that was eliot spitzer to a "t." but when new yorkers sent the sheriff of wall street to the governor's mansion, we all learned the hard way that white knights can have dark secrets. spitzer was caught breaking his own sex work laws, a level of hypocrisy we could never forget. eliot spitzer blazed a trail through new york that had him in spitting distance of the white house, right up until the moment he set himself on fire. ♪ this will sound like a setup for a bad joke, but bear with me. [cheering] the change you seek, the new york you dream of begins tonight. [cheering] so there's this honest politician named eliot spitzer, a white knight, new york official with a reputation so pristine, they called him "mr. clean." he rose up the ranks from attorney general to governor by taking down the mafia as well as wall street banks. these are people who are stealing money. they may not do it with a gun, but the result is just as criminal. he won the hearts of minds of new yorkers as if he were derek jeter made out of thin-cr

addiction to strongmen, to those utterly convinced of their own greatness, there will be many more like spitzer in positions of power posing even bigger threats to our fragile democracy-- crusaders wanting their portraits on the walls of history. every governor of new york has the chance to be immortalized in a painting that hangs in the new york state capitol, a self-directed monument to his or her own illustrious legacy. all of them are there-- all but two. the first served in the early 19th century and left no likenesses behind. the second...is eliot spitzer. ♪ ♪ no figure embodies the american political process quite like the presidential candidate. at their best, candidates represent an ideal-- the overcoming of obstacles or hopes for a better future, protecting the people from the powerful. it's intoxicating stuff. reality, of course, is less glamorous. supporting that candidate is an army-- volunteers, donors, political operatives, and they can sometimes get too wrapped up in-- in the lore, the legend, which brings us to the story of johnny reid edwards-- an american success story, crusa