Both J.R. Lind and Andy Meek have noted today the newest blog post by former Germantown State Senator Paul Stanley. Stanley is apparently writing a book about the tryst with a former intern and subsequent extortion attempt that ended his marriage and his political career.
Please take a few minutes, read his post and then come back here. It's OK, I can wait, this is the internet!
I read that, and while I don't want to kick a man while he's down, this seemed really self-serving, especially when he hinted that he may have been set up. Well, you know, if you hadn't fooled around with an intern, you couldn't have been extorted, am I correct?
While I was discussing this in an email conversation with a friend of mine that had also read the post, something was in the back of my mind, and then it hit me.
Do you remember the final scene of Goodfellas? You know, where Henry Hill rats out his friends to save his life, and then, instead of being grateful for the chance he has been given to stay alive, complains that he misses the life of a gangster and now has to live like a normal person? THAT'S what Stanley's blog post reminds me of, that while acknowledging his mistakes ever so slightly, he's trying to get back in the life.
I know he's gotta miss it now more than ever, with the Repubs having a stranglehold on Tennessee government, but Stanley comes off as little more than Henry Hill in a suit, someone who is upset more that he is out of the life than about what he has done to others.
Is that too harsh? Am I not being compassionate here? Or have I perceived this correctly?
Tell me in the comments.
UPDATE: I see that Betsy was thinking about this as well.
EVEN MORE: Ross joins in the fun at VIBINC; go for the screen-cap!
1 comment:
Your pretty much on the money Steve....for once on a political issue.
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