In what, in all probability, is a sign of my moral bankruptcy, I must say I'm bewildered by all the outrage over Rep. Michael Grimm's threat to de-balconize, so to speak, a young reporter (who lacked the acute awareness to sensibly counter: "Hey, motherfucker, you want a piece of me?").
That's how guys talk--well, most guys, anyway--and in political operations such talk is pretty much synonymous with a morning hello. In those environs, I might add, verbal overkill, manly bravado and monstrous machismo are scarcely exclusive to my gender. Sounding tough is an indispensable element of operational competence. It gets to be habit-forming.
At any rate Grimm issued the obligatory standing-strong who cares? followed by the obligatory on-second-thought I do. So next up, a beer-lunch summit and good cheer by all.
Meanwhile, Grimm's male-insensitivity ratings are now surely sky high, which means his bully-loving base will love and admire him more than ever. One can find outrage in all that, but I tend to see just another day.
It's been instuctive however to witness the usual suspects defend him less than two weeks after describing Richard Sherman as a thug.
Posted by: Cliff | January 30, 2014 at 10:45 AM