Crack-up: Rep. David Wu needs a Democrat leadership intervention
I’ve been so busy covering the Wisconsin Showdown and the ongoing Grievance Convergences across the country that I’ve neglected a story that should be causing ulcers among the Beltway Democrat leadership.
Many of you have probably seen this Willamette Week-obtained picture of disturbed Democrat Rep. David Wu of Oregon — whose staff has been abandoning the U.S.S. Crazy in droves:
Documents obtained by WW—emails and photographs sent from Wu’s federally issued BlackBerry in the early-morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010—reveal a bizarre portrait of Wu in the days right before the Nov. 2 general election.
Wu’s increasingly odd behavior and communication typified by this set of emails so troubled staff that sources say the employees deliberately hid him from public view during the last three days of Wu’s campaign even as his Republican opponent furiously fought for votes across Oregon’s 1st Congressional District.
That district, a largely Democratic stronghold that encompasses some of Oregon’s biggest economic engines like Nike and Intel, begins on the west side of Portland and stretches through Washington County to Astoria on the north coast.
Wu, a 55-year-old former lawyer and graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School, has served in Congress since 1999.
No single event appears to have prompted staff to conduct the two interventions. Instead, a snowballing series of events in the days before Wu handily defeated GOP challenger Rob Cornilles 55 percent to 42 percent combined to cause staffers to worry about the congressman’s judgment and the possible root cause of his problem, say close observers on Capitol Hill and in Portland.
Wu’s behavior has caused Capitol Hill concern dating back to 2003. But none of the swamp-draining Democrat leaders bothered to do anything about it. And Wu has gone on a national media tour asserting he can continue to hold office.
Now, Wu’s hometown paper in Eugene has called for his resignation:
Wu claims he has been under a lot of stress lately because of the breakup of his marriage, the death of his father and the rigors of a tough campaign. That adds up to a heavy load, and there should be no shame in seeking help. Wu has had little to say since The Oregonian’s reports were published last weekend, but claimed in a prepared statement that he had sought “professional medical care.”
That’s good — though the judgment of some around him seems to be that Wu needs different or more intensive care than he has been getting.
It’s easy to understand why Wu and his staff wanted to keep questions about his condition quiet until after the election. Any suggestion of psychiatric problems at the peak of a campaign would have been political suicide. Yet at the same time, the congressman’s silence, and that of his staff members, led voters to make their decision without knowing important facts about the leading candidate.
Wu should have been forthcoming about his medical treatment when it began. Candor might have been costly, but there might also have been rewards — including understanding and sympathy. Successful treatment could also have had visible results, providing reassurance to staff members and voters alike.
Whatever the price of candor, the price of its absence is higher. Wu can recover his health, but public trust is lost forever. He should step down.
And an Oregonian columnist points fingers at Wu’s enablers:
In propping Wu up for so long, in staying quiet about what might lie behind his strange behavior, staff and the party power structure did a disservice to both the congressman and his constituents. Wu should explain his behavior. The people who shielded him for all these years as the pressure mounted should explain theirs, too.
Most ethical congressional leadership ever, eh, Weaker Pelosi?
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Wow. Even for this board you have issues. And that is saying a lot. It is interesting that a person that “has no interest in me whatsoever” went to such great pains to turn a perfectly ordinary sentence into some sophomoric joke about my privates.
Gee, Chapstick, the old adage holds true. Scratch a liberal, find a bigot.
And to quote the Scottish play: “The lady doth protest too much.” I’ve seen the same hissy-fit thrown by Tom Cruise when asked about his proclivities.
A psychoanalyst would have a field day with you, my dear.
Regards,
Peter H.
And now you are just devolving into nonsense.
Regards.
I wish we could get the RINOs to understand that.
When I had read the story about Rep. Wu online I could tell immediately what party he was from because the story hadn’t mentioned his party affiliation in the body of the story. Just saying…
It could be worse
That’s pretty much the RNC.
NotTheDemocrats.
yeah
I don’t think mental health treatment is shameful. I’m seeing a doc for anxiety. It doesn’t make me crappy at my job.
Maybe he should have told people about it, but I understand. I haven’t told my boss or coworkers about my treatment, because I think they might think less of me and I don’t want to limit my opportunities. Mental health issues are still pretty stigmatized.
Of course, if I still worked in a creative department, I wouldn’t worry about telling anyone, because everyone in creative is in therapy and/or taking antidepressants
Wu’s mental health issues or lack thereof are irrelevant to the fact is shameful and crappy at his job.
I don’t know about his performance–never heard of him before this story, and I know I’m not as well-informed as I could be–but it seems like his mental health treatment and the tiger costume pic are the story here?
Any Congress person, Rep or Dem, is welcome to share a picture of him or her in costume, in my opinion. In fact, they should do it more often. It would liven things up.
I hope you obtain some relief from your doc. I got rid of a lot of my anxiety by becoming more of a Stoic. And working with nuclear missiles.
Those things have a way of focusing the mind…..
Stacey,
Read Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
Hahahahaha! I work for Hallmark Cards, Inc. The most dangerous things I come in contact with are dangerously cute puppy pictures.
&, thanks.
Ah, I will! I haven’t read many of the classics. Nice to have a recommendation.
Sadly, this Pelosi puppet “represents” my district. I’ve wanted him gone for years, but there hasn’t been any decent Republican opposition to make it happen.
Oh, let’s see…………..I recommend the Basset Hound puppies.
Gah, I don’t know if my other comment disappeared…apologies in advance if this is a double-post.
ANYway. I’ll make sure Bassetts get the proper attention!
Mr. OfLiberty has always wanted a Bassett.
How dare you criticize a fellow Asian! Don’t you know you’re always supposed to stick together if you’re not White? You raaaaacist!
This comment has been brought to you by the ethno-centric, anti-racist Left…
Do you work at Crown Center in K.C. MO? I used to go to school across the street.
Please don’t forget Pomeranians!
Oh, man, is that your pup? So cute I can hardly type! Poms are the sweetest! (Don’t tell Pumpkin and Ginger I said this.)
Yep, I work at Crown Center. Where did you go to school?! I think Park U and UMKC have campuses nearby?
The words “Democrat” and “Leadership” in a single sentence… they confuse and befuddle me.
The pup is named Anchi. She’s the puppy of our other two poms, Chica and Tiem.
We lost the rest of the litter because Chica wasn’t making milk. My wife raised her on a bottle and carried her around at the office in her lab coat to keep her warm. Anchi is spoiled because of this.
I’m an Ohio State fan, and Anchi watches the games with me. Like most Buckeye fans, she goes nuts whenever she hears the word *ichigan or Wolverine Pound for pound she is the most ferocious animal on the planet.
I went to school at the UMKC school of Dentistry, and part of my AEGD at Truman Hospital.
Oh no. So sorry about the rest of the litter.
I’m sure Anchi deserves the royal treatment
Pets really can be loyal fans! It’s amazing!
Oh my gosh yeah, the dentistry school is right by here! Cool.
Hannibal Lecter: First principles, Clarice. Simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature? What does he do, this man you seek?
Clarice Starling: He kills women…
Hannibal Lecter: No. That is incidental. What is the first and principal thing he does? What needs does he serve by killing?
Clarice Starling: Anger, um, social acceptance, and, huh, sexual frustrations, sir…
Hannibal Lecter: No! He covets. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer now.
Clarice Starling: No. We just…
Hannibal Lecter: No. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don’t you feel eyes moving over your body, Clarice? And don’t your eyes seek out the things you want?
Wait!!! Puppies are totally off topic! As is Hannibal Lecter!
But I like puppies!
Not so much Hannibal Lecter.
The guy is wearing a tiger suit, maybe they’re holding the dog suit pictures back.
Why doesn’t the man resign, seek the help he obviously needs and let someone sane represent that district?
Sorry. You’re absolutely right. Please grant me one last indulgence this evening.
So do I. Here And Christmas as well. Here and Here
And the Final Score of the
Peter Hughes v. Chapoutier
Cage Match
Peter Hughes – 100
Chapoutier – 0
How exactly is Wu different from other Democrats? They’re all GRRRREAT.
EEEEEeeeee!! Oh my God, they are adorable! And I’m an expert. I’ve seen a lot of cute dogs, let me tell you. But they are ridiculously cute!
“You’re off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters!”
― Barbossa to ThreadJack Sparrow
I guess he’s just enthusiastic about his breakfast cereal. Be glad that he doesn’t like Cocoa Puffs.
Anyway, if any of you had a tiger suit, you’d wear it and post pictures…don’t lie now!
Hey, no fair!!! As you know, pugs are one of the MOST underrepresented breeds in the greeting card industry.
Could you put in a good word for pugs? They really lift the spirit after a hard day.
Hey, if you guys need some pictures, just ask… I’ve got two pugs who have their own little outfits and love the camera! I’m sure Hallmark can’t resist.
It gets even better, the nutcase has filed to run for reelection in 2012
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/146233-congressman-who-donned-tiger-costume-files-for-re-election
The other day at work I was watching youtube videos of pugs (what? it was important research!!) They are so expressive!
You know, every month we have these contests where people turn in greeting cards they make with their photos…and we pick the ones we like best and pay people for them and print and sell them…check it out. People use a lot of kid photos and pet photos, I think.
My apologies to MM for getting things so off track. It started with a discussion about mental health, promise!
My Dad and Step mother bred from the early 70′s until my Dad passed away in 2008. His buddy was Pugsy. Here
Agh. He is killing me softly, with his cuteness…
*is dead*
OMG… he is SOOOO CUUUUTTTEEE. Pugsy looks just like my male pug. I have a male and female pug who are cousins but different sizes.
There’s a special place in heaven for pugs and all God’s creatures… but especially pugs.
You should hear pugs snore…. and snort. They have their own secret language. They’re absolute clowns… and people pleasers… until they get all stubborn and don’t want to listen… then they’re like toddlers.
They really will kill you with their cutness and crack you up with their antics. They are comedy gold.
How is Rep. Wu any more delusional than Nancy Pelosi? Looks kinda cute in that tiger suit…maybe he should wear it on the floor.
The local newspaper does a good job of waiting until after the election to print a story like this that might get a democratic incumbent defeated.
Here we go again….Dem lawmaker threatens with obscentity a Repub woman lawmaker….issues half-assed apology, which Repub lawmaker accepts. Dem lawmaker says its no big deal. There comes a time, IMO, when there is NO accepting apologies and smiling sweetly and letting the matter drop. I’d make this dog of a lawmaker not only apologize but rush to resign. This has gone on long enough!
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/03/01/wisconsin-dem-assemblyman-tells-gop-assemblywoman-you-are-f-king-dead
How exactly do you define “crappy at my job”?
It’s not that hard. If I got bad performance reviews and negative feedback from my co-workers, that would probably mean I was doing a poor job.
PS I actually got an “achieves” instead of an “exceeds” on my last performance review, but that was more because I moved into a different department. It’s a big switch to go from writing storybooks to writing Powerpoints.
Please go back and read my whole comment.
Oh, I thought those were 2 separate things you were saying there.
I’m not reading carefully enough, I admit. I am busy being good at my job!
Anyway, I never said anything about this guy’s job performance because I know nothing about it. I was just saying getting help with mental health doesn’t automatically mean you suck at your job.
But of course, here you guys think all Democrats suck at their jobs, so I’m sure Wu is no different.
I understand that. I just wanted you to understand that we are not simply bashing people who have issues. What we are doing is objecting to people who have serious issues being given jobs where those issues can interfere with their performance, ultimately having severe adverse effects on large numbers of people. That’s what this post is about. To object to a person operating heavy machinery after downing two bottles of cough syrup doesn’t mean you are bashing that person for liking cough syrup.
But it’s an assumption that Democrats frequently make while bashing Republicans or trying to change the subject.
I didn’t really mean you guys. I was responding more to the quote from his hometown paper:
Any suggestion of psychiatric problems at the peak of a campaign would have been political suicide.
Maybe it’s true, but it shouldn’t be like that, you know what I mean?
It is true, and there’s a good reason for that. The reason is contained in the list in my earlier comment. It would be nice, and would make everybody feel good, if having serious psychiatric issues didn’t disqualify people from certain jobs. But reality isn’t nice. I have a right not to have someone with serious issues making the laws under which I am (potentially physically) compelled to obey; just as people at a construction site have a right not to have other people, who have just drunk two bottles of cough syrup, operating heavy machinery that could kill them.
Oh, I don’t mean serious psychiatric problems, obviously. I just mean that I think even really mild/transitory things can be stigmatized.
Like a lot of people who wouldn’t be reluctant to hire someone who’d had a bad stomach flu would be reluctant to hire someone who had gone to a couple of counseling sessions for a mild depression (even if you got over it.)
1. Did this hypothetical person go to the counseling sessions for personal reasons, or was the person ordered to because it was affecting job performance?
2. What is this person’s job?
Brain Surgeon?
Airline Pilot?
High Government official?
Precision Rocket Designer?
Judge in a criminal court?
Manager of a lot of other people’s money?
Burger Flipper?
Once again: It would be nice if we lived in a world where people could ignore things like this, but the reality is that we live in a dangerous world with certain jobs where to ignore even minor unresolved issues could result in the lots of people dying or having their lives ruined. I’m sorry if it sounds cruel, but it’s not worth it to sacrifice people’s lives just to avoid offending your sense of fairness.
There a lots of jobs for which I am not qualified, simply by temperament. I have no doubt that there are some jobs for which you are not qualified, simply by temperament. There is no shame in that. We’re all different and have different skills, abilities and qualifications. The bottom line is that there are some positions that are simply not interchangeable.
If it’s ordered by the employer, it’s usually pretty damn serious, no?
I agree, depends on the job. My job is going to meetings, making powerpoints, emailing, and thinking.