Dependable Erection

Thursday, June 25, 2009

What's the difference . . .

between Mark Sanford and Eliot Spitzer?

I mean, why is no one calling for Sanford's resignation?

UPDATE: Maybe i spoke too soon.

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posted by Barry at 8:08 AM Digg this

15 Comments:

  • I am!

    By Blogger David Prince, at 9:48 AM  

  • The superficial difference is that Sanford didn't pay. Although with as many weird twists as this story has taken, I'm just waiting to find out that it wasn't actually a lady of Buenos Aries, but a "lady" of Buenos Aries.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 10:20 AM  

  • I'm not saying he should resign because he screwed some beautiful Latin love goddess. I mean. Right?

    I'm saying, when you're the Executive leader of a company, country, or state you're in that job to eat, breath, and live that job. Even on vacation.

    I think he should go for being MIA for six days. Hummmm - what if some horrible attack befell SC on day 2 of his excursion...he's too busy rollin' in the hay & not watching the news...?

    Anyway, all IMHO.

    Sid.

    By Blogger David Prince, at 10:27 AM  

  • It appears that Sanford used some taxpayer money to visit his lady friend in South America on at least one occasion.

    I submit that were he a Democrat, Senators Vitter and Ensign would already be calling for him to resign.

    By Blogger Barry, at 10:28 AM  

  • The only excuse i can make for being missing for almost a week without leaving anyone in charge, is that, hey, it's South fucking Carolina.

    Who gives a shit what happens down there, right?

    By Blogger Barry, at 10:30 AM  

  • Spitzer used to be Attorney General for New York before he became Governor, making him a former-yet-prominent law-enforcement official.

    Last time I checked, hookers are illegal and Argentine mistresses are not.

    Just sayin'!

    PS: check out this interview with post-hooker Spitzer in Vanity Fair. I present, you decide.

    http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/07/out-to-lunch-spitzer200907


    This and more Nixon tapes in one week. Good times for the Republican "brand," such as it is.

    By Blogger Tony, at 1:10 PM  

  • That was then: The standard Sanford has set for other politicians over the years has been fairly high. A member of the House of Representatives during the heyday of the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, he was often a harsh critic of the president for his marital misconduct.

    This is "very damaging stuff," Sanford declared at one point, when details of Clinton's conduct became known. "I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally (to resign)... I come from the business side," he said. "If you had a chairman or president in the business world facing these allegations, he'd be gone."

    But wait, there's more: The governor was not known as a moralist but has frowned on infidelity and as a congressman voted to impeach President Bill Clinton after the Monica Lewinsky affair. “He lied under a different oath, and that’s the oath to his wife,” Mr. Sanford said at the time on CNN. “So it’s got to be taken very, very seriously.”

    By Blogger Barry, at 1:17 PM  

  • Say what you will about the Republicans, but they know how to stretch a dollar.

    When I was in Argentina following the currency devaluation, you could get a girl from the concierge at your hotel that would blow your mind for $50. Said girl would have charged $500 in neighboring Chile, and $5000 in NY/DC. We're talking Spitzer-level quality here; speaks English and usually French or Arabic, college degree, etc.

    Streetwalkers were $5, a bed and breakfast with HBO and off street parking was $7, and a bottle of Malbec was $2.50. I had been camping in Patagonia on the Chilean side of the Andes, but at those prices I left the tent in the car once I crossed the border.

    For the record I don't think Sanford should resign. The american public is gradually becoming less prudish, from the banishment of Gary Hart to the "eh" of Bill Clinton. Sanford was more libertarian than most Rs and only pushed the moral majority stuff as a sop to the right.

    By Blogger KeepDurhamDifferent!, at 5:22 PM  

  • A huge difference is that Spitzer prosecuted johns and prostitution rings when he was NY attorney general; then he did the same thing himself, breaking not just state but federal laws. He should have been prosecuted, but got off from any charges.

    Maybe he shouldn't have left without telling anyone, but Bush spent half his presidency on vacation and no one called for his resignation because of that.

    In France, even their presidents have second families and no one cares. I don't think that's necessarily the best way to go, but I'd rather a focus be given on politicians' policies than their personal policies, so to speak. Why should everyone call for an end to, say, John Edwards' political career because of his affair when he lied continually about many things before that? Perhaps because it's not as "provable" or sensational?

    By Blogger midnightsun, at 5:51 PM  

  • "Sanford was more libertarian than most Rs and only pushed the moral majority stuff as a sop to the right."

    Oh, Sweet Jesus, so now hypocrisy is a fucking moral virtue?

    A huge difference is that Spitzer prosecuted johns and prostitution rings when he was NY attorney general

    so, hypocrisy is not a moral virtue? Thank god. I though i had moved to bizarro world there for a second.

    If Spitzer had not been an AG before becoming governor, should he have resigned? I thought prostitution was one of those victimless crimes that Libertarians think should be legalized?

    By Blogger Barry, at 6:07 PM  

  • To put myself on the record, I think that most politicians should resign for not living up to their oath to defend the Constitution or represent the people. It's sad that the only reason we call for people to resign is because of affairs.

    Intellectual arguments always come down on the side of prostitution being legalized- but it's not a priority of mine by any means. Even if it was legal, I think it should generally be avoided at all costs. It is good for revenue generation in a place like California that desperately needs it.

    By Blogger midnightsun, at 6:49 PM  

  • i'm just some shlub with a blog, but doesn't leaving the state with no one in charge for almost a week, while no one knows how to reach you, constitute a prima facie failure to defend the Constitution of the state of which you are Governor?

    By Blogger Barry, at 7:07 PM  

  • I don't get why he didn't use switch from Sprint to a GSM network such as Verizon; he could have answered from the Argentinian flesh mines with "Fish are jumpin!".

    But my favourite part of the whole saga was the three hours of spin from the time he landed in ATL to his press conference in Columbia. He had "always been a fan of their privatised pension system". Way to stay on message, Guv!

    By Blogger KeepDurhamDifferent!, at 12:48 AM  

  • the smart money sez that he was planning to keep up the charade at the presser until The State newspaper showed him the copies of the emails they'd been sitting on for 6 months at around 10 or 11 am Tuesday morning.

    Of course, that pales in comparison to his latest: I have been doing a lot of soul searching on that front. What I find interesting is the story of David, and the way in which he fell mightily, he fell in very very significant ways. But then picked up the pieces and built from there.

    By Blogger Barry, at 8:12 AM  

  • well, he's not going to lose any points with me for quoting King David (my namesake). But the hubris...wow.

    Now that I've lost the bet on when he will resign I'm hoping he will stay, because I view it as evidence of America's increasing tolerance of infidelity. And you Dems DO want us to be more like France, right? I am on board.

    Consider yourself and Mrs. Dependable invited to my Bastille Day party, which is legendary in Trinity Park.

    By Blogger KeepDurhamDifferent!, at 8:58 AM  

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