The Issue With Eric Greitens
A favorite in the beginning, Greitens's myriad of scandals and obfuscation soured many who formerly supported the disgraced ex-governor
When Greitens first announced his gubernatorial race in my home state of Missouri, many of my family and friends supported him. There were a few whose inner alarm sounded when it was discovered that he was heavily courted by the DCCC and “party-shopped” before landing on a Republican situation and running not for a more localized position like state rep or senate, but right for the governor’s office. These folks wondered how committed to conservative principles this recent lifelong Democrat would prove.
A year and a half into his tenure the crown fell off because he was sloppy and got himself mired into a bunch of campaign finance scandals and an extramarital affair that played out in the press with accusations of abuse and a felony charge of privacy invasion. Greitens was arrested and ultimately resigned. I wrote all about this earlier this month the day that Roy Blunt announced he was not going to seek reelection — you should read all of it.
Greitens often says he was “fully exonerated,” which isn’t accurate. The consent decree states otherwise (some forget that it’s called a “consent decree” because both parties voluntarily agree); Greitens’s resignation was reportedly the price for dismissing the other charges.
The antics of Al Watkins (attorney for the ex husband of the mistress) have nothing to do with Greitens’s recklessness and sloppiness nor does the corruption of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who I’ve written about and discussed on air extensively as related to the McCloskey case. Gardner’s abuse of office has no bearing on Greitens’s innocence or guilt, rather if a competent, less corrupt Democrat lawmaker was in that office this story might have concluded differently. Kim Gardner didn’t make Greitens choose the steps he chose. In reality, Greitens got lucky that such corrupt and equally ridiculous politicians were in these positions.
I didn’t have a serious issue with Greitens until he got himself in a mess and damn near dragged the entire Missouri GOP with him. As I wrote earlier this month:
I bring up this mammoth story because Greitens is positioning himself to run. I adore due process, so I can’t say that I have anything against the dude other than he comes across as an uncontrollable walking error factory whose conceit and recklessness puts every other Republican — even the good ones coming up from no-funds-grassrootsville USA — in the rhetorical crosshairs with him. I don’t like sloppy politicians or strategists. Speaking very clinically, I like candidates who can win and not imperil their party and allies with willfully committed mistakes.
Greitens isn’t just interested in the Senate, it’s clear that he has White House ambition. I think he’s undisciplined and reckless. This is a genuine and inarguable concern. I think his meager efforts to rehabilitate his image and then hurriedly go for another high-profile seat indicate a desire for power over service.
Greitens’s defenders insult Trump by comparing the two; they also like to bring up that I, like Kellyanne Conway, and many, many, many of the people in Trump’s inner circle and those who spoke for him on TV, backed another horse during the primary before unifying in the general election (and unlike some, I never accused anyone in the former First Family of “treason”). This fact has nothing to add or subtract from the issue which is the problem with Greitens (and that anyone even knows is because I am, as always, transparent and forthcoming unlike certain peers or the politicians I criticize).
Greitens won’t be rehabilitated by noting where others were during the 2016 primary, he won’t be rehabilitated by hyperbolically comparing himself to Trump — who legitimately was falsely persecuted by a hapless fourth estate that had to lie to certain press and take the subsequent stories to falsify FISA warrants against private citizens. In fact, the comparison dangerously diminishes the historical offense committed by a governing party and federal agencies against a private citizen seeking the White House. Greitens won’t be rehabilitated by the same old out-state grifter orgs to pump dark money into the race (I actually don’t object to dark money but I do object to the hypocrisy of objecting to it from Democrats while doing it yourself, and vice-versa) and attacking Missourians and others who challenge their revenue stream. I’ve earned the right to have my opinion on this race just as others have theirs — but for the operatives: just make sure that when you defensively try to pass me off as inconsequential because I’m challenging your gravy train that I haven’t saved scores of emails from you begging to be on my radio program over the years or for me to blurb your book. I won’t get personal unless you do, so remember that.
It’s not my problem or the problem of reluctant voters already burned once that a politician played stupid games and won stupid prizes. It is the fault of this modern political tribalism that drives descendants of patriots to defend politicians who, when presented with the choice, willfully choose to make stupid and selfish mistakes over choosing to prioritize people they represent over their own desires. This is a weakness. We threw tea into the harbor for less, for crying out loud.
I’d be more accepting of Greitens had he owned his mistakes without excuse and without comparatively trying to ride Trump’s coattails. It’s still early and there are a lot of options in this Missouri Senate primary. I want to see a Republican Senate majority. While I don’t have a preference amongst the potential candidates just yet, there are a couple of contenders I’d rather see clinch the nomination than not. Democrats don’t have a competitive player yet but it’s a mistake to underestimate their desire to increase their Senate majority and they will spend an ungodly sum of cash to win it.
The Republican primary will be so rhetorically bloody that it may hurt contenders’s chances should they run for other seats in the future. I really do wish it wasn’t this way. I’d love a robust primary where everyone battles it out and we don’t have to make excuses for weaker candidates. Greitens’s entrance makes it that much crazier.
The Issue With Eric Greitens
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Well, someone got caught and "scandal" is the truth getting out... Look where the money was coming from.