Left Just Doesn’t Care About Corruption

NRT just doesn’t care about the Democrat’s Culture of Corruption.

What is it with Republicans and sex? Back in the 90’s, they attempted to impeach Bill Clinton because he had sex (or did not have sex; it depends on what the definition of “is” is) with an intern.

Actually, they did impeach Bill Clinton. He was impeached for lying under oath, a very serious crime. He was found “not guilty” at trial in spite of having admitted his crime on live international TV.

Now they’re threatening to impeach New York Governor Eliot Spitzer over allegations he hired prostitutes. The allegations are certainly embarrassing, and demonstrate the corrupting nature of politics - Spitzer used to prosecute prostitution rings (though his real crusade was against white collar crime). And yes, they could even result in minor criminal charges

Yea, one of those minor charges that get you labeled “convicted felon” for the rest of your life.

Several sources said that the one serious bargaining chip that Spitzer has to possibly avoid being charged with a serious felony, such as money laundering or avoiding federal currency rules, …

Bumber.

(the US being one of those backwards places which regards sex between consenting adults as a crime).

Ho ho, the good ole “fuddy duddy United States” card. Yep, New York, the backwater home of the most fundamentalist christian Bible thumpers. Them’s the guilty ones gov!

But that’s not even the crime.

The federal investigation of a New York prostitution ring was triggered by Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s suspicious money transfers, initially leading agents to believe Spitzer was hiding bribes, according to federal officials.

It was only months later that the IRS and the FBI determined that Spitzer wasn’t hiding bribes but payments to a company called QAT, what prosecutors say is a prostitution operation operating under the name of the Emperors Club.

***

The suspicious financial activity was initially reported by a bank to the IRS which, under direction from the Justice Department, brought kin the FBI’s Public Corruption Squad.

***

Spitzer, who made his name by bringing high-profile cases against many of New York’s financial giants, is likely to be prosecuted under a relatively obscure statute called “structuring,” according to a Justice Department official.

Structuring involves creating a series of financial movements designed to obscure the true purpose of the payments.

He continues…

But to consider them as grounds for impeachment is utterly ridiculous, and shows a severe lack of perspective.

Or maybe it doesn’t.

After all, if Spitzer is impeached, the state senate majority leader - a Republican - becomes Lieutenant-Governor. Elections? Screw them - if the wrong people win, we’ll just impeach them!

Yea, the whole fact that he knowingly and repeatedly committed a crime that he used to prosecute is just a minor detail so long as a one of those corrupt Republicans is waiting in the wings to take his place. What a fiendish strategy - prosecuting criminals!

Nice smear on the Republicans, unfortunately it has not the slightest basis in fact - see above.

At the heart of this problem though is Americans’ - and particularly Republicans’ - attitudes about democracy and sex. They think the sex lives of elected officials are everyone’s business,

I think the business involved was called “the Emperors Club VIP”, I’m pretty sure it’s not listed on the NYSE, and certainly not a SOE… so not quite everybody’s business.

and that private sexual behaviour affects whether people do their jobs properly. It doesn’t.

I’m sure had he continued in his prosecutor role he would have been very zealous indeed getting rid of the competition for his favourite brothel.

All this puritanical attitude brings is endless scandal and ruined lives. I can’t help but feel that if they were more grown up about sex, and recognised proper boundaries between the public and private spheres, their politics would be a lot healthier.

One is left wondering what “grown up about sex” means. Does it mean that it was OK for this guy to break his marriage vows? Yep, if his wife had not found out in the Newspapers that her husband was sleeping with paid hookers, she would have had a nice life - for a while perhaps. But in the end, his and her life would have been ruined sooner or later.

Actually, what Idiot/Savant is advocating here only makes the life of Eliot Spitzer easier. Were attitudes in the US towards spending thousands of dollars (enough to get noticed by the federal authorities) on prostitutes like they are “everywhere else” (i.e. nowhere) the only person who would have been hurt here is his wife - and she is the innocent party here.

That sounds a lot like misogyny - it sure beats the petty standard IS himself has set.

What a sick post.