Sometimes as much as we wish for things to fit together and be free from inconsistency, the actions and consequences are still not. It’s not about one man or person or policy. It’s rampant in us… in how we feel and what we support…
Veterans Affairs Sec. Eric Shinseki: oversaw widespread ineffective care and fraud within the Veterans Health Administration… Shinseki: OUT.
Health & Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius: oversaw millions of taxpayer dollars wasted on botched Obamacare rollout… (Although later resigning on own timetable) Sebelius: IN.
NBA owner Donald Sterling: racial slurs in privacy of own home caught on tape… OUT.
NBA player Ron Artest: perpetrator of the infamous “Malice at the Palace,” brawling with fans in the stands… Artest (who has conveniently changed his name): IN.
While many of us can make a case for each of the above, the challenge we often find lies within the inconsistency of the application. Our actions and advocacies don’t always fit well together.
I think of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who for decades has called for the ouster of many because of actions and statements he believes have been either discriminatory or disrespectful. And yet in the sometimes inconvenient image producer of social media, it was the good reverend who last week, retweeted the following, in regard to Pope Francis:
“Francis, you old half dead hum bug u were living with another man in a one bed room apartment, I suppose u luv booty.”
Granted, it was a “retweet” as opposed to the original articulation — but undoubtedly disrespectful and derogatory just the same. Jackson’s later response, perhaps aware of the need for damage control? “This tweet does not reflect my views. I would hope all who received it or saw it would not bring further attention to it.”
So we’re to believe that Jackson’s tweet doesn’t wholly represent his views, but Donald Sterling’s audiotape does. We’re to believe that Sebelius’s poor management doesn’t reflect the totality of her leadership, but Shinseki’s does. Sorry, but I’m confused. It doesn’t all fit together.
Perhaps long most confusing to this semi-humble current events observer is the role of Jay Carney. Jay Carney has served as the White House Press Secretary after a previous role as a Time Magazine correspondent. The role of the press secretary is to “act as spokesperson for the United States government administration, especially with regard to the President, senior executives, and policies,” sharing information about the administration, issues, and the administration’s reactions to world developments. The challenge is that the secretary also has to craft an image with his words that makes the administration sound and look good — that makes the White House seem totally transparent, ever ethical, and beyond reproach. Note: For no contemporary administration has that been possible. The role and goal of the White House Press Secretary doesn’t always fit together.
On Friday, after 3 years in the position, Carney resigned.
Maybe he realized the inconsistency, too.
Respectfully…
AR