Hubris – The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer

Hubris (noun): Overbearing pride or presumption, arrogance.

The rise and fall of Eliot Spitzer’s political career has been described by some as breathtaking. He is a son of privilege, educated at the best schools and his career as Attorney General was lauded by the press and politicians. He was the “Sheriff of Wall Street” who said he didn’t care how large or small the crime, he was on the side of what was right. He won the gubernatorial election by an historic landslide and vowed to use his mandate to bring sweeping change to Albany. It was believed that he would one day run for President.

Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn’t it? The problem with this fairy tale is that Eliot Spitzer was the villain and his own worst enemy. After taking office he pushed through workers’ compensation reform without input from workers’ compensation practitioners. It’s believed that only the lawyers will benefit from that legislation. He then was caught using New York State Troopers to spy on a political rival. And who can forget his attempt to grant drivers’ licences to illegal aliens? His mis-steps were forgiven by the local press. They were hopeful that he would turn a new leaf and bring about much needed change to politics in Albany, it appeared people still believed in this man.

Some of us saw a man full of hubris, wondering what would happen next. Sometimes the most self-righteous among us are also the most vile. Now we will wait to see what Governor Eliot Spitzer plans to do. Will he step down with humility and let the state get back to business? Or will he fight to retain his position with the arrogance that is now apparent to all?