Some evenings you wish your ‘fridge held a chilled bottle of good champagne…
Basically, departing Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) tried to survive career-ending sex
and legal scandals by tossing blame everywhere but himself. It’s the same playbook
President Trump has used to defend himself in various legal and sex scandals, right
down to language such as “witch hunt.”
Except for one very big difference: Trump has kept his job. Greitens, abandoned
by members of his own party and facing impeachment threats, did not…
Yet, even as Governor SEAL heads out the door for (at least temporary) political obscurity, remember this: Eric Greitens made it 80% of the way to becoming President of the United States.
❶ He crafted a brilliant resume as scholar, sailor and philanthropist;
❷ He snow-jobbed Jon Stewart [ http://www.cc.com/video-clips/cxoxkr/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-eric-greitens ] and other national voices;
❸ He demonstrated the superior communication skills and image to pose as a bona fide contender;
❹ He proved himself an accomplished chameleon, moving from strong, progressive Democrat posturing to conservative/reactionary Republican in mere month; and,
❺ He showed he would do anything to advance his cause.
Yes, many of us in Missouri laughed at the notion of “President Greitens:” He did not.
And, while those watching closely understood he made more enemies than friends in the legislature, that GOP super majority passed Right to Work, weakened Prevailing Wage, ended the Merit System for most state workers, cut funding to higher education, turned down a pay raise for elected officials and otherwise gave Greitens a lot of chips during his first 500 days in office. Those accomplishments fit neatly into his (old) future plans.
Now, it’s true that Greitens’ demise is due to more than some sordid sexual peccadillos. Still, as Bill McClellan likes to say, “If you can’t kick a man when he’s down, when can you kick him?” [ http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/bill-mcclellan/bill-mcclellan-exposing-myths-good-and-bad/article_717e1537-0a42-593d-b3b9-690a4820b4c5.html ], and reporting on that evening in the workout room cracked Governor SEAL’s protective shell, making him vulnerable to other charges.
So, had a scorned ex-husband with sneaky habits, a lawyer willing to accept bundles of cash from questionable sources, and a TV news operation not aligned, well, Eric Greitens probably would have spent Memorial Day with his buddy Mike Pence.
As I said, he was 80% of the way to the White House…
Submitted by Glenn Koenen, WCD Member