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Jack Abramoff: Charisma, Cunning & Craft

May 31, 2010 by B. Daniel Blatt

In the course of this journey across the country, I have gotten reacquainted with a number of old friends via Facebook, including now three of my former colleagues as College Republican state chairman.  I served as year as head of the Massachusetts federation in the (Jack) Abramoff era.

In our conversations, Jack invariably comes up.  We all have our stories, some involving the man’s amazing charisma — how he could sweet talk almost anyone, other relating to the dirty tricks he authorized — how he convinced us to participated in some underhanded endeavors (none illegal at that time).

Now, recalling some of those underhanded endeavors, we could say that we all saw his illegal activities coming.  But, then again, if he had been elected the first Jewish president (as some of us predicted) or achieved renown for some other great honor, we could also have said we saw that coming too.  You see, Jack Abramoff was, in many ways, a lot like the Greek hero, Achilles, a man of amazing contrasts, accomplishing, in one moment, some pretty remarkable things and in the next, some pretty contemptible ones.

Given his charisma, I dare say we would still recall him as we do today.  Despite his stature (he was pretty short), he had a powerful presence.  But, had he not had his legal troubles, I wonder if we still talk about him as much as we do now.

RELATED:  The Tragedy of Jack Abramoff.

Filed Under: National Politics, Random Thoughts

Comments

  1. JS says

    May 31, 2010 at 2:29 pm - May 31, 2010

    A new low for the patriots.

    They are now glorifying an unrepentant fraud. This man in partnership with Ralph Reed and the “Liberty” Council ( who have expressed a desire to bring back the sodomy laws and criminalize gay Americans) have committed the most heinous of white collar crime.

    You people are not that different from the Democrats who glorify their criminals (clinton, baucus, etc) . But of course you wont stop short of criticizing your politicial enemies for doing the same exact veneration you are doing.

    Hilarious.

  2. Tano says

    May 31, 2010 at 2:43 pm - May 31, 2010

    Followership, gullibility, immaturity, and an utter lack of integrity.
    And, of course, politics as a power-seeking game, rather than any concern for the effects of power on the lives of real people.
    Frat-boyism at its ugliest.
    That is the general impression that has always been out there about college Republicans.
    Nothing about this post is surprising in the least…

    Thanks for reminding us all not to forget Abramoff in the great pantheon of modern Republicanism.

  3. North Dallas Thirty says

    May 31, 2010 at 4:11 pm - May 31, 2010

    Sometimes, GPW, I think you post these sort of things to simply draw out the trolls so their obvious and blatant hypocrisy can be demonstrated as they shriek.

    And you succeeded brilliantly. 🙂

  4. The_Livewire says

    May 31, 2010 at 5:56 pm - May 31, 2010

    So, Tano’s sure this was a crime, but the offer of a job to influence a race didn’t happen did happen wasn’t illegal and yet is an impeachable offence.

    Dr. Schrödinger, I didn’t know you named your <a href=cat Tano.

  5. The_Livewire says

    May 31, 2010 at 5:56 pm - May 31, 2010

    grrrr cat.

  6. darkeyedresolve says

    May 31, 2010 at 6:20 pm - May 31, 2010

    I’m not sure I would compare him to Achilles, but I didn’t know the man so I’m not going to act like I know enough to say either way.

    Interesting though, how you know him and saw what became of him.

  7. American Elephant says

    May 31, 2010 at 6:33 pm - May 31, 2010

    Livewire, you still flubbed the link.

    Followership, gullibility, immaturity, and an utter lack of integrity.
    And, of course, politics as a power-seeking game, rather than any concern for the effects of power on the lives of real people.

    Says the follower of the biggest cult of personality president in American history, who believes that man is causing global warming even after the primary purveyors of that fraud have been caught red handed lying, smearing and cooking the books, whose president takes credit for everything, passes the blame onto everyone and anyone else but himself, throws temper tantrums, flips people off, and whose party is SO criminal and SO corrupt that they have to nominate tax evaders and other felons to populate the administration because there ARENT any people of integrity to nominate. And a party that has done absolutely nothing since gaining power but seize power, seize industry, and abuse power to pay off their supporters with absolutely zero concern for what the people want or how their policies are devastating lives not only here, but around the world.

    Tardo, you are a pathological projector.

  8. ThatGayConservative says

    May 31, 2010 at 8:56 pm - May 31, 2010

    Thanks for reminding us all not to forget Abramoff in the great pantheon of modern Republicanism.

    Shall we go through the list of liberals in office who benefited from Abramoff but whose associations were buried by the liberal media?

  9. Tano says

    May 31, 2010 at 11:13 pm - May 31, 2010

    “the biggest cult of personality president in American history, ”

    heh, oh really?
    Tell me, because I forget, was this blog ever part of that grand consortium – “Blogs for Bush” – that seems to have included most of the right-winf blogosphere?

    NC:not “blogs for fiscal responsibility”, or blogs for “minimal government”, or “blogs of endless war” – but blogs for one person.
    We don’t have anything like that on the left – in fact, most of the activist lefty blogs have been, for quite some time, mounting a critique of the president from the left.

    So no, once again, y’all seem utterly blinded by your derangement syndrome from seeing yourselves as you are.

  10. Tano says

    May 31, 2010 at 11:14 pm - May 31, 2010

    NB not NC, sorrry

  11. American Elephant says

    June 1, 2010 at 1:13 am - June 1, 2010

    I dont know if this blog was ever part of the Blogs for Bush group or not

    But that hardly compares to the Orwellian American left who not only blog in raptured praise of everything Obama says/does/touches/wears/etc, but SING songs about Obama, chant about Obama, make MOVIES about Obama, make music videos about Obama, teach their children songs about their dear leader, paint painting about Obama, draw Obama drawings, buy Obama merchandise, make Obama CUPCAKES, make Obama images out of seeds and beans, who portray Obama with HALOs and glowing auras, and award Obama NOBEL PRIZES (not to mention the presidency) before he’s ever accomplished anything, simply for being the first “clean, articulate” black man (on the left) who doesnt speak with a “negro dialect” and isnt busy getting them coffee “like he would have been “a year ago”

    and last but not least, they never utter a WORD of criticism, even after a month of doing absolutely nothing to stop the worst ecological disaster in history, even after 2 years of the most destructive policies in history are about to drive the world into a second depression, even after he allows Iran to develop nuclear weapons while he joins with tyrants to demand our ally Israel disarm.

    Youre too busy worshipping his skin color to notice that he is an incompetent disaster!

  12. ThatGayConservative says

    June 1, 2010 at 2:55 am - June 1, 2010

    I’m certain that it was not part of Blogs for Bush.

    That is the general impression that has always been out there about college Republicans.

    Maybe they should grow maggot infested hair, wear Birkenstocks and a Che “Viva La Torture and Execution of Political Opponents” Guevara t-shirt just like the liberals with trust fund guilt?

    Or maybe they should look more like the mob bosses Andy Stern and Jim Hoffa?

  13. The_Livewire says

    June 1, 2010 at 6:47 am - June 1, 2010

    I can’t link from here, but gateway pundit has links of Bill Ayers still supporting terrorists. Namely the Gaza blockade runners.

    As Charles Krauthammer pointed out, the Israelies were more than willing to let the ships doc at an Israeli port, have the items unloaded, inspected, and then shipped to Gaza.

    No mention if the Egyptians would have been so forthcoming.

  14. The_Livewire says

    June 1, 2010 at 6:47 am - June 1, 2010

    As to ‘Blogs for Bush’ Let me give a Tano answer… Yes they were, and no they weren’t.

  15. V the K says

    June 1, 2010 at 7:11 am - June 1, 2010

    I just don’t see how Jack Abramoff is any worse than the teacher’s unions or the SEIU, which wield much more influence over the Democrat Party and who have done the country greater damage by an order of magnitude.

  16. heliotrope says

    June 1, 2010 at 11:06 am - June 1, 2010

    JS (#1) and Tano (#2 and #9) take a perfectly reminiscence and flair away at how dastard and beneath contempt it is to have known the man. Here, for their delight, is a revision of Dan’s words written by an elder:

    In the course of this journey across the country, I have gotten reacquainted with a number of old friends via telephone, including three of my former colleagues as College Democrat state chairman. I served a year as head of the New York federation in the (F.D) Roosevelt era.

    In our conversations, F.D.R invariably comes up. We all have our stories, some involving the man’s amazing charisma — how he could sweet talk almost anyone, other relating to the dirty tricks he authorized — how he convinced us to participated in some underhanded endeavors (none illegal at that time).

    Now, recalling some of those underhanded endeavors, we could say that we all saw his illegal activities coming. But, then again, he had been elected president and we all said we saw that coming too. You see, F.D.R. was, in many ways, a lot like the Greek hero, Achilles, a man of amazing contrasts, accomplishing, in one moment, some pretty remarkable things and in the next, some pretty contemptible ones.

    Given his charisma, I dare say we would still recall him as we do today. Despite his stature (he was disabled), he had a powerful presence. But, even if he had not had his terms as president, I believe if we would still talk about him as much as we do now.

    You may also make the same comments with Johnson, Nixon, Obama and Clinton. I threw Nixon in as a sop to JS, Tano and the other prissy kitties of Victorian rectitude.

  17. heliotrope says

    June 1, 2010 at 11:06 am - June 1, 2010

    JS (#1) and Tano (#2 and #9) take a perfectly reminiscence and flair away at how dastard and beneath contempt it is to have known the man. Here, for their delight, is a revision of Dan’s words written by an elder:

    In the course of this journey across the country, I have gotten reacquainted with a number of old friends via telephone, including three of my former colleagues as College Democrat state chairman. I served a year as head of the New York federation in the (F.D) Roosevelt era.

    In our conversations, F.D.R invariably comes up. We all have our stories, some involving the man’s amazing charisma — how he could sweet talk almost anyone, other relating to the dirty tricks he authorized — how he convinced us to participated in some underhanded endeavors (none illegal at that time).

    Now, recalling some of those underhanded endeavors, we could say that we all saw his illegal activities coming. But, then again, he had been elected president and we all said we saw that coming too. You see, F.D.R. was, in many ways, a lot like the Greek hero, Achilles, a man of amazing contrasts, accomplishing, in one moment, some pretty remarkable things and in the next, some pretty contemptible ones.

    Given his charisma, I dare say we would still recall him as we do today. Despite his stature (he was disabled), he had a powerful presence. But, even if he had not had his terms as president, I believe if we would still talk about him as much as we do now.

    You may also make the same comments with Johnson, Nixon, Obama and Clinton. I threw Nixon in as a sop to JS, Tano and the other prissy kitties of Victorian rectitude.

  18. The_Livewire says

    June 1, 2010 at 1:45 pm - June 1, 2010

    Heliotrope,

    Tano would answer, but right now he’s arguing with his computer that it is on and off and changes its quantum state every time he turns his back.

  19. ThatGayConservative says

    June 1, 2010 at 4:07 pm - June 1, 2010

    I didn’t know heliotrope was that old.

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