Photo: Getty Images
As Eliot Spitzer was onstage in Albany today running through the billion-dollar pie charts of his first budget proposal, the governor’s cyber-self was sending an email titled “Our Dialogue,” to a 40,000-person mailing list compiled during his campaign. It’s the debut of spitzer2010.org, a domain name Spitzer registered back in November, six days after winning the election. The e-mail spends several paragraphs reviewing administrative appointments and bureaucratic changes before getting to its point.
“On February 6, a special election will be held in Nassau County, an election that has implications for every New Yorker,” Spitzer writes. “If Democrat Craig Johnson wins, the Republican majority [in the State Senate] will slip to a mere two seats, a slim margin that will afford opportunity for more progressive legislation and open the door for a Democratic majority in the State Senate in 2009. I enthusiastically support Craig’s candidacy, and I urge you to do what you can to help him win.” Spitzer certainly is: He not only has written a check to Johnson’s campaign and appeared in TV commercials for Johnson, but Spitzer has loaned the Johnson campaign his media guru and his campaign manager. At the Albany event, Spitzer attempted to keep a straight face when asked if wanted the legislature to have any real role in shaping the state’s budget. Online, meantime, his steamroller was picking up speed. —Chris Smith
CORRECTION, January 31: This item originally stated the Spitzer’s email went to New Yorkers. Rather, it went to a list of people who gave his campaign their email addresses, without any geographical limitation.
