Yes, I'm about to tear New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey and the New Jersey Democrats a new one. Not for the reason any of you may think though. I applaud anyone in such a high profile position for having the courage to come clean about who they really are, that takes guts. To admit you're gay though under pressure of being sued for sexual harassment to the tune of $5 million by a 33 year old foreign national who you appointed to head up your state's homeland security position though is a political cover. In other words, Governor McGreevey is hiding behind what he hopes will be a rallying cry for gay groups; a state governor outed and forced to resign as a result.
It's a smoke screen and an ugly one at that. Now I will support the rights of any two adult Americans to share they sexuality as they see fit in the privacy of their bedroom. I don't condone or support sodomy laws, making adultery a legal offence, making it a crime for unmarried couples to live together or any such puritanical legacy legislation from days gone by. On the other hand I draw my line in the sand at legalizing gay marriage and bigamy.
That being said Jim McGreevy does an extreme disservice to the estimated 275 openly gay elected officials who ran as out of the closet politicians. He didn't feel the need to level with his family, his party, his staff and arguably most importantly the people of New Jersey. So what is his legacy? Well the attempt is to frame it that the governor had to resign because he was gay.
Have the headlines been "McGreevey Resigns Under Threat of Sexual Harassment Suit", "McGreevey Resigns for Adulterous Affair", or "New Jersey Governor Resigns Under Homeland Security Flap"? No, the press headlines almost everywhere you look are "I Am a Gay American". This will hold on Friday the 13th August, 2004 and through the weekend. Upon closer examination as this story unfolds between now and November 15th, when the governor officially steps down, the sexuality aspect of this story will slip into the shadows.
The truth of this story is incredibly ugly and that's just at first glance. The future governor meets Golan Cipel, an Israeli national in 2000, a year before he is elected to his present office, and brings him to the United States. That year the New Jersy Democratic State Committee pays his $1,100 INS registration fees and then gives him a job.
"Then he was hired by Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and top McGreevey fundraiser who recently was indicted on charges of attempting to obstruct a federal investigation of his political contributions.
In February 2002, McGreevey tapped Cipel to be the state's terrorism czar. Cipel stepped down from the job a month later after lawmakers questioned his qualifications for the $110,000-a-year post, and the lack of a background check." USA Today August 13, 2004
"But the federal government refused to give Cipel a security clearance to review sensitive material because he was not a U.S. citizen. Cipel resigned in March of that year, but McGreevey retained him at the same salary as a "policy counselor." Administration officials never explained exactly what he did." Philadelphia Inquirer August 13, 2004
Ouch. So the people of New Jersey were going to be protected by the gay lover of the governor without proper qualifications? I know that seemingly every state governor rewards contributors, friends and even their mistresses or lovers with state government jobs. That in itself isn't so shocking or even newsworthy to me. That it was the state's terroism czar, yes, that makes this scandal worth something. Especially in a state like New Jersey which has been mentioned specifically in terrorism alerts publicly recently. More than likely privately the state has received numerous private threat notices, this was no job to award someone for services or favors rendered.
The last ugly straw as far as this writer is concerned is the timetable for resignation, November 15th. Done purposefully so there would be no statewide office up for grabs on the date of the Presidential election November 2nd. What exacerbates the outrage voters of all stripes should have is that New Jersey currently has no Lieutenant Governor. The highest executive office in the state will now be filled by Richard Codey(D), President of the New Jersey senate who was unelected on any slate for statewide office. This is like the situation that lead to Gerald Ford becoming President after Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon resigned, too strange for words.
Did the Governor do the honorable thing and step down immediately and allow the people of New Jersey to select his successor in as timely a fashion as possible? Of course not. The party apparatchik, not wanting New Jersey to become a swing state or a referrendum on the Democratic party, took the current scandal out of the hands of the people this election. Do I think they consulted with the DNC? Perhaps, thought I don't think the DNC had anything to do with the timetable for the resignations effective date. I believe the state Democratic Committee members wanted to make the best of a horrible situation and now the people of New Jersey are stuck with a weak and ineffective governor for a year.
"I am a gay American." this is not the case. It has not been the hallmark of any gay man or woman I've known to hide their sexuality until caught or accused of gross violations of personal, professional or public trust and then claim victim status. The gay people I've come across, know and have loved were not dishonest people living questionable lives. They were normal people who happened to be gay. Governor McGreevey is the equivilent of a minority caught with a kilo of coke a handgun with no serial numbers who got busted by white cops and then cries racism.
There is no martyrdom for this man and no group or individuals should come to his defense because he's gay or more accurately bisexual. His behavior as the Chief Executive of New Jersey has been reprehensible and now he wants history to forget that and remember that he stepped down because he was gay. I'm sorry governor, that's not going to wash. This was never an issue about you being gay and hopefully it never will be. This is pure political corruption, nothing more nothing less.
Sources: USA Today.com "N.J. governor quits, says he's gay"
Philadelphia Inquirer "McGreevey Resigns"
