Oh the caress of a 7 year old boy: Springer

So lately I have had a true sampling of the best American television has to offer: Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, Wife Swap, and yes, America’s Got Talent (I had long been adverse to this, since I am a nostalgic of the good old sitcom of the 1990s; think Seinfeld).

What particularly struck me from tonight’s showing of America’s Got Talent (the selecting of the top 20) in Las Vegas, was a deliciously pernicious soundclip, which could ruin a candidate, if he were say, considering a run for the Cincinnati City Council.

Host Jerry Spring said that millions of Americans watching wished they were as lucky as [Springer] to be holding such a sweet boy. All while hugging and consoling Sage, the 7 year old contestant who had just been eliminated.

P.S. In case you were too lazy or uninterested to click on the links listed above, see key excerpts from the Slate article:

Springer settled in Cincinnati, lost a race for Congress in 1970, and was elected to the city council a year later. He was only 27. He became a popular, outspoken, lefty leader--his first action was to propose a ban on the drafting of Cincinnati residents for the Vietnam War. He resigned in 1974 when he was fingered in a vice investigation--he had paid a prostitute with a check (duh).

P.P.S.

This sounds vaguely familiar (in the broadest sense, forget the particulars of ideology for a moment) to Senator David Vitter (R-LA) who just admitted to paying the ‘D.C. Madame’ for sex.

At least Springer wasn’t one of the greatest crusaders for protecting the ‘sanctity of marriage.’