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How to Stop Spitzer? Who stands between Client #9 and control of New York City’s pension funds?
National Review Online ^ | August 22, 2013 | John Fund

Posted on 08/23/2013 12:00:40 PM PDT by neverdem

It looks as if the only thing standing between Client #9 and his control of New York City’s five pension funds is a last-minute effort by African-American officeholders to convince their constituents that Eliot Spitzer’s abuses of power make him unfit to be their city’s comptroller.

Eliot Spitzer has spent millions from his family fortune to build a lead in the September 10 Democratic primary, which would make him a clear favorite in the November election over the Republican, Wall Street executive John Burnett.

In the most recent Quinnipiac poll, Spitzer leads Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer 56 percent to 37 percent in the Democratic primary, with all of his lead coming from his 68 percent to 21 percent edge among African-Americans. Among white voters, Stringer leads by ten points. “Everyone seems to be against former governor Eliot Spitzer except the voters, especially black voters,” says Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Spitzer is all over the TV screens, building on his better name recognition.” Tellingly, a July Quinnipiac poll found 66 percent of white voters thought Spitzer’s scandals were a legitimate issue in the race, as opposed to 43 percent of black voters.

There are lots of theories for Spitzer’s strong black support. One is that Stringer has been largely invisible until lately. Another is that “the African-American community tends to support people who are under attack,” as former New York governor David Paterson, who replaced Spitzer after his prostitution scandal, put it this month. He has nonetheless endorsed Stringer.

Jelani Cobb, an African-American history professor, wrote in The New Republic last week that another reason is, “crucially, a deep suspicion toward the media and political establishments that have publicized the candidates’ failings.” Indeed, former governor Paterson says of the media; “The more they bash Eliot Spitzer, the more they bring out votes for him.”

That’s why Stringer’s campaign has been careful to steer away from Spitzer-bashing. Instead, it has recruited a dozen black and Hispanic lawmakers to record robocalls with positive messages about Springer. The roster is impressive: members of Congress Charles Rangel, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velazquez, Gregory Meeks, and Jose Serrano, among others.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be anyone recalling Spitzer’s dark side. I’m told that independent expenditures do more than merely remind voters that his prostitution scandal involved more than just spousal and family betrayal, along with poor fashion sense involving black socks. Spitzer laundered money under a false name to pay for his trysts; he used a state plane to fly to Washington to see a prostitute; and he made himself vulnerable to blackmail while he was New York State’s top law-enforcement official.

And that’s not even half of his record. As the self-styled Sheriff of Wall Street, Spitzer abused his power as state attorney general from 1999 to 2007 to pursue a variety of figures, many of whom were acquitted or never saw charges brought against them. As governor, he used state police to spy on and smear political opponents.

There is evidence that the sheer weight of his scandalous past may finally be catching up with Spitzer. This month, one of his few prominent African-American political backers bailed out on him. Floyd Flake, a former congressman and senior pastor at the Allen AME Cathedral of Queens, said he could no longer support Spitzer. Outraged members of his congregation are said to have played a role in the decision.

The polls also may be overestimating Spitzer’s lead. A poll taken for a labor coalition opposing Spitzer called Progress NYC found that the former governor has only a six-point lead, with a whopping 28 percent of the electorate still undecided. “Public polling is inaccurately measuring the few voters who are likely to come out — and among the so-called super-prime voters, Stringer is doing far better,” a Progress NYC polling memo states. “Stringer also leads by 14 percent among those who have ANY opinion on both candidates (positive or negative) — indicating that Eliot Spitzer’s lead is very much a measure of higher name recognition.”

A Spitzer victory would represent more than just a deplorable reward for bad behavior. As the Wall Street Journal points out, “If he becomes overseer of the city’s five pension funds, Mr. Spitzer has made it clear that he intends to use the funds’ ownership stakes in public companies to pursue his political agenda and seek changes in corporate governance.”

Should Spitzer win the Democratic primary, there is one more hurdle he has to clear — a general election in which he would be opposed by Republican John Burnett. In a city that’s 7 to 1 Democratic, that race would normally be a cakewalk, but Burnett — with the help of city matching funds to buy ads — could make a race of it.

Burnett isn’t your ordinary Republican. Born in 1970, he grew up in East New York. He got his undergraduate degree at New York University by taking night classes while already working on Wall Street, and then got an MBA from Cornell. His Wall Street experience includes everything from work as a margin analyst at Dean Witter to a job as a global wealth portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley. He is also a member of the board of the Urban Resource Institute and has served as treasurer of New York’s subcommittee of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation.

As an African-American who has overcome adversity, Burnett might stand a chance to break into the black vote, appeal to Stringer supporters, and have a chance at victory. It’s good that black politicians have come out in a united front to stop Eliot Spitzer, but what will they do if he wins the primary anyway? Will they support Client #9 in November or break ranks and endorse of at least nod favorably toward John Burnett? As John F. Kennedy once observed, “Sometimes party loyalty asks too much.” Isn’t the prospect of Eliot Spitzer returning to high office one of those occasions? If not, what is?

John Fund is national-affairs columnist for NRO.




TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: johnburnett; spitzer
http://johnburnett2013.com/
1 posted on 08/23/2013 12:00:40 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Who?

Hank Greenburg......... I think he devoted a trifle of his wealth to getting the goods on the governor.
We will learn what else he knows but has not divulged.

The whole prostitute, client number 9 business did not get sent down from heaven on a lightening bolt


2 posted on 08/23/2013 12:06:52 PM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Travon... Felony assault and battery hate crime)
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To: neverdem
There are lots of theories for Spitzer’s strong black support.

His people are out offering free hookers?

3 posted on 08/23/2013 12:12:24 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: neverdem
“the African-American community tends to support people who are under attack,”

I don't remember the black community voting for, say, George Bush, does anyone else?

4 posted on 08/23/2013 12:14:51 PM PDT by Colonel_Flagg (Army dad. And damned proud.)
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To: neverdem

If NYC voters want client #9 for comptroller, they deserve him.


5 posted on 08/23/2013 12:18:26 PM PDT by justlurking (tagline removed, as demanded by Admin Moderator)
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To: neverdem
There are lots of theories for Spitzer’s strong black support. One is that Stringer has been largely invisible until lately. Another is that “the African-American community tends to support people who are under attack

What BS!
(many) Blacks tend to vote for certain candidates to get back at whitey for some (usually) imagined disrespect or with someone like Spitzer, they see the media begging people not to elect him so they imagine that by doing the opposite it will get under the man's skin.
They could care less if it hurts blacks in the end-the main thing is to piss as many white crackers off as possible!

6 posted on 08/23/2013 12:33:23 PM PDT by Larry381 ("Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.")
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To: cyborg; Clemenza; Cacique; NYCVirago; The Mayor; Darksheare; hellinahandcart; Chode; ...
Cuomo Warms Up To Fracking Days Before Obama’s Visit

FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.

7 posted on 08/23/2013 12:51:39 PM PDT by neverdem (Register pressure cookers! /s)
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To: neverdem; fieldmarshaldj; AuH2ORepublican

There hasn’t been a GOP Comptroller since the 40’s.

This looks like the best opportunity since former rat Herman Badillo ran for the post as a Republican in 1993. My expectations are zero though.


8 posted on 08/23/2013 2:43:20 PM PDT by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN)
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To: justlurking
If NYC voters want client #9 for comptroller, they deserve him.

Him and Weiner both.

9 posted on 08/23/2013 3:05:20 PM PDT by Standing Wolf (No tyrant should ever be allowed to die of natural causes.)
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To: neverdem
Actually...as democrats go Spitzer is what I call middle of the road!!!
10 posted on 08/23/2013 6:11:18 PM PDT by ontap (***)
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To: neverdem

Thanks for the ping!


11 posted on 08/23/2013 7:29:49 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: neverdem

His female pimp is running against him

NYC is freak land


12 posted on 08/23/2013 7:40:51 PM PDT by GeronL
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

Thanks neverdem.
It looks as if the only thing standing between Client #9 and his control of New York City's five pension funds is a last-minute effort by African-American officeholders to convince their constituents that Eliot Spitzer's abuses of power make him unfit to be their city’s comptroller.
Or, don't vote Demwit.


13 posted on 08/24/2013 7:51:23 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's no coincidence that some "conservatives" echo the hard left.)
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