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August 12, 2004

Plugged

: Bryan Keefer of Spinsanity and CampaignDesk, who emceed the West Side Y blog show I joined the other night, just appeared on the Daily Show to plug his new spin book (which I bought the other night) and just got a great endorsement from Jon Stewart. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

"By the way, as he turns to leave, he says, to me, 'I'm 12.' "windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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McGreevey's unsecret

: Well, I didn't know.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

But apparently, everyone else in New Jersey media knew McGreevey's secret. And if that's so, it raises lots of questions. I'm not saying they should have outed him; I long for the day when a politician's personal life is just that. But if he indeed hired his lover for a state job for which that reputed lover was in no way qualified... well, that's a crime. Why didn't we know? We want to know.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Robert Sterling says at MemeFirst:

Every single politically astute person in New Jersey has known about McGreevey's homosexuality for a long time - at least since 2001. In fact, McGreevey's elaborate efforts to stay in the closet were a source of periodic amusement to New Jerseyites, as when he shattered his femur in 2002 while in the company of his boyfriend, and then concocted an elaborate cover story that claimed the injury occurred while walking down the beach with his wife....windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

So why has McGreevey come out of the closet now? And so publicly? Simply put, he's in deep doo-doo, and needs a way out. His administration has been wracked with scandal to a degree that well exceeds even the norms of New Jersey. There are at least two distinct rumors of lawsuits or complaints about to be filed, which seem sufficiently distinct to me that they may possibly concern two different men. One of the rumors definitely concerns an Israeli national named Golan Cipel, whom McGreevey appointed to a high paying state anti-terrorism post, before complaints of Cipel's lack of qualifications caused the governor to withdraw the appointment. Were Cipel to admit a sexual relationship, McGreevey's conduct on this matter may be indictable. By resigning - and simultaneously declaring himself a member of a persecuted minority - McGreevey may be able to dodge this and any number of other criminal investigations....windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

So this is a standard CYA move by McGreevey.

windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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This is just a demo post. Ignore the man behind the curtain.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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More McGreevey

: I just spoke with a reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer about McGreevey's speech as a moment in television (more on that shortly) and he said that when McGreevey announced he was gay, there was applause in the newspaper newsroom.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Continue reading the NJ.com breaking news blog on McGreevey. It has news and lots of vox pop. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: UPDATE: Drudge says:

McGreevey's office had called the FBI on Thursday and complained that lover had requested $5 million to quash the suit, which assistants to the governor saw as extortion...

windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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Whereabouts

: I'm at a packed blog MeetUp at MediaTech in Flemington, NJ. Will be blogging McGreevey later.....windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Will Richardson is doing a great job now talking to more than 25 people about hyperlocal blogging. I think Flemington could become the epicenter of the movement. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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McGreevey's out....

: Amazingly, McGreevey is starting his press conference with a most personal announcement. Throughout his life, he said, he had grappled with his identity. He talked about getting married twice. Having doubts in school....windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

"Were there realities from which I was running?" he asked. "I do not believe that God tortures any person simply for its own sake.... In this, in the 47th year of my life, it is arguably to late to have this discussion. But it is here and it is now.... And so my truth is that I am a gay American. And I am blessed to live in the greatest nation... with the greatest tradition of civil liberties in the world."windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

"Yet because of the pain and suffering and anguish I have caused to my beloved family.... This is an intensely personal decision and not one typically for the public domain and yet it cannot and should not pass... I am also here today because shamefully I engaged in a consensual affair with another man that violated my bonds of matrimony. It is wrong... It is inexcusable...."windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Amazing! windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

"I am removing these threats by telling you directly about my sexuality," he says, telling the press that if his sexual life had remained secret the state would have had problems. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

"Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its impact on my family and my ability ... as governor, I have decided to resign."windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

He is resigning as of Nov. 15. That means there is no special election, a Democrat -- the Senate president -- will fill in. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

That had to be the most public coming out ever. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: It was a remarkable speech: so painfully personal.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

If this were just McGreevey coming out of the closet, that would be that.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

But there's more to this: The hiring of Cipel and the reputed involvement with him is an ethical scandal in and of itself.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

There have been other campaign finance scandals dancing around the governor's office.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

And he was a rotten governor. I voted for him. I was wrong. He messed up the budget, robbing the "rich" to buy votes from the middle class. He messed up development issues, pissing off both sides. He made lots of hiring mistakes. He was a suburban mayor who did not have the experience to be governor. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

So it's more than McGreevey coming out of the closet.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Nonetheless, again, it was a most amazing moment in American politics. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Here's the full text of the McGreevey speech (I live-blogged the partial quotes above).

At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it or hope to see it, but as it is. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

And so my truth is that I am a gay American. And I am blessed to live in the greatest nation with the tradition of civil liberties, the greatest tradition of civil liberties in the world, in a country which provides so much to its people. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Yet because of the pain and suffering and anguish that I have caused to my beloved family, my parents, my wife, my friends, I would almost rather have this moment pass. For this is an intensely personal decision, and not one typically for the public domain. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Yet, it cannot and should not pass. I am also here today because, shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affair with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony. It was wrong. It was foolish. It was inexcusable....windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

I realize the fact of this affair and my own sexuality if kept secret leaves me, and most importantly the governor's office, vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure. So I am removing these threats by telling you directly about my sexuality. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Let me be clear, I accept total and full responsibility for my actions. However, I'm required to do now, to do what is right to correct the consequences of my actions and to be truthful to my loved ones, to my friends and my family and also to myself. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

It makes little difference that as governor I am gay. In fact, having the ability to truthfully set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign. To facilitate a responsible transition, my resignation will be effective on November 15th of this year.

Audio here. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Says NJ.com editor Dean Betz on the NJ.com newsblog:

The dirt is about to get very deep, and the governor's apparent moment of courage will probably reveal itself to be tainted by cowardice - maybe a lot worse.

: Here, prominently displayed on the NJ Governor's home page is the governor's "code of conduct."

The Governor shall not accept any personal gift, favor, service or other thing of value under circumstances from which the Governor knows or has reason to believe that such personal gift, favor, service or other thing of value is offered with the intent to unduly influence him in the performance of his public duties or under circumstances from which it might be reasonably inferred that such gift, service or other thing of value was given or offered for the purpose of influencing the employee in the discharge of the employee’s official duties.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

The Governor shall not knowingly act in any way that might reasonably be expected to create an impression or suspicion among the public having knowledge of his official duties that he may be engaged in conduct inconsistent with this Code.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Consistent with the other provisions of this Code, the Governor shall use the information, property and funds under his or her official control in accordance with prescribed procedures and not for personal gain or benefit.

: From the NJ.com Statehouse Forum:
: "Being a gay governor isn't the problem; being a CROOKED governor is."
: "It's not about Mc Greevey being gay! if it is true a law suite will be filed by Golan Cipel, the whole prospective changes because Jim Mc Greevey gave a position to Cipel in exchange for sexual favors. God, a position dealing with the security of the people of this state! This is where the real problem lies."windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Radio's Kevin McCullough's blog on the topic.
windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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McGreevey out!?!

: NJ Gov Jim McGreevey is quitting today. More to come later. I will link you to everything on NJ.com.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: The NJ.com Statehouse Forum has the hints to what's coming. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: The reason, you'll learn soon, is incredible. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Here's the NJ.com breaking news blog; they'll be on top of this huge story. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: NJ101.5 radio is saying that it's not 100 percent he will step down. The TV stations are hedging like mad. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Here's the WABC report. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Let's put it this way: It's not a campaign finance scandal.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: It's dripping out: Golan Cipel is reportedly going to file a sexual harrassment claim against McGreevey. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Cipel was, with great controversy, appointed as state anti-terrorism chief early in the administration. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: For reference only, here's a link to McGreeveySucks.com.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Let's put it this way: You Soprano's fans will remember the surprise about this guy on the Sopranos. A Jersey trend in the making. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: Says PoliticsNJ.com:

If McGreevey were to resign before September 15, New Jersey would have a special gubernatorial election on November 2, 2004. If he were to resign after that date, Codey would hold the office until the end of McGreevey's term in January 2006.

: The NJ.com Statehouse Forum says that McGreevey's mysterious broken leg is related. Rumors....windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

For the record, so far, all this is rumors and reports. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: The background on Cipel is that he was hired by McGreevey to be head of homeland security for the state -- even though he had no experience in that (other than being an Israeli).
Overheard in my office: "This is worse than banging your intern."windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

: The press conference is much delayed. Wonder whether they're sedating McGreevey... or bribing his wife.
windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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Morning reading

: I'll say more on this later but I have to run to a meeting about brides (hey, it's a job). But in the meantime, go read what Doc has to say. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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Clearly

: J.D. Lassica writes in the OJR about transparency and trust, blogs and news media. He also gives us a fascinating chart from Technorati tracking inbound links to big media v. blogs. For the story, JD asked me to riff in email (a very dangerous thing to do!). If you dare, click on "more" to see what I sent (soundbites you've heard before if you've made the mistake of hanging around here).windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

JD:windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

We are witnessing the growth of a culture of transparency. It has its
roots in open-source software, which believes in the wisdom of the
crowd; and in the gift economy of Amazon reviews and MP3 sharing; and in
weblogs.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Bloggers are more trusted, I think, because they are human and too often
news organizations are not. Bloggers tell you who they are (usually) and
what their backgrounds and biases are and their readers can judge them
and engage with them on a personal level. News organizations are big and
often monolithic and are reluctant to admit let alone share perspective
or agendas. And the reporters and editors in them sometimes hide inside
the cathedral of journalism -- witness the frighteningly disdainful and
cluelessly blind email NYU's Jay Rosen got from a University of Missouri
journalism professor calling citizen journalists "bloogers and pretend
journalists with no commitment to ethics, laws, fairness etc." Well,
that's a fine way to respect your audience and reach out to the people
who are rejecting your journalism.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

And that gets me to the nut of it:windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

Bloggers see news as a conversation. It's not over when it's in print;
it's not fishwrap. News improves and the facts and the truth come closer
when the discussion begins: when bloggers "fact-check your ass" (in the
words of blogger Ken Layne); when readers become writers (in the words
of Jay Rosen); when the audience asks the questions the reporters didn't
ask or finds the facts they couldn't find or adds the perspective they
couldn't think of.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

I often tell news people that their first and most important reaction to
the blogging phenom should not be to write blogs but to read them. We
have had the printing press for centuries; now the people own the press
and the broadcast tower and it is our turn to listen. It is our turn to
engage in a conversation on equal footing. We need to ask ourselves in
the news business whether we see ourselves truly as members of our
community or still above it.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

If we are to enter into a conversation with the people we once called
our audience, we must be open with them. They expect that of us in this
culture of transparency.windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

And shouldn't we be transparent? We demand transparency of the
government officials, politicians, business leaders, even celebrities we
cover. It is our turn to open the shades, to reveal our process and
prejudice, to engage in the conversation, to join in the community... to
be transparent. Shouldn’t we, of all people and professions, be the most
transparent?windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

I was delighted at the Aspen Institute made transparency the topic of
its latest Conference on Journalism and Society and I was happy if
nervous that they allowed me -- in my role as Blog Boy, rather than
Media Man -- to harp on the power of citizens' media and the virtues of
transparency. I was then heartened at the reaction. Where I had seen
dismissive skepticism of this blogging thing at similar gatherings in
the past, here I found eager curiosity. And I was impressed with the
desire, in varying degrees, by everyone in this group to enhance the
transparency of our business, journalism. Some would go farther than
others. I'm among those who believe we should start with a presumption
of transparency and reveal anything in our process that does not hamper
newsgathering. Others believe strongly that we should be judged by our
product, not our process. But all are aware that we need to work to
enhance transparency, for that will build and rebuild trust. windowsxp sp2 serial turkish

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