It just can’t wait

We are different as Americans. We would be wise to understand that. It would be smart for us to own that we are different in ways that are profound and unique in the eyes of the world.  That lotsa people think we’re assholes.

If we could just do that.

I failed to close a deal with a couple from a certain culture the other day even though I understood the cultural division that existed like a turducken between us.  I knew what to do.  Where to go.  But I didn’t.  It’s all over but the shouting.  And that’s my point.  I know people.  I know how to do that.  I knew what to do but I didn’t do it.  I’m pissed at myself because I’m a salesman and I knew exactly what to do, and I didn’t do it.

I tell myself new job and don’t rock the boat on a very public sales floor.  Arena.  Coliseum.  So I didn’t, but I should have.

See, he lied to me.

I should have confronted him.  I should have addressed it.

It made me think.  People are different at least as much as we are the same.  I’m white.   You’re a lovely shade of olive.  We look different.  So what?  The difference in complexion is not the point.  We really need to move beyond the simple notion of racism and begin to know that cultural differences are what cause unrest.

Despite America being the melting pot of diversity, the last bastion for poor and huddled masses yearning to be free, only recently have we managed to entertain the idea of equality when it comes to those of a different color.  So now we opine about our cultural differences as though they’re inherent.  Yup.  We’re onto something here.  They aren’t inherent but they are the next best thing.  Indoctrinated.  Inside America we have profound cultural divides.  The very few Americans that manage to think beyond borders stare at a potent mix of animosity and defiance and realize it’s just outside the door.

We’ve begun to sag in the middle.  We’re not what we used to be.  Quite a bit of gray behind the eyes and above the ears.

If we could just see the world for what it is and stop viewing it in the context of us.  Stop thinking it’s about us.  If we could just do that.

And then if everyone else could do that too.

I believe I have just solved everything.

So yeah.  Skin in the game.  It’s all about how much you stand to lose.

Let’s talk about Anthony Weiner.

I am compelled to put his transgressions into context.  That word again.

You have your David Vitters, your Newt Gingrichs and your John Ensigns…………all champions of family values and absolute fucking hypocrites who’s crimes make those of Mr. Weiner look Fisher Price.  Anthony Weiner never staked a claim to any of that real estate.  Family values.  Horseshit indefinable morality.  It’s worth pointing out but really beside the point when all is said and done.  What he was, was an extraordinarily adept firebrand for progressive thinking, ideas and concepts.  He had the courage of his convictions and he demonstrated them with an enviable adroitness made up of equal parts humor, intelligence and aplomb.  As an unapologetic liberal, I liked and admired him.

An ideal beast.

What frustrates and disappoints me so profoundly is that his indefatigable pursuits and powerful confidence will be forever be compromised by pictures of his hairless torso and a horse package barely contained by a pair of gray, butt hugging briefs.  Just what the fuck is up with a man so obviously intelligent and talented, overtly courting disaster by so recklessly inviting a foregone conclusion via such  public media such as twitter and facebook?  Mind bogglingly dumb.  Obtuse.  Ridiculous.  Embarrassingly stupid.  What the hell?

Understand the danger here, if John Edwards for example, had managed to further his charade a step or two more, John McCain and Sarah Palin would be our current ringmasters.  If that doesn’t scare you, call 911 so at least a professional can check you for a pulse.

I’d love to tell you that I’m baffled.  That I’m confused.  That my mind can find no purchase into this mystery of hubris and foolishness.  But I think I understand.  It’s the same thing that mysteriously manifested with John Edwards.  Lead Singer’s Disease.  LSD for short.  I’ve dealt with a lot of lead singers and lead guitar players, programmers and producers.  I was one of those and I was a cocky motherfucker.  A lovely woman who now hates me described me as “puffy”.  Every public person, celebrity, elected official and local news anchor struggle with and suffer from such malaise.  The good ones rise above it.  The weak ones succumb.  The in between ones, the huge majority, end up being exposed or not but they are always guilty by degrees.  The personality requisite for fronting a rock band is more than similar to that of a politician.  When they don’t get that record deal or fail to get elected, the reaction is always bitter and blame is everywhere but on them.  When they do succeed, a sense of privilege or entitlement begins to take hold.

I was in between and guilty by more than a few degrees.

For an ordinary individual, this could very well be all but a victimless trespass.  No actual live penis insertion.  Nothing hot and sweaty.  No exchange of fluids.  Still, a matter for wife and husband.  But in the instance of an ambitious, publicly elected federal representative, victims are abundant and prolific.  His constituents, colleagues, friends and family.  I am none of those.  You probably aren’t either, but he was much bigger than all of that.  So at the end of the day,  it is you and it is me.  It is.  We pay.  His voice is no longer viable; he’s no longer credible.  He did take on dragons in his day.  Flying, fire breathing serpents will no longer be on his list.  He’s off our list of brave warriors for probably ever.

“Who are these men of lust, greed, and glory?
Rip off the masks and let’s see.
But that’s no right – oh no, what’s the story?
There’s you and there’s me……”
-Supertramp “Crime Of The Century”

I wish fiercely that Big Bad Bill would not have lied about his blowjob.  He should have told that vociferous asshole Ken Starr that it was none of his business.  Anthony Weiner should have done the same from the start.  After all, no crime was committed.

But, I’m absolutely furious with Mr. Weiner for so thoughtlessly engaging in behavior that jeopardized everything he stood for and everything we stood behind him for.

Anthony Weiner, you shameless prick, pun intended, do I think you should resign?

I believe Democrats should hold themselves to a higher standard than Republicans, who quite conspicuously do not.  We must be able to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and own that we are better than them.  They claim the moral high ground but we actually hold the deed and we’re paid up.  I’m more than sure that Anthony Weiner is a better human being than Andrew Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh or any other right wing fucktard, goofcock, dipshit that masquerades as journalist these days.  It’s a tough call.  I really liked him.  I’m conflicted.  What he risked is all we who supported him hold sacred.  He did that willingly.  What he’s done is inexcusable, not for what it actually was but for the inevitable consequences.

I must tell you that I never judge a man or woman for such failings.  It’s not my business.

But his goddamn nonchalant insouciance pisses me off in light what is so glaringly evident.  He forced his actions into our purview.

So yes, Mr. Weiner.  I suggest you take a walk.  I sincerely hope you can repair the damage done to your family and friends.  I suspect you can still prosper in life as a private citizen.  You are clearly bright and accomplished.  You’ll be fine, provided you can make peace with those close to you.  It’s not that what you did is actually so bad.  It’s that you so casually disregarded why we all believed in you for some spurious pleasure.  You lied about it.  You are a rockstar no more.

Your best efforts from here on in, will merely bruise the message.

I suggest you start drinking heavily and walk away.

Today, because of you, we all lose.

I thank you with all of my heart and mind for your service.

Please step away from the vehicle.

Drinks for my friends.

28 Responses to “It just can’t wait”

  • Oh my hot dog has a first name
    it’s A-N-Tone-E-Y
    My hot dog has a segund name
    it’s W-E-I-N-Ner
    Hi Mike, You know I can’t be serious about anything to save my fucking life.
    I enjoyed that last two-part post up there.
    And I see that you’re still piling up comments for the last one ,which I almost chimed in on too. But there’s no real room for jokes there.
    Nutshell is this- I dig what you’ve got going on. Thanks.
    And now for something completely different:
    I thought of you the other day because of your fear of pigs. I’m reading a book about Kit Carson right now. There’s this bit about New Mexico, shortly after we americans marched in and claimed it for ourselves, when some of the new mexicans and local indians call bullshit on us gringos and revolt. They start killing every american they can find. And of course we charge out and annihilate them with our superior technology of localized destruction. There’s this little detail given that made me think of you, check it out: “U.S. Circuit Attorney James Leal was stripped and tortured for hours in broad daylight, and then thrown, blinded but still breathing into a ditch where he was eaten by hogs.”
    Holy crap, is that not one horrific way to go?
    Made me think of the man in the picture.
    Drinks for me.
    CH
    -the book is Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides, for the record…

    • Michael Douglass:

      Man, if I can just get the financial house in order I’ll attack that novel again. So hard; requires so much attention span. Damn. Miss you. Thanks for the words.

  • Mrs. Chili:

    You’ve put into words exactly what I’ve been feeling. I’m stuck between trying to keep this in the perspective of a private matter – no law was broken, he was just dumb – and recognizing that, because he LIED about it, his position as a spokesman for progressive ideas is forever tarnished; he can now be easily dismissed as a liar.

    I’m deeply and profoundly disappointed, but I’m not even a little surprised.

    • Michael Douglass:

      I’m a huge fan of him. It’s painful. He really needs to walk away if for no other reasons than selfish. What a shame.

  • Joe:

    WTF! One step forward and two steps back. I am totally pissed at this latest BS. At first I thought it was a set-up. But then, this fucktard has the same thing going on with other women? How many times does this have to happen? The Repugs are out there doing REAL damage, illegal wars, wiretapping citizens, ruining the economy, Gitmo, blah, blah, blah. And then we get this prick, another morals charge, giving them fucks fodder to feed their base and keep the tsk, tsk, shit going? Don’t even feel like regrouping. Fuck it!

    • Michael Douglass:

      It’s why he needs to pull a fast fade. Because the other side are relentless, vicious pricks and he knew that. Fuck me.

  • Marla:

    Like you, I’m hugely disappointed. The fact that he was willing to risk his entire reputation on something that was bound to be found out eventually is mind boggling. Sick? Maybe. But even so, he should have done something about it before it got to this point, before it became three years, 200 texts and 30-minute phone conversations.

    I have compassion because he’s human and likely has some kind of problem. I’m pissed because he’s too smart to not be able to figure out he had a problem or that he wouldn’t be found out eventually. I’m pissed because he was so stupid as to pose for those stupid pictures in his office with stupid pictures of real loved ones in the background. He was stupid enough to use social media resources, which will live forever.

    I’m sad because whether he resigns or not, he will never achieve all that his future seemed to promise, nor will America ever benefit from his leadership again.

    • Michael Douglass:

      I think you’ve encapsulated my anger and frustration more eloquently than I could have. I’m just so all of the above because he was such a potent rising star. So much promise and potential. I can’t but help but wonder if like so many serial killers, he was screaming to get caught. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.

  • Midge:

    Ugh…I’ve struggled with this. He was the guy who could command attention, throw a fit and grab every viewer watching as he berated the right. I loved that and it took courage.

    Like many, I think it is a private matter between him and his wife and I understand the panic and lies that came early on when he realized that he really screwed up. I can forgive that.

    What a dumb ass. I am so pissed and so disappointed.

    I’ve decided that his constituents should make this decision because there is no crime and we don’t have the right to tell him to take a walk. Hey, Vitter is still there so why should Weiner go without a fight?

  • Michael Douglass:

    It’s up to him and I agree with your sentiments. But I can’t see a future for him that does not include, like I said “bruising the message”.

    At the same time, I’m astounded by the hypocrisy of the fucking Republicans who call for his resignation without ever having uttered a single goddamn word about the David Vitters and John Ensigns in their own party.

    Assholes.

  • “But, I’m absolutely furious with Mr. Weiner for so thoughtlessly engaging in behavior that jeopardized everything he stood for and everything we stood behind him for.” Those are my sentiments – and also, he has lost the capability to boldly go forward and boldly fight the lack of moral character he has always identified on the right.

  • Ruthie Benjamin:

    I agree, very good read. A lot of us are stuck in the middle on this one and though it is overplayed, I’m glad the discussion is out there. I totally understand that LSD syndrome .. kind of like Bentley in the Bachelorette (yes, I realize you probably don’t watch – I don’t usually either, but enjoy the human behavior aspect) .. he intentionally played her and those are the kinds some of us have allowed ourselves to be caught up with. My ex-husband, who I met online and who lives in Australia, most likely was doing the same thing that Anthony was doing .. he insisted on his privacy and would abusively blow up if I questioned anything he did. But his problems were deeper .. and he was just a couple of years older than Anthony is now. Whether or not there is contact, there is cheating going on and it’s painful to find out someone has participated in that. Unfortunately, there are a lot of behaviors that have come into our world through this medium that are very juvenile, but then these behaviors used to appear in offices all the time. That’s one reason why I never liked working in an office unless it was by myself. Perhaps the audience works like a penis pump.

    It’s just very sad .. I do feel the same let down as with President Clinton, but he was a bit abrasive and dramatic to me at times, so I didn’t have the same attachment. He does, however, represent where my aunt and uncle live, in Forest Hills, in my grandparents home. I understand the people of Forest Hills Gardens .. they don’t bother with this “little stuff” and they want him to stay because he’s good at his job. I still kind of believe someone knew of his behavior and he was set up .. in particular, the woman who wanted him to identify himself. I went through some of these idiots who like to show what they’ve got in Yahoo chat rooms .. pervs with cams and all that. I would hope he would have been more intelligent than to ever do anything on Twitter or cheat on his wife, but everyone has their Achilles heel and unfortunately testosterone is high in these men who have such power .. a release from reality.

    I give him a week to think it over and decide .. his constituents still seem to want him and they’re the ones who voted him in. I’m sure the House would like to see him go .. 1 more Blue Man down. One less voice for the people .. I still think he could do a lot outside politics .. like with the man who performed his marriage ceremony .. they are in good hands with the Clintons .. they’ve been there done that … and this too shall pass. I was happy to know more about Huma .. I didn’t realize she is Muslim. Next topic :o)

    • Michael Douglass:

      I am in encouraged that his constituents are supporting him but I still think his voice is forever compromised. It is what it is.

  • Mikie Bennett:

    What? There are so very few progressive politicians, The only reason that the spineless Dems are against him is because their corporate masters don’t like what Weiner represents. I, personally, think this kind of thing is in the psychological work up of those that seek the kind of attention that would make them want to lead. Almost every politician cheats (that’s why I’m not married to one), and they have since the beginning of politics. Weiner didn’t even actually physically cheat. And he lied. OMG! Do you pay attention to politicians. I watch ALL of them regularly lie every day. (Oh, the Reps are way more blatant than the Dems. If you don’t believe me, you can check any political fact-checking site.) I see a bit of a difference between covering your own private life ass and purposefully misleading American voters about wars, energy, even the fucking climate. This will eventually die down, just like every other political scandal. Seems, ‘Mericans have really small memories.

  • Peggy in Texas:

    Great article … disagree that he should resign though …

  • Good day! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thanks a lot!

  • Mike Douglas, thank you for a very good review of what has happened and I do agree that Marla stated very succinctly the essence. Though I disagree with his stance on Israel, he is otherwise intelligent, and was a great orator, and was doing much good, however he allowed himself to ignore the history of others getting caught doing sneaking stuff, and let his need for human play bring him risk and ridicule, and injury to himself and his family and all who know him and had hopes and expectations for more good. Now his voice is less audible. Another set back for the left however if he can be reelected we will still have his diminished voice, and that may still be one of the most audible from the left.

    • Michael Douglass:

      He needs, and we need, to understand that what he’s done affects us all. It is why I’m so goddamn angry with him. I really don’t care where he sticks his dick or who he sends pictures of it to as long as the receivers aren’t underage. It’s his obtuse recklessness that saddens and disappoints me. Anthony Weiner has become a tool and I wonder if he did so willingly.

  • Junior's Ghost:

    He did so because he could. He’s an extrovert who knows how to seduce women online.
    I’m a semi-autistic introvert who can barely understand facebook let alone take advantage of it. Long gone are the days when a pol could cheat in open society without notice. Many scorn A. Weiner. To be honest, I envy him.

    He got caught. Waaaaah. I would like to throw him under the bus, too, but I can’t. The rising oligarchy in this nation poses a direct threat to our survival. Even if he is a dog, we need every dog in this fight that we can get. Our fight is a lot bigger than facebook or twitter.

    Let me put it this way. Historians in the future are not going to describe our revolution in less than 140 characters. Get ready.

  • Michael Douglass:

    I argue for his resignation based on the fact that he will never again be taken seriously. Otherwise, good stuff.

  • Gab:

    Usually I don’t care about this stuff. But, really, as a public figure, Weiner and his weener need to be more responsible for their actions. All public figures do … unless they’re rock stars. Then game on. He’s an idiot. He’s a grown man, a politician, and a soon to be father hitting on a 17 year old! That’s just wrong!

  • Michael Douglass:

    Wait, a seventeen year old? I believe I am a rockstar. What an asshole. I still like rootbeer.

  • steve:

    I knew last year Weiner was dishonest when a newspaper discovered he had not paid his parking tickets in DC to the tune of $2000. He lead all of congress in unpaid tickets. What type of person does that ? What if everybody did that ? It is not responsible and without morals ( I’m not talking sexual behavior, I’m talking simple honesty and being a good citizen, like paying tickets ), a society will fall apart.

  • Michael Douglass:

    Well yes, but I could only hope that the most egregious thing any elected Washington official might be guilty of is unpaid parking tickets. I’ve got a few and it’s because I can’t afford to fucking pay them.

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