Tuesday, 17 August 2004
The gutless gay Governor - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - I shouldn't go out of my way to comment about New Jersey politics, what with the fact I'm living in British Columbia and not an American. However, it's always fascinating, and after the whole debacle with their former senator Bob Torricelli, you didn't think it'd get more bizarre.
There was a great deal of buzz prior the press conference that the New Jersey Governor James McGreevey had called for Thursday afternoon. The speculation was that McGreevey would resign, considering for weeks there had been much talk about a bribery scandal involving a fundraiser of McGreevey's one David D'Amiano. D'Amiano's indictment mentioned McGreevey, a number of times, referring to the governor simply as "State Official No. 1," which McGreevey acknowledged in early July was he. However, his resignation on Thursday was not because of the bribery scandal. Instead, he announced that he was a "gay American," having been involved in a consensual relationship with another man. This of course, despite the fact he had been married before, had a daughter with his first wife; and has a daughter now with his current wife.
Soon after that shocker of a resignation speech - an address some compared to Richard Nixon's "you won't have Nixon to kick around anymore" speech in 1962 - there were those in the media who commented that it was courageous of the Governor to announce his sexual identity so. However, there are a couple of things worth noting about the Governor's resignation. First, it does not take effect until mid-November. This was done to avoid calling an election to replace him, so that his successor (also a Democrat), could merely serve out the balance of his mandate until the next election. This politicking is not encouraging considering that this was also probably done to help the Democratic Party, in both New Jersey and the Kerry-Edwards campaign, more than anything else. Why invite voters to cast judgement on McGreevey, at the same time they're voting for Bush or Kerry? New Jersey, a Democratic state, could swing to Bush if enough people are angry with McGreevey. Secondly, it seems a tad convenient that McGreevey resigned at the time he did, what with the indictment of his fundraiser, as well as the pending lawsuit the Governor alluded to in his resignation speech.
Governor McGreevey said on Thursday that he was resigning so that the governor's office would not be "vulnerable to rumours, false allegations and threats of disclosure;" this, in an effort to counter Golan Cipel, the man whom McGreevey had an affair with, who was supposedly threatening the Governor with a $50-million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit. It is also reported that the FBI became involved in the matter when, Cipel, in an offer to quash the harassment charge, demanded millions of dollars instead. The extortion plot is now being investigated.
The story of Golan Cipel reveals an interesting twist to the story. It seems that Cipel, an Israeli national, had met McGreevey in Israel. They began their relationship, and Cipel was compelled to move to America, whereupon McGreevey appointed him to an $110,000-a-year job as New Jersey's homeland security Czar. It turns out that Cipel, though in the Israeli military, a seaman I think, did not qualify for the job, nor did he receive the appropriate security clearance to assume such a position. The perception that a foreign national heading up homeland security, when a number of the September 11th hijackers had been living in New Jersey at the time, and flew out of Newark airport, is hardly comforting. Moreover, hooking up your pal with a high paying government job doesn't pass the proverbial smell test when it comes to determining conflict-of-interest.
Questions that could be asked of the Governor are plenty. First, what compelled him to disclose his homosexuality now? Was it because he couldn't take the heat of the investigation concerning his fundraiser's bribery charge, or his own cronyism with Cipel's. Whether or not McGreevey were gay, or Cipel his lover, it doesn't matter. The fact that someone close to the Governor, despite his apparent lack of qualification could land such a job is grounds enough for the gay Governor to go now, not in November. This wrapping himself around a cloak of gayness seems a striking and convenient buffer from the harshness of his own misdeeds, all of which have nothing to do with his homosexuality. Imagine if you will when his opponents clamour for his head. The criticism and cynicism will be so loud, that to quiet it he'll claim everyone's being discriminatory against him.
It's all about convenience and posing a good offence. Governor McGreevey came out because it was the perfect time to do so. When the heat was on him, he skirted honesty; first, with his wives about his sexuality, and secondly, the people of New Jersey when it came time to coming clean about his political activities, and his conduct as Governor. Again, the latter having to do with charges of bribery and cronyism, not having anything to do with being gay. He chose to be honest about his homosexuality, so as to deter the attention from his political transgressions. He's shielded himself from criticism because anyone who is loath to criticise him will be hit with charges that they're anti-gay. In effect, he's disarmed his critics.
Certainly Governor McGreevey has lived a tortured life - two marriages, bearing two children (his first wife and daughter live in New Westminster, by the way. He was not however courageous in the way he revealed his sexual orientation. By virtue of his revelation on Thursday, he's revealed himself a weasel. Especially when he says, it's because of his homosexuality that he's resigning. It insults the intelligence of the people he was elected to serve, when he says his being gay precludes him from serving in government. Whatever you may think of people like Svend Robinson, or Rep. Barney Frank in New York, they are good legislators, and their being gay has nothing to do with the work they've done. James McGreevey is still very much tormented, yet one suspects he's not only tortured, but also delusional, thanks to his being reckless all along.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .