Mafolie, such a pretty name and such a pretty hill. And now we have Mafoliegate, the scandal of the governor’s security fence. For those under the age of 50 and others whose memories may have dulled, here is a brief history lesson.
When “gate” is added to the end of any word, it means scandal, big scandal. Watergate started the practice, a scandal named after a Washington, D.C., apartment complex. Republican burglars working for President Nixon’s reelection campaign broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters located at the Watergate.
But the Watergate scandal was not about a burglary. It consisted of a pattern of crimes, dirty tricks, the corruption of federal agencies and a cover-up. It was about a broad assault on the Constitution launched by the Nixon Administration. In the end, Nixon was driven from office in disgrace.
Republicans were embittered by Watergate and sought revenge. It was a long time in coming. The Carter Administration was relatively scandal-free, and Watergate was too fresh in people’s minds. Revenge would have seemed too obvious. Then came 12 years of Reagan and Bush.
The Reagan Administration saw a scandal even more serious than Watergate. For some reason, the Iran-Contra scandal didn’t get a “gate” label. But it was an even greater attack on constitutional government. It involved secret arms sales to Iran and use of the profits to fund the Nicaraguan Contras, an incompetent thug-like rebel group seeking to oust the pro-Castro Sandinistas, another incompetent thug-like group.
In President Reagan’s view, the Sandinistas, bumblers trying to run an impoverished country of fewer than 6 million people, were a dagger pointed straight at the heart of Texas. But Congress saw things differently and had forbidden funding the Contras. Reagan simply ignored the law because he didn’t like it. In the process, he got away with a variety of crimes, with the help of a successful cover-up, a not-too-courageous Democratic opposition and the absence of a Nixon-like villain.
Flash forward to the Clinton years. Payback time for the political right. The first Clinton “scandal,” Whitewater, was actually launched by The New York Times to show the world that it wasn’t in the pocket of the liberals. Unfortunately for the newspaper and for Clinton haters, there was no "there" there.
Then the Republicans claimed to have found other Clinton scandals. First there was Travelgate, and then Troopergate. Remember them? Of course not. They were pure and simple attempts to discredit the Clinton Presidency. Nothing there.
But finally pay dirt. Not only a scandal, but a sex scandal, Zippergate or the Monica Lewinsky Affair. The years of waiting had finally paid off. In addition to his indefensible behavior, President Clinton was trapped into lying under oath. Although the impeachment trial failed to remove him from office, the last years of his administration were engulfed by this scandal. The Republicans had finally gotten even.
Which brings us to Mafoliegate. Let’s look at the damning facts of the case from the perspective of the stalwart citizens making the charges:
First, the governor wanted to live in his own home rather than Government House because he did not want to disrupt the lives of his wife, children and an elderly aunt who lived with them. Toward that end, a security fence was needed and built. Hah, a likely story!
Then there is the Inspector General’s report, which says that the governor and the administration made a mistake and did not adhere to required practices. The governor has acknowledged his mistake. Well, everybody knows that there are no innocent mistakes. There is only evil, bad intentions and conspiracies, especially when it is about our political opponents.
Finally, the “smoking gun”: the pictures. Look at them. What do they show? Well, let’s see. There’s a driveway, a security fence and a small guardhouse, just as the governor said, all constructed under legitimate bids at what seems to be a reasonable price.
But don’t you see? The fact that the facts are the facts as the governor has stated them is proof that there must be a cover-up. We need another investigation to get better facts, at least ones that do a better job than these at damaging the governor’s reputation.
In a situation like this, it is important to give credit where credit is due. We know that political opponents, talk show hosts and concerned citizens would rather be discussing fixing the economy, improving education, reducing crime or protecting the environment, rather than taking time to engage in character assassination and misrepresentation of the facts. It is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
These people know that there are no honest mistakes, and that it takes a big person to throw the first stone. And they do these things for us, so that we can all enjoy the benefits of tarnishing or destroying our leaders.
If it weren’t all so pathetic and destructive, it might be good entertainment. But it is pathetic and destructive, and it has gotten to be a very bad habit. We are now infected with the politics of Karl Rove and Rush Limbaugh. Rove’s approach is not to go after an opponent’s weaknesses, but instead to attack his or her strengths.
So the State Supreme Court justice who had devoted his life to child protection is subjected to a whispering campaign that he is a pedophile. The decorated war hero is painted as a coward who didn’t deserve his medals. And the governor who is trying to turn around 30 years of screwed-up government is attacked for exactly what?
If the goal is to further destroy trust, undermine democracy and leave the field to self-absorbed careerists, this is the way to do it. A look at other jurisdictions and the people who have been elected to run them leads to a pretty clear conclusion that the U.S. Virgin Islands has lucked out. The pool of competent, honest and effective leaders who are willing to expose themselves and their families to a steady stream of attacks on their character is small and shrinking. The territory has one.
There is a big difference between vigilance and the politics of Rove and Limbaugh. Gutter politics generally lead to the same place: the gutter.
