Swallow Our Pride

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's recent sex scandal is undoubtedly a hit for us Jews. Spitzer was becoming something of a Jewish hero, cracking down on financial corruption on Wall Street and prosecuting moral corruption. This willingness to go after bad people as the attorney general of New York vaulted him into even greater power. It would not have happened this year, but Spitzer was a viable vice presidential option next time around, if not a serious contender for the nation's top job. His chances would have been far better than those of the laughable Joe Lieberman. Eliot Spitzer could have been the first Jewish president of the United States.

That won't happen now. I will go back to my belief that there will be black, female, Latino, and openly gay presidents before there will be a Jewish leader (we'll probably beat out the Muslims though).

While this is a serious blow to the Jewish American's sense of pride, we must be gracious to the groups that benefit. Spitzer's replacement is David Patterson, who is black and blind. Black people are celebrating another step towards righting history's wrongs. Blind people are thrilled to have an advocate in a powerful position. And black blind people, well, they haven't stopped partying since Spitzer announced his forthcoming resignation. Stevie Wonder and Lavar Burton's character from Star Trek may never come down from this jubilation.

We as Jews must be happy for these groups, even in our time of despair. Think about it this way, the disgrace of Eliot Spitzer isn't nearly as bad as the Holocaust. Did I just brighten your day or what?!