Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer returned to the public arena once more, stopping by the 92nd Street Y Sunday night to answer questions about politics and Wall Street.
The disgraced ex-governor took stabs at top members of the political spectrum, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg for supporting Wall Street, President Barack Obama's financial team's close proximity to CEOs, and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for his aversion of tough questions, reported the Daily News.
This latest talk is just another notch in Spitzer's re-emergence, adding to his frequent TV news shows appearances, a regular column in Slate Magazine, and interviews with in recent months. In addition, he is the subject of a new documentary about his path to the governor's seat, and his downward spiral following the prostitution scandal.
Spitzer's interview last night on the Upper East Side took place live before an unexpected audience of almost 1,000 people, reported the News. Among the crowd was Spitzer's wife, Silda, who told the newspaper "I'm here off the record tonight."
The interview lasted 90-minutes, and was conducted by CBS political analysis Jeff Greenfield. The News reports that Spitzer received light applause for his comments on Wall Street regulation, the Supreme Court (he has been friends with potential nominee Elena Kagan since college), and the mess in New York's capital.
Spitzer's rants included Bloomberg's defense of Wall Street. He said, "Mike is a friend, but I think he's fundamentally in error when he talks about hesitating before we change the structure of banking," reported the New York Post.
As for Cuomo, Spitzer. said he would "presumably" become the state's next governor, but added that he wouldn't endorse the Attorney General until he tackles big issues like health care and charter schools, "and shows the fortitude to answer them the right way," said the News.
Local
Spitzer called Gov. David Paterson "a very bright individual" when asked by an audience member why his chose him as his lieutenant governor, said the News. Spitzer said Paterson was chosen to help with the State Senate, and its then-leader Joseph Bruno, but he wouldn't address Paterson's difficulty governing, and only said, "it's an answer that speaks poorly of Albany, not David."
While Spitzer didn't dismiss claims about the possibility of running for office again in the future, he did gain some support, and received a warm round of applause after Greenfield thanked him for appearing without setting conditions for the interview, said the News.
"I came here wanting not to like him and be angry," Lee Berger, a retired teacher from the Upper West Side told the News. "But he was very articulate. He said the things I wanted to hear."
Another Upper East Side resident, Sylia Steinbrock, thought Spitzer was a "big mouth" before the interview, but told the News her opinion had changed afterward.
"I give him a lot of credit for coming here and listening to questions," she told the News.
