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Spitzer, Stringer Got <em>Nasty</em> During First Comptroller Debate
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 10, 2013
Modified Aug 10, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 10, 2013
Modified Aug 10, 2013
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Yesterday marked the first comptroller debate between Eliot Spitzer and Scott Stringer, and things got pretty feisty. Both candidates went fast and loose with the personal attacks and jabs, with Spitzer knocking Stringer's political ties and failures, and Stringer calling Spitzer out for...some other stuff.
The debate, which was streamed online yesterday morning and will air on ABC 7 tomorrow, had some choice moments, like when Spitzer attacked Stringer for supporting Mayor Bloomberg's tempestuous third term ("Mr. Stringer participated ... in subverting democracy in giving him a third term. Mr. Stringer was there to go along to get along to give a third term."). Or when Stringer jumped on Spitzer for being rich and self-financing his campaign ("You're very wealthy. A lot of us aren't.").
And then there were the Hookergate jabs. Oh, the Hookergate jabs: "I don't think anyone is going to trust you, given your track record," Stringer snapped at Spitzer at one point. "You broke your own eggs because you engaged in illegal, illicit activity." Not that Spitzer was about to let Stringer off the hook for being the sole Democrat running for comptroller before the former governor threw his hat in the ring: "I applaud you for getting endorsements before you had any competition ... You cleared the field through backroom deals." Burn.
If yesterday's fight fest wasn't enough for you, don't forget that the official NYC Campaign Finance Board debate between Spitzer and Stringer will be held this Monday; Gothamist is one of the debate's sponsors, and you can submit your own questions and vote for questions online until then.
Tagged
comptroller
debate
Election 2013
eliot spitzer
scott stringer
Rebecca Fishbein
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