Forward.com

The Sad Bad Story of Governor Spitzer

“I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and that violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong,” Eliot Spitzer said.

The obvious question is just why or how a highly intelligent man like Spitzer worked his way into such a situation.

What follows is my own highly speculative attempt to explain Spitzer’s strange conduct: We begin with the fact that Spitzer is not only a highly intelligent man but also a highly emotional bull of a man. He is devoted to his family, although obviously his wife is not fully able to satisfy his sexual needs.

He might have found himself a girlfriend on the side. But she would have to understand that a marriage was not in the works. How long would a worthwhile woman put up with such a lopsided arrangement?

As a practical-minded man, Spitzer probably decided that a realistic outlet for his emotional needs could be satisfied by a professional prostitute or two who would allow him to vent his libido without any further obligations.

Is there a political future for Spitzer? The old saw says, “To err is human, To forgive is divine.”

The Call of the Cold

The latest trend among tourists is the Arctic Circle. Why? The answer may perhaps be found in a quatrain we recall from childhood.

Man’s a fool.
When it’s hot he wants it cool.
When it’s cool he wants it hot
Always wanting what is not.

This strange behavior is not hard to understand. Novelty, as they say, is the “spice of life.”

But this shift of tourist interest in the Arctic Circle is a real reversal of trends that characterized our behavior in the past. Generally, the idea was to get out of the ice and snow of northern winters. “California, here I come,” was a national slogan. Florida was and still is a magnet for northerners from the Atlantic Coast to the northern areas of the Midwest.

But a reversal of the historic trend from traditional climates to the Arctic Circle seemed unlikely. The reason is the much discussed “global warming.” In the past the Arctic Circle was a great big glacier or two. It was impenetrable by humans with the exception of a few incredible explorers. But, now, thanks to global warming, glaciers turn to icebergs and icebergs turn to floating pieces of ice.

But before we call for three cheers for global warming, we had better be warned about the global impact of rising oceans fed by melting glaciers that lift the level of oceans so that one day not so far distant Manhattan Island will be turned into a swimming pool spiked with skyscrapers.

Mid-Term Madness

In the last national election in 2006, the Democrats captured control of both houses of Congress. Their margin of victory, however, was insufficient to override a presidential veto that requires a two-thirds vote. Which means that the Republican Party really was still in control of legislation.

Despite this, the present Congress did enact a raise in the federal minimum wage. But the GOP extracted a price for its support by attaching a rider to the bill that would provide a tax reduction for small business.

All of which poses the question of whether the Democrats will carry both the presidential and legislative elections in 2008.That may come to pass but the legislative victory of the Democrats in 2006 is not an indicator of a presidential and legislative victory in 2008. Here’s why:

In a mid-term election where the president is not up for election, the party in the White House is likely to lose seats in the legislature. The reason is super-simple although irrational. Millions of voters who favor the party in the White House figure that so long as their president is in power they have no reason to worry. So they don’t bother to vote.

A striking example of how this works occurred in the Roosevelt years in the White House. He was elected in 1932. In 1934 the Democratic delegation, in an exception to the rule, increased its strength in Congress. Voters were still voting against the Republicans and the Great Depression. But by 1938, when things began to settle down and America was returning to normalcy, the party of FDR lost seats in Congress.

All of which means that the Democratic Party can’t assume that the Democratic gain in Congressional seats in 2006 is a guarantee of victory in both Congress and the presidency in 2008. Remember on Election Day every vote counts!

Congress Cutting Special Interest Ties

For many years, lobbyists in Washington have had a free hand in the ways they employed to influence Congress. One of the most blatant was conveyed in a tactic called “bundling.” The lobbyist would solicit support for a candidate observing carefully the legal limits on how much an individual contributed. But, the lobbyist bundled the separate gifts and delivered the impressive total to the candidate who indeed felt indebted to the lobbyist for the support. But, in addition, lobbyists treated candidates to meals, to trips, to membership in country clubs, etc.

When in the mid-term election of 2006, the Democrats won a majority of the seats in both House and Senate not much in the way of progressive legislation was expected. President Bush still had the veto power and the Democrats did not have the necessary two-thirds to override the veto.

But on the second day of August, the Senate passed a bill imposing numerous restrictions on the traditional ways in which lobbyists operated. That, in itself, is no surprise because the Democrats do have a majority in the Senate. But what was unexpected was the lopsided nature of the vote. The vote was 83 for and 14 against.

This means that if the President vetoes the bill there are enough votes to override his veto. The White House has lost control over its party’s delegation in the Senate.

Yes — the political pendulum is swinging from right to left in Washington.

Big Push For Preschool Education

The United States has been a world pioneer in schooling for the people. It started in colonial days in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Every child was compelled to attend a school, starting at an early age. The reason was double: First, it was necessary to teach all children that humans were born in sin and that they must learn to overcome this inherent trait. Secondly, the hours spent in school kept the kids off the streets where they would commit untold mischief. The schools were, in effect, parochial.

In the early years of the 19th century a new dimension was added. Thanks to the rise of a labor movement, workers won the right to vote, although they did not own property. They were organized city by city. Philadelphia was the first. Their platforms differed to reflect their different circumstances. But they all called for free, universal public school education. Their reason was double: Education would enable workers to tackle jobs that needed learning. They also felt that education would prepare the children of workers to hold posts of public responsibility.

At first, the education was applied to the elementary grades. Then high school education followed. And then came public colleges and universities.

Since the financing of schools was local, wealthy neighborhoods had better schools than poor neighborhoods. Some states came to the rescue by helping out with financial aid where needed. Then came federal aid to education.

The latest step in the progress of American education is a movement promoting preschool education for 3- and 4-year-olds. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton proposes to spend $15 billion over five years on universal preschool education.

Yes, the United States still is a nation that wisely values education.