There is no mistaking what Jack Abramoff did as a lobbyist during the Bush Administration. He was found guilty by a jury of his peers for illegal actions. He is possibly the most caustic and toxic name besides lobbyist. So much well deserved crap was shoveled his way, and he did his time.
When I saw he had a book coming out, and he was hitting all the talk shows, I wondered to myself; really? Can Jack really expect to rehabilitate his public image? Does he really think there's any hope for his brand? What is he trying to do, run for office after his redemption tour? It just seems so pointless. Stick a fork in Jack, he's done.
Then I stumbled across Jack joining Republic Report, a blog run by United Republic, an organization known for advocating sunshine and rooting out corruption. And it gave me pause.
So I know that being vindictive, cruel, and cynical is part of humanity. We hold grudges for a long time (sometimes, centuries). And you know what? Our vindictiveness is well deserved by the likes of Ted Stevens, David Vitter, name your unapologetic Republican politician.
But Jack?
“The people who were attacking me while I was a lobbyist — I don’t hold that against them in any way... Frankly, I agree with them at this point. It is I who had a journey, not them.”
He's been doing a mea culpa since he ever got out of jail.
Most unrepentents would make like a George W Bush; simply stay out of sight, hiding in some resort, hoping that people would simply forget.
But Jack?
"His name is toxic, right?," Penniman said. "He automatically elicits that kind of reaction. But you sit down and meet him, you realize he's really different."
Penniman likened the hire to the CIA drafting hackers to boost the agency's understanding of cyber security.
"Who better to talk about this world?" he asked.
He's still hitting the spotlight. And for what? He's railing against the very thing he was doing.
Now, I was raised a certain way. I was raised to forgive, but never forget.
So I think, I am willing to forgive Jack Abramoff for whoring out our representative democracy, being part of this endemic problem. I just hope Jack is sincere. He's a smart guy, and America needs all the talent it can get to help us root out the corruption in our system, that preys on our collective wealth, that is sucking us all dry for those do nothings at the top of the money pile (ex; Mittens).
Your thoughts?