The Resignation

Waiting for the small motorcade that would bring Senator Larry Craig to the Boise Depot where he would announce his resignation was gathered a mixed bag of approximately a hundred and fifty people and lots of media.  There were those who were in a somber mood knowing they were soon to witness the sad and tragic end to a long and distinguished political career.  Then there were those that were in a much more celebratory mood knowing that Craig's resignation was just the culmination of a hypocrite's, in the eyes of many, rapid downfall.

There were the usual Idaho Republican dignitaries:  Governor Butch Otter, GOP Chairman Kirk Sullivan, Congressman Bill Sali, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna and others.  [I didn't see Sen. Crapo or Rep. Simpson.]  There were also some prominent Democrats:  State Rep Nicole LaFavour and Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director John Foster and others. 

There were also the three women holding the "Craig is not gay; he's a pervert" and similar signs.  Some of those gathered had brought their children and carried them on their shoulders for a better look.

As Craig's car arrived, a scattering of applause erupted, accompanied by disbelieving looks from others; more evidence of the political division apparent in the crowd which may truly mirror that in the entire state.  As he got out of the car, Kirk Sullivan greeted him with a handshake, then as he slowly made his way to the podium, looking tired and resigned, he was greeted by other GOP dignitaries.  Once at the podium, another scattering of applause.

It was immediately clear as he began to speak that the Depot location had not been wired for sound and anyone not in the front row or listening to the feed would not be able to hear.  The crowd pressed closer hoping to catch a few of the Senator's final words over the persistent hum of the satellite trucks.

When he finally uttered the word "resign," two young men shouted "yeah!"  The gentleman in front of me turned around looking horrified, as if wondering who would dare celebrate that moment.  I thought, "Apparently this man hasn't been paying attention."

The speech over [read a copy here], Craig took no questions and ushered his wife to the waiting car, walked around to the front passenger seat amid a press of reporters, cameras and a few catcalls and climbed in.  With a short brrupp from the accompanying police escort, he was gone. 

That was it.  The end of Larry Craig's political career.  The whole thing lasting just a few minutes longer than the events in the airport men's room that precipitated the inevitable events that followed.

And as perhaps an omen, I have no pictures of the event:  dead batteries in the camera.

Update 15:05:  Check out more local coverage:

• Red State Rebels has pictures, an account of events and video.
• New West
• 43rd State Blues
• Boise Guardian
• Ridenbaugh Press
• The Political Game
• PrideDEPOT and more here and here

Comments

[MountainGoat]

One other interesting note to the event. After the event was over and people were milling about digesting the event and reporters were looking for reaction from the crowd, I noticed the Statesman reporter, Dan Popkey, who had been assigned to investigate Craig.

He appeared to have a sense of relief that the whole matter had been somewhat concluded by the resignation. He was getting hugs and well-wishes from others who appeared to sympathize with what the reporter had been through the last few days. I have to say I'm one of those who also sympathizes with him; it couldn't have been an easy week for him.

[Majid Mir]

What happens to the retirement benefits of a Senator that is forced to resign because of a conviction like this?

[Bubblehead]

The only way a member of Congress loses their pension is if they are convicted of: (1) bribery of public officials and witnesses; (2) acting as an agent of a foreign principal while a federal public official; (3) conspiracy
to commit an offense or to defraud the United States; (4) perjury; or (5) subornation of perjury. (Ref: http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf ). So, Sen. Craig will get his full pension, unless he fights the conviction and gets convicted of perjury for his initial guilty plea.

Regarding the "hypocrisy" of Sen. Craig -- does the "progressive" crowd also consider a Jew who votes against aid to Israel a hypocrite, or how about a person who was born rich voting against inheritence tax cuts? Or is it only GLBT or dark-skinned people who are considered "hypocrites" if they go against some policy that it believed to be favorable to their particular group? Is Sen. Obama a hypocrite for opposing reparations for slavery?

[MountainGoat]

Bubblehead, to answer the hypocrisy question. Voting against ones own "group" doesn't necessarily make one a hypocrite. For Craig, it's been the long history of publicly speaking out and voting against gay rights, which in part probably ensured his repeated re-election to office, while hiding his own orientation.

To use your example of the Jewish person who votes against aid to Israel, if that person had a well known stance against giving aid to Israel while hiding that he or she was a Jew, then that may cause some problems for people.

[gary]

When Craig said he would resign, three teen-age boys, about 14 or 15, cheered loudly. Some man about 35 years old walked at least 30 feet through the crowd over to these boys and said, "If you do that again, I'll kick your ass." The kids looked pretty shaken by it.
Aren't you glad the thought police were there to tell us when we could cheer and when we couldn't? I think the guy's name is Burgess and he was once a Craig staffer, but I have no confirm on that. Real nice guy.

[Bubblehead]

The guy picked on teenagers, huh? I bet he wouldn't have tried it with an adult -- "So, are you offering violence against me for exercising my rights to political speech? Could you say it again into the microphone? And what did you say your name was, assclown?"

[Sisyphus]

Ken Burgess was a Craig staffer until recently and now is lobbying on natural resource issues I understand. He's in his forties, about 5'6" with a small to medium build and a southern accent. I could see him doing that, Gary, though it certainly could be construed a criminal assault.

And frankly I think it was just plain wrong to rub Craig's face in his humiliation. Other than the humanity of the situation it doesn't make Democrats look good to kick a man after he's beaten. As Shakespeare wrote: when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester is the soonest winner.

And Bubblehead your sweeping stereotypes are showing. None of Obama's ancestors were slaves so far as we know. His dad was Kenyan I thought. Also just because you're Jewish doesn't make you in favor everything Israel stands for. I have several Jewish friends who are aghast at Israel's apartheid like policies.

In Craig's case certainly an easy argument can be made that he was a hypocrite if his assertion that he's not gay is incorrect. Regardless of his orientation his policies helped create the negative environment gays live in including the promiscuous bathroom subculture he got caught up in. I think is poetic justice that a prominent advocate of these abhorent policies relegating gays to second class citizens gets to now walk a mile in their shoes.

[Bubblehead]

"...his policies helped create the negative environment gays live in including the promiscuous bathroom subculture he got caught up in..." -- Sisyphus

So you're saying these things didn't exist before Larry Craig was elected to public office? And do you think any African-American politician who would benefit from reparations is a hypocrite if he or she didn't support them?

[Sisyphus]

No, but his policies certainly fascilitate their existence. His policies reflect a societal insistence that gays only belong in the closet. By denying gays the institution of marriage he discourages committed monogamous relationships in the gay community. I don't think this anonymous sex bathroom culture will disappear if we stop the demeaning exclusion represented by policies Craig and the "family values" voters promote but I'm damn sure its a step in the right direction.

And no. You seem to have trouble with the defintion of hypocrisy Bubbles. Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to have beliefs, virtues and feelings that one does not truly possess. A classic example of a hypocritical act is to denounce another for carrying out some action whilst carrying out the same action oneself.

[Bubblehead]

As far as we know, Sen. Craig has no desire to get married to another man. Maybe he just likes anonymous sex with another man, and doesn't have any desire, or understanding, of how two men could have a romantic relationship. (Had he wanted a romantic relationship, I'm sure he's powerful and rich enough to have set one up.) As far as I know, he hasn't voted to criminalize anonymous sodomy.

I still don't see the validity of the progressive viewpoint that someone who is a member of a minority group is a hypocrite if they oppose viewpoints that progressives decide members of that group should hold. (In Sen. Craig's case, I really don't see any evidence that he should be lumped in with the "gay" minority group, rather than the "men who like anonymous homosexual sex once in a while" group.)

[Sisyphus]

I'm not suggesting that he be lumped in either and its a sweeping generalization that all progressives think so. When Craig announced last week that he wasn't gay I think many in the gay community expressed a collective sigh of relief.

My point is that the laws he supports are repressive and exclusionary much like the Jim Crow laws of yore. The fact that he is a victim of the consequences of these repressive laws illustrates not something about Craig being gay or straight but that these policies need to change.

Bubbles you need to read your first paragraph again particularly this sentence: "Maybe he just likes anonymous sex with another man, and doesn't have any desire, or understanding, of how two men could have a romantic relationship." Because we demonize homosexuality in our society it leads to this sad state of affairs. Your getting there. Keep trying.

And all sodomy is illegal in Idaho and most states, whether you know his name or not. I'm trying real hard to imagine the circumstance any politician could cite as a rationale to repeal that law and still get re-elected here. Not in my lifetime anyway. Other than the futility of maintaining it. I've never heard of it ever being enforced. I think most Idahoans would consider such a prosecution none of the state's damn business. Except of course the IVA, who, like you, seem a little preoccupied with it.

[MountainGoat]

Bubblehead, I'm really surprised that you wouldn't see the hypocrisy in Larry Craig; it seems so blatantly obvious, whether you lump him in the "naughty boy" group or not.

[Bubblehead]

I see him as a liar; while I can see how people would think he is being hypocritical, I just don't see how membership or perceived membership in a group should make it mandatory to have certain political opinions -- to me, that tends to dehumanize someone, saying in effect that because they belong to a group, they can't have their own opinion about a certain subject. Should someone on active duty be required to support increased military spending or be seen as a hypocrite? Is it hypocritical for a rich person to vote for higher taxes?

[MountainGoat]

I guess then I'd have to ask how you define hypocrisy. Hypocrisy to me is saying one thing and doing another; doesn't have anything to do with belonging to this group or that.

[Bubblehead]

I agree with that definition of hypocrisy. So, if he's ever said that married men shouldn't have sex with anyone other than their wives, he's a hypocrite. If he's ever attempted to gay marry, or even have a romantic (as opposed to purely sexual) relationship with another man, he's a hypocrite. I haven't heard any charges that he's done either one (although I'm sure he's implied that "family values" mean that there should be marital fidelity, so I'll give you "hypocrite" on that one).

My main problem with the "men who have sex with other men are hypocrites if they don't support gay marriage" position is that it seems to be Identity Politics writ large -- and I think that identity politics aren't useful. Many people think they are, and that's fine -- it's just that those who do use Identity Politics shouldn't expect to be taken seriously when they complain about someone on the other side of the political spectrum (e.g. Bryan Fischer saying you can't be a good Christian if you oppose his positions) uses them as well. I especially don't think it's useful to toss people into a group that they themselves don't identify with -- it strikes me as a "I know what you're thinking better than you know what you're thinking" kind of thing that really isn't very useful.

That being said, I fully understand that many people think Sen. Craig is a hypocrite, and I accept that they honestly believe that their opinion is right.

[Sisyphus]

I think I understand what you're trying to say Bubbles. I just think your analysis is tortured. I'm sure you feel the same.

[MountainGoat]

I think parsing which votes or statements make him a hypocrite and which don't is silly. A hypocrite is a hypocrite.

I do understand your point and do agree that putting labels on people is unfair. I just hope that whatever Craig's situation, he's honest with himself and his family.