Kwame is Still King

For background of this post please see this. (I am well aware Wikipedia is probably the least reliable source for anything but deal with it. If you want something better try the website of the Detroit New or Free Press--although rocks of journalistic integrity, they are not.)

Are you up-to-date? Okay Good.

Last night in the annual State of the City Address, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick concluded his speech with this: [Link to story and video.]

The challenge for all of us in public office is to rise above our differences -- to rise above our human frailties – and maintain our focus on working together to move this city forward. Ralph Waldo Emerson said big jobs usually go to the people who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.

President Cockrel, we have much more serious issues affecting the future of this city than whether we’re going to attend a speech. I love you [Cockrel] and I love what you've done for our city. At this moment in our history, we must turn to each other, and not on each other.

And finally tonight, and this may be the most talked about part of the speech after laying out all of that. But I feel that I cannot leave this auditorium with my wife and my sons sitting there without addressing this issue.In the past 30 days, I've been called a n----- more than any time in my entire life. In the past three days I have received more death threats than I have in my entire administration. I've heard these words before, but I've never heard people say them about my wife and children. I don't believe that a Nielsen rating is worth the life of my children or your children.This unethical, illegal lynch-mob mentality has to stop. And it's seriously time.

We've never been here before. And I don't care if they cut the TV off. We've never been in a situation like this before where you can say anything, do anything, have no facts, no research, no nothin and you can launch a hate-driven, bigoted assault on a family.

I humbly ask members of council. I humbly ask the business community. I humbly ask the religious community. I humbly ask the brothers and sisters of the city of Detroit. I humbly ask that we say no more together. I humbly ask that we say no more together.

I love this city with every part of my being and I will continue to stay focused on building the next Detroit. God bless you. Detroit, I love you.

Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the ground. I'm sorry but I don't think I have ever seen such a display of unfettered incongruousness in my entire life.

Let me start by saying that is is absolutely intolerable to send anyone death threats or racial slurs and that anyone that did so is not justified in any way. The people that are sending those e-mails should be tracked down and dealth with accordingly.

That being said COME ON KWAME! You are not the victim in this situation and there is absolutely no way to frame it where a reasonable person would characterize you as such.

Kilpatrick first speaks on the need to come together and stop fighting when he is the one that started the entire mess by having the stripper party at Manoonigan Mansion and then firing everyone that knew about it and would talk. I guess coming together also does not mean dodging city council review when it is time for your wife to get a new car or when you need to retain lawyers and decide to use public funds to pay for it.

Kwame spoke of needing to raise of above human frailities. I guess this doesn't include assaulting members of the press, stealing public funds, or sleeping around on your wife and family. No Kwame you are right, it is our fault to think you should be held to some kind of standard; what were we thinking.

And then the mayor had the audacity to say this: "We've never been in a situation like this before. Where you can say anything, do anything, have no facts, no research, no nothing and you can launch a hate-driven bigoted assault on a family."

You are right Mr. Mayor you are the first person that has ever had to deal with lies that someone completely made up and used to persecute someone. I guess the Salem witch trials, baseless accusations of African-Americans raping Southern women, Native American lead massacres, the McCarthy lead Red-Scare, and the like completely grounded in facts and were totally justified. (If you can't tell I am being sarcastic you should because I am laying it on pretty thick.) I love this country and am extremely proud of all the good that America has done, but you cannot possibly think that you are the first victim of hate or that this is unique to your situation.

Here's the rub though, Mr. Mayor: The people against you are not driven by hate and are not lying. According to at least two trial courts and at least two courts of appeals, the people that had "no facts," did "no research," and "no nothing[?]" were telling the truth, had done research, had gathered the facts, and did not have "nothing." These people were substantially rewarded to the tune of over $8 million. But what do the courts know? The city of Detroit is on the hook for this settlment even though it is completely your responsibility. I am shocked that you are still allowed in public buildings let alone allowed to literally run the city in its most powerful office.

You were right in your speech. The city does have more important things to do than deal with your shenanigans but they aren't doing that, are they. Instead they are being forced to handle the situation you have created and in the meantime the city continues to tread in increasingly choppy waters.

Okay I am almost done venting but before I leave let me say this: The media is not your enemy, you are. The sooner you realize that the better you will be. For some mystery you are an extremely popular mayor in the eyes of the average Detroit citizen. Instead of using this popularity to get important tasks accomplished (i.e. improving infrastructure, stomping out crime, improving city schools, etc.) you thought your popularity sheilded you from accountability. You thought, "everyone loves me so I can do whatever the hell I want." This mentality lead you to think having strippers in the mayor's mansion was okay, that it was okay if you used the city's money to pay for your wife's car, and that it was okay to cheat on your wife with your chief of staff. I mean what could possibly happen? You are loved by the city.

If you had just admitted to the party it would have gone away faster than you can say "Hugh Grant." The public is amazingly forgiving to people that admit to wrong doing. Just look at how differently Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds are being treated when compared to Andy Pettitte and Jose Conseco. It is not the initial wrong doing that pisses people off, it is the cover up. People understand single bad acts because most people have been in similar situations and can relate but they absolutely cannot stand being lied to. If you are honest with the people, most will accept it and move on.

This applies to the media as well. If Bill Clinton had just come out right away and admitted to the Lewinsky thing the media would have covered it for a little bit and then moved on to other news. If Nixon hadn't tried to cover up the Watergate break in, he probably still would have won the election in 1972 but would not have needed to resign in disgrace. Woodward, Bernstein, and Deep Throat became household names because of the cover up, not the break in. The break in would have been a story for a week or month tops and then the newspapers would have moved on to other things. The media loves to dig around and find dirt. If your dirt is already out for everyone to see they have nothing to report. Notice how quickly the Lewinsky thing was out of the news once Clinton admitted to everything.

Okay I am done but I want to know what you, the internet viewers, think. Post a comment and if I like you could win a prize.*

P.S. Michigan starts the Big Ten Tournament tomorrow. Automatic Bid or Bust!!

*Prize will not include anything that is tangible, valuable, real, or anything else.