EDITORIAL: Spitzer drops in latest polls
Niagara Gazette


— Gov. Eliot Spitzer is quickly discovering that popularity is fleeting when it comes to public officials.

Spitzer rolled into the governor’s mansion in November in a landslide over Republican John Faso, collecting 69 percent of the vote. As state Attorney General, Spitzer made headlines prosecuting Wall Street offenders and other business defendants. His combative style was well-suited to developing the image of crusader for the little guy.

But once Spitzer assumed office, some strange things happened. The brash, business-busting attitude didn’t always play well when it came to getting along with members of the state Legislature. What worked when he played the lone wolf attorney general seems to be less than successful when faced with the give-and-take of Capitol Hill in Albany.

Spitzer is said to have told a political opponent that he (the governor) was a “steamroller,â€