patriotgames@democrathallofshame.com
2012-03-08 13:37:46 UTC
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A 69-year-old county executive capable of doing it naked in the back
seat of a car; an in-charge guy whose minions empty his urine bag; a
ramrod-straight fellow possessing the power to hire folks to keep his
girl friends apart -- aren't these the human qualities we need to
"recapture and restore America" as imagined by the likes of Willard
Romney and Sarah "Daffy Dumb Shit" Palin (or at least her daughter and
mother of two Bristol) -?
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"This scandal might be too much for Leopold"
By Robert McCartney
March 7, 2012
THERE ARE SO MANY jaw-dropping accusations in the new indictment of
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold that it’s hard to pick
the most outrageous.
Is it the $10,000 in police overtime? That was the county taxpayers’
bill so Leopold’s personal security detail could stand watch at a
hospital to prevent his live-in girlfriend from meeting his other
girlfriend, a county government subordinate.
Or how about the allegation that Leopold (R) required the police
officers to empty his urine bag when he was using a catheter because
of back surgery? (Yuck.)
The charges, brought by a state grand jury Friday, certainly represent
the most serious threat yet to Leopold’s long political career. But
he’s survived disagreeable controversies before, and the voters have
repeatedly passed judgment in his favor.
This is the guy, remember, who easily won reelection in 2010 — a year
after police found him in the back seat of his Chevrolet Impala
following a 911 call reporting two naked people having sex in a car.
It was parked near the Nordstrom store in busy Westfield Annapolis
Shopping Mall.
The voters also weren’t moved by a complaint against Leopold from
female county employees alleging gender discrimination and sexual
harassment. One former aide said that Leopold asked her to track down
attractive women he had met at community and political gatherings and
ask them to meet with him.
“The voters were well aware of those allegations but reelected me
handily,” Leopold said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Some said
it’s not true. Others said it may be true, but he’s done a great job
and we’re going to reelect him anyway.”
Leopold, 69, has remained popular partly by holding down property and
income taxes. He also has shown painstaking devotion to constituent
services — fixing roads, reducing neighborhood noise and adding
streetlights.
Leopold also was lucky to face weak and divided opposition when he ran
for reelection in 2010. The Democrats nominated a relatively
inexperienced candidate, whose support was diluted by defectors to a
Green Party candidate.
“The electorate of Anne Arundel County is tossed with indecision. They
don’t mind the way he’s governed. They wish he were more solid
personally, and didn’t have the patina of impropriety,” said Dan
Nataf, director of the Center of the Study of Local Issues at Anne
Arundel Community College.
Others say that if President Clinton didn’t have to resign after the
Monica Lewinsky scandal, then Leopold can survive this.
“There’s a whole new set of rules since Clinton. You can get away with
stuff that would have buried you before,” said former county executive
O. James Lighthizer.
Nevertheless, there are three major reasons why this scandal could
mean much more trouble for Leopold than anything he’s faced in the
past.
First, he hasn’t been charged with crimes before. He faces one count
of fraudulent misappropriation, a misdemeanor that carries a jail term
of one to five years, and four counts of official misconduct.
The Nordstrom parking lot incident didn’t lead to charges. The female
employees filed a civil complaint, not criminal ones. (It’s still tied
up in court.)
Second, it seems clear from the indictment that the accusations come
from one or more of the police officers assigned to his security
detail. The grand jury heard testimony from at least three officers a
year ago. Police officers can be pretty sympathetic witnesses,
especially when they’ve been asked by politicians to do tawdry
personal tasks.
The Fraternal Order of Police has weighed in on the side of the
officers. On Monday, it publicly called on Leopold and Police Chief
James Teare to resign. It accused Teare of failing to support his
officers when they complained to him about Leopold’s behavior.
Finally, and perhaps most important, the charges focus less on sexual
misbehavior and more on inappropriate use of police officers. The
public is more likely to be unhappy about misspending public resources
than personal immorality.
That concern, on top of past ones, could be enough to finally spoil
Leopold’s standing with the voters.
“There’s a narrative that he’s got personal judgment issues,” Nataf
said. “There’s smoke there, and you’ve got to wonder if there’s fire.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/this-scandal-might-be-too-much-for-leopold/2012/03/07/gIQAn28jxR_story.html#weighIn
-----
A 69-year-old county executive capable of doing it naked in the back
seat of a car; an in-charge guy whose minions empty his urine bag; a
ramrod-straight fellow possessing the power to hire folks to keep his
girl friends apart -- aren't these the human qualities we need to
"recapture and restore America" as imagined by the likes of Willard
Romney and Sarah "Daffy Dumb Shit" Palin (or at least her daughter and
mother of two Bristol) -?
======
"This scandal might be too much for Leopold"
By Robert McCartney
March 7, 2012
THERE ARE SO MANY jaw-dropping accusations in the new indictment of
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold that it’s hard to pick
the most outrageous.
Is it the $10,000 in police overtime? That was the county taxpayers’
bill so Leopold’s personal security detail could stand watch at a
hospital to prevent his live-in girlfriend from meeting his other
girlfriend, a county government subordinate.
Or how about the allegation that Leopold (R) required the police
officers to empty his urine bag when he was using a catheter because
of back surgery? (Yuck.)
The charges, brought by a state grand jury Friday, certainly represent
the most serious threat yet to Leopold’s long political career. But
he’s survived disagreeable controversies before, and the voters have
repeatedly passed judgment in his favor.
This is the guy, remember, who easily won reelection in 2010 — a year
after police found him in the back seat of his Chevrolet Impala
following a 911 call reporting two naked people having sex in a car.
It was parked near the Nordstrom store in busy Westfield Annapolis
Shopping Mall.
The voters also weren’t moved by a complaint against Leopold from
female county employees alleging gender discrimination and sexual
harassment. One former aide said that Leopold asked her to track down
attractive women he had met at community and political gatherings and
ask them to meet with him.
“The voters were well aware of those allegations but reelected me
handily,” Leopold said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Some said
it’s not true. Others said it may be true, but he’s done a great job
and we’re going to reelect him anyway.”
Leopold, 69, has remained popular partly by holding down property and
income taxes. He also has shown painstaking devotion to constituent
services — fixing roads, reducing neighborhood noise and adding
streetlights.
Leopold also was lucky to face weak and divided opposition when he ran
for reelection in 2010. The Democrats nominated a relatively
inexperienced candidate, whose support was diluted by defectors to a
Green Party candidate.
“The electorate of Anne Arundel County is tossed with indecision. They
don’t mind the way he’s governed. They wish he were more solid
personally, and didn’t have the patina of impropriety,” said Dan
Nataf, director of the Center of the Study of Local Issues at Anne
Arundel Community College.
Others say that if President Clinton didn’t have to resign after the
Monica Lewinsky scandal, then Leopold can survive this.
“There’s a whole new set of rules since Clinton. You can get away with
stuff that would have buried you before,” said former county executive
O. James Lighthizer.
Nevertheless, there are three major reasons why this scandal could
mean much more trouble for Leopold than anything he’s faced in the
past.
First, he hasn’t been charged with crimes before. He faces one count
of fraudulent misappropriation, a misdemeanor that carries a jail term
of one to five years, and four counts of official misconduct.
The Nordstrom parking lot incident didn’t lead to charges. The female
employees filed a civil complaint, not criminal ones. (It’s still tied
up in court.)
Second, it seems clear from the indictment that the accusations come
from one or more of the police officers assigned to his security
detail. The grand jury heard testimony from at least three officers a
year ago. Police officers can be pretty sympathetic witnesses,
especially when they’ve been asked by politicians to do tawdry
personal tasks.
The Fraternal Order of Police has weighed in on the side of the
officers. On Monday, it publicly called on Leopold and Police Chief
James Teare to resign. It accused Teare of failing to support his
officers when they complained to him about Leopold’s behavior.
Finally, and perhaps most important, the charges focus less on sexual
misbehavior and more on inappropriate use of police officers. The
public is more likely to be unhappy about misspending public resources
than personal immorality.
That concern, on top of past ones, could be enough to finally spoil
Leopold’s standing with the voters.
“There’s a narrative that he’s got personal judgment issues,” Nataf
said. “There’s smoke there, and you’ve got to wonder if there’s fire.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/this-scandal-might-be-too-much-for-leopold/2012/03/07/gIQAn28jxR_story.html#weighIn