Have you ever wondered why Governor Eliot Spitzer is so combative? Well, this week's New York magazine cover story about the Steamroller doesn't exactly explain why, but there are definite clues.
For instance, during family dinners, his father, wealthy real estate developer Bernard Spitzer, "sometimes assigned the kids to bring a topic to dinner and lead a discussion, one topic per dinner, no wandering." A friend of Spitzer's tells reporter Steve Fishman that the Spitzer dinner table was "Darwinian" and Spitzer himself said, "My dad didn’t want to get to dinner and gossip, though it probably would have been more fun."
Given the recent developments between Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, our favorite parts of the feature happen to be whenever Bruno is interviewed, because he drops references to how he grew up poor and how he's a fighter, versus Spitzer with the silver spoon in his mouth. Bruno's assessment of Spitzer: "He has an attitude about him. Really, he does. He’s kind of above it all, aloof. He handles himself like some kid who’s used to getting his own way. I don’t believe he ever could understand me, one of eight kids, father shoveled coal.”
The article doesn't necessarily advance any of the Albany drama, but it's good for the backstory. We just hope that if the next chapter brings us more fighting, we get some more progress on issues, too.
