A Love/Hate Relationship with Eric Massa

Glenn Beck on Eric Massa, March 8:

I’m not saying he is as pure as the driven snow, I don’t know, I don’t know the guy, but this is a moment that will decide the course of this nation, possibly.

Glenn Beck on Eric Massa, March 10:

I think we found out who he is — someone who can’t be trusted to tell the truth about his life… now that we spent the hour, we don’t have to ever pay attention to this man ever again

Republicans on Eric Massa, later on March 10:

House Republicans are considering whether to ask Thursday for the Ethics Committee to investigate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for their handling of information about misbehavior by former Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned Monday for sexually harassing male staffers.

So, here’s what happened. On March 3, Massa resigned amid rumors that he sexually harassed a staff member. There was unanimity among conservatives — this might be the Democrats’ Mark Foley scandal. On March 7, Massa melted down on a radio show and lobbed wild accusations at the Democratic Party establishment. The conservative unanimity broke, with Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Mark Levin treating Massa like a truth-telling exile. On March 9, Massa melted down, again, on Glenn Beck’s show, and nuked his own credibility. So now we’re back to the “Democrats’ Mark Foley” strategy. It’s going to cause Democrats some trouble, but not as much as it would have if conservatives had stuck to their first instincts about Massa.