T his past week hasn't seen any defining national political stories, so here's a roundup of a variety of political goings-on:
Eliot Mess: I'm stealing this headline from Stephen Colbert because I like it too much. Most of you have probably heard about New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's stunning revelation of his sexual adventures with the ladies of Emperor's Club VIP, an international escort agency that seems to have doubled as a high-class prostitution ring. Once the agency fell under investigation, its records were cracked open and Client No. 9 was revealed to be Spitzer. On Monday, Spitzer gave a somber statement admitting his wrongdoing. The Democratic governor is likely to resign in the wake of impeachment threats by N.Y. Republicans, who control the state legislature.
Spitzer's star seems to have fallen as fast as it had risen. Prior to winning the New York governorship in 2006, he had been the state's attorney general, where he made a name for himself as an aggressive foe of Wall Street crime. He cultivated an image of a hard-charging crusader for the little guy and enemy of fat-cat white-collar criminals. Wall Street resented him for his attacks, claiming his style was one of allegation and innuendo, not evidence. His subsequent claiming of the governorship was widely seen as a stepping stone to a run for the presidency in 2012 or 2016. I had expected him to make a strong showing, but no longer. A man who could have been a real leader of the Democratic Party will now resign in disgrace.
Barack Bites Back: I have been waiting impatiently for the Obama campaign to realize how the dynamic of the Democratic race has shifted since the Clinton victories in Ohio and Texas last Tuesday. The lesson that the Clinton camp has taken away from those wins is that if you throw enough crap at the wall, some of it will stick. The barrage they aimed at Obama in the days leading up to those primaries is the most negative they've ever gotten, hitting the candidate on his Commander-in-Chief credentials, NAFTA and comparing him to Democratic boogeyman Ken Starr.
Regardless of whether or not that negativity was the deciding factor in Ohio and Texas - I think the demographics of those states were just naturally favorable to Clinton - the Clinton folks think it was. They saw their first victories in a long time come only after they hit him hard. And if Obama doesn't start returning some shots, Clinton will take Pennsylvania by 10 points or more.
Obama seems to finally understand this. Two days ago he responded strongly to a Clinton whisper campaign suggesting he take a Vice Presidential gig under Hillary, arguing "If I'm not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great Vice President? They are trying to hoodwink you."
Obama is rightfully pointing out the self-defeating argument of the Clintons, which is, essentially: "The first responsibility of the Vice President is that he be qualified to take over as Commander-in-Chief in the event of a catastrophe. Obama is not qualified to be the C-in-C, so nominate me, and I'll make Obama my VP." Got that? Because I sure don't.
Remember McCain?: Republican nominee John McCain is in a weird situation- with his opponents locked in a bloody knife fight. He has a chance to catch his breath, raise money and implement a general election organization free from interference. On the flip side, the headlines will be Democrats, Democrats, Democrats for at least another two months. The worry for the McCain camp should be keeping their guy in the public eye while everyone watches the Hillary-Obama battle.
Michael Sherry is a junior majoring in political science. He can be reached at Michael.Sherry@tufts.edu.
