USA Today & NY Times say some not-so-nice things about our Governor [View all]

[JPZenger]

Last edited Fri Jan 4, 2013, 03:21 PM - Edit history (2)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/opinion/penn-state-lessons-not-learned.html?_r=0

From the New York Times Editorial Board:

"If it were possible to compound the reasons for outrage over the serial child rape committed at Penn State, Gov. Tom Corbett took a brazenly misguided step in that direction Wednesday. The governor filed a federal lawsuit to force the N.C.A.A. to revoke the highly deserved sanctions imposed on the school and its powerful football program for a scandal that reached the highest levels of the university.

Corbett barely mentioned the young victims in complaining that the state’s economy, its citizens, students and, of course, the all-important Pennsylvania State University football fans were being unfairly penalized for the abuse and rape of children by Jerry Sandusky, the imprisoned former assistant coach who for years used the football program as a lure for his young victims. ...

It would be hard to imagine a more shortsighted misunderstanding of the scandal that continues to shake Penn State."
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over 400 comments posted beneath the NYT editorial in one day, before the comments were closed.

Here's one of those reader comments:

"I am a reminded of Bill Murray's line from "Ghost Busters," when speaking to the Major he remarks, "You, Lenny, will have saved the lives of millions of eligible voters!" That is indeed what this is all about -- a blatant political play to try to garner the votes of every last one of those Penn Staters who will cast a ballot next time around.

Have no doubt that Corbett's political consultants have already done polling to find out how he is perceived vis-a-vis the Sandusky scandal and found that, "Hey, we have to move those numbers." So his lawsuit is both an effort to help his reelection cause, but also a pre-emptive strike against what he knows will be a distressing investigation by the incoming Attorney General. "

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/christinebrennan/2013/01/02/penn-state-football-ncaa-tom-corbett-christine-brennan/1804551/

Whole article is worth reading.

"Governor's frivolous lawsuit a setback to Penn State"

Excerpts:

"It's not a coincidence that the announcement (of the Federal lawsuit) was made right after the New Year's Day bowl games. Corbett said he "didn't want to file during football season to take away from the team's momentum." He actually said those words. Something this vitally important had to wait for the football season to end? If this weren't such a serious topic, if this weren't so pathetic and appalling, it would be laughable. Who is running this state, Barney Fife?

The fact that Corbett has the audacity to say these things with a straight face is mind-boggling. One could even ask why he's still the governor, because his actions – inaction, actually – played an integral part in the entire, horrifying Sandusky saga. Corbett was the attorney general when his office took over the Sandusky case in early 2009. As we know now, even then, there was plenty of graphic and stunning testimony from at least one young man, then known as Victim No. 1, not to mention the story of another victim that had been covered up for 10 years.

Yet it took Corbett's state prosecutors nearly three years to charge Sandusky. Nearly three years.

During that time, Corbett, a Republican, was running for governor, and it is certainly worth wondering if his lack of action might have been caused by his concern for his campaign rather than the children of Pennsylvania."