Abject Begging and Character Assassination

So this is what it’s come to. Get in your last licks, spend your PAC money, work the media, fax around the talking points, slam the other guy, defend yourself against scandal.

Or, just another day in America.

Alan Hevesi, the sitting democratic Comptroller for the state of New York, has been spinning like Kristi Yamaguchi for the last couple of weeks, defending himself against what he now calls “a stupid decision” to use public funds and resources to provide a driver and protection for his wife. The bulk of what was supposed to be a “debate” between him and his challenger, Christopher Callaghan, became an inquisition between him and the moderator. He got a half-hour of media time on our local NPR affiliate, WAMC (in the guise of being allowed to be a guest on a regular show, Capital Connection) where the omnipresent president of the station, Alan Chartock, let him defend himself to the voters of New York. He explained that he’d gotten threats against him and his family, so naturally he wanted to protect his wife, and his job required him to travel a great deal, and he didn’t want to worry about her when he was away, so he asked the appropriate personnel if he could have protection, and all was on the up-and-up, or so he said, until we got to the part about the fine print: that of course you were entitled to these services, if you reimbursed the state of New York for them. Which he somehow forgot to do until someone (I assume from his challenger’s camp), reminded him of this tiny little stipulation. Then he paid back some $83,000 to the state, which got more media attention, and then he was taken to task by the Ethics Commission and put under investigation. When it was found that he indeed broke the law, he lost his public support from Eliot “Golden Boy” Spitzer. Spitzer knew about the “indiscretion” earlier, expressed only the mildest of doubts about Hevesi’s “fitness to serve.” (“Concerned” was how the media put it). But as Attorney General of the state, should have known that Hevesi had broken a law. It was not until the story broke that it WAS indeed a violation of New York Code that Spitzer pulled his support.

And Hevesi was ordered to pay more money back to the state.

And now that we’ve reached the days of abject begging and character assassination, he’s using the last of his media dollars on spots where he might as well be on his knees with his hands out. I haven’t seen this much public tap dancing since a certain intern snapped her thong on the Oval Office. Hevesi – looking most sincerely apologetic - basically says that he made a dumb mistake and as Comptroller he should have known better (because, you know, that was his JOB) but he wanted to protect his wife. And if the decent and compassionate citizens of New York would be good enough to trust him with their vote, he’d be eternally grateful to them…and not the politicians.

Oh, get off it, Alan. You know you’ll win. This is, after all, the Bluest of the Blue States. If you were a Republican, you would have been drawn and quartered by now. But this is New York. So take all that money you’re spending on those TV spots “defending” yourself, and give it to a homeless shelter. Or to the guy you used to drive your wife around. Call it a tip.