The Schadenfreude of Spitzer

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For you non- German speakers out there, Schadenfreude (sha-den-froy-duh) means to take pleasure in the pain of others. There’s been quite a lot of schadenfreude going about this week.

From the BBC to Reuters, the LA Times to the Washington Post, each media outlet has their own particular barb to throw at the Anti-Corruption Superhero turned Pervy-Scumbag Eliot Spitzer.

After I wrote my first article in which I too indulged in the name-calling and mud-slinging, I began to wonder: Why? Why are we all so happy to “Get” this guy?

He’s the guy you love to hate and hate to love

During his political career, first as NY Attorney General (1999-2006) and then as Govenor (2007- March 14, 2008), Spitzer became well known as the guy who said it like he saw it… and then some.

Despite this however, in a state known for its’ heavily corrupt political machines and in the post-Enron environment, many saw Spitzer as a real life crime-fighting hero. Read More »


Politics and Prostitution: The Pathetic Case of Eliot Spitzer

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What is it about politics that makes men think they can get away with being total scumbags?

I’m so incredibly sick of these scandals that make the gossip-ridden mags like US Weekly and OK! seem blasé.

The New York Times broke the original story yesterday. A wiretapping investigation identified New York Governor Eliot Spitzer as “Client 9” of the Emperor’s Club, a New Jersey prostitution ring. It seems he met with a variety of call girls at 7 or 8 times over the past few months.

According to the ABC news blog, Temeka Rachelle Lewis, remarked to the call girl involved with Spitzer (code name “Client-9”) the night before VALENTINE’S DAY (cough…scumbag…cough) that she had heard that,

“[Client-9] would ask you to do things that, like, you might not think were safe – you know – I mean that . . . very basic things.”

I’m not sure what “very basic things” she refers to but it sounds fairly kinky…Nice one, Gov. Read More »