Eliot Spitzer resigned as Governor of New York today, his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, at his side. Now we have so-called "experts" weighing in, judging not only Spitzer's behavior but that of his wife for "standing by her man."
Spitzer had been caught up in a federal wiretap prostitution sting where it was revealed that as "Client - 9", Spitzer had spent thousands of dollars for high class hookers, dropping $4300 for two hours with a petite brunette called "Kristen", an Emperor's Club call girl at a Washington, D.C. hotel, on the night before Valentines Day.
Investigators hinted that Spitzer had spent close to $80,000 over an extended period of time.
Today his wife stood next to him as he gave his resignation speech at his Midtown Manhattan office.
“From those to whom much is given, much is expected,” Mr. Spitzer said. “I have been given much: the love of my family, the faith and trust of the people of New York and the chance to lead this state. I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me.”While most have focused on the swift and sudden downfall of Spitzer, it was his wife's actions, that of standing next to her husband while he announced his decision to resign, that some "experts" chose to focus on.
“Over the course of my public life, I have insisted — I believe correctly — that people regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct,” he said. “I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of governor.” Source - New York Times
The public reaction to Mrs. Wall Spitzer’s stance to “stand by her man” has been mixed at best, New York Magazines notes . Political blog from N. Dakota, “Say Anything” , said it would have paid to see Silda Spitzer punch her husband on the podium.
Others were not as generous. “What’s more disgusting than a lyin’ no good, cheatin, hypocritical, political man? Their wives that stand by looking dumbfounded as their unfaithful husbands apologize to the public. Do these women have no pride?” wrote New York City Moms blog. Dr. Laura went so far as to blame Mrs. Wall Spitzer for the scandal. Source - Reuters
We took a spin over to see just what Dr. Laura's "diagnosis" was, as a guest on The Today Show, as to why Spitzer cheated on his wife:
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 making him feel what he needs."
Meredith Viera: “You’re saying the women should feel guilty that they somehow drove the man to cheat?”
"Dr" Laura: “The cheating was his decision to repair what’s damaged and to feed himself where he’s starving,” Schlessinger explained. “But, yes, I hold women responsible for tossing out perfectly good men by not treating them with the love and kindness and respect and attention they need.”
There you have it, according to Dr. Laura, it's not Eliot Spitzer's fault he cheated and spent thousands of dollars on high class hookers but his wife's fault for not "loving" him enough, not showing him the "kindness and respect" he "deserved."
1970's Partial Pic of Dr. Laura nudey photo
taken by former lover radio host Bill Ballance
taken by former lover radio host Bill Ballance
Looking back on Dr. Laura's Unofficial bio it's very apparent why Dr. Laura believes what she told Meredith Viera on The Today Show as to why it was Spitzer's wife's fault that he was driven to use high class call girls.
Dr. Laura's Unofficial Bio
Schlessinger married a dentist when she was 25, and had at least two extramarital affairs before they were divorced. Her first radio appearance was in 1974, as a caller on Bill Ballance's show in Los Angeles. She became a regular caller, and later a guest on Ballance's show, as he became her mentor in radio, and her first known extramarital affair.
According to the bio and numerous other sources, Dr. Laura met her next lover and now current husband, a professor and married father of three, in 1985:
While still married to that dentist (and still ostensibly a marriage therapist), Schlessinger met and began another extramarital affair with Lewis G. Bishop, a professor of neuro-physiology and married father of three. They lived together for nine years after divorcing their spouses, and have been married since 1985.
If we follow Dr. Laura's "logic", if her current husband's ex-wife had given him the love, respect, and kindness he deserved then he wouldn't have flown to the arms of... Dr. Laura.
By blaming the wife of the cheating spouse, and we're talking about Dr. Laura's husband's ex-wife, you know, the one he was married to when he began an affair with Dr. Laura... absolves Dr. Laura of all guilt.
Could this be the reason Dr. Laura shocked both the viewers and the staff of the Today Show by blaming Eliot Spitzer's wife as the reason as to why he cheated on her with high class call girls?
Is Dr. Laura attempting to excuse her past actions of serial adultery by "blaming the victim", her lover's then current wife?
Is Dr. Laura trying to absolve herself of feelings of guilt by placing the blame squarely on the wife, claiming the wife failed in her duties therefore the man had a right to go "outside" his marriage, to someone such as Dr. Laura, in order to be "fulfilled"?
If Eliot Spitzer had called in to Dr. Laura's radio talk show before everything fell apart, what "advice" would Dr. Laura had given Governor Spitzer?
Would she have advised him that wasn't really his, but was his wife's fault? That he had the right to go "elsewhere" to get his "needs" met?
Would she?
We'll let the reader be the judge.
By LBG
Image - Dr. Laura Book
Source - nndb
Source - Dr. Laura nude
Source - Reuters
Image - New York Times
Source - Yahoo
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