Patterico's Pontifications

3/11/2008

Political Winners and Losers

Filed under: 2008 Election,Politics — DRJ @ 5:38 pm

[Guest post by DRJ]

In today’s winners and losers, CNN projects Barack Obama the winner of the Mississippi Democratic primary and John McCain the winner of the GOP primary. Exit polls suggest race was a significant factor in the Democratic contest.

With ~~18% 29% 83%~~ 91% of the precincts reporting, Obama leads Clinton ~~52%-46% 59%-39%~~ 60%-38%. McCain leads with almost 80% of the GOP vote to Huckabee’s 12% and Paul’s 4%.

In the loser category, NY Governor Eliot Spitzer faces an impeachment threat if he doesn’t resign because of new claims that he spent as much as $80,000 on trysts with call girls since 2002.

Butter him, he’s toast.

— DRJ

Comments (22)

22 Responses to “Political Winners and Losers”

DRJ, have you seen this post at Little Green Footballs: Google Lists David Paterson As NY Governor.

After a screenshot of the Google page Charles Johnson writes:

Those links are generated by programs, not human beings. If Paterson is showing up as Governor of New York, it means Google’s web crawlers found something at the New York State web site that generated that link, probably the page title.

We’re seeing the tip of the iceberg, as powerful people in New York fight over how to handle this situation.
Paul (249390) — 3/11/2008 @ 5:57 pm
Hmmm. It’s still at Google if you search using the words “New York State.” Interesting, but why does LGF say it’s a program function and can’t have a human cause?
DRJ (a431ca) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:13 pm
This story claims that Spitzer is using his resignation as a bargaining chip to cut a plea deal. If the U.S. Attorney agrees to plea on this basis, or uses any criteria other than what he would use for any total unknown, it would be an insult to justice.
nk (5ce644) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:29 pm
I wonder how long it will take the usual suspects to start screeching that the US Attorney is refusing to negotiate with Spitzer to maximize the harm that the scandal will do to the Democrats. If New York Republicans are smart, they’ll stand down and let the Democrats do the dirty work of forcing Spitzer out of office.
M. Scott Eiland (b66190) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:43 pm
I’m with M. Scott on this

NY Reps. will only hurt themselves with impeachment talk

Is memory so short that one doesn’t remember that Billy Jeff’s popularity soared with the impeachment hearings?
Darleen (187edc) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:46 pm
gotta hand it to them, those girls bill more per hour than i did.
assistant devil's advocate (df0e95) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:48 pm
Sure, ADA, but they can only bill to one client at a time 😉
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:49 pm
That’s fast work. Here in SouthEast Michigan we’re still waiting around for the mayor of Detroit to resign after everyone found out he committed perjury. And/or we’re still waiting for the local DA to decide whether it’s worth prosecuting him.

This is like jury nullification, judge nullification, courthouse nullification, and endless-TV-and-internet-discussion nullification all rolled into one. I had hoped that Spitzer would driver v-e-r-y slowly in an SUV with the cops trying to flag him down and helicopters overhead. Anything to take the mind off the interminable Hillary and Obama show.
Don (ba2997) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:51 pm
now that i’m retired from law, i’m wondering if kristen would take my account on a pro boner publico basis.
assistant devil's advocate (df0e95) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:52 pm
Butter him

Figure of speech, Governor. If you really want that, it’ll cost extra.
Patterico (4bda0b) — 3/11/2008 @ 6:53 pm
I guarantee you Spitzer is trying to bargain using his resignation — but I’m pretty confident as well that it won’t work. He’s got no friends in DOJ or the SDNY. He’s going to resign if he’s indicted, but resigning isn’t going to keep him from getting indicted if there is a case that can be made against him.

Defense lawyers may think it works that way in a high profile case, but not one like this. It’ll be by the numbers because its going to come under enormous scrutiny.

And, how about the fortuitous fact that the new Attorney General just happens to be a former District Court Judge in Manhattan where he had front-row seat to all things Spitzer.

Butter up and bend over.
WLS (68fd1f) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:14 pm
SPQR, those girls MIGHT be able to bill more than one at a time…

And, think of the per hour benefits….
reff (59b2ad) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:23 pm
DRJ, have you seen this post at Little Green Footballs: Google Lists David Paterson As NY Governor.

While the website still refers to him as Lt. Gov, there’s something conspicuous by it’s absence on the Governor’s page. That would be the Governor.

There’s something missing here too.
Pablo (99243e) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:31 pm
NK: i’m *extremely* uncomfortable with the notion of a federal prosecuter entering into a plea bargain with a state official if that bargain is conditioned on the official resigning.

Even if it’s legitimate in this circumstance, there’s all sorts of room for political abuse there.
aphrael (1d28d0) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:38 pm
Wow — read this http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzanne-omalley/client9_b_91030.html and then think about how much more we might be learning about the “private Spitzer” in the days and weeks to come.
WLS (68fd1f) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:40 pm
aphrael #14,

We entirely agree. It would be an abuse of prosecutorial authority in my opinion. From every prospective, pro-prosecution or pro-defense. The plea bargain should be evaluated strictly on the bases of the protection of society and the interest of justice and it should in no way seek to interfere with the governmental functions of a State.
nk (5ce644) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:48 pm
Is that *perspective*?
nk (5ce644) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:49 pm
Geez, WLS, I don’t think we’ve heard the half of it.
Paul (249390) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:49 pm
Alan Dershowitz is already out claiming that the feds “unfairly targeted Spitzer”. Wah wah wah–same old Dershowitz bull puckey.

And while I agree with Aphrael that I don’t think a federal prosecutor should condition a plea bargain with a state official on that official resigning his post, I’m mindful of what Spitzer did. He threatened AIG with a criminal indictment–in essence a death sentence for a financial firm–unless its long time CEO resigned. He’s a cheap thug. And he’ll be negotiating up to the last minute to get the best deal he can. What a putz. Whatever happens to him, he’s got it coming.
Mike Myers (31af82) — 3/11/2008 @ 7:50 pm
#10: We think alike, Patrick.
DRJ (a431ca) — 3/11/2008 @ 8:03 pm
You Righties are missing some high comedy in the Dem race. Hillary has been touting her foreign policy experience. Turns out one thing she’s been touting is a trip to Bosnia, when it turns out she was accompanied by Cheryl Crow and Sinbad (the C-list comedian from the 80s-90s).

Sinbad is skeptical:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/03/sinbad_unloads_on_hillary_clin.html

Some key quotes:

In an interview with the Sleuth Monday, he said the “scariest” part of the trip was wondering where he’d eat next. “I think the only ‘red-phone’ moment was: ‘Do we eat here or at the next place.'”

….

In her Iowa stump speech, Clinton also said, “We used to say in the White House that if a place is too dangerous, too small or too poor, send the First Lady.”

Say what? As Sinbad put it: “What kind of president would say, ‘Hey, man, I can’t go ’cause I might get shot so I’m going to send my wife…oh, and take a guitar player and a comedian with you.'”
Vergil (ec0a96) — 3/11/2008 @ 9:15 pm
Seen that. Of cource, one of her feminist buddies also put her foot in her mouth over Obama…

I think this story is the best thing that could have happened for hillary… Taking light away from her political suicide…
Scott Jacobs (d3a6ec) — 3/11/2008 @ 9:38 pm

3/11/2008

Political Winners and Losers

22 Responses to “Political Winners and Losers”

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