Call it a comeback
He likes to use the word "egregious."
It's official: Eliot Spitzer is back.
After making a few steps into the public spotlight over the last six months, the former Guv is now making the rounds to apologize -- and comment on Wall Street's turmoil.
Could a return to public service be in his future?
Spitzer was on Today this morning. The interview with Matt Lauer focused on what Spitzer described as "egregious" mistakes -- his own, and that of Wall Street and its regulators (yep, he talked about them more or less the same way).
The LA Times examined the now often-traveled return arc that Spitzer is following. Said the one-time Steamroller in the piece:
"I think it's fair to say, in some state of crisis economically, I have an urge to try to participate and contribute in some small way if I can.
"I'm taking this really one step at a time. I enjoy writing. Earlier in my career most of the writing I did was as a lawyer, which is, as you can imagine, rather turgid and not as snappy as journalistic writing."
(Note to the former governor: you might want to avoid using the words "urge" and "turgid.")
Spitzer seems to be more comfortable in public now, too. He and his wife were recently spotted riding the Acela from DC to NYC -- and ES apparently was happy to shake hands and meet people while they waited for the train.
Some people are even sort of calling for Spitzer's return to public service. As one psychiatrist wrote at the Daily Beast:
"Who could know better about the failure of self-regulation than someone who has a sexual addiction? And who could understand the power of greed better than one who regularly succumbs to sexual compulsion?"
And those Wall Street guys thought that meeting with President Obama was tough. (Note to Vikram Pandit, Jamie Dimon, et al: word on the street is that Spitzer can be "difficult.")
Whether Eliot Spitzer ever scores (hey now) another public job or not, he can count on this: he has a $25,000/year state pension waiting for him.
Earlier on AOA:
+ The spitzering: one year later
image: NBC
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Comments
Maybe when Andy Cuomo runs for Gov in 2010, Spitz will make a run for his old seat... I actually wouldn't mind that. He seemed to know what he was doing when he was AG.
... said Slacker on Apr 6, 2009 at 2:24 PM | link
I'm with Slacker. I think he did well as AG and while he may have been a walking contradiction in some aspects there is that old like "it takes one to know one."
... said Emma on Apr 6, 2009 at 2:50 PM | link
Never say never, I suppose, but I sincerely doubt he'll ever get anything state-wide like AG or anything else that's been hinted at. His political undoing had to do with more than just an overpriced hooker, and some would say that if he hadn't been caught with the prostitute then something else would've taken him down.
Sexual addiction is a very real and serious problem. But it doesn't explain away all the other stunts he pulled and political adversaries on both sides of the aisle he went out of his way to make.
... said Kevin Marshall on Apr 6, 2009 at 2:55 PM | link
Ah yes, he should totally return to public service. Because nothing helps conquer a sexual addiction quite like fame and power. And plus, I heard he made a lot of friends while he was Governor with his tough love program of spying & intimidation. I'm sure he'll go far.
... said Pantaloons on Apr 6, 2009 at 3:23 PM | link
I hate the way he says 'faam-i-ly.'
... said Kristi on Apr 6, 2009 at 3:28 PM | link
My memory is a little fuzzy (I lost a lot of brain cells in my first two years of college)...Did Spitzer say he has a sexual addiction? I'm guessing he did at some point since everyone seems to reference it.
... said Emma on Apr 6, 2009 at 3:44 PM | link
You're all going to hate me for this but all the guy did was be a guy. He made a mistake. He was way too useful to our state to have resigned. Divorced? Sure. But he should not have resigned.
Hindsight is 20/20 but Christ, I'll take a cheating but successful Governor over Patterson any day.
... said Save Pine Hills on Apr 6, 2009 at 3:46 PM | link
Though he is a monstrous ass, since his lovely wife can forgive him his betrayal, maybe I can. But he shouldn't get his hopes up. He totally broke my heart.
... said Katherine on Apr 6, 2009 at 4:49 PM | link
There were plenty of anecdotal stories flowing around this town before his sex scandal about his temper and dare I say crazy behavior. Lets not forget. Sure people liked him as AG, but really, in the end he proved to be a spoiled little daddies boy.. Rich people suck. Enough of this doofuss...
JFK, now there was a poor little rich boy who knew how to cheat on his wife, I long for the days of classy politicians...
... said HRGREEN on Apr 6, 2009 at 5:52 PM | link
@Emma - Indirectly, yes. After the scandal and resignation, "inside sources" informed various New York media outlets that he was in therapy for sex addiction (re: his people made some phone calls).
@Save Pine Hills - Hindsight is 20/20, but a lot of times foresight can be as well. Spitzer's behavior was getting more erratic (eg. angry harassing phone calls to certain NY politicians) and his political allies were dwindling the longer he was in office.
... said Kevin Marshall on Apr 6, 2009 at 5:54 PM | link
Yeah, imagine if Spitzer were AG today. He'd have lots of companies to slap on the wrists and then collect campaign donations from!
Such a phony. I can't believe you clowns voted for him.
... said Blehber on Apr 6, 2009 at 6:21 PM | link
Sex addiction my @ss. My beef with this clown is the incredibly poor judgment he showed in breaking the law considering his job and his "law and order" public profile. Its not the sex, its the stupidity. That said I kind of don't care anymore so maybe his timing is good. I read the piece he wrote in Newsweek recently and it didn't suck.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/190345
... said Elizabeth on Apr 6, 2009 at 9:16 PM | link
@Save Pine Hills I don't think the issue was so much that he hired a hooker and did the freaky thing with her. I think it was that he went after, prosecuted and shut down OTHER prostitution rings while frequenting a group he was a patron of. It wasn't so much that he couldn't keep his dongle in his expensive trousers, it was that he was a over-spending hypocrite. Unlike, you know, most politicians.
... said Ellie on Apr 6, 2009 at 10:05 PM | link
@Save Pine Hills...I must object to your "just a guy being a guy" statement. Now I am sans dangly bits so maybe I have no right to talk, but I think it's unfair to generalize all men in the category of cheating hooker patronizers. Especially since as a newlywed, I would hate to think that all men are capable of- much less excused from- behaving so deplorably.
... said Summer on Apr 7, 2009 at 2:49 PM | link