New at Reason

Tim Cavanaugh | August 28, 2006

David Weigel takes a most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, condemnational, regulational look at the man who will be governor of the Empire State.

Comments

|8.28.06 @ 3:12AM|#

It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country

quite possibly the best idea ever...so we can hope to see complete failers such as pre-Katrina New Orleans implode gloriously so everyone can recognize the mind numbing stupidity of leftist statism and avoid it....

oh wait

|8.28.06 @ 3:14AM|#

Reason is quoting the Muppet Show now?

|8.28.06 @ 9:23AM|#

Remember when the spread of 401Ks was going to turn everyone into Republicans, because "Wall Street" would now be "everyone?" Ken Lay, a guy in the physical plant department at Enron HQ who was partially paid in options - we're all "the investor class" now, right?

As it turns out, the interests of ordinary stock holders isn't precisely the same as the interest of stock analysts/fund managers, brokerage houses, and CEOs.

Acting on this insight is why The Empire States is about to become The Eliot State.

|8.28.06 @ 9:28AM|#

But Joe,

He hounded innocent people and abused his position as a attorney general. Do you really think it is okay for the chief agent of law enforcment of a state to be a populist demogoge more intent on self promotion than justice as long as he is picking on people you don't like? Further, do you think that it is far for a run amoke attorney general to do things that amount to defacto regulation nationwide?

|8.28.06 @ 10:27AM|#

Acting on this insight is why The Empire States is about to become The Eliot State.

Actually, it's more likely because Spitzer's spent the last half dozen years getting his name in the news every other day. "Suozzi who?"

|8.28.06 @ 10:56AM|#

No doubt that Spitzer is a self-aggrandizing spotlight seeker. Still, the companies he "hounded" were not innocent by a long shot. To suggest otherwise is to advertise one's ignorance. Significant wrongdoing was uncovered in his insurance industry investigation, and people were hauled off to jail. Ditto for investment houses and their respective execution houses. The point is that Spitzer has had some success because some industries were corrupt. Of course, his successes have been tempered by some of his overreaching activism (i.e., case against the tobacco companies). He's the attorney general, he's supposed to enforce the law. If there's a problem with that, there is the legislative process to change the laws. Spitzer is far from perfect, and will likely raise taxes and become a typical blue state lefty, but to refuse to acknowledge that he uncovered an ocean of corruption is to undercut one's own credibility.

|8.28.06 @ 11:03AM|#

Lamar,

His successes such as they were do not make up for his failures. Make no mistake. Spitzer is an outright thug. Look no further than his "I am coming after you" statements to John Whitehead. To point to Spitzer's success as justification for his excesses and outright thuggery is like pointing out that McCarthy really did find a few communistis. Whether he did or not is irrelevent when considering his excesses. Spitzer is a menace to people's civil liberties and to the rule of law. To see him in any position of power is a real tragedy.

|8.28.06 @ 11:07AM|#

Right, Lamar, because so-called "price fixing" (you know, when companies cooperate, it's bad, but when they compete, it's bad too) and payola are such horrible, horrible crimes.

Get a life.

|8.28.06 @ 12:00PM|#

Ayn Randian, what are you talking about? Fill me in while I'm searching for my life. Two quick points: (1) your post questions the laws on the books, not the propriety of the attorney general's enforcement of those laws, and (2) what is your understanding of, i.e., the Marsh insurance scandal? Laws were clearly broken, and I don't understand how me getting a life negates that fact. Spitzer is going to be elected governor because he is perceived as a hero based on the scandals he broke up and not the overreaching activism he engaged in. Perhaps that is the fault of the people who refuse to admit he's done anything good.

John, there's some truth in your post about balancing Spitzer's plusses and negatives, and the McCarthy comparison was great. I suspect that we'd disagree on which cases were necessary evils and which were blatant, activist overreaching, but your take at least takes into account what Spitzer has done, and doesn't just disregard facts that are inconvenient to your case.

|8.28.06 @ 1:01PM|#

Medicaid fraud's a crime too, but Spitzer hasn't done a thing about it. But payola, woo! Thank allah he put an end to that.

Me, I'll never forgive Spitzer for 1) going on the Stephanopolous Sunday morning show and calling Hank Greenberg a criminal and forcing him out of AIG, a company he spent 35 years building, and then 2) sending out a press release on the DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING announcing that in fact he had no criminal charges to bring.

|8.28.06 @ 1:22PM|#

Adam,
Greenberg didn't deserve to be bounced. It looks like managers lower in the chain got greedy (which is fine) and realized they could shoot up the corporate ladder if they just helped Marsh defraud their customers (not fine). Though I don't agree with it, the buck seems to stop at the CEO when the dollar figures are really, really high. The punishment seems based more on publicity than illegal behavior.

|8.28.06 @ 2:55PM|#

He's the attorney general, he's supposed to enforce the law.

wow wouldn't it be great if an attorney general didn't enforce all the laws partaining to the drug war...and wouldn't it be great if an attorney general didn't enforce all the laws partaining to economic crimes?

|8.28.06 @ 4:00PM|#

"wow wouldn't it be great if an attorney general didn't enforce all the laws partaining to the drug war...and wouldn't it be great if an attorney general didn't enforce all the laws partaining to economic crimes?"
e.g., wouldn't it be great if the attorney general only enforced the laws I think are good, and disregarded the ones I think are bad? Yep, that'd be bad-ass, (for me at least).

|8.28.06 @ 6:32PM|#

wouldn't it be great if the attorney general only enforced the laws I think are good, and disregarded the ones I think are bad?

oh my god Lamar you are right!! Well all you pot smokers here at hit and Run need to stop...not becosue what you are doing is wrong but becouse it is against the law....the same goes for all you homos living in states that out law it.

|8.28.06 @ 8:33PM|#

"the same goes for all you homos living in states that out law it."

Lawrence v. Texas - wikipedia
Lawrence v. Texas - opinion

Please read Lawrence v. Texas (or cheat using Wikipedia, it's a decent write up). Then tell me which states outlaw homosexuality. Hint: I wont' be waiting for a reply, though an occasional "you were right, Lamar" would be nice (See 1984 discussion re: toe touches).

|8.29.06 @ 4:58AM|#

The sainted Virginia Postrel has commented on Spitzer on her Dynamist blog. She knew him when they were both at Princeton. Spitzer was a student government dweeb who seemed to have been outpolled by a joke, write-in candidate, and threw a fit about it. In my view, the clowns who fight for the meaningless student govt. positions are unfit for any further office.