NY Atty Gen. Eliot Spitzer changes mind will support Dean

[CMT]

A few months ago Atty Gen. Eliot Spitzer, one of the most popular Democrats in New York, said he would not support Howard Dean for president in a general election due to his stand on the war. He said, "I would not support Dean, even though I like him enormously." Over the weekend, the Attorney General issued a statement saying that he is now convinced Dean can win the nomination and if so he will support him.

http://www.nypost.com/commentary/13443.htm

[joeybee12]

1. Well, this is the NY Post, but did this come out before Saddam's

capture?

And since Spitzer had a problem with Dean's anto-war stance, then I think less of Spitzer right now.

[mndemocrat_29]

2. This is a good sign (and a good endorsement)

Though I believe that Clark is the best candidate and that he will win the nomination, Dean is definitely a frontrunner and if he is the nominee, we HAVE to unite behind him.

Also, Spitzer, as the future governor of New York and a possible presidential candidate in 2012, is another very good endorsement for the Dean supporters. Congrats!

[CMT]

3. he really has no choice

it is true he wants to be Governor of NY and if he didn't support the Democratic nominee for president (assuming it is Dean) he would have alienated a large number of democrats who could derail his run for Governor. He is a politician who understands what is happening. When he made his anti-Dean comments months ago it seemed like Dean didn't have a chance.

[Nazgul35]

5. Shoot....

I was hoping for Spyzer for Attorney General!!!!

Damn!!!

Imagine what havoc he could wrought as AG!!!!

:evilgrin:

[tsipple]

4. Thanks, CMT!

We're all coming together. Every Democrat should take note of Atty. Gen. Spitzer's mature and reasoned statement here.

Welcome aboard, Eliot Spitzer!

[Fleshdancer]

6. Eliot Spitzer

Isn't he the guy standing up to the Wall Street crooks and other white collar thieves??

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. Slowly but surely the DLCers will back Dean

Spitzer isn't the first, and he certainly won't be the last.

[cindyw]

8. This is not an endorsement. It is his pledge to ABB.

He said "IF" he wins the nomination. The New York Post is using the headline to smear Spitzer. The article says he is ready to jump on board. Hardly. He is just saying that he will support Dean if he wins. So will I. Hardly makes me about to jump on board with Dean.

Don't you just love the way the media spins what people say.

[AP]

9. Uhm, the article actually says this:

{Spitzer's press release said} "Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be in a strong position to take on President Bush." A source close to Spitzer then quickly added, "That means that if Dean wins the Democratic nomination, the attorney general will support him."

So, he's basically saying that he's endorsing whomever wins the nomination, which an aid had to clarify would include Dean if Dean were nominated?

That's not an endorsement. That's just rescinding an previous blanket refusal to endorse.

[CMT]

10. and that is what I said

"Over the weekend the Attorney General issued a statement which said that he is now convinced that Dean can win the nomination and if so he will support him"

Meaning that if Dean is nominated he will support him--where previously Spitzer had said that he would not support Dean under no circumstances. The article does say that in Spitzer's full statement he did say that he is "now convinced that Dean can win."

[chimpymustgo]

11. Where does Spitzer say "he is now convinced Dean can win the nomination?

Spitzer said he would support Dean IF he won the nomination. Both the BFEE Post and the Poster spun it to sound like an endorsement. It is not.

[DrFunkenstein]

12. Fake Endorsements Are Pretty Cheap

And saying this was not meant to suggest endorsement is like saying Bush never "lied" about WMDs, he just slanted and exagerrated claims.

[Jerseycoa]

13. Huh? I must need new reading glasses (eom)

[Octafish]

14. Spitzer: Go. Stop. Go. Stop.

I once liked Spitzer for USAG. Then some DUer mentioned he helped some Wall Street perps walk free. So, I don't like Spitzer all that much anymore. For United States Attorney General, that is. I can see now why he'd like Ho-Ho and Ho-Ho would like him. Stop. Go. Stop.

Spitzer gets Wall Street donations in political fund-raiser

By Matthew Cox
Bloomberg News

NEW YORK — New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer collected more than $2 million at a political fund-raiser, with hedge-fund managers and lawyers among the big donors, and said he could accept campaign funds from the investment community without compromising his enforcement role.

Spitzer, the leader of investigations into Wall Street conflicts of interest and mutual-fund trading, has said he is interested in running for governor in 2006. Though he hasn't officially declared his candidacy, yesterday's fund-raiser was Spitzer's biggest ever.

His investigations of "certain aspects of the securities market doesn't mean that there can't be or shouldn't be contributions from anybody within that sector, any more than it would mean because we bring consumer-type cases, no consumer manufacturer could contribute," Spitzer said. He said his campaign committee has "a very careful vetting process" to avoid accepting gifts from donors under scrutiny by his office.

A Spitzer campaign aide who declined to be identified said hedge funds, lawyers and the real-estate industry were among his leading sources of campaign money. The Spitzer 2006 committee's disclosure records also show support from labor unions.

CONTINUED...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001813043_spitzerfundraising12.html