Spitzer is going to make a great Pres...um, sorry! I meant Governor

The Extremist Rantings Of A Mainstream Progressive

Anybody like to ask the great crime-fighting Elliot Ness father figure where he has been while the illegal naked shortselling was crippling or even destroying many small innovative small corporations?

Profiting from it through his connections to one of those involved in the dirty business is the way I hear it.

While Bill Gates was bragging to the UN that his and Melinda's billion-dollar donation to fight tropical diseases had produced a cure for african sleeping sickness, Spitzer's friend and benefactor was running a piece in Street.com claiming the trials in the Congo could be a hoax while spearheading a wild short attack on the company involved in the trials.

One group of corporate sleazes that Eliot Spitzer never got around to were the naked short sellers.

He did put out the word he was interested though.

Good to have interests.

Always nice to hear some good news about my next governor; I've only heard a few negatives.  I love to see bold leadership and idealism.  As for 2012...We'll have Mark Warner go for his second term.  But hey, we could always use an attorney general.

> To those who say this can't be done, I say why not. It must be done.

That quote alone is why I'm proud to have Spitzer for a Governor*.  There aren't enough Democrats challenging their communities to rise to greatness - it's been far too long since we've heard an "ask not what your country can do for you" kind of call to arms, which is exactly what America needs right now - a reminder that we can strive to do better, not just wallow in rampant corruption and incompetence.

* just remembered I moved to Jersey City, and the election is still a few months off.  So factually, that's wrong.  But it has a certain truthiness to it.

Ahh, always looking for the perfect candidate, aren't we?  Well, Spitzer is perfect enough for me.  After 12 years of Wacky Pataki, gov't waste, no jobs, no nothing, Spitzer looks like a knight in shining armor.  

If you can't play with the big dogs, don't piss on the porch.

No, 2016. Russ Feingold is going to be a 2-termer president.

2012: In the words of Sameul L. Jackson

Ya damn right.

Hopefully I can stomach another cycle of Republican "leadership" and Chuck Hagel's ill-fated one term, and the ensuing financial collapse.

2012 can't get here soon enough.

On the whole I was really impressed.  At least in New York State, there's great progressive Democratic leadership.

New Yorkers see things for what they are...and see that there needs to be change.  That is progressive.

*waving to Cyn*

I don't know anything about the short-selling, but it seems to me that Spitzer has done a lot of good with regard to Wall Street and similar scandals.  

I'm especially glad to see him talking about "a universally accessible high speed data network," and agree with Matt that it will and should be a key progressive issue.

More generally, I'm glad to see young, smart, aggressive Dem leaders embracing this issue.  I definitely had that feeling when I heard San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom speak at a conference about a month ago to talk about the Wi-Fi service they're planning with Earthlink and Google. (I actually don't even know if Newsom is a Dem, but just assume he is from what he says and does, which is probably a good sign).

Like Spitzer, Newsom was dynamic and relatively charismatic and, based on his speech and my five-second personal encounter with him, also seemed pretty genuine in his desire to serve all of his constituents, try new things (and learn from failures) and, as needed, take on the powers that be.  And you could tell he realized it was needed, and welcomed the challenge.

I think the "universally accessible high speed data network," and "renewable and decentralized energy systems" are two tech areas that the Dems should bring close to the center of their policy agenda and political message.  These two pieces of "infrastructure" have the potential to revitalize and transform our economy and, to a great degree, from the bottom up.  

These two technology issues are also related to each other in key respects (e.g., you can monitor decentralized energy generation and transmission via a ubiquitous digital network), and so can fit nicely in an integrated vision of an American renewal.  

I also think these two issues--which combine a progressive tech vision with a progressive approach to policy in general--are ideally suited to a new generation of dynamic leaders like Spitzer, Newsom, Warner, Feingold, Obama, etc.  It's the place where the best of libertarian freedom&opportunity-loving ideals can merge with the best of liberal ideals of equal opportunity and compassion.  

The message is, as someone else said, "we're all in this together."  It's a vision of local and national (and maybe even global) communities being linked together by state-of-the-art communication and energy networks (designed and [maybe] built in the US of A) that allow us to efficiently create and share knowledge, energy and abundance--to help each of us help ourselves and help each other.  

I don't know how many Dem leaders there are out there who could embrace and express this vision, but there seem to be at least a few.

One of them appears to be the "renewed" Al Gore. I think he really understands the substance of the issues and also has the passion for them, regardless of what one thinks about his prospects and suitability for another run at the White House.

It's nice to be able to agre with Matt again.  Spitzer IS incredibly impressive and will make a great Governor.  I don't know when he'll run for president, but I have little doubt that the guy will be a serious candidate when he does.  

how does elliot propose to pay for wiring the state? he does not address that issue. separately, mr spitzer is one of the greatest self-promoters in history. take a look at the ag website and note the kind of stuff he trumpets. minutiae of the first order which has no relevance to his ability to govern.......tom suozzi is a proven executive who rescued nassau county from the brink of bankruptcy and turned a county which a sclerotic republican party had run as the soviets ran moscow into a democratic bastion....he swept a democratic legislature into office and kept them in power with a second term victory.......he is a bold leader who is not afraid to challenge the existing power structure......jjj

I've loved Spitzer since I lived in New York a few years ago, he's such a rising name to look at, ever since he led the crusade against Wall St corruption.  He's made some enemies by fighting the big fights, but he's just and he follows the law.

Right now Elliot spitzer looks like a great US Attorney General for the next Democratic president. But if he has higher aspirations that's Ok.

army of the status quo

Remember that phrase. You'll know the footsoldiers by nose-picking comments and terming supposed fellow Democrats "embarrassments" and the suggestion that it's ok to deny women fundamental rights if it's done in "good faith" and by running out a tired kids-these-days-are-lazy schtick in front of the plugged colon set at the US Chamber of Commerce.

Remember we're trying to effect change on two fronts. The ruling right-wingers are not the status quo--they want to blow it up and replace it with something abundantly more harmful. But the status quo is flawed too--it hampers democracy, curtails competition, holds back millions, and acts as a flywheel on excellence.

The funny (and cautionary) thing is that this is the exact same diagnosis the DLC made circa 1988-89 about the status quo. They were right then--so why the hell are they arrayed with the ASQ now?

And yeah Spitzer is what a progressive looks like, idiotic trolling aside.

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is very impressive. If you have not had the opportunity to meet him personally or hear him speak then you should if you get the chance.

I had the extreme pleasure of introducing him as our keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual Democracy for New York conference the evening of April 29. Both he and Jim Dean, Chairman of Democracy for America who followed him, kicked ass.

There are some issues where I differ from Mr. Spitzer and we are currently trying to get him on-board with paper ballot/optical scan technology as the voting system of choice in New York (unfortunately due to DOJ litigation against NYS and his role as AG he cannot take a political position on this) but overall I am very pleased to have such an impressive and capable man as the next Governor of the State of New York.

I really like "Army of the Status Quo"