So Far, No Good

NY Governor Elliot Spitzer, one of my favorite politicians, has come under fire for some shady dealings by his close aides. For full disclosure's sake, I worked (briefly) on Spitzer's campaign for governor after graduating college, and I admire his toughness, zeal, and willingness to fight the big boys.

Governor Spitzer was elected in a landslide last fall (you're welcome), and went to Albany promising to change a culture of corruption and back-room dealing. He made typical big promises, but because of his record as NY's attorney general, and the mandate of his 40- point victory, I really thought he could deliver.

While there's still plenty of time and promise left in the Spitzer administration, his first seven months in office have been more about a very public rivalry with state senate majority leader Joe Bruno (R), than about policy. Now, a new report from Spitzer's replacement (and political ally), AG Andrew Cuomo, states that Spitzer's aides obtained information about Bruno's use of state police under false pretenses, and used it to run politically damaging stories. If that's not bad enough, the subsequent investigation found Bruno's use of police was entirely proper.

The governor is damaged, and his agenda held up. This loss of mojo has led Republicans to hint that they may want to re-examine the recent deal on campaign finance reform. What's worse is that New York's problems sit unaddressed as the media and politicians concentrate on this dirty, but comparatively meaningless, issue.

The link for the article is here.

On a lighter note, I'll be doing another casting couch post later tonight... don't you just love those?