While Democrats in New York’s dysfunctional State Legislature rally behind Governor Eliot Spitzer, the Republicans in the same legislature scent weakness in the still developing Troopergate and Choppergate scandals. Both teams fault the other side without scrutinizing themselves.
As in the Clinton scandals, the Democrats are basically saying "What’s the big deal?" or "This is a partisan witchhunt."
If the Republican president, governor or mayor were to use the law enforcement or national security forces at their disposal to spy on the Democrats and leak embarassing information about them to the news media that would be totally different. Of course. Consider too the security implications of disseminating the movementsof figures such as Governor Spitzer, Democrat Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
Meanwhile, the New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno uses the taxpayer’s helicopter to fly to political events on the taxpayer’s dime. A whole of dimes. Do we hear anything from the Republican legislators or the conservative news media about this waste of the taxpayer funds? Of course not.
What is the rational observer to make of this spectacle? It is a pity that H. L. Mencken is not alive to cast his cynical and skeptical eye on these "poltroons" as he frequently termed them. Teamism is one of the great blemishes on our body politic. It necessitates constant dishonesty and self-delusion. Hypocrisy is the order of the day in Washington, Albany and wherever the Republicrats and Democans congregate.
(About the author: Richard Cooper is a international trade executive with a manufacturing firm on Long Island, New York, USA. He is the former Chair of the Libertarian Party of New York www.ny.lp.org). He is active in the Libertarian Party on eminent domain and other issues. He blogs at mythsmasher.blogspot.com).