March 12, 2008 6:38PM

Thoughts on Spitzer: A Case of Karma?

By Alexis Glick

After watching the wall-to-wall coverage of Governor Spitzer’s resignation today, I can’t help but think about the great irony of this moment. Here was a man at the top of his game. He made many enemies along the way, but he also did some real good. He was the people’s advocate, the individual investor’s advocate. He was thought to be a future presidential candidate. He seemed unstoppable — much to the chagrin of his enemies. But somewhere along the way things changed. Allegations of wrong doing plagued him from the very beginning of his term as governor, and now this stunning revelation that he participated in a prostitution ring.

When I got into work this morning, I did what I always do — read my research. Every morning, around 4:30 A.M., I receive about nine packets of research for all of my live guests and do my homework. (For those of you not familiar with television lingo, a packet is a 10-20 page synopsis of the guest, topic and some proposed questions and research.) I have a little over two hours to get ready and read all the packets and headline news.

Before I read my packet on Spitzer this morning, I looked up the word karma. Dictionary.com listed several definitions: “The cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person’s deeds in the previous incarnation. Fate, destiny. The good or bad emanations felt to be generated by someone or something.” Was this a case of karma?

Today, Spitzer’s closest confidantes are still reeling. Everyone who knew him (and I know many people who are very close to him) said he was the last guy in the world who they thought could do this. While we all have our different opinions about the appropriate penalties levied against him in the coming weeks and months, the person that I am in awe of is Silda Wall Spitzer. The mother of his three teenage daughters who stood by his side today after 20 years of marriage. A very, very smart woman who attended Harvard Law School and worked for one of the best known law firms in the world at the beginning of her career (Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom), and specialized in mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance. Talk about ironies!

This morning, I had the pleasure of interviewing Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor and current Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics. I also interviewed Eric Dezenhall the CEO of Dezenhall Resouces — an image, PR and crisis management company. We talked about Spitzer’s legal options and about his reputation and how he could repair his image. They were great guests and I urge you to watch this video (below). One point that Eric made resonated while I watched today’s press conference. He said that most people with extreme power and hubris cannot accept responsibility for their actions. It takes them much longer to digest what they have done. Any ounce or sign of humility is rarely immediately transparent.

Today, I wanted Spitzer to show some emotion — to disconnect from the script, to show us some sign that he is human, to give his wife some gesture of hope. That’s not what I got and I was gravely disappointed. Women in offices and homes all over the country are talking about Silda. They’re applauding her for having the guts to stand next to him, and yet they’re asking themselves this: Would I stand next to my husband if he did this to me? Why is it that the wife always has to stand next to the husband or politician in this case and show a united front? Might it be his responsibility to appear in front of the press on his own? I wonder what she was thinking about as she stood there. What would Eric, the image consultant, say about her poise and elegance?

Click here to watch the video: