Eliot Spitzer and a Brief History of Ideas
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s public statement in response to his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring and his patronage:
Good afternoon.
For the past nine years, eight years as attorney general, and one as governor, I have tried to uphold a vision of progressive politics that would rebuild New York and create opportunity for all. We sought to bring real change to New York and that will continue.
Today I want to briefly address a private matter. I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my, or any, sense of right and wrong. I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better.
I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York. But I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.
I will not be taking questions. Thank you very much. I will report back to you in short order. Thank you very much.
I’m sure that many of the dens of Wall Street are filled with gleeful joy. Spitzer spent a lot of time making corrupt corporate executives deservedly miserable. He also brought much unnecessary grief to many innocent, but perhaps incompetent, managers. Such is the double-edged blade of overzealousness.
I do take issue with his statement; politics, art, business, sports, history itself are all about individuals. Ideas, as any entrepreneur knows, are cheap. Only determined individuals can execute and bring ideas, good or bad, to fruition. It is how this world remembers triumphs and defeats. Communism, will forever be linked to Marx, Stalin, and Mao, larger than life individuals all. The Second World War is as much a saga about leaders such as Churchill, Hitler, and Roosevelt as it is about battles between heavily armed countries. Apple (AAPL) vs. Microsoft (MSFT) is a narrative about Jobs vs. Gates. Even in this Web 2.0 era, where user generated content empowers the unknown amateur, we fixate on the brightest personalities, names such as Zuckerberg, Brin, and Page.
Ideas only have consequences when individuals act upon them.
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