Silda Wall Spitzer

E. Edwards sparks a discussion

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:15:48 -0400

Should Elizabeth Edwards bear some responsibility for the marital infidelities of her husband, former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards?

Two high profile women, Sally Quinn and Lee Woodruff, have been debating the question in the blogosphere, Rob Christensen reports.

Quinn, an author and former Washington Post columnist, wrote in the Huffington Post that Elizabeth Edwards may have been an enabler.

Quinn said Edwards' infidelities were not different from those of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer or former President Bill Clinton. She called them "enabling wives."

"Nobody has more respect for Elizabeth Edwards than I do," Quinn writes. "First of all, any woman who has lost a child gets a pass for life from me. Nothing could be more horrible. Not only that, she is brilliant, clever, capable, decent and courageous."

But the problem, Quinn writes, is "she let him do it."

More after the jump.

Moore: Spitzer downfall 'sad'

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:30:29 -0400

Richard Moore will not be sending Eliot Spitzer's donations back.

At a press conference today, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate was asked if he would return the $4,000 from the former New York governor and his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer.

He responded by noting that his rival, Beverly Perdue, has not returned contributions from former Board of Transportation member Thomas Betts.

"I would love to talk about returning campaign contributions when the lieutenant governor returns all of the DOT bundling money that she's been taking," he said.

He was then asked about his thoughts on Spitzer, who once held a fundraiser for him and had praised Moore at an event in Asheville.

"I feel very sad for his family," he said. "I think most of you know that Silda has a lot of connections to North Carolina as a native and a graduate of Meredith. I really feel for she and their three daughters. It's a sad time."

Spitzer connections in North Carolina

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:38:39 -0400

New York's (likely) next governor is a fan of Beverly Perdue's.

With Gov. Eliot Spitzer weighing a resignation in the wake of a prostitution scandal, Lt. Gov. David A. Patterson is set to become the chief executive of the Empire State.

According to campaign finance records, Patterson gave $2,500 to Perdue, a fellow lieutenant governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate here.

She also received a donation from Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor.

Other local connections: Spitzer's wife, Silda, graduated from Meredith College in Raleigh; and Spitzer gave the keynote speech at the N.C. Bar Association meeting Asheville in June.

Spitzer once hosted a New York fundraiser for Perdue's rival, Richard Moore, according to the Charlotte Observer. According to campaign finance records, Spitzer and his wife each gave Moore $4,000 last May.

In Asheville, he praised Moore for using his position as state treasurer to fight investment firms.

"In a world where there was no enforcement," Spitzer said, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times, "we had to step in to ensure the integrity of the marketplace."

Moore was frequently compared to Spitzer for his Wall Street crusades, but both Moore and political reporters will avoid the comparison now.