The news of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement with a prostitution ring brings to mind a famous "Saturday Night Live" skit in which then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appears in drag.
In the skit, Giuliani portrays the mother of Rita Delvecchio, the Italian housewife portrayed by Cheri Oteri. When Giuliani's character berates Oteri's , for buying cheese from a shopkeeper who is cheating on his spouse, Oteri responds "It don’t affect the cheese, Ma!"
That is what I would like to be able to say about the Spitzer scandal. His involvement with hookers is something he needs to resolve with his wife. The question for New Yorkers is whether it affects his ability to govern the Empire State. His political future should rest on the answer to that question.
So, does the cheese stink? Spitzer’s Republican opposition in the state legislature says yes. House Minority Leader has demanded Spitzer’s resignation. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno was more muted, saying "The important thing for the people of New York State is that people in office do the right thing."
The knee-jerk response for a Democrat would be to say "red" whenever a Republican says "green." After all, that seems to be what the Republicans do, be they in Washington, Albany or Mineola.
But what really is the right thing to do? Spitzer came into office with a mandate for reform, vowing "Everything Changes on Day One." Yet, his abrasive and often arrogant style was off-putting. His decision to have state troopers investigate Sen. Bruno’s use of state aircraft and his support for a controversial plan to provide drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants cost him valuable support.
New Yorkers might be more forgiving if Spitzer’s approval ratings were higher and the economy was booming, as was the case when Bill Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky became public knowledge. But Spitzer does not have that goodwill to draw upon.
The important elements of Spitzer’s agenda – government reform, increased support for SUNY and CUNY, development of the Moynihan Station project, etc. – are now at peril because of his predicament. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to build support for these worthy goals when people hold the person championing them in contempt.
If these objectives are to be met, a new engineer will need to needed to drive the train. That is the only way Spitzer can achieve a modicum of a positive legacy. Let’s hope David Paterson is up to the task.