A corrupt capital sinks even lower

Jim Tedisco is the head of a tiny group of Republicans in New York state's Assembly so he doesn't have much to do. As a result, he often picks a fake issue to get all grandstand about. It's a great way to get himself in front of TV cameras that would normally ignore a minority leader, especially one as hostile to rational thought as him. The general rule of thumb in New York state politics is that when Tedisco gets all hysterical in favor of something, it's probably a terrible idea.

But the law of averages states that even someone as sleazy as Tedisco is going to be right once in a while. And the minority leader was right to call for Gov. Eliot Spitzer's resignation for his apparent involvement in an interstate prostitution ring. And there are also questions about the legality of how the Democratic governor paid for the high priced hookers.

When you make ethics the centerpiece of your campaign, your own ethics must be above reproach. A former prosecutor and state attorney general who busted a prostitution ring himself has even less excuse to not know better.

When Spitzer resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, a widely respected former state senator, will become the first blind governor in US history.

Tedisco even threatened to launch impeachment proceedings against Spitzer if the governor did not resign within 48 hours. If Spitzer's actions are impeachable, it makes you wonder about the future of Tedisco's buddy and fellow Republican Joe Bruno. The Senate majority leader, a sworn enemy of Spitzer, is under FBI investigation himself for allegedly shady business dealings.

Perversely, when Paterson becomes governor, the lieutenant governor position will not be filled permanently as per the state constitution. The ethically challenged Bruno will double as acting lieutenant governor... and thus acting governor when Paterson is out of state.

Then again, when you have a rigged and gerrymandered electoral system that eliminates accountability, this desperate state of affairs is what you get. New Yorkers thought that after decades of permanent gridlock, a capital held hostage by lobbyists and one on-time budget in the last quarter century, things couldn't get any lower....