News from Democratic Rural Conference of NYS
A Statement by the Chairman of the Democratic Rural Conference
To the Members of the Democratic Rural Conference
CANTON, NY (03/11/2008; 1151)(readMedia)--
To My Fellow Members of the Democratic Rural Conference,
Eliot Spitzer has been a friend of the Democratic Rural Conference of NYS for more than a decade. So this is a shattering moment for us. Like many of you, I am facing a bewildering array of emotions I scarcely know how to put into words.
I leave it to the party leaders and pundits to analyze the current situation. As DRC Chair, what I want to offer to each of you is perhaps a consoling thought.
At its very best, democracy is a chaotic, noisy process. Sometimes, a leader emerges with the ability to dislodge our expectation of what will be, and ignite our hope of what could be. Eliot Spitzer is one such leader.
Whatever his legacy, it can be fairly said that Eliot was one of the first people to show up in Albany in a long time with the courage to challenge the balance of power in the highly partisan and terminally unproductive tug of war in which New York State government is mired. Our expectations for what could be were very high. We desperately hoped that he could meet them. And he did point the way.
Yet, sometimes those who would reach so high to achieve the right ordering of the lives of others may fail if they have not committed an equal effort to order their own lives. Eliot's efforts now, as he acknowledged, must be devoted to putting his family affairs in order, not to the affairs of the State. We expect that even his enemies will wish him well in that endeavor.
This is a crisis for the Spitzer family and a crisis for all New Yorkers. And in times of crisis, the burden of leadership falls back upon us, the people. It is up to us now to maintain faith in a just society, to seek the wisdom to pursue the right path toward it, and to summon the courage to fight for it as long as the effort requires.
Eliot inspired us in that process. As his long time friends and as New Yorkers, we owe him our respect as well as our compassion.
To Eliot and Silda and their three wonderful daughters, let us offer our prayers for healing.
Stu Brody Chairman, Democratic Rural Conference of NYS