Posted on 01/01/2007 11:29:24 PM PST by neverdem
Governor Spitzer reached for Washington Irving for the central metaphor of his inaugural speech, declaring yesterday in Albany: "Like Rip Van Winkle, the legendary character created by the New York author Washington Irving, New York has slept through much of the past decade while the rest of the world has passed us by." The central question for his administration, we predict, will be whether it comprehends who has been asleep and whether the Democrats have really awakened to all the changes that have taken place in the competing states — and in political economy generally — in the years of slumber.
Certainly the new governor spoke beautifully, even movingly, in passages of his remarks yesterday, particularly when he referred to himself as the grandson of immigrants who came through Ellis Island. "Today's immigrants enrich our state with their vitality and their vision, in the same way as the immigrants of the last century," Mr. Spitzer said. It was a line that could easily have come out of the mouth of Mayor Giuliani or from Mr. Spitzer's predecessor, Governor Pataki, both of whom have allied themselves with the pro-immigration faction in the Republican Party.
Being a grandson of immigrants is one quality that Mr. Spitzer has in common with Mr. Pataki, whose grandparents came to America from Hungary, Ireland, and Italy. We were also struck by Mr. Spitzer's acknowledgement, remarkably humble, that "No one any longer believes in government as a heavy hand that can cure all our ills." It was reminiscent of President Clinton's 1996 State of the Union address in which he sounded a centrist note by declaring, "The era of big government is over."
Other elements of Mr. Spitzer's speech were more jarring. We would have thought, particularly given all the stories about him seeming vindictive, bitter, and...
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
RIP, NY.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Spitzer could miraclously do everything right and righteously, and NY is still going to become the next Michigan.
Upstate New York will be depopulated swathes of ghost towns by the end of Spitzer's 2nd term, and a third of downstaters will be foreign born.
Spitzer is too closely aligned with the political forces that brought about Sarbanes-Oxley and the Grassley amendment to be open to moderating these laws, and the NY bourses will suffer even further because of it. It's possible we'll see NY take in less than 1% of foreign IPO's during one or more years of Spitzer's administration.
BUT, at least Spitzer hasn't been caught banging the president of Local 1199 for 6 figure sums, so he's got that going for him compared to Corzine.
As an NY'er who has seen the rape and pillage of this once great state first hand, we can only hope that Spitzer is up to the task of deb reeding this state of its political gangrene. There has been a thirty year spending orgy in this state and nothing and no one has sought to stop it or at least slow it down. Pataki at first seemed like he had the desire and will to do so, but punked out in the end. He was unwilling or unable to stop Shellie Silver or his own party. NY is truly a state run by criminals.
And no one seems able to stop them. At least in CA you have the ability to recall a politician or pass a referendum. In NY this is impossible.
The last good governor this state had was Thomas Dewey. It has been straight downhill ever since. Starting with Rockefeller, Carey, Cuomo and Pataki, each one has been a bigger disaster than the last. Think about it, 50 years since our last decent governor. How many other states can make this claim, with the exception of NJ of LA?
NY'ers and Americans in general crave effective leadership. This is the biggerst deficit in the American Political scene. While Bush has been an effective leader on the military front, he has been impotent on the domestic front. The idea of McCain as president is sickening. So what if he opposes abortion. The president has virtually no control on that issue anymore. There have been too many Supreme Court decisions to come down in favor of that make repeal all but impossible. You can appoint all the conservative judges you like, but they will never overturn Rowe v. Wade. That is the fact, so its time accept and look towards the really important issues. Cutting down government, reforming the insane tax system and getting ready for the showdown with Iran and China. Nothing else matters and if you really think so, you are in a severe state of delusion.
The only effective leader that I see in either party is Rudy. Some little known facts about him. He worked 20 hours per day and slept in the basement of City Hall. He cut taxes, cut welfare by requiring fingerprinting of recipients and he never feared a fight. The ACLU sued him dozens of times, does that sound like a liberal to you? And best of all the city which was previously thought to be ungovernable started working again.
It became cleaner, safer and economic growth ratcheted up as it still continues to this day.
Do I like his morals or even agree with them. Certainly not with some of them. But what this country needs is an effective leader. The price of not having one is far too great and costly to all of us. Freedoms get eroded when no one is willing to take on the entrenched interests and the armies of bureaucrats.
When the primaries start coming around, remember that. When was the last time that we had a workaholic in any political position? I dare you to point to just one.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
Aside from Spitzer's propensity to use the iron fist of government and the corruption of Sheldon Silver and Joe Bruno, nothing is going to improve this state so long as the same idiots who overwhelmingly elected Chuckie Cheese Schumer, Her Heinous, and Spitzer, continue to defile election booths every two years.
Yeah, Attila the Hun and his wife.
At the end of the day, Eliot Sptizer is still a Democrat who recoils at the mention of tax cuts, decreased regulation; everything that needs to be done to bring New York state back from the abyss. He has already promised to cut money from law enforcement agencies. In the alternate reality of the Left, if we can just get the smartest person into office, socialism can really, really work.
Well, I am officially an ex-New Yorker, never to return. I have no regrets whatsoever.
It seems that the only good thing that came out of this past NY election is that the New York State Senate remained Republican-controlled.
But Governor Spitzer is clearly not going to be a good leader.
Spitzer is an anti-capitalist thug.
STATE HOUSE SPOUSE OFFICE FOR MRS. SPITZER
Gee, who does this remind one of?
SNORT.
"SNORT."
LOL - can you elaborate on that snort?
NYS GOP is an oxymoron.
Promised billions for education, health care, etc. does not come without a price tag.
Hold onto your wallet, especially as those who can, will, move out of the New York.
Without a well educated work force, look for corporations to move out of NY as well.
Wall St. will become a ghost town in the next four years.
For the first time in NY history, Pataki will be provided with 24/7 security. Only costs $20,000 per week....as reported.
Pataki makes last-minute appointments
...it's only to the end of the month? If so, I wouldn't have a problem with that.
You ain't kidding....
New York population fails to grow since 2005 (NY to lose 2 electoral votes)
Heaven help Upstate.
Reminds me of slick willie who converted all political appointees to permanent protected government employees.....except for Linda Tripp who lost her job.
No, not the appointments :) I was referring to the info about the security detail. Sounds like the SP only have the duty 'til the end of the month. Then Pataki would be on the hook for his own.
Even looking at pictures of Spitzer makes me physically ill. You don't know how glad I am now that I moved to NH.... I never have to say "Senator Clinton" or "Gov Spitzer" again!!!
I think a more appropriate name would be "Eliot The Ripper"...
Don't you see? If you try to leave New York State, he'll just sue you.
Spitzer did pretty much ZIP when the Wallkill PD was harrassing women in my area.
Yeah, a watchdog and some token firings, whoopie.
Slap on the wrist when compared to the extent of what was going on.
Thanks for the ping!
2. He has done NOTHING to change the socialistic/corporatavist economic orientation of the city or state, whether at city hall or as a private citizen.
3. He is a sworn foe of the second amendment, yet believes in using the donut munchers in blue as a substitute army. This is reflective of his petit bourgeois, Italian Fascist upbringing.
4. He has consorted with folks such as Bernie Kerick and Ray Harding, two of the slimiest folks in a slimy political culture. I won't get into his dealings with the Sidecurl Mafia in Crown Heights and Borough Park.
5. He has the urban liberal cosmopolitan mentality and is a non-Christian to boot (as am I). Not very appealing to conservative primary voters.
6. He has exhibited little of understanding of Anglo-American constitutionalist principles, and is indeed more "European" in his thinking than most American politicians, let alone Republicans.
7. One of his top political aides was murdered after engaging in rough sex with a male aquaitance. This aide was involved in "outreach" to Latino organizations, including LULAC and La Raza.
8. He is a member of Stonewall, a major Gay Rights organization funded by A.N.S.W.E.R.
7. He has an annoying Noo Yawk accent and is an a-shole as a person to boot. No wonder ALL THREE OF HIS WIVES left him!
8. Before being revitalized by making a glorified stump speach after 9/11, his poll numbers were in the toilet due to INCOMPETANCE and a corrupt personal life.
9. Any person on this site who supports Giussolini has been drinking the media Kool Aid. There is a reason why the press loves him so much, as he will bring the national GOP to the left.
1. Ruina Giussolini came out against the (relatively benign) anti-illegal immigration laws that congress passed in 1996, bragging about NY being a sanctuary city.
2. He has done NOTHING to change the socialistic/corporatavist economic orientation of the city or state, whether at city hall or as a private citizen.
3. He is a sworn foe of the second amendment, yet believes in using the donut munchers in blue as a substitute army. This is reflective of his petit bourgeois, Italian Fascist upbringing.
4. He has consorted with folks such as Bernie Kerick and Ray Harding, two of the slimiest folks in a slimy political culture. I won't get into his dealings with the Sidecurl Mafia in Crown Heights and Borough Park.
5. He has the urban liberal cosmopolitan mentality and is a non-Christian to boot (as am I). Not very appealing to conservative primary voters.
6. He has exhibited little of understanding of Anglo-American constitutionalist principles, and is indeed more "European" in his thinking than most American politicians, let alone Republicans.
7. One of his top political aides was murdered after engaging in rough sex with a male aquaitance. This aide was involved in "outreach" to Latino organizations, including LULAC and La Raza.
8. He is a member of Stonewall, a major Gay Rights organization funded by A.N.S.W.E.R.
9. He has an annoying Noo Yawk accent and is an a-shole as a person to boot. No wonder ALL THREE OF HIS WIVES left him!
10. Before being revitalized by making a glorified stump speach after 9/11, his poll numbers were in the toilet due to INCOMPETANCE and a corrupt personal life.
11. Any person on this site who supports Giussolini has been drinking the media Kool Aid. There is a reason why the press loves him so much, as he will bring the national GOP to the left.
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