Pride Goeth Before Client #9

Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York, who became famous prosecuting Wall Street crooks, has been caught on a federal wiretap, making arrangements with a high-priced prostitute.

The pro, named Kristen, called her booker after her session with Eliot to confirm that all had gone well. She said she didn't find Spitzer "difficult,"€ as some of the other girls had complained.

The booker replied to her that "Client 9," as Eliot was called, was known to ask the women "€œto do things that, like, you might not think were safe."

Aside from the kinky slap to his Mr. Clean reputation, Spitzer is also facing legal jeopardy, since, among other things, the feds are hitting him with the Mann Act, a 1910 prostitution law designed to crack down on interstate "white slavery."

Everyone would like to know how Spitzer got the money to pay an escort $4K an hour, and what government resources he might have used to meet with her, in secret. Bizarrely, Eliot used the name of one of his big donors, "George Fox," to book his rendezvous.

Yesterday, Spitzer and his wife appeared for one shaky minute before the press,€” where Spitzer said he was sorry, and that he had let down his family and his moral beliefs.

How unfortunate that this bust doesn't serve as a wakeup call to Eliot to realize his moral "beliefs" are full of it.

Only a few years ago, in 2004, Spitzer spoke "with revulsion" after announcing his arrest of eighteen people who ran an escort business out of Staten Island.

"This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multi-tiered management structure," Mr. Spitzer sputtered at the time. "€œIt was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring."

And now, his critics and many of his supporters are asking for nothing less than his resignation.

Okay.

If we could give a truth serum to all the parties involved—€” or wiretap their personal diaries— here's what we might listen in on:

The $4,300 an Hour Prostitute:

Well, first of all, I got less than half of that, and my manicurist charges almost as much.

The Wife:

There's not a political wife alive who's been schtupped by her own husband in years. If you want a career as a high profile spouse, you can kiss your sex life goodbye.

The John/Governor:

Those sons of bitches. I know who did this, and I'll destroy them if it's the last thing I do.

The Escort Service Booker:

There's a couple dozen high end joints like us operating at any time to service the Pol crowd, and we just can't charge enough. Once they start ratting out each other, they'll mess us over so bad there'll be forty people filing bankruptcy as a result of their bullshit.

The John/Governor:

What? I'm a man. I'm a human being. You thought we could do this job sober and celibate? Bullshit. There's not one man in higher office today who's NOT a john, unless he's on Prozac or radiation therapy.

The Wife:

My policy influence, my privileges,€” it's all paid with this: public humiliation, the mockery of my sexual pride, the calculation of the material price of my abandonment. Don't ask me if it was worth it. I'm not ready to resign.

The John/Governor:

Why didn't I keep a nice vanilla girlfriend on the side? I would never do this kind of heavy play with my wife or any decent woman. Nobody gets this kind of scene for free, unless they're some kind of pervert sex freak activist. Yeah, I know those people voted for me, but I'm not one of them.

The Kids:

Dad didn't do this! They're lying. Dad's so uptight about sex, there is no way he would even take his clothes off in front of anyone.

The Corporate Criminals on Spitzer's Hit List:

Oh thank god, just in the nick of time. We told the RNC they had to do something about this maniac before he brought us all down. How much did it cost to run the sting?

John and Jane Q. Screwed Public:

We needed someone— and we voted for someone— to fight for us, and now he's gone and blown it all to hell.

Should prostitution be decriminalized?

The John/Governor:

No. I need the shame to get off, and the ammo to destroy my enemies.

The Wife:

I don't want his cock anywhere near me. This is my political career, too. Give me plausible deniability and I'll give you decriminalization.

The Escort Service:

Hard to say. Prices would fall, but so would expenses. It's inevitable, so thankfully we know how to run the game no matter what the law is.

The Pro:

Decriminalizing? yes. Legalization, no. The last thing I need is a government bureaucrat topping me.

John and Jane Q. Screwed Public:

The sex fatigue has set in. Do these pols have five minutes they could spare to work for us, their constituents? We'll give Spitzer something to scream about.

The Sex Fairy:

Decriminalization, yes. Stigma-busting, yes. Realizing that we are complicated creatures and creatures have sex, yes. Contemplating why people go through so much shit to feel physical intimacy and orgasmic surrender... a lot more of that!

Photo: by Tracy Mostovoy, from Nothing But the Girl. Tracy, an accomplished photographerQuinceneara, took this portrait of her late lover in the 1980s, who was working as a dom for clients who had much in common with men like Elliot Spitzer. 

Comments

[Keith]

My favorite part is how it was originally announced that the Gov was "Involved with a high-class prostitution ring." In that case, at around Noon, I will be "involved with a low-class restaurant."

He was banging expensive whores - why can't they just say so?

[Mykola Dementiuk]

Poor poor baby, he needs a spanking, that will do it, cheaper too haha!

[Sue Katz]

Yes, it's your final question that has me puzzled, too. And why play footsies around the money to such an extent that it raises suspicion? As one savvy friend of mine said, this guy knows how *not* to get caught around big expenditures. Thanks for your swift intervention, Susie
Sue

[S.P.]

Another case of "thinking with the little head..." (grin)

[Bert]

I have always believed that we should legalize and regulate prostitution and, for that matter, "recreational" drugs, and regulate them to prevent the spread of disease (think of the number of people who get HIV every year from recreational drug use alone). The reality is that prostitution is a basic part of humanity. The Egyptians had it 5,000 years ago. The Babylonians made it part of their religion. Legalization and regulation on the model used by several of the European nations makes much better sense than denial and arrest. It would be better for all concerned.
And as for "recreational" drugs, while I personally have a lifelong horror of using any of them (including MJ) and believe we would be better off without them, I also recognize that we have long since lost the "war on drugs" (what a piece of political cr*p that was!), and that legalization would deny huge drug revenues to violent gangs that terrorize our inner cities. And we could probably balance our federal budget on the tax revenues from prostitution and legalized drugs alone.

Bert

[Anarcissie]

I think it is interesting how these sleazy creeps always get The Wife to stand next to them while they're admitting or denying whatever it is they've been caught with. For once I'd like to see one of them have the spine to stand up by himself instead of further humiliating one of their primary victims. I guess I'll wait a long time for that.

[Susie Bright]

Someone just emailed me: "How do you know for sure it was S/M?"

I don't. It's my conjecture, based on the transcripts and my experience in the sex business. The booker's colloquial use of the word "safe" is not a reference to condoms. And this taste is not unusual among the powerful hypocrite set.

Anyway, I hope my post is clear that it's my imagination supplying all the "secret thoughts" in the various player's heads.

[DC (in UK)]

Glenn Greenwald over at Salon smells a rat in the form of a politically motivated sting.

[C.S. Lewiston]

It blew me away when I heard of this. I never would thought of Governor Spitzer (who I saw in person twice) as a "john". He came across as too straight-arrow, not to mention geeky. Goes to show, ya don't ever know!

I was driving home on the interstate last night when I heard the news. I dashed off a quick rant about the incredible stupidity shown by our illustrious governor as soon as I got home. You can click my name at the bottom of this posting if you care to check it out.

Digression - In 1977, another New York governor, Nelson Rockefeller, died of a heart attack at age 69 (!) whilst screwing the brains out of 26-year-old aide Megan Marshak. A tasteless joke at that time explained that Governor Rockefeller definitely wasn't feeling Happy that night ("Happy" was his wife's nickname). At least The Rock waited until he was no longer in office.

[Bobolink]

Just goes to show, "Bedfellows make strange politics".

[Greta Christina]

"My favorite part is how it was originally announced that the Gov was 'Involved with a high-class prostitution ring.'"

I saw that, too. It was kind of confusing. My first reaction was to think he'd been pimping. "Involved with" sounds a lot more... well, involved, than just being a customer.

[Susan]

My reaction was the same as Greta Christina's--what with all the to do, I thought he was running the prostitution ring! And then it turns out everyone is upset because he just hired a hooker???

But of course, whose money was paying for this very expensive hooker? The people's . . . and the bastard was also responsible for breaking up another "prostitution ring"--so he deserves all the condemnation and should resign. But I do wish people could be more clear about what he's being condemned for: probable misuse of government funds, and trying to prevent other people from hiring prostitutes like he does!

[Lou Cabron]

One more voice - clueless conservative commentator Dr. Laura:

"When the wife does not focus in on the needs and the feelings — sexually, personally — to make him feel like a man, to make him feel like a success, to make him feel like her hero, he’s very susceptible to the charm of some other woman."

[lee]

So interesting, the speculation -blog and otherwise- about what "not safe" activities might be.... some think no condom, some think anal no condom, nobody but Susie has gone the s/m kink route. so far that I've seen.

[Lee]

OK, I just went to the Salon article and other "political setup" theory links and ... it kind of disturbs me that.. I don't remember lefty type people leaping to the defense of Larry Craig, or some of these other right wing folks when their transgressions came out. We were all just writhing with glee, right?

I could be wrong, but this hair splitting etc. and eyebrow lifting about "mere" prostitution, etc, just because we like the guy.. and I think I did like the guy. My friend and I took a hike this morning and both agreeed "we'da done him for free! no messy money transfers!" Of course, then I remembered his wife, and realized (no, not that I have scruples, but that we both look more like her than he'd probably enjoy!)

[Ziptie]

In addition to Salon, as mentioned above, Harpers sees many signs that this was a politically-motivated investigation to bring down a popular democratic governor.

One can only imagine what would be found if the same resources were directed at finding republican indiscretions and corruption.

[Oakland Peach]

I used to be a fancy call girl. So here is what I don't understand.

Why in hell would a well known man not just find himself a nice independent call girl? ( I'd happily come out of retirement for you, Mr Governor! You're cute. ) Why in hell would he use an agency? I used to willingly sign my legal name to confidentiality contracts with my "big boys". But I was rarely asked. Most of these guys used their name, gave me direct office numbers, they were fearless. Maybe it's just a California thing. But when I asked one such big shot why he was so brazen, he said 1. I do what the fuck I want, and 2. if you talked, who would believe you, anyway (he of course added the obligatory "no offense") ".

Maybe the key thing was that I never had ELECTED pols as clients.

The only thing I can think of is that these high end agencies operate with such known impunity that even the Governor wasn't too worried. He took some precautions, but the truly cautious pay in cash, even when you have to have a separate bag to carry it. I cannot imagine an agency would survive long without some cash pay option, but hell, maybe I'm really out of it.

Anyway, these scandals always create a surge in business, so ladies, get ready to burn up those phones. And fella's, save yourself some trouble and patronize some spunky, self made independent gal. We're always way more interesting anyway.

[Bacchus]

Heh, Susie, I knew I could rely on you to step up with some insight on this story!

[Vicki]

My girlfriend and I were discussing this last night, and she told me that for some people, sex with prostitutes is itself a kink. So it may not even, or primarily, be that Spitzer's sexual tastes and his wife's differ--he may specifically want to pay someone (whether it's pay someone to do S/M things, or some variety of more-or-less vanilla sex).

[Helen]

As soon as I heard the story- I thought of you typing your little fingers off Susie. Wait for it... and you nail it, of course.
Everyone should just grow up already, but of course it's what the culture thrives on- the media gobbling it up, Elliot getting off on being such a naughty boy, and the GOP maniacally rubbing their little hands together. He'll make a fortune on the book in a year.

[Peter Throckmorton]

Argh - I'll probably keep on feeling inside that Roger Stone had something to do with it [his history as a Republican dirty trickster dates to Nixon, and who has already a history with Spitzer].

[M]

The issue here seems to be hypocritical stance on prostitution/sex - and possible use of public funds for private benefit.

Frankly - I think anyone visiting your site Suzie would say that what consenting adults do - should be their own business. As long as it's legal (we're not pedophiles here) and genuinely consensual.

Infidelity is not abnormal - maybe regrettable and immoral (according to some), but how many people, if given the opportunity to have 'discreet' safe, clean sex with someone they were attracted to, would definitely say no...I wonder.

The guy needs to resign - his position is untenable. But he created his own problem.

I'd be interested in your (presumably forthcoming article) on the issues with the reality TV 'truth' stuff, where the woman admits to infidelity to score $ - but gets a divorce in the deal.

[Amanda]

Wow. Susie Bright. I studied you in college! I love your work.

I'm working as the blogger for MobLogic.tv and we have a show up about Silda Wall Spitzer and her reaction to this whole thing.

(http://www.moblogic.tv/video/2008/03/12/btch-please/)

I've already left my comments up disagreeing with her. Check it out, let us know what you think. It would be great to hear your opinion.

[DC (in UK)]

The only problem I have with the 's/m' explanation is: what s/m activity could he be enggaed in for 'Kristen' to describe it as 'not safe'? For whom wasn't it safe? The possibilities are endless (unless 'not safe' is code for 'he wanted me to be the bottom')

[a.feenstra]

Another interesting voice on sex scandals and erotophobia: http://supervalentthought.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/against-sexual-scandal/