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No invocation of a certain prosecutor from Gotham City intended.
Todd Spitzer handcuffing a patron of a restaurant, and then taking Norberto Santana to court for a related report on that incident, was indeed a bizarre and troubling conduct for a high ranking county politician. Actions of the Board of Supervisors as a whole restricting public participation in the county’s decision making process, and ignoring the DA’s snitch scandal, prompted Norberto to make an analogy to Castro’s type of government. Fidel had just died, and as Cuban American, Norberto understandably made this negative comparison.
Would I, a Chilean-American, have called them little Pinochets, or little Videlas, or little Castelo Brancos? Satirical images play a powerful role in politics, like calling Nixon “Tricky Dick” or Obama “the Deporter in Chief”, but the overall and isolated usage of these type of images can have a detrimental effect if taken out of the their contexts. As much as the County supervisors, and many politicians at different levels of local government, are not the best type of politicians we think they should be, rather than easily comparing them to dictators, we would better off if we attempt to understand what drives them and allows them to behave in the manner they do.
These imperfect local politicians with their authoritarian tendencies, self-serving goals, prone to corrupt practices, are the product of a democratic process. We elect them. Politicians’ traits have been observed and analyzed for centuries, the Prince by Machiavelli being one of the most well known studies. In modern politics these traits are present, and Spitzer’s actions illustrate them. In addition to the bullying against Norberto, another example is the “end justifies the means” approach used by his team in pursuing the noble goal of establishing the 200 beds homeless shelter, described in this post.
The valid criticism of these type of politicians without presenting acceptable alternatives leads to the questioning of democracy, not only in terms of the importance to vote but most importantly in our right to dissent. Whether the democratic process has been hijacked or corrupted by many interests or factors, is still a process that allows us or gives us the impression that we can participate and make a difference.
The most distorted and dangerous challenge to our democratic process is the Trump phenomenon. An establishment demagogue himself criticizing the “establishment” prevented to reasonable address the social, economic and environmental issues. As a result, significant number of people in my community are living in fear, in fear of having their families separated, of being harassed because of the color of our skin, of our accents. In the meantime we are waiting to what extent his hateful rhetoric will translate into policies , whether the GOP will go along or reject them.
Our flawed politicians are not at the level of dictators, yet. I hope that they will never be. Our pursuit of economic and social justice includes the respect for human rights and dissent, no matter where.
They rarely throw innocent people in jail on purpose. But it has been known to happen.
As you note it’s the electoral process that is polluted. That’s the only way an evident and weird megalomaniac like Spitzer could get elected. But he had a million bucks in the bank and all the sycophantic political class got behind him.
P.S. for real fun read Spitzer’s wikipedia entry, obviously written by Spitzer himself, complete with irrelevant or unprovable “citations.”
It also, weirdly, omits a date of birth, but notes HS graduation in 1978. This self-absorbed Dorian Gray is 57 years old.
Or 56 like me.
Yeah but you, like me, look like dudes in our 50s.
I wonder where he hides the painting.
Just to be clear: it’s not like we took those particular photos yesterday. There may be some “Lucille Kring” effect at work here.
It’s not the photos, we see him in real life you know, and he does seem youthful.
I think it’s really just the healthy living and the child-like certitude.
And dyed hair.
I hadn’t noticed this before, but in the “pink-skinned” photo on the right his hair is purple. I promise, I did not adjust it (though I suppose that whoever else initially slipped into into our media archives might have.) Dyed, natural, or lit with colored light, it’s a pretty decent look for him.
For better fun, read Jordan Brandman’s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Brandman
Happy New Year to to the whole gaggle of virulent Grandiose ankle biters!!
Spitzer looks like an Anthony Wiener clone. Ha. They are both perverted.
Funny how Vern played at this guys wedding.
What changes in these politicians that takes them off the edge or reality.
Actually it was at his sorta political coming-back-out party in 2010, at his house. After he got fired by Rackauckas, and announced his plan to run for Supervisor and eventually DA.
Got some good stories that night.
Yeah Ricardo I liked your article at first even when it attacked Todd Spitzer for protecting officers. But when you start this whining about the best president this country has ever had because he is doing what I and millions of other citizens of this, the greatest country in Earth, wants I take issue. Stop acting as though it’s racist to require people in this country should assimilate and become American. Multiculturalism has never improved any country when it’s celebrated as a lifestyle. Furthermore Americans of every race agree with me in this. There is only the American Dream and not Mexican Dream, Asian Dream or Russian Dream. For this privilege there must be standards and not unregulated open borders to hold its integrity. Those legal citizens that worked hard to come into this country are degraded by people like you who think they are somehow equal as immigrants to those that skip the hard work and try to shortcut the system. That you write there is a problem with them living in fear while they are hear illegally well that’s just cause and affect. To put it simply if you don’t work you don’t eat. I for one have no problem with their life as uncomfortable as possible. I want them to feel like I do when I have to sit in a cubicle for 10 hours a day and have 35% of my money stolen to feed, house and hospitalize non citizens. As I say to all hypocritical liberals who preach like you, I’m all for you sponsoring as many immigrants as you can afford to. Bet you won’t help even one.
Thank you for showing us how people like you think.
Trump’s a bully, a liar and a traitor. Other than that he’s just groovy.
Well, except for a FEW other things – like a cheat and thief, an insufferable narcissist, a world champion of PROJECTING his own faults and sins on others, and someone who’s led 40% of our fellow Americans in a War Against Reality, Truth, and Decency.
Oh. I forgot coward, racist, sexist, classist, and spoiled rich kid.
lolz idk how I stumbled upon this here 5 year old article. let’s say that #toddspitzer hasn’t aged well. and doubtlessly will fare even WORSE in the pen. I can’t wait on #PeteHardin to get elected. #ToddSpitzerforPrison2022
Spitzer is afraid of Hardin clearly. Why Let’s revisit the iconic Trump quote of the 2016 debate with Hillary….
“It’s a good thing he’s not in charge bla bla bla”
“Yeah #becauseyoudbeinjail”
DROP
now y’all hopefully know why the Spitster is afraid BECAUSE HE WILL BE IN JAIL WHEN PETE IS INSTALLED AS DA
#OCDA2022
lulz
No, THIS is an lulz. https://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2018/05/spitzers-piss-gate/
“A clerk just passed by and she’s lucky I missed her –
Stand back from the spray cuz I work for Todd Spitzer!”
Whatever his merits, and I find his NoLAinOC theme weird at best, I am pretty confident that he’s not going to be jailed if and when Hardin wins. (He might face a defamation case over his attacks, but I’m not even sure about that.) This strikes me as just trash talk; I don’t mind having a few specimens of it here, but don’t let it become a habit. If you want to accuse him of doing something specific that should (don’t worry about “will”) land them in jail, you’re free to specify them.
Assimilate what are we assimilating to? White colonizing, murderous rapists?
Which “we” do you mean?
Have you heard of Damon Tucker’s allegations?