He’s really decided to go down with the ship out with a bang, hasn’t he? All sorts of groping allegations. Someone should get him in touch with that Ashburn fellow from California.
Does anyone have a report from the Glenn Beck meltdown? I saw some people tweeting about it, but refused to watch.
The Moar You Know
Beck apologized to his viewers at the end. Apparently not only is Massa crazy, but quite boring.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I only take comfort no diapers were apparently involved.
freelancer
Which columnist spent an entire dinner with a Republican Senator’s hand grasping his thigh? Massa and that legislator should sponsor the bill repealing DADT.
Mike Kay
All we are saaaaaaying…. is give the Status Quo a chance….
Chad S
Massa clearly told Beck he would say XYZ about Obama and the White House, then clearly didn’t deliver on his promises. Massa started ripping Beck for his attitude, and Beck started going to commercials every 2-3 minutes to run out the clock.
someguy
Between the furtive groping of men and his right wing ranting about health care reform, I defy you to show me how this guy is a Democrat.
SIA
Yeah, for a guy who wanted to resign for his family, his behavior is bizarre. Getting popcorn ready to watch Fox embrace then spurn him on his way down. Think there might be a bit of trafficantosis delusion there.
Mike Kay
@freelancer:
that was the effeminate david brooks.
Max
Sounds like the beck, puma, firebagger crowd are going to have to find another symbol of Obama is.the.fail.
Massa’s a crackpot. Good riddance.
JGabriel
It does seem like the more Massa bitches, the more allegations come out.
I’m not saying Massa hasn’t lost all credibility — clearly he has — but the escalating leaks of allegations do seem a little more vindictive and payback-y than usual.
.
gbear
So glad to hear that it sucked – one of those events that’s a lot more fun to read about than to watch.
Napoleon
OT, but TPM is reporting Stupik (sp?) is drawing a primary challenger, if we are speaking of a-holes that are or were Democratic Congressmen.
Existenz
Massa is just a bumbling disgrace. Max Cleland endorsed him back in the day, and then he goes ahead and dishonors himself like this? Pathetic.
I don’t have Fox News so I’d love to hear more detailed reports about what happened. Did Massa backtrack from his criticisms of Rahmbo, etc.? Did he says reconciliation will tear the country apart? What was Beck’s attitude during the interview?
And Another Thing...
It was a fun show, ’cause Beck was really frustrated. He was really trying to “make some news,” and he didn’t like being called out for calling fellow Americans socialist and commie. As for Massa, good riddance.
Rob in Denver
Cillizza has a decently funny (which, for him, is saying a lot) Twitter commentary: twitter.com/thefix
Comrade Mary
Ed Schultz showed a bit from the beginning of Beck’s show where Massa said that he wasn’t forced out, but forced himself out. He said he owned what happened, and is 100% responsible for his misbehaviour.
Apparently Massa thinks part of jolly office hijinx involves grown men tickling each other, which, apparently, is his latest public theory on exactly which of many incidents have led to this ethics investigation. I’d love to know if any of his staffers or interns were called Joey.
But apparently the only part of his Sunday story he stuck to (which Schultz didn’t show) was the part about pushy naked Rahm walking over to him when naked Massa was in the shower and they were all naked and yelling at each other and … and …
Excuse me, I need to take a moment …
And Another Thing...
It was a fun show, ‘cause Beck was really frustrated. He was really trying to “make some news,” and he didn’t like being called out for calling fellow Americans soc 1alist and commie. As for Massa, good riddance.
mcc
All the 50 year old congressmen are having more fun than I am :(
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
You can’t spell Massage without Massa.
David
The Wingnuts are very disappointed with Glenn Beck. :(
Ash Can
@The Moar You Know: Now, if Massa had brought a can of gasoline with him, doused the set, then started flicking lighted matches around, Beck would have sent him a fruit basket and Fox would have given him his own show.
Napoleon
@JGabriel:
I think that they really seem more of a defensive nature. Massa is out there making all kinds of allegations – of course people are going to hit back to set the record straight and if he had kept his mouth shut maybe they would have as well.
Martin
@JGabriel: Actually, you have it backward. Once the first few allegations are lobbed, the floodgates open. Tiger Woods was almost a textbook example of that.
demkat620
Man, what a meltdown. What the hell happened with this guy? Clearly he has some serious issues going on.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@freelancer: Bobo.
Ana Gama
From TPM:
Appearing on Glenn Beck’s TV show, former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) bluntly admitted that his resignation, over allegations of sexual harassment, was his own fault.
“I wasn’t forced out. I forced myself out. I failed,” said Massa. “I didn’t live up to my own codes. I own this. I take full and complete responsibility for my misbehavior. And goodness only knows what allegations they’re gonna throw at me. There’s even new ones today and we’re gonna talk about that.”
“Now they’re saying I groped a male staffer. Yeah, I did,” Massa also said. “Not really grope him. I tickled him ’til he couldn’t breathe and then four guys jumped on top of me. It was my 50th birthday.”
“I should have never allowed myself to be as familar with my staff as I was, I never translated my days in the Navy to being a Congressman,” Massa said.
Beck asked Massa whether he ever groped members of his staff sexually. “No,” said Massa. “When you take things out of context in D.C., this is what its all about”
Massa also stood by his descriptions of lewd conduct that he has said routinely occurs in the Navy. Beck joked that perhaps Massa could show him a “tickle fight” in the Navy.
“I’m gonna show you a lot more than tickle fights,” said Massa. He also added: “Can you imagine transporting back to this today? It looks like an orgy in Caligula. And anybody that’s been in the Navy knows it.”
Massa maintained that he had initially decided not to run again for Congress due to health concerns. He also showed recent x-rays, saying that it was not known whether spots in the x-rays were scar tissue or tumors: “My wife, doctors have been asking me from day one not to run.” It was then the increasing level of accusations regarding alleged harassment that caused him to resign, he said.
Massa also complained that the investigations against him have not followed any standards of secrecy: “It’s the Potomac two-step.”
freelancer
FYWP
Martin
@Ash Can: No crying? No pimping the gold advertisers? Fox doesn’t kneel down that easily, you know.
Annie
OT. Finally,
It will be interesting to see how this demonstration is covered tonight on different news channels….
Also, one of the protesters was a 101 year old woman from Pittsburgh…………what to say….
ajr22
dennis kucinich is an idiot, using right wing language to bash health care as not left enough “jamming insurance giveaway down our throats.” Some one needs to get this guy off my TV.
freelancer
By default, Bobo is effeminate, so calling him “the effeminate David Brooks” sounds to me like you’re talking about someone else, a la DougJ calling Douthat “chunky David Brooks”.
But thanks just the same.
Ana Gama
Update from TPM:
Massa began to give Beck the kinds of answers he would like to hear — for example, calling for campaign finance reform, complaining about the party whip operation, and labor unions pressuring members to vote their way or else not receive campaign contribution — which Massa said amounts to bribery — and insisting that Rahm Emanuel tried to intimidate him in the House gym showers, etc.
When asked by Beck whether there were witnesses to the alleged shower event, which the White House has denied ever happened, Massa said: “I have no idea, I wasn’t looking around.”
But then he turned the tables on Beck. “Stop calling fellow Americans names. Calling fellow Americans names. Pejorative, insulting, socialist, communist, whatever the case may be – colorful names designed to emote emotion (sic),” said Massa.
Beck offered up the term “progressive” as a helpful example of another term he uses as an epithet.
“You can be a progressive and a fiscal conservative. I know we’re going to have an argument, but you can be,” said Massa. “But you can’t show up at a Tea Party rally and claim that the entire budget deficit happened this year.”
Beck eventually became very exasperated with the answers he was getting. “America, I’ve got to shoot straight with you. I think I’ve wasted your time. I think this is the first time that I’ve wasted an hour of your time.”
During his closing remarks for the hour, Beck said: “This is why I said, ‘I’m sorry, I wasted your time. We learned a lot, I think. But what we learned I don’t think affects you at all. From New York, good night America.”
Max
Alert – Massa will be on Larry King, Barely Alive tonight.
hehehe
I’m sure the Rahm-haters are beside themselves.
mcc
@Annie: And Dean and Trumka at the front of the crowd, apparently.
Mike Kay
@ajr22: where did he say this?
WereBear
Why on earth does Massa have no one to make him stay home and keep quiet?
Does no one care? Or he won’t let anyone?
Because this is deeply disturbed behavior, as though he’s lost most of his clutch on reality.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@Ana Gama:
This is excellent news for John McCain
Mike Kay
@mcc: I heard Dean said, “yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhght”
Mike Kay
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ:
I knew The Village People were on to something.
Mark S.
In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can’t you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)
The Populist
Glenn Beck: Community college dropout
Rush Limbaugh: College dropout
Sean Hannity: College dropout
Funniest yet? Beck claims to be “self educated”.
I see a trend here…
Comrade Mary
I would have been transfixed, too, Eric.
freelancer
Ackerman watched, and it seems he’s ready to brain himself with one of Stuck’s mallets.
Mark S.
@Mike Kay:
You beat me by a minute!
Leelee for Obama
A thought has occurred to me. Is it remotely possible that Massa’s cancer has entered his brain and be the cause of thisabsolutely bizarre behavior? It just seems too strange to be Rahm-hate. Especially since he’s backing off the “they-are-pushing-me-out nonsense.
Anyone else think this? Or am I just trying to give a Dem a break he doesn’t deserve?
Mike Kay
@Mark S.:
Remember the scene in “Philadelphia”, when Tom Hanks and Banderas dress up in dress whites.
MikeJ
And we don’t even get a “show me on the doll where Rahm touched you” tag.
Xenos
@mcc: Trumka was there?
Wait for it…
3, 2, 1…
“UNION THUGS!” Cause only thugs get pushy.
demo woman
@MikeJ: lol
Thanks to all for the updates.
arguingwithsignposts
You are a wise man, Mr. Cole.
kay
Is getting tickled until you can’t breathe fun?
I think that’d be my last day on that job. I don’t think Massa can pay me enough for that. Nope.
In any event.
I don’t know what to think about this. It was bizarre enough without adding Glen Beck.
Mark S.
@kay:
No. Especially by your fucking boss.
WereBear
They are showing clips of the Massa/Beck interview on the Ed Show.
Is Massa doing a full T E Lawrence on us?
ellaesther
…. aaaaand this is why I’m continuing to give props to Ashburn out in California. Dude got caught, and said “I’m gay.”
Should he have lived his legislative life the way he did? No. Is there something to be said for the idea that if you’re virulently homophobic, you might just be gay? Yes.
But dude got caught, and immediately told the truth. In a business in which this sort of behavior is the expected norm.
Sheeeeeeeeesh.
ellaesther
@Mark S.: And I love that he seems to think that “it was my 50th birthday” is a mitigating factor.
mapaghimagsik
Madness, THIS IS TICKLING!
I really have nothing constructive to add. I thought about a “down with the ship”/”down on the ship” pun, but that would have indicated there’s something wrong with fellatio.
And Beck thinks this is the only time he’s wasted an hour of America’s time? Really?
Oh, and I’d like to point out that if I got ‘tickled’ by my boss, I would sue. the. living. shit. out of my company.
Jesus. Tell me how to vote? Check. Make vague threats about guns getting taken away? Check. Tickling until you can’t breathe? Oh. Hell. No.
gbear
@Leelee for Obama:
I’m wondering if Massa realized that if fucking Beck wanted him on his show, his career must already be toast. I was secretly hoping that Massa might want to play Jon Stewart and give Beck the Hannity treatment on his own show.
That said, I’m not going to watch any of it either.
Brachiator
It’s all so confusing. Apparently, Ashburn has declared that he is gay, but is “straight and anti-gay” for voting purposes.
patrick II
@ The Populist
And even funnier, as Jon Stewart pointed out, he educated himself in a library and then rails against socialist institutions.
mcc
@ellaesther: Ashburn is term-limited at the end of this session and has reportedly been trying less and less hard to stay closeted all term. He basically gave up before the DUI thing happened.
Also note before you feel any sympathy for him, he may have just come out and said “yes, I’m gay”, but he followed that up with something like “…and I will continue to vote against gay rights in my remaining months in office”
gbear
@Brachiator:
It’s a hard decision: “Hmmm, should I try to aquire power, respect, money and influence through public service? or should I get away from these assholes who hate me for just existing?”
It’s a tough choice.
ajr22
@Mike Kay: On the Ed show msnbc. Its the second time i have seen him in the last two days go on nbc and trash the bill.
ellaesther
@mcc: Keith G and I covered all this in an earlier thread, and I fear I would be beating a dead horse were I to get into it again! So, here’s the thread.
The gist: I have compassion for him, and think it’s a good sign for society at large that he was immediately honest, but don’t think that means he gets a pass for advancing an anti-gay agenda. I claim a space between attacking and embracing him. I’m all flexible n’ shit like that.
mcc
@Leelee for Obama: …I think the idea of cancer on the brain is unrealistic for several reasons. I do think at this point it should be clear Massa is troubled and his bizarre public behavior is due to not malice but rather serious personal issues that he has not been dealing with. Basically it looks like Massa needs help he’s not getting. Unfortunately, in the meantime he’s still in a position of power such that his issues can cause problems for the rest of us, not to mention the hazard he (if the Washington Post allegations are true) apparently poses to his staff.
Andre
Tickle fights? In MY Navy?
It’s more likely than you think…
Mark S.
@ellaesther:
Oh, I didn’t realize it was his birthday. Then there’s nothing wrong with it.
As Thomas Friedman says, when you’re in a hole, get a third shovel (or something like that).
Joshua Norton
Yeah. Tickle fights. That’s butch.
kay
@Mark S.:
He must be so messed up. Really. It’s time for a family member to intervene and get him off the cable shows.
Time to go home.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
I’m kind of disappointed that the term “Masshole” has already been assigned to folks from Masschusetts because I think “masshole” is the perfect descriptor for what a guy like Eric Massa has transformed himself into.
Eric Massa has gone full-blown masshole.
mcc
@ellaesther: OK fair enough.
Joshua Norton
Massa’s in the cold, cold ground.
MikeJ
And food stamps are a giveaway to big food.
ellaesther
Someone I follow on the Tweeter just re-tweeted the following:
“Beginning to wish that Rahm had beaten Massa to death with his giant p e n i s when he had the chance. For America.”
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ha ha! Heh!
(edited to get past moderation…!)
kay
@ajr22:
He’s really bitter. I think of him like I think of John McCain.
He’s completely useless in a legislative body. He throws spitballs and never accomplishes anything.
They’re showboats, and they like to pretend they’re leaders, but no one ever follows them. I think it’s an inability to accept that neither man has ever managed to persuade a majority to do anything. They could have swallowed that, and worked within the group, like John Kerry and Ted Kennedy does and did, but their self-regard is too big for that.
We worship “mavericks” in this country, but mavericks suck in Congress. It’s a cooperative effort, and the ability to operate within that is a worthwhile skill. It’s undervalued.
asiangrrlMN
@ellaesther: Sorry. He gets no quarter from me. I didn’t realize he was term-limited, but that means that he has no reason to hide it any longer. If he was going to run again, you can bet he would be spinning it to his best ability.
He is a hypocrite and a coward. I don’t particularly care to attack him personally, but he gets no points for saying he’s gay when he’s still going to push laws that will hurt people like him. He is being honest only because it will not cost him politically not to be honest.
As for Massa, yes. I agree that a family member needs to intervene.
@Comrade Mary: Me, three.
ellaesther
Someone I follow on the Tweeter just re-tweeted the following:
“Beginning to wish that Rahm had beaten Massa to death with his giant p e n i s when he had the chance. For America.”
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ha ha! Heh!
(edited to get past moderation…!)
Jon H
@Ana Gama:
I’m reminded of the Brass Eye episode where a Royal Navy officer is ordering his crew to run drills in the ship dressed only in jock straps, and having them practice first aid for the wounded, with special attention to penis injuries. (Then one of the crew transfers to another ship, shows up for drill naked, and gets drummed out of the Navy for being gay. This was fiction, on a show spoofing investigative report shows.)
asiangrrlMN
@ellaesther: I twitted that I would pay to see that.
ellaesther
@asiangrrlMN: That’s ok. I’m just being all Sullivan up in this bitch.
ellaesther
@asiangrrlMN: You and many, many others, my friend!
Pasquinade
@The Populust
fixed it
Tom Hilton
Unintended humor from the Weekly Standard: the piece warning wingnuts that Massa is a real whackjob is titled “Don’t Embrace Eric Massa” (emphasis added).
asiangrrlMN
@ellaesther: Yeah, I see what he’s saying. I really do. However, it’s hard for me because I see Sully (and this CA guy) as being privileged white men who, were they not gay, would be (pardon the pun) straight-up Republicans. I see Ashburn pushing laws that harms people like him, and I see him defending it. I can sympathize with his personal agony, but like I say about many issues, once someone’s personal issues start to hurt other people, that’s where my sympathy ends. If he were to say, “I realize that my behavior is not in accordance with what I am, with what I believe”, I could give him some credit. As it stands, he gets none from me. It’s also one of the biggest reasons I refuse to read Sully. No linkage of personal anecdotes to the broader application and then to other issues.
Bubblegum Tate
@Chad S:
Damn…I kind of want to see this.
Sandia Blanca
@WereBear: The poor guy has strayed into Mark Sanford land, where he just keeps on talking and cannot shut up.
Lisa K.
@Bubblegum Tate:
I could not bring myself to turn the channel to Fox, but Countdown had a gleeful rebroadcast of some of the more entertaining portions, especially the priceless look on Beck’s face when Massa was talking about his “tickle fights” with interns.
Paul in KY
Best description of the Navy: Rum, sodomy & the lash.