If he's a client, I assume he gets some heat for a week or so and then everyone forgets all about it, right? That's the Vitter Rule.

Yeah, you really think he's gonna resign as Gov over this?  I somehow doubt it.  He weathers the storm (especially with the Media distracted with Hillary-Obama), it's relatively early in his term, too.  By 2010 it's old news.  It does greatly hinder any future national aspirations though, which could be a bummer in Spitzer-ville.

If Spitzer resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson would become New York's first black governor.

Please implicate Bill Clinton please implicate Bill Clinton please implicate Bill Clinton

I don't know, crock.  He's the high-profile gov of New York, and it is a slight down-time in the primary.  He's pretty famous, especially for going after prostitution rings.  The media feeds on hypocrisy, and this seems like a textbook case of it.   I think he is in for a shitstorm.

I feel for the guy.  I was once caught in a pertussis ring, and it was terrible for my medical career.

that's not despicable or anything, virgniacentrist.  and patterson is also a very high-profile hillary supporter, for those looking at the hillary/obama aspect of this.

I don't think it'll go away, both for the hypocrisy aspect and for the reports that there's he's caught talking about it on a wiretap...

Hilarious.  Even though I had to google "pertussis."  

DrDan, you were part of the notorious Whooping Cough Seven?

If Spitzer has to resign so does David Vitter. I am sick of Repubs making a BFD about something a Democrat does and then brush it off when it's their own doing the same thing. Even trade, Spitzer for Vitter. And if one stays, they both stay.

And might I add, what a dumbass thing to do, Mr. Spitzer.

If he does lose his superdelegate vote, whichever New York official that gains his vote as a result is likely to be a Hillary supporter as well, so it doesn't really matter.

Also, I'm guessing Paterson would also be the first blind governor, but I could easily be wrong on that.

Oh no, the gov is definately done - Eliot Ness II is not allowed to break the law.  Very sad!!

spechs:

I shouldn't get ahead of myself, but I'm looking forward to Silda Spitzer's run for President in 2012 or 2016. She's clearly tested and vetted, now that's she's suffered through a horrible humiliating public ordeal. That and being over the age of 35 is all you need to pass the commander in chief threshhold.

An apology? That's it? Is there any way in which his "involvement in a prostitution ring" was not a criminal act? He could be a john, a pimp, a conspirator with the pimp, or a prostitute, right? Are there any other ways a person could be "involved" in a prostitution ring that do not involve committing a crime? To hell with "hypocrisy" -- a chief executive who admits to criminally exploiting women needs to let voters decide whether to renew his mandate, even if that means resigning and waiting three years to run again.

asveis5:

And our 3rd african american governor! That's kind of cool, even though the circumstances are a bit odd.

This might be the single dumbest collapse ever.   Shouldn't he, of all people, know he would get caught?  And shouldn't he at least know how not to?

I agree, bone.  This is duuuuuuuuuuuumb dumbness, of the dumbest degree.

Adios, compadre.  On the plus side, I've met David Paterson, and he's a really, really nice guy.  

Presumably as a Democratic elected official Paterson is already a superdelegate, right?  Presuming Spitzer has to step down, the superdelegate calculus is only affected if an Obama backer is installed as Lt. Gov, I would think.  

And as wrong and jerkish as it is that that stupid weenie Vitter is still in Congress, I don't see how Spitzer keeps his job.  He has a long list of enemies, all with gobs of cash.  

And yes, this was monumentally, spectacularly (but alas, not historically) dumb.

Naw Patterson is a Clinton backer. Though...I'm sure he'll get about 4,000 nasty letters from black democrats over the next month asking him to switch

Spitzer's finished. The faster he leaves, the better.

drdannyu, hah. I think we should get rid of the gate thing already. I christen this Spitzerswallow.

How about a good, old-fashioned Democratic sex scandal? In a political shocker today, New York Governor, rising Dem star,...

The first thing that strikes Jon Chait as bizarre about  the Spitzer fiasco is... One less Superdelegate for Hillary.

Shortsighted. Stupid. And just like Jon Chait... of late.

Jon,

You must be a Dem, considering of your obsession with Obama. But is Obama winning the nomination as far as your myopic view of progressive politics goes?

Take some time off. I used to enjoy reading you.... No more, for I have no idea who this Chait is. Obama is NOT who the PRESS have made him out to be. He is a lightweight with a good oratory and nothing else. He talks the talk but can he walk the walk? No, and you know it. Everyone knows it... Imagine Obama as a first-term white Senator from Illinois, with exactly Obama's record. Do you think anyone would have paid attention to him? No... Obama is black and he has exceeded the white man's idea of what a black man can do, so he was given a pass. But look at what happened when he was just scrutinized before TX and OH? He was found lacking and failed to put Hillary away...yet again.

Obama is the PRESS CANDIDATE. Without the PRESS giving him a pass, while pillorying Hillary, we would not have Obamamania. He is an empty suit...just like GWB, but, hey, this is America, where the PRESS gets to pick presidents.... Gore, the Nobel Prize Laureate, was a serial fabricator so we picked Bush, the guy you could have a beer with... Spitzer is done, because of sex although in America, all every one wants to talk about id SEX!!!!

Sorry but I gotta puke now...

dchsungu, that was a great post. I could ardly agree more with you about the press.

More potential Spitzer fall-out for Hillary. If Spitzer's wife files for divorce than a lot of women will compare her courage to Hillary's weakness in a similar situation. That comparison only hurts Hillary. She would definitely get the questions and won't be able to spin it in her favor. Even if Mrs. Spitzer stays, Hillary's likely to get questions soon about "what do you think Mrs. Spitzer should do?"