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.
Nothing changes the fact that Spitzer is an extremely talented man.
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.
It is not easy to be Jewish, and be talented, and be a first, and be a fighter. You can end up alone.
The personal attack on his father, he took it hard.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Seek serious counseling, wife by the side. It is okay to bring up anti-Semitism during counseling.
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.
Do not resign. Fuck Bruno.
Pace yourself. You got eight years. Year three and beyond will be much better. You are on schedule to taking the Senate.
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.
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 eyeReuters 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 positiveBoston 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 RoleThe 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 tieBaltimore 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
DL21C's Political Author series continues with Dr. Doug Schoen Author, Declaring Independence:The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party System Founding Partner, Penn, Schoen & Berland and former pollster for President Bill Clinton and Mayor Michael Bloomberg books available for purchase and signing on-site
I pledge not to engage in any kind of partisan political action at the event.
I pledge not to incite others to show up for the event.
I pledge to show up on time, and to leave after the event is over, or after half the people have left and there are no more interesting people to talk to.
I pledge to take an extra hard look at any door I might try to open and that I might not just keep my head high and miss any fire alarm that usually are placed half way down, because by the time you realize you set off a fire alarm without meaning to, it might be too late.
I pledge not to ask any question of the speaker unless I am really, really compelled to. I pledge not to ask any question that might even be remotely suggestive of the current, ongoing Barack-Hillary battle. I was not allowed to ask Terry McAuliffe a question. (Terry McAuliffe: E=mc^2) I took the lesson to heart. I did not ask Mark Penn a question, and it was not even a DL21C event. (Mark Penn At Strand) You can ask him to confirm. I was in the front row, it is not like I would not have got the opportunity to ask. On his part he offered not to talk about the current campaign.
In October 2007, I got told I was already a member of DL21C. It must be because I must have paid enough money for a membership, one event at a time. Does that membership go by calendar year, or does it last until October 2008? I pledge to retain, or acquire membership, or just go ahead and pay the one event fee, whichever is asked of me.
I pledge not to drink more than one beer, if that. That would be my usual self.
I hereby reveal to DL21C what the rest of the world already knows. I have always liked Hillary. I like her today. I have liked her through all stages of the current campaign.
I also reveal that I have never, never at any point had any interest in gunning for the top DL21C position. One, my political style is 2.0. DL21C leadership is a heavily 5.0 position. I have feared if I venture too much into 5.0 I might become less good at 2.0. But I have offered to bring the two together for the benefit of the organization. But I realize unless the organization makes the democratic choice to do so, it will not happen, and I respect that. Two, I have always thought extremely highly of the DL21C leader. She is a future President of the United States. I think she should keep the DL21C leadership position all the way to becoming president. I am like a 5.0 scientist, she is like a 5.0 engineer. But it is a mixed bag and we wear both hats, but overall she is better at 5.0, and that gap will likely always remain. She is better than me at 5.0, and I am better than her at 2.0. If I were given the DL21C leadership position, I would not know what to do with it.
I share that I have never been opposed to becoming a DL21C member, it is just that saving maybe 20 dollars a year just did not appeal, and I kind of liked the act of paying up on entrance. I liked the ritual.
I share that I have never been opposed to becoming active with the DL21C, it is just that I did not get the impression DL21C intended to do anything more than what it was already doing, and what it was already doing, it was doing very well, my participation would not have made the output any better. In fact, since it was purely into event planning, I had to stay away because I have no interest in event planning. But I am very interested in the Women's Revolution Committee in a non-leadership position as long as the committee agrees to go into 2.0. And to go into 2.0 is to become a leaderless, non-hierarchical organization. You are looking at cloud group dynamics, not pyramid group dynamics. (Looking For 10 Ninja Women) Overall I have zero interest in DL21C event planning, except that I think all its events should be videoblogged. But I have enormous interests in its committees, as long as they all go 2.0. Minus 2.0, the organization is not race-neutral enough for me. Not efficient, intense enough, not scalable enough.
Coat check is not a problem.
The idea primarily is to experience the event.
Liz coveted her political space next to Kristina Hoke, Dan covets his political space next to Elizabeth Caputo. If I am not interested in the number one position, why would I be interested in the number two position? I don't compete with Dan and Liz politically, I compete with Eliot Spitzer: Madhesi Movement Victory In Nepal. A bone surgeon is not also a heart surgeon. My political style is 2.0. It works for me. Towards the end of the Louisiana Senator event, Dan asked me aside and basically started yelling at me. I don't remember all he said, but one was, stop, I guess as in don't email Caputo. But one thing he said loud and clear was "Don't you threaten me!" The dude at that point was yelling. Berger went entrepreneurial. Caputo has been pushing the fiction that the fire alarm went off because she said "You are already a member!"
Kristina and Liz once shared with me how after Kristina got elected MYD leader, quite a few guys stopped cooperating, a few actively tried to mess things up. I was honored that they would feel comfortable enough to share that with me. I don't struggle with the idea of a woman leader of an organization, actually I like it greatly. I might have made some unfair comments to Cohen at DFNYC as if to say, get out of the way of these two women. But in the case of Caputo, it has not just been about a woman leader. Man or woman, she is just an amazing, fantastic political talent, and I have always felt that way. She is big league.
I felt the shock tremor of Benazir's death. Before that Caputo felt the shock tremor of Bobby's election. Bobby is the next wave of Republican leadership. I admire Caputo's instincts for her reaction. I don't begrudge it. It is one of those things that makes me feel she is big league like I thought she was.
She is one year older to me, I think, something like that.
I think about deaths on a daily basis as a political , Third World guy, deaths to stupid violence, petty disease. A third of the women in India get beat by their husbands, many routinely. When you meet a random Indian guy, you got to ask, are you a Mr. 35%? That would be a legitimate question. Half the women who get murdered in this world get murdered by their boyfriends and husbands. Every third or fourth woman will get raped at some point in her life. My mind soars with the plight of the Third World people, I would be surprised if Caputo's mind does not soar with the plight of women worldwide.
But there is another angle. I have been to all parts of this city. On foot, and not just during daytime. When I walked from Little Bangladesh south of Prospect Park to Jackson Heights, I got there at midnight. I have walked from Times Square to Little Bangladesh after midnight a few times. Granted if you have my skin color and you are casually dressed and possibly have had a bad hair day, you are probably the one who is scaring people. But my point is this is overall a safe city. I never heard a gun shot during my numerous walks. You go to these events in Manhattan and it is so obvious most of these people take get pride in never, never venturing out of Manhattan. I find that weird. Don't you get curious sometimes? So when there were people keeping a safe distance of 20 feet from me at the Holiday party, and that included people I thought I had talked to a few times, and perhaps knew, I am like, you don't know me. This is your rotten value system that is getting the better of you. There is this thing called taking positive pride in your heritage, but there are many people who think to be racist is to be white. That includes some Nepalis I know who will go on to say the most racist things about black people.
If you feel uncomfy discussing race and gender, in my book you are not a progressive.
Gender fascinates me the way the Milky Way might fascinate some astronomer. I am not in it to do women a favor any more than Sam Walton was out to do his customers a favor. Women will vote. Group dynamics is my thing and there are few things in group dynamics as fascinating as gender. The race gender coalition idea is secondary to that positive, mind-blowing fascination. (The Need For A Race Gender Coalition)
Amazon.com: Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of ...and is currently helping New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg weigh his options as a potential independent candidate .... the next election will be decided by the 35-40 percent of the electorate fed up with "partisanship and the extremist wings of either party," a group Schoen calls "Restless and Anxious Moderates." ...... the rising importance of the internet and the 24-hour news cycle ..... While a third-party candidate might not win in 2008, Schoen shows, he would provide-as Perot did-an important role in shaping the political agenda, invigorating debates and encouraging consensus between the two major parties. ....... Independent voters now constitute the largest segment of the American electorate. ...... We are a nation of political moderates who want smart, workable solutions to our serious problems. Powell's Books - Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End ...
Granted I am a Third World guy, but I have never carried a gun in my life. I am nonviolent as a cockroach. I am not some random, suspicious looking, shabbily dressed, funky shoes wearing, by himself in the corner, having a bad hair day, outer borough guy. All the top people who run all the top political organizations in Manhattan know me, and most have some respect for my political acumen. I am fairly social, and normal. I would like to believe I have pleasant manners.
The first act of hostility was after Bobby became Governor of Louisiana, but Bobby is Bloomberg, I am Spitzer. We are from two very different political persuasions. Caputo once called me a republican from stage, though not exactly by name. She is one of the most avid readers of my blog (another is Barack Obama). Of all people she should know I am a progressive. But I will give you I am a corporate progressive, I have an ambitious tech startup.
Caputo is from Indiana, but it is my firm conviction and observation she is an extremely open minded person on all issues of diversity upto and including the disabled and the stem cell research people. So there is no race angle to my curiosity. I am an Asian living in an Asian century.
Thank you and much appreciated. Maybe you will make it possible for me to get into DL21C events all over again.
PS. Please tell the Governor I am a huge fan of his. I am from a very different country, so I am not too rehearsed on the issues, but I am all into the Spitzer action. Every time he gets into a fight, he makes my day, win or lose.
Last I checked, there were a billion women in India.
Bobby, now, is that a British name?
Bobby is not a Hindu. Or does that not matter no more in 21st century India?
Bobby might have won a few elections in French Louisiana, but he never instigated a French Revolution.
Could Bobby point out Bihar on a map? If not, I am offended.
Four Moods: Texas Debate Watch Party
Let's have a conversation. That was gentle and inviting.
Then the mood changed. I don't like you, never did. Why are you looking at the floor? If you liked me, you would look at me.
Dan is not here, I am saying this to you myself. As in, so you are saying I needed crutches to speak? Third time is the charm? Minus two guys. Then minus one guy. Am I supposed to be honored?
Inviting. You have been blogging for a year and a half. For me? Then change again. If you are not talking to feel safe, I am also taking precautions. So you like me for my political acumen?
Gesture: I have my coat on. Sorry you got offended by the compulsory coat check. I am in solidarity.
Dozen Or More Layers: Texas Returns
Black security guard. "The event has not started yet." 7:15. Me: "Okay, I will be back in 10 minutes. When does it start? 7:30?" "Hold on, hold on. There is this woman." He gets on radio. I am in motion to walk away like, okay. Caputo flashes like on a screen like she was coming down then she flashes back, as if to walk back, not to come. Out walks the same white guard who was there at the Holiday party. The black dude looks puzzled. I walk away. I was already in motion after the not started yet part, I never stopped.
I guess one black, one white, that balances it out. That makes it race neutral.
Or, if you got offended by the compulsory coat check by a white guard, do you like it better when a black guard is about to beckon the woman to you? Is that how it works?
Or even at the Holiday party, the first part was another party where you were not even allowed, but the white guard actually liked you and let you in. Like Justin Krebs liked you on day one.
That part before an event starts is when you talk if you want to talk.
Dan and Mike are not men who do what I can't. I am not some pushed aside woman. I am in charge. I ask them to do. Just like these two men.
If I had my way, you would not have been at the Holiday party, but Pollak let you in. What after the fire alarm? You scared so many white people all at once.
You have put me, Berger and Pollak into tight spots. We all have Hillary fan bosses. Do you not understand? What does crash the party mean? You think you got Obama freaks? I got Lord and Manor.
She just is not into you.
There are many parties in town? Why this one?
We don't think you should be on TV. We got NY1.
If you had not walked away, I would have talked. I mirrored your motion.
You should have been here at 6:30. Then "The event has not started yet" would have made sense. Dan Berger changed the time of the event "DL21C's Super Tuesday Party - Part II". 11:16am, March 4.
