OpEdNews - Diary: Primary Run of New York's Shining Knight Spitzer Tainted by Questionable Campaign Practice

Basing a political race on integrity can come back to haunt a candidate.

::::::::

Eliot Spitzer is such a shoo-in for governor of New York state, he's basically an incumbent-to-be. But he needs to guard against suffering the same fate as Mario Cuomo. The former governor also rode in on high hopes, only to leave us eight years later asking: What'd he do? It's easy to be impressed with Spitzer's achievements as New York state attorney general: uncovering rigged bids in the insurance industry, prosecuting mutual fund brokers who granted select investors privileges like "late trading." However, a recent allegation about Spitzer's vindictiveness was troubling. A former chairman of Goldman Sachs alleged that he threatened him during a telephone call in April 2005. While it failed to pierce Spitzer's armor, it left a ding. Enough of those and your armor is no longer shining. During the Democratic gubernatorial primary, due to apparent neglect, he left himself wide open to yet more tarnish. A secular humanist we know reports that her mother, who lives on the outskirts of a Shomer Shabbat community in the Flushing section of Queens, a borough of New York City, received some disturbing literature during the campaign. "Eliot Spitzer has slayed the dragon of Church-State separation," blared the headline. It cited an article Spitzer (or a staff person) wrote in March for The Jewish Press entitled "Government's Obligation To Protect Religious Citizens." It read in part: "It is government's job, and it is my job - to make sure that Orthodox Jews and other religiously observant citizens are not punished because of those choices. . . . During my seven years as attorney general, my office has brought a series of cases against employers who wanted to deny jobs to Orthodox Jews." First, the secular humanist's mother had been profiled. Second, the author of the literature had twisted the meaning of Spitzer's article. He or she made it appear as if Spitzer had cleverly found a way to kill that dangerous threat let loose on our nation by the Constitution: separation of church and state. Most troubling is the presumption that Orthodox and Hasidic Jews are no different from fundamental Christians and Muslims, who seek to pump their religion into the government and flood the state with it. Whereas, of course, Spitzer's prosecutions against the likes of Sears for unequal employment actually reinforce that separation. In any event, Spitzer's efforts on behalf of Jews hardly needed garnishing. The secular humanist took the brochure to her local Democratic headquarters. She told them that "when [New York City's Mayor] Bloomberg pulled this crap I expected it. He has the time and money to cull the voters' lists and pin a yellow star on the Jews, but coming from Spitzer, I can't let it go. Does he also send these about parochial schools to Catholics? What if someone wants to open up a Wahabbi school?" In conclusion, she said, "I have a hard time supporting a candidate who brags about getting around the Constitution. Why is this different from Bush?" The headquarters claimed never to have seen the literature, but promised to investigate. One shudders at the thought that, as Bush's people did with Swift-boating, Spitzer farms out a tactic like this. More likely, though, it was an over-zealous contributor. Some favor. But if it were his people, let's hope that besides leaving vindictiveness at the door of the governor's mansion, Spitzer learns to keep those campaigning for him on a shorter lease.