I am going to offend a lot of people here today, but what I am about to say is something that needs to be said.
But first, some qualifications.
I have nothing against homosexuals. I have been and are friends with a number of people who happen to be gay.
I am not a homophobe. I do not fear or dislike homosexuals because, and only because, they are gay.
I am a very tolerant and forgiving person, and thus, I am a Democrat.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's begin recapping the events of yesterday.
I received a phone call from a friend yesterday early in the afternoon. He is speaking in a hushed yet excited voice.
"Listen, Jim McGreevey is calling a press conference at 4 o'clock to announce that he is resigning. He's gay and he is being charged with rape."
"What??!!??"
"Yeah, and Senator Corzine is pulling the strings here, the deal is McGreevey gets out and Corzine becomes governor next year."
"Wait a minute. Back up. Say this again." I am still in utter disbelief. I have always heard rumors that McGreevey was at the very least bisexual. But I had discounted that because if he was, the Republicans would have attempted to destroy him with it.
"A complaint was filed in Mercer County this morning. It was filed by McGreevey's boyfriend, who used to be a staffer for McGreevey. He is claiming sexual harrassment, sexual assault and rape."
"How did you find this out?"
"Co-worker in the Jersey office told me and her [relative] used to be in the State Senate."
My friend and I met for coffee. I was disbelieving. I could not accept this story as being true. I had searched high and low on the internet for confirmation. Hell, I even looked on Drudge, and even he did not have this story. Plus, if a complaint is filed with these sort of allegations about the Governor, most assuredly the story would have leaked by now. Especially considering that the complaint was filed in Mercer County. I relayed all of my doubts to my friend.
"We'll see."
I usually can trust my friend, even though he is a Republican who I often speak of here as my wingnut friend. He is honest. He has connections, as I do, through his work and his involvement in political scene. But, I was still disbelieving. At this point in the conversation it was 1:45. There had been no news of a press conference being scheduled for 4 pm. No leak of the story. For something this big, it would have most definately leaked by now. But nothing, and that was my final stumbling block for not posting it on Kos earlier. In between checking the internet for any signs of confirmation versus doing some actual work, the time passed until about 3 pm. Drudge confirms. I get another call saying that Channel 4 just reported it. I publish my "scoop" online.
So this is what is like to be a journalist. To sort of know something before the actual story breaks but being restrained by not spreading panic and rumor and gossip if the story is not true. In an abstract way, it was fun and I know understand why the media is so whorish. It is addictive. But I digress.
I had to leave work early at 4:30, just as the press conference is starting. A firm softball game is being played in Mt. Holly, NJ and I have to fight rush hour traffic to get there by 6.
I listen to portions of the speech (not a press conference) on KYW and WIP. The speech was delivered well. I am glad he was honest about being gay. But Jim McGreevy said ..."perhaps at my age, 47, it is too late to begin this discussion."
Yes. It is too late.
I will get back to that in a second.
I return home from being destroyed in our softball game by some unbelievable score (I think it was Infinity to 6). I had a few beers and dinner with my co-workers, and all throughout the night proclamations of "I am a Gay American!" were being shouted out, amid mild derision. All the while, I wanted to go home to check Kos. I was desparate to get home to the soft warm orange glow of the Daily Kos.
And when I get home, I see that Kos and many others on this site have cannonized Jim McGreevey as some sort of saint for coming out of the closet. Discussions ranged from "It was so wonderful that we finally had a gay governor in America" to "And wasn't his speech courageous. What an honorable man. A class act, through and through" to "And Fuck anyone who keeps a gay man in the closet. Fuck anyone who forces a politician to resign because of his sexuality."
Have you people lost your minds?
Jim McGreevey is scum. He is corrupt. He is a liar. A cheat. He is dishonest. He is a political opportunist of the worst kind. He has been dragging down the Democratic Party in Jersey for the last three years. And that was all true BEFORE yesterday. All we found out yesterday was that he may also be a criminal. He may also be a rapist. He may also be a sexual offender or at the very least a sexual harrasser.
The fact that Jim McGreevey is gay is absolutly irrelevant to this whole story. He is not being forced to resign and he is not resigning because he is gay.
If Cidel was a woman, the story would be the same in all honesty. The media finds it more salicious right now because of the "outing" and homosexual aspect, but that is not the story here. All over the news in Philly today, from local TV news, to 610 WIP Sports Talk to Mix 95.7, people are being interviewed and not one person cares whether or not McGreevey is gay.
McGreevey did break his marriage vows, and he cheated on his wife with another person.
McGreevey met this other person in Israel, brought him back to America, and continued his affair with this person.
McGreevey appointed this person, Cidel, to the New Jersey equivalent of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Mind you, Cidel has not experience whatsoever in the field of security, or counterterrorism. Further, he is not an American. He is Israeli. What McGreevey has done here in the name of romantic nepotism is almost treasonous.
McGreevey continues his love affair with Cidel as he attempts to get him nominated to be Homeland Security Director.
The relationship goes south. Cidel's appointment is rejected. He eventually demands $5 million from McGreevey for his silence about the sexual relationship. Further alleged events transpire that lead to Cidel announcing this week "Pay me or I am suing." I suppose the answer was "No" since the lawsuit was filed.
Now, yes, Cidel's credibility is tarnished by his blackmail and attempted extortion. But it does not change the story.
And story is that McGreevey was a horrible failure as a Governor. And he is a horrible man in his personal life. And that is not because he is gay.
This is a man who only married for political purposes. He strung these women along to advance his political career. He had children to advance his political career. McGreevey did not just find out or discover his sexuality. He has known for sometime. He has known about it most definitely before his second marriage to his current wife, for his relationship with his first wife ended...because he was gay. His first wife did not just decide one day to up and go to British Columbia. She left because he was gay! So McGreevey had to know that he was gay before he married again another woman and had another child.
That is the pinnacle of dishonest behavior. And it has nothing to do with the fact that he was gay. It has everything to do with the fact that he was lying about it.
At that point in his life, before his second marriage, he could have "outed" himself and remained active in politics. It was the 1990's. It was not the 1950's. If he wanted to become Governor one day, he still could. And then he truly would have been the patron saint of Daily Kos, because in all probability he would have been elected as the first openly gay Governor in America. And we would have been proud.
But no. McGreevey continued the charade. He continued to lie about his sexuality. He married again. He had another child. He had affairs. Many affairs, not just with Cidel. And he compromised the safety and security of the people of New Jersey but attempting to install his unqualified and non-American lover as the person in charge of Homeland Security. And there will be more information to follow about the details of this relationship.
So let's not cannonize this man. He is not deserving of our admiration. He is not deserving of our respect. He did us a favor yesterday by resigning and saving the Democratic Party from drowning with him. And we should thank him and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours. And that is all.