The Daily OrangeThe past and present of New York politcians
By Andrew Swab
Posted: 9/21/09, 9:56 PM EST Section: Opinion
With the recent news that New York Gov. David Paterson plans to run again, against the wishes of the Obama administration, it seems like the perfect time to take a look at some New York politicians, both past and present. How much have they changed New York, or how much New York has changed them?
Past
Eliot Spitzer:
Spitzer certainly went out with a bang, but many New Yorkers, including myself, remember the age when the infamous Client No. 9 pledged to "toil each and every day so as not to disappoint the hard-working people of this state who have placed their trust in this future." I was pretty disappointed in the former governor March 2008.
Since then, Spitzer has undertaken an excellent public relations campaign. Although he has kept quiet these past two years, he did appear in a rare interview on "Fareed Zakaria GPS" this past April. What stunned me about Spitzer was not him coming out of hiding: it was the fact that he knew his stuff about the financial crisis, based on his years being the "Sheriff of Wall Street" when he was New York attorney general. While he may not be a rising star, I feel we haven't seen the last of Eliot Spitzer.
Rudolph Giuliani:
With eyes on the governorship and the title of New York City mayor on his resume, Giuliani seems poised for an interesting political future. But let's remember that Giuliani hasn't won an elected office in over a decade. Giuliani's campaign for the presidency is akin to Napoleon's campaign in Russia: they both ended in a tremendous loss.
Let's give some credit to Giuliani. He was the mayor of New York during the largest civilian tragedy in the history of the nation; that shouldn't be forgotten. He seems quite likely to be the Republican darling in the 2010 gubernatorial race.
Present:
Gov. David Paterson:
A Marist poll came out this month that had Paterson's approval rating at 20 percent. That's almost as bad as some of the numbers during the latter part of the George W. Bush administration. I have to wonder, why?
Past
Eliot Spitzer:
Spitzer certainly went out with a bang, but many New Yorkers, including myself, remember the age when the infamous Client No. 9 pledged to "toil each and every day so as not to disappoint the hard-working people of this state who have placed their trust in this future." I was pretty disappointed in the former governor March 2008.
Since then, Spitzer has undertaken an excellent public relations campaign. Although he has kept quiet these past two years, he did appear in a rare interview on "Fareed Zakaria GPS" this past April. What stunned me about Spitzer was not him coming out of hiding: it was the fact that he knew his stuff about the financial crisis, based on his years being the "Sheriff of Wall Street" when he was New York attorney general. While he may not be a rising star, I feel we haven't seen the last of Eliot Spitzer.
Rudolph Giuliani:
With eyes on the governorship and the title of New York City mayor on his resume, Giuliani seems poised for an interesting political future. But let's remember that Giuliani hasn't won an elected office in over a decade. Giuliani's campaign for the presidency is akin to Napoleon's campaign in Russia: they both ended in a tremendous loss.
Let's give some credit to Giuliani. He was the mayor of New York during the largest civilian tragedy in the history of the nation; that shouldn't be forgotten. He seems quite likely to be the Republican darling in the 2010 gubernatorial race.
Present:
Gov. David Paterson:
A Marist poll came out this month that had Paterson's approval rating at 20 percent. That's almost as bad as some of the numbers during the latter part of the George W. Bush administration. I have to wonder, why?
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Callmecynical
posted 9/22/09 @ 9:13 AM EST
I hope you are wrong about Governor Spitzer. This is the difference between the Dems and the GOP. Dems resurrect their fallen heros, the GOP buries them because they have principles and believe that character is every bit as important as poltical philosophy. (Continued…)
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