I suppose, like a class in college where students toss out interpretations, one might argue about how the final analysis here extends to all those and more. But I will leave all that to English 101 courses, professors and the odd collection of dedicated readers who know me all too damn well; maybe even a tiny, tiny few since 1972.
You’re out there somewhere, Steve Mocko, I know you are!
The recent, quick, resignation of New York State’s AG: Eric Schneiderman, is problematic, at best. I make no claims as to what he did, or didn’t, do. I’ll leave that to the courts, if there ever are any court cases. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are few, if any. I think the desired damage was achieved, the goal reached, the humiliation more than adequate. As Mueller gathers steam suddenly Mueller’s ace barely up his sleeve is gone.
It also reminds me of the less serious accusations leveled against Al Franken, and what followed.
I do find Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s comment about his replacement: Barbara Underwood, problematic:…
”She will not be playing politics. She’ll just be doing the job.”
I read that to mean the case or cases against Trump will more than likely be dropped. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. The NYS AG served as protection for Mr. Mueller in case he was fired, any Trump appointees being pressured are pardoned, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if this sets the president free to do his worst, or best, depending on your perspective.
Is this some big conspiracy? Well the writer: Jane Mayer, isn’t exactly some right wing partisan advocate. Neither is her coauthor: Satchel Ronan O’Sullivan Farrow, known as Ronan, though being the son of Woody and Mia that whole mess certainly must have supplied some of his drive, his own personal perspective, when it comes to abuse. Sometimes people transfer opinions gained from moments in their parent’s lives, or their own, to how they view other relationships when the similarities are surface level, at best.
No writers are beyond bowing to pressure, or money, or… but we have yet to smell even a whiff of anything like that here. So I won’t go there. I tend to doubt it, as would anyone who has respect for Occam’s Razor. The most likely scenario is they had been following this story for a while. Timing can be incidental, though this timing almost tipped it the other way when it comes to Occam for me. I ‘m less likely to dismiss Hanlon’s Razor in this case. And Eric Schneiderman’s admission that he was into role playing, sexually, is at the top of the list. If you’re a high profile public figure how are you to prevent role playing from being misinterpreted, sending out the wrong signals to your partner, or even just being used against you? You know, it’s kind of like being a hunted president and deciding to get an occasional Electrolux on full suck job in the Oval Office from an intern?
To quote Will Smith in I, Robot…
”You’re the dumbest smart person I know.”
The wider question here goes beyond the AG, beyond role playing, and aims an arrow right at the heart of those who demand purity. Many on the left seem to think proving we have more ethics; hold our own responsible, works in our favor. I have yet to see an ounce of evidence of that. Or maybe some think the quicker we get it over with the better. But no one should doubt that, if convenient, Al Franken will be used against us and held up to the partisan light as if anything he did was exactly the same as beating women, raping them or grabbing them by the “me… OW.”
Meanwhile a very convenient political weapon has become all too effective. While the at least marginally more ethical step down, the worst deny, deny, deny, call everyone who points out their lies “liars,” shift their story, change their story, eventually come around to admitting the truth without admitting to any contradiction or crimes. Meanwhile sycophant partisan talking heads defend them, and claim it’s was always this way: following the change of talking points like the good little puppets they are. If one of their kind slips up they’re “new,” “just his first day…”
It’s like arguing with a greased pig in a pit where the pig’s friends keep throwing in more mud, oil: anything to help the pig slip away. You may be right, but they’re probably still going to get away with anything they want to do.
What we are developing here is a system of injustice where the worst of the worst among our public officials: those with no morals, those willing to do whatever, get to continue to do their worst. Those with a sense of doing what’s best for their party, what’s the responsible thing to do, are taken out. This includes the innocent who know they can’t win if they do fight it because their own party demands Hara-Kiri.
Which kind of politician would you rather have in office?
This kind of demand for purity is dangerous, but the opposite is equally bad for the nation: a situation where no one is held responsible, both sides get to do, to say, anything they want. And the innocent are held responsible for politically convenient charges. The cream is sucked out, the toxic sludge floats to the top.
Are we now in a maze with no escape?
Maybe, maybe not. But none of this bodes well for the Republic.
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Inspection is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 40 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks, and into the unseen cracks and crevasses, that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
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Ken Carman and Cartenual Productions
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