The American Spectator

SPITZER SPENT HIS career shaming businesses into acting the way he wanted them to and punishing an activity publicly that he enjoyed privately. When he announced that he had been involved with the Emperor’s Club, he quickly learned that while shame is a powerful tool for an upwardly mobile politician, it can be equally powerful on the way down.

The former New York governor has revived an act most thought gone and buried — the Democratic sex scandal. His attempts to curb prostitution as governor only helped perpetuate it. Privately, he contributed his own money to the Emperor’s Club’s earnings, and now the notoriety he has given them will likely further their finances. Untold advocates for legalizing prostitution have surfaced.

Paterson, on the other hand, took a lesson from his colleagues — most notably Bill Clinton — and learned that it’s easier to survive a scandal when you’ve previously lowered public expectation yourself.

With his pompous pledge to “change the ethics of Albany,” Spitzer set the standards for his own conduct precariously high. The lesson for politicians today is clear — don’t knock it if you’ve tried it.