Henry J. Stern
Monday, September 10, 2007
Day One - Everything changes
Day 253 - Change for the worse
Today is September 10. Day One was just thirty-six weeks ago.
The governor's inaugural speech in Albany was uplifting. We wrote
about it in very positive terms.At that time, we believed that there was
a new era ahead, and that a discredited and dysfunctional state government
was about to be reformed. Unfortunately, we wee wrong.
The key to change is strong leadership. Governors like Alfred E. Smith,
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thomas E. Dewey and Nelson A. Rockefeller have had
a significant impact on the state, in public works like the Thruway and the
State University, in improving working conditions and standards in the early
20th century. They were men who, whether you agreed with them or not
on a particular issue, were widely respected as leaders, people of stature.
What they said and did, mattered.
Through a succession of miscues, Governor Spitzer has forfeited his position
of leadership, He has made intemperate statements, used foul
language at inappropriate occasions, caved where he should have resisted,
engaged in Nixonian behavior, denied what most rational people believe to
be true, and acted like a silly person, not the leader of over 18,000,000
New Yorkers. Compare him with a Bloomberg or Giuliani, and note the
difference.
Many of us who supported him less than a year ago are deeply disappointed.
There is not one public official in the state, Democrat or Republican, who
defends the way he has conducted himself. It is not an ideological
issue, he is neither a radical or a reactionary, his ideology, his views
are mainstream liberal. Senator Craig did him a great favor by taking people's
minds off Spitzer's travails. Now he does photo-ops with Mayor Bloomberg
and others, hoping their modest glow will rub off on him . it is sad
to see him in this weakened condition, in part because he will be governor
for another 3 years and 4 months; it being highly unlikely that he will be
impeached or convicted of perjury. It will be hard, however, for him
to regain the respect of the people with whom he must work. We would
recommend a vigorous, substantive program of reform, a substantial reduction
of expenditures, and the appointment of persons of stature and courage to
his staff.
It appears somewhat contradictory to wish for the success of someone whose
record so far is disappointing. But we want the state to prosper and
become competitive with others. Maybe it's just rooting for the home
team, but we want both the State and the City to do well. The
success of an administration depends on the work of people at the bottom
and well as the top. They must be motivated and encouraged to do their
best. They cannot feel that they are being led by a loser.
Governor Spitzer has to pick himself up and start doing worthwhile things.
His appointments, for the most part in except in the Bronx, of course, are
relatively professional rather than totally political. They have not,
however, been distinguished, and most people would be unable to name any
three people who he appointed to anything. We also do not read about
anyone else in the administration except the governor. This may be
due to the absence of Darren Dopp, the recently exiled press secretary, or
to his presence. We will see if anyone breaks through the fog and becomes
an identifiable member of the administration in circumstances which araae
other than linkage to a scandal.
The newspapers are mixed today about the governor. The Post continues
its jeremiad with a huge headline on page one, STATE SECRETS, Gov'sAides
Meet at Night in Limos. Exclusive Gov. Spitzer's aides have been
holding clandestine late-night meetings in "bib black cars" to avoid creating
a trail of phone and e-mail records for investigators looking into Albany's
dirty-tracks scandal.
Fredruc
U. Dicker fans the flames on p2 with SPITZER'S AIDES IN MYSTERY MEETINGS,
but unless you know what went on in the meetings, it's not much of a story.
The News as much as says so in
Elizabeth
Benjamin's column on p19, TROOPERGATE FIZZLING OUT, GOP Scrambles
to Keep Scandal Hot as DA's Proble Unlikely to Find Crimes. The turning
point may have been the vituperate late night phone call by Roger J. Stone,
the Republican operative who called Mr. Spitzer's 83-year-old father to threaten
him with being called to testify. Although alcohol may have had a role
in instigating the call, and Stone was fired the next morning by Joe Bruno,
the damage was done in that the Senate hearings were shown to be a partisan
attempt to embarrass the governor.
Although Bruno had a few weeks in the spotlight playing the victim,
Stonegate showed the Senate leader in a more familiar role, that of perp.
Successful government depends on persuading people to do what may not be
directly in their own interest, but will be in the public interest.
According to statute, each party has the right to block the other party from
action or legislation, and stalemate is the most common result, as in some
chess tournaments. Persuasion is more possible when there is a relationship
between the parties that is not laced with personal contempt and threats
of litigation. It's too bad we can't start the year 2007 on Rosh Hashanah
(Wednesday evening, September 12 ), but that day will be the start of 5768,
since the Jews started counting earlier, although not necessarily as early
as is claimed. When I was a little boy, I read on a calendar that Archbishop
Usher (primate of all Ireland from l625 to 1656 and an Anglican church) had
carefully calculated that the counting of days and years had begun at nightfall
preceding October 23, 4004 B.C.E. , BTW in China we are in the Year
of the Golden Pig, numbered 4704, and reflecting the relative antiquity of
their civilization. If Archbishop Usher's chronology
were followed today, we would be in 6010 until next month. At any rate,
we will next select a governor in 2010, by the Gregorian calendar.
Through that year, we want Governor Spitzer to do his best, and we want people
to treat him with dignity and respect, in the hope that that will encourage
him to do the same.
The Post continues today its vendetta against the governor, trying to drive
him from office, an effort which is highly unlikely to succeed. Their
persistence reminds one of William Randolph Hearst's use of yellow journalism
to instigate the Spanish-American War in 1898. Nonetheless, the story
is dying down. It appears increasingly that no real crimes have been
committed, a conclusion with which we agree. Not all bad behavior
in politics is criminal. It is ironic that this standard is being
applied to Spitzer, who made his reputation by threatening to destroy businesses
and prosecute corporate officers while he was Attorney General. We
all admired the Sheriff of Wall Street’s activities at the time,
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