Eliot Spitzer's "Emperor's Club" (MUST READ!)

Real Clear Politics ^ | March 14, 2008 | Robert Tracinski

[2ndDivisionVet]

As the political eulogies for Eliot Spitzer are written, a lot will be said about the alleged contradiction between his "righteous," "crusading" public persona and his tawdry personal life.

For example, in a remarkably insipid column today, Gail Collins of the New York Times professes utter amazement at the revelation about Spitzer, as if it came out of nowhere, like space_aliens_landing in the middle of Central Park. "You never know," sighs this middle-aged naïf.

The New York Post's man in Albany, Fredric Dicker, is having none of it. "I Knew He Was a Fraud & a Hypocrite from the Day He Swaggered into Capitol" blares his headline. Yet even Spitzer's critics still criticize him for "hypocrisy"--which_implies that he espoused the right ideals but failed to live up to them.

All of this gets the story wrong. The real lesson here is the continuity between Spitzer's professional career and the scandal that ended it. The common theme of his public and personal life is identified, ironically enough, in the preposterously_pompous name of the call girl_ring_Spitzer patronized: the "Emperor's Club VIP." That says it all, doesn't it? Spitzer wanted to puff himself up as an "emperor," a big-shot VIP who is the center of everyone's attention, with everyone else just there to bow to his whims.

The detail that really made this psychology clear--the detail that perfectly fit the psychological profile of a sociopath--was the way Spitzer dragged out his ashen-faced, shell-shocked_wife to appear by his side at both of his press conferences this week. Her presence was unnecessary for any rational reason, but she was there because a sociopath_views other people are mere pawns to be manipulated to serve his whims

[2ndDivisionVet]

SPOT ON!

[GVnana]

The real lesson here is the continuity between Spitzer's professional career and the scandal that ended it

YES!!!

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Blogs are never must reads.

[syriacus]

Great, great column!

[jdm]

RCP is a blog?

[ElkGroveDan]

Blogs are never must reads.

This one is.

[Cicero]

Yes. Really excellent.

[2ndDivisionVet]

"Blogs are never must reads."

I don't believe that Real Clear Politics is considered a "blog" but I could be wrong. Did you read the editorial?

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

What is the condition where someone who fights something in public so hard, but "at home" is doing just that?

There was a psychological term for it? Anyone know?

{{ buffering for funny jokes along the way }}

[RJL]

The common theme of his public and personal life is identified, ironically enough, in the preposterously_pompous name of the call girl_ring_Spitzer patronized: the "Emperor's Club VIP." That says it all, doesn't it? Spitzer wanted to puff himself up as an "emperor," a big-shot VIP who is the center of everyone's attention, with everyone else just there to bow to his whims.

I've often thought that Spitzer had a severe case of small man syndrome.

[LordBridey]

I agree. Excellent article. Thanks for sharing it.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Projection? Transference?

[hellbender]

The liberal elitists all think they are royalty or nobility. They hold themselves above the law, use trusts to dodge taxes they impose on salaried people, and generally exploit us peasants as did the aristocrats of the Middle Ages.

[Emmett McCarthy]

Just skip the pity for “Caligula’s” wife here, OK? She’s a Harvard-trained lawyer who knew excatly how ruthless and unethical he was in his role as both Attorney General and later as Governor. She was in it for the “power ride” just as much as he was. The poor kids, though, were just human “props” in their political show. If he jumps from the 50th floor, I don’t really care if she jumps from the 49th. They both deserve to “go splat” on the sidewalk.

[Steely Tom]

As a New Yorker I had to hear about Spitzer more often that I wanted on local media. A few months back he was supposed to give a speech at the high school in my town, which school is a few hundred yards from my house. I don't think he actually came; if I recall correctly, he stood up the students and many who came to see him, not once but twice.

Anyway, I didn't like to think about him. He disturbed me, and the descriptions of his antics as attorney general worried me.

When I did think about him (and I can't prove this now, of course) one of my thoughts was "a guy as radical as this can't possibly survive long, he'll go to far sooner or later." The thing that made me think this was his famous "steamroller" remark, which was made within a few days of his election, if memory serves.

In the end, he turned out like the Ebola virus, which, though deadly, has at least a sort of "virtue" in that it is so virulent and powerful that outbreaks tend to "burn themselves out" before they can infect large populations. That's what I think of when I think about the way Spitzer brought himself low.

If G-d had decided to withold the shedding of His grace on our nation, Spitzer would still be in power tonight. I am comforted and encouraged by this.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

The definition of Projection might fit, but Transference was ruled out after i looked them up. If no one come up with a better one, we'll go with Projection,

Thx 2DV.

[Nervous Tick]

>> There was a psychological term for it? Anyone know?

Well of course I know the answer, it’s just that I didn’t think “a$$hole” was a PSYCHOLOGICAL term.

[Cecily]

“Spitzer wanted to puff himself up as an “emperor,” a big-shot VIP who is the center of everyone’s attention, with everyone else just there to bow to his whims.”

The funniest part of this sad story was the madam who said that the rating/price system for the escorts was just a marketing ploy. The pool of women is the same for all the categories. Johns = Owned!

[Clock King]

Bang on!

[potlatch]