autobiography has felt like Rambo taking bullets out of his arm digging with his own knife. I have been seeking to be cured. I relate to someone like Spitzer. The scale is not the same at all, but Eliot's first year reminds me of when I became a record breaking student body president at the number one liberal arts college in the South. I had much more dignity as a human being before than after I had just made myself technically the most powerful student on campus. My propensity to compromise was nil, my isolation was total and lasted years. My attitude was, I thought racist people like you were dead and gone, but if you are not dead and gone, time is on my side. You are at the pinnacle of your career, I have not even started yet, and I am already sitting across the table from you. Fuck, you just cost Berea a few buildings.

My heart goes out to Dave Pollak. He will have to be part of the damage control now. Pollak I got to know after I moved to the city. He is the founder of the most amazing political organization in the city: DL21C. He chairs the state party. Spitzer appointed him. In December I sent him a Facebook email saying you are such an "unpolitician politician." I like him personally. I respect his political instincts. And the dude just throws good parties.

When the Monica thing erupted, I was online at the Computer Center at Berea after dinner. I stayed up almost all night trying to get the latest. That hug video I watched so many times.

My first reaction was political. Ken Starr is the reason why this happened. Bill Clinton is not Jewish, but he is from Arkansas. You are not exactly the establishment when you are from Arkansas. Bill Clinton did Monica to protect his wife. He got sick and tired of his wife getting hounded by Starr. That was my political reaction.

But he punished Hillary for a mistake he made, that Hillary strongly advised against. He had the option to not authorize Ken Starr to do the investigations. He authorized him against Hillary's advice and then took him on a tour of the White House. That was naive.

But you can not imagine Hillary doing it to Bill Clinton, you can not imagine Silda doing it to Spitzer. That's what makes it sexist. Jews might have had the Holocaust, but women got Global Trafficking Of Women. Today. Don't get holy on me now.

Plan Of Action

1. Seek serious counseling, wife by the side. It is okay to bring up anti-Semitism during counseling.
   
2. The first year was always going to be hard. That is what happens to activist progressives. You are trying to get a sitting Titanic to move. It is not easy. And it sure takes time.
   
3. Do not resign. Fuck Bruno.
   
4. Pace yourself. You got eight years. Year three and beyond will be much better. You are on schedule to taking the Senate.
   
5. Take extra pride in your Jewish heritage. Secular JFK started going to church every Sunday.
   

In The News

Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring New York Times, United States
NY governor apologises in scandal BBC News, UK
NY Assembly Minority leader says Gov should resign Reuters
New York's Spitzer Apologizes to Public for Conduct (Update2) Bloomberg
Gov. Spitzer apologizes to family, public CNN International
Spitzer Apologizes, Does Not Resign Washington Post, United States
Report: Spitzer Linked to Prostitution Ring WCAX, VT
ELECTION NOTEBOOK Spitzer sex scandal rocks Democrats MarketWatch
NY Gov. Spitzer Tied to Prostitution Bust Smartmoney.com
NY Governor Apologizes After Link to Prostitution Ring People Magazine
Eliot Spitzer: Breathtaking Recklessness? Kansas City Star, MO the crusading New York prosecutor who left no stones unturned tracking down suspected malfeasance, whether it be Wall Street wrongdoing or questionable contracts by a local school board. His resume includes the arrests of persons connected with at least two prostitution rings. ...... breathtaking recklessness on a par with Bill Clinton's White House dalliance.
What’s next for New York Governor Spitzer? Reuters He said nothing about possibly resigning.
New York governor acknowledges wrongdoing Monsters and Critics.com
NY Gov. Spitzer to resign-Fox News Reuters
NY governor Eliot Spitzer 'linked to prostitution' Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom a father of three ..... the ring operated in cities across the United States and in London and Paris, employing more than 50 prostitutes who charged clients fees ranging from US$1,000 to more than US$5,500 per hour. ..... Since his election in November 2006, he has emerged as one of the highest-profile figures on the national stage outside Washington. ..... He combines classic Democrat positions on illegal immigration and same-sex marriage with a tough approach to reforming the state’s governance and New York City’s financial services industry.
Spitzer's path to the governorship of New York Guardian, UK He did not win his cases every time and he made many enemies among the state's financial elite, but Spitzer's populist fervour made him a rising star in the national Democratic party. ..... By the time he polled 69% of the vote in the governor's race against Republican John Faso, US political analysts already had down as a future presidential hopeful. Like fellow Democratic prodigy Barack Obama, Spitzer was an editor of the law review at Harvard University; like former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, he earned crime-fighting credentials by taking on the state's organised crime networks. ..... He displayed a penchant for stubbornness that unnerved even his closest allies, campaigning against legislators from his own party when Democrats voted for a new state comptroller of whom Spitzer did not approve.
New York governor keeps job, despite prostitution link AFP
Spitzer's fall: The prosecutor and the prostitutes Baltimore Sun, United States There is nothing quite like a sex scandal to stop a successful politician in his tracks. ..... the Emperors Club collected more than $1 million in its international prostitution ring, charging $3,100 an hour for a "seven-diamond prostitute.'' For some, two- and three-day rates ran $35,000 and $55,000, federal court filings allege. ...... a ring ranging from Vienna to Miami ... Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, arrested in an airport men’s room, has resisted calls for his resignation. .... Soon, people may becoming a lot more familiar with another name. David Paterson.

Cocoa Tea - Barack Obama
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Women's Unity Day: Event

http://www.thirdwavewomen.org/node/72



Virginia Woolf's London, my New York City.

Hogging The Spotlight

One good thing about Barack and Hillary keeping at it is McCain does not get the national spotlight. This contest is not over.

Women's Unity Day: Event

This is an Obama event. But not solely.

Time: Saturday, March 8 at 7:00 PM
Duration: 3 hours
Host: Keisha Spradley
Location:
Union Square, NYC (New York, NY)
17th & Broadway
New York, NY 10012

There is a scene in the movie, The Hours. The husband says, but it was meant as an act of love. Some of the most racist people at Berea College would use the family metaphor. But we are family.

Simple

The goals are simple. Half the Congress should be female. Half of a company should be female. That is a goal I have for my company. A company that is almost half female at all levels will make more money. That is my bet. You unleash the productivity potentials.

Women do handle group dynamics differently than men. The two have to be tapped for best effects.

Ultimately it is the basic democratic process of voting, and the transactions of making purchases that have to be tapped to attain equality for women.

You work relentlessly to raise the political consciousness level of both men and women.

Relationships and marriages have to be reimagined. They have to become egalitarian. Men have to raise children. I am lucky in that department. I naturally like the company of children. They are more fun than adults.



The workplace has to be reimagined. In a knowledge economy, bodies that bear children are at no disadvantage. As long as the mind keeps chugging, the body can do whatever.



Love

Sexism suffocates the possibility of love. Racism suffocates the possibility of love.

Tom, Nicole

Nicole Kidman was a nobody when Tom Cruise was a huge star. When Nicole Kidman blossomed as a megastar in her own right, her marriage was the price she paid.

When the Clintons ran in 1992, it was still a big deal that a woman will marry and still have a career. What about two mega careers? Is that possible? Two mega careers and a very happy relationship.

Tom Cruise refused to seek counseling with Nicole. Tom Cruise refused to grow with his wife's career growth.

Meryl Streep's Potter Husband

Love is love. U2's Bono also has a high school sweetheart. These two are examples of the possibility of only one mega career inside a marriage.




California, New York

These two big states have lots of career women in them. Gender is a daily reality.



In The News

Clinton Again Raises Running With Obama The Associated Press Clinton on Friday again raised the possibility that she might run with rival Sen. Barack Obama on the same Democratic presidential ticket. ....... Clinton said, "I've had people say, 'Well I wish I could vote for both of you. Well, that might be possible some day. ..... the second time this week that she has hinted at a joint ticket with the Illinois senator; he has not ruled it out ..... Mississippi, where 33 delegates ..... Mississippi's population is 37 percent black. ....... Job losses were widespread: in construction, manufacturing, retailing, financial services and a variety of professional and business services. Those losses swamped gains elsewhere, including education and health care, leisure and hospitality and the government. ..... Wyoming to campaign ahead of its Saturday caucus, another state that her campaign has already said is likely to favor Obama.

McCain now has challenge of staying in public eye Reuters
India is the new Australia The Age
Defeats puncture the Obama bubble CNN International Near-tie may last for weeks or even months of hard and nasty campaigning ...... For now, the fun is over and the fight is on. ....... his extraordinary charisma and expertly run campaign ....... Hillary Clinton's tireless campaigning was probably the key to her victories this week, in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island.
Obama vies to push back, stay positive Boston Globe Clinton has been able to land a few blows ...... "Just remember," he said. "What we've been doing has worked." ...... Clinton, believing that her fusillade against Obama on trade and national security contributed to her campaign-saving wins in Ohio and Texas, has gained a head of steam and shows no signs of letting up. And Obama acknowledges her attacks on him have worked. ....... Obama's past criticisms of Clinton's healthcare plan as an example of a "tough but fair" line of attack ...... Obama's campaign has also begun running a radio ad in Mississippi attacking Clinton for "derogatory" comments she made about the state last fall. "I was shocked when I learned Iowa and Mississippi have never elected a woman governor, senator, or member of Congress," Clinton was quoted as saying in October by The Des Moines Register. "How can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi? That's not the quality, that's not the communitarianism, that's not the openness I see in Iowa." ......... Clinton's advisers believe their tougher line against Obama in Ohio and Texas did work, pointing to exit polls suggesting that late-deciding voters - about a fifth of the electorate in each state - broke for Clinton by wide margins.
Bill Clinton Adopts New Campaign Role The Associated Press Her advisers credit him with boosting her support among rural voters, especially men. He also phones through a list of party "superdelegates" almost daily, urging them to back the former first lady. And he has raised considerable cash for her campaign, both at events with the well-heeled and in online appeals to smaller donors. ..... the former president was headed to Philadelphia for a meeting with city ward bosses Friday. It was then on to Mississippi, whose primary is Tuesday. ...... "How can someone so popular with the base of his party hurt his wife so badly? And how did he underestimate the unique power that a former president has, especially one with his strength and sense of drama?"
Obama advisor quits after calling Clinton a 'monster' AFP
Clinton camp backpedals from Ken Starr-Obama tie Baltimore Sun
Clinton rebuffs calls for re-running of Florida and Michigan primaries Guardian the growing but controversial call for a re-running of primary elections in Florida and Michigan. ...... "There are 1.75m reasons not to do that," Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said, referring to the number of votes cast in her state. "We had the largest turnout in party history." ...... Nelson gave Dnc chairman Howard Dean two choices: seat the delegates already chosen in January, or use the national party's money to pay for another round of voting...... Recent days have seen a growing call for new contests in the two states, in large part because Democrats are uneasy about the prospect of essentially disenfranchising millions of Democratic voters. Florida is likely to be a crucial swing state in November, and the party wants to avoid ill will. ...... He's ahead 1,567 to 1,462. ...... "Let's let all of the voters go again if they are willing to do it," Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday night on MSNBC. ..... The Florida Democratic Party has estimated the cost of a contest there at $25m. ...... at once chastising the states for violating party rules, while indicating they could get away with it. ........ He has welcomed the idea of new contests, but also hinted the states could appeal to a party committee and ask that their delegates be seated according to the results of the January vote. .... The two state parties will have to find the funds to pay for new contests without help from the national party, Dean said.

Obama sets fundraising record Los Angeles Times, USA Barack Obama raised $55 million in February, $20 million more than Hillary Rodham Clinton and a record sum for a single month in any presidential campaign ..... Much of the difference came from the Internet. ..... national Democratic campaign committees were significantly out-raising their Republican counterparts for the first time since the commission started counting amounts raised by party committees. ...... The Democrats' three main committees -- the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee -- raised $191.3 million in the 13-month period from January 2007 to the end of January. ....... she had raised $4 million since the polls closed Tuesday in Ohio and Texas. ...... Obama significantly outspent Clinton in TV advertising in Texas and Ohio but lost both states. ..... Obama received money from 727,972 donors in February, including 385,101 new contributors. To date, Obama has received donations from 1.07 million donors