On Nov. 18, Spitzer continued that re-entry into the public sphere, with a 90-minute conversation with Thane Rosenbaum, the John Whelan Distinguished Lecturer in Law and director of the Fordham Forum on Law, Culture and Society.

“A Conversation with Eliot Spitzer,” which took place at the Time Warner Center, touched on many of the subjects that brought Spitzer to the governor’s mansion—from financial reform to shaking up the political culture of Albany. Befitting his second professional life as a political commentator, Spitzer weighed in on the recent congressional election, and admitted that hosting a show is very different from being a guest.

“I have been referring to our guests as witnesses, and our conversations have been cross-examinations,” he said. “When I get home, my wife says, ‘Eliot, you’ve got to understand, this is not a court room.’ Our guests may feel they’re only given time for a sound bite, but I’m being taught to give them more space to answer. So it’s a slow learning curve.”

Speaking on the mid-term elections, the lifelong Democrat expressed sympathy for supporters of the Tea Party movement. Spitzer, a former attorney general whose nickname was the “Sheriff of Wall Street,” noted that of all the businesses that received government bailouts during the economic crisis of 2008, only General Motors was forced to accept new leadership.

The blame for that, he said, lies with Democratic Party leaders who let the Tea party emerge by allowing themselves become aligned with the status quo.

“When unemployment crept up, when people saw banks getting all the money, they saw the bonuses coming at Goldman Sachs, they said, ‘You are not changed.’ What Obama should have said [to the banks]was not, ‘I am the only one between you and the pitchforks.’ He should have said, ‘I’m holding the pitchfork.’”

Of Andrew Cuomo, New York’s next governor, Spitzer said he hopes Cuomo will focus on education and infrastructure. The challenges of the first can be seen in recent reports that average class size in New York City schools has, after a brief dip, increased again. On the latter, he called the cancellation of the ARC project by New Jersey governor Chris Christie an example of extraordinary short sightedness.

“It’s almost akin to deciding not to build the Erie Canal, and of course, we all know the historical consequences of those great infrastructures,” he said. “You must build out the infrastructure that permits the city to move forward.”

Spitzer grew less talkative about what he might have accomplished had he not been caught patronizing prostitutes, which led to his resignation. Noting that he had, to use a sports metaphor, “benched himself,” he agreed that it has been very hard to no longer have a say on issues of importance. He refused to dwell on it, though.

“Let me not say, ‘Gee, here’s what I would have done.’ Who knows? It’s very hard,” he said. “There’s fame, there’s infamy, there’s celebrity—they’re all different things and bring different upsides and downsides. I was listening to your introduction and you said that my life has never been dull. Dull looks pretty good sometimes.”

Given his passion and expertise for issues of national policy, Spitzer was asked whether United States citizens have the right to demand that elected officials lead exemplary, moral lives.

“Sure we do. Look, I’m not going to… I see an out here; I’m not going to take it. I’m not going to go in that direction,” Spitzer said.

“I’ll let other people comment on it. It’s not the right issue for me to comment on, because I don’t want to be seen as saying anything that is self-justifying or dodging of responsibility. So I’m just not going to go there.”

Gov. Eliot Spitzer outlined his proposal to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and criticized President Bush’s plan to place stricter eligibility rules for the government health insurance program that covers poor children in a speech at Fordham University on Oct. 2.

Spitzer’s policy speech at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus came just a day after he announced that New York and six other states would file suit against the Bush administration’s plan to enforce the tighter eligibility rules for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Meanwhile, Spitzer’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, which he announced in September, has drawn strong opposition from Republicans.

Spitzer called on Republicans to set aside the politics of “fear-mongering” and engage in an honest debate about the value of both policy issues. He was particularly critical of efforts to link immigrants and terrorism.

“Let me close by making one point perfectly clear: No amount of hysterical rhetoric will prevent us from doing what is right,” Spitzer told the standing-room-audience of students and faculty members. “No amount of scare tactics that equate immigrants with terrorists will keep us from implementing changes to our driver’s license system that we know are needed to increase public safety and homeland security. And no amount of fear-mongering will keep us from fighting for health insurance for every child.”

Spitzer was introduced by Stephen Freedman. Ph.D., senior vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer, who welcomed the governor on behalf of Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.

“We at Fordham welcome the opportunity to work with Governor Spitzer on a variety of programs that benefit the citizens of New York City and New York state,” Freedman said. “As a Jesuit institution, we know that our mission and our responsibilities recognize no borders. Our students and faculty come from across the nation and around the globe, but in particular Fordham contributes much to New York’s intellectual, economic and cultural life. The work we do has great benefit throughout New York City and New York state.”

President Bush vetoed a bill on Oct. 3 that would have expanded the SCHIP program, saying that it was too costly and would provide government coverage to those who can afford to pay for their own health insurance. Democrats vowed to overturn the veto, but an override vote in the House of Representatives on Oct. 18 failed to muster enough votes.

In his speech, Spitzer said that the Bush administration had “slammed the door” on New York’s poor children, and staunchly defended his plan to allow illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses.

“Look at what we’re really talking about here,” Spitzer said. “We want to make our roads safer and bring more people into the system and they’re talking about terrorism. We want to insure more children and they’re talking about socialism. I’m not going to run from the fight just because the other side decides to demagogue it. Too much is at stake.”

Spitzer’s policy speech at Fordham came just a day after he announced that New York and several other states would file suit against the Bush administration’s plan to enforce the tighter eligibility rules for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Meanwhile, Spitzer’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses has drawn strong opposition from Republicans.

Spitzer called on Republicans to set aside the politics of “fear-mongering” and engage in an honest debate about the policy implications of both controversial issues. He was particularly critical of efforts to link immigrants and terrorism.

“Let me close by making one point perfectly clear: No amount of hysterical rhetoric will prevent us from doing what is right,” Spitzer told the standing-room-audience of students and faculty members in the 12th-Floor Lounge. “No amount of scare tactics that equate immigrants with terrorists will keep us from implementing  changes to our driver’s license system that we know are needed to increase public safety and homeland security. And no amount of fear-mongering will keep us from fighting for health insurance for every child.”

Spitzer was introduced by Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., Fordham’s senior vice president academic affairs and chief academic officer, who welcomed the governor on behalf of Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.

“We at Fordham welcome the opportunity to work with Governor Spitzer on a variety of programs that benefit the citizens of New York City and New York state,” Freedman said. “As a Jesuit institution, we know that our mission and our responsibilities recognize no borders. Our students and faculty come from across the nation and around the globe, but in particular Fordham contributes much to New York’s intellectual, economic and cultural life.  The work we do has great benefit throughout New York City and New York state.”