Condition red

You may have heard of the resignation of Representative Aaron Schock (R-Illinois, for the moment). He’s stepping down effective the end of this month.

It seems that Schock, 33 and quite the up-and-coming hotshot, has some ‘splaining to do regarding expenses. Not only has he evidently been fiddling his vehicle mileage claims, but he spent taxpayer money with almost an imperial abandon redecorating his Capitol Hill office.

In the manner of Downton Abbey.

No, I am not making that up; see for yourself:

Schock apparently tried disassociating himself from this whole thing, claiming he’s never even seen an episode of the unaccountably successful PBS series. (This claim is possibly because, as a Republican, he would not want to appear to approve of anything coming from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Just a thought.)

Personally, I’m not quibbling about the alleged $40,000 tab on the redo; I’m questioning his taste. Bordello red? Seriously? You’re going with that? When your constituents come calling from Peoria (not making that up), this was what you wanted them to see?

I’m also wondering about that whole picture/frame disconnect. What kind of statement does that make?

Schock is taking the typical stance that by resigning in hopes of avoiding any kind of inquiry-with-consequences he’s actually taking the high road. He speaks of having “a heavy heart”, “representing the interests” of his district, etc. And then whines about “the constant questions over the last six weeks” being “a great distraction” and “made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18^th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself.”

Leaving aside his questionable grasp of English, it’s the usual “damn, I got caught?” we get every time a pol (or corporate exec) trips over his personal greed and ambition and discovers that someone’s been watching. Apparently, along with not watching PBS, Schock never watched Baretta, or he’d be familiar with the phrase, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”

Anyhow, what I found most amusing about the breaking story was a discussion by NPR web visitors who also dissed Schock’s choice of power statements. The consensus appears to be that an opportunity was missed to make the office into the bridge of the starship Enterprise, captain’s chair and all.

Only mild question was whether to go original or The Next Generation.

But really—I’m TNG all the way.

As for Schock—we’ll see if this has any long-term effect on his political career.