Unless we hear differently — and Sen. Dianne Wilkerson seems to love surprising us — she'll try the quixotic sticker way to hold onto the Second Suffolk seat. Yet, even she must have re-evaluated her chances following the current of a long, long series of legal and financial scandals.
Unlike her strategist and friend Joyce Ferriabough's apology (in the classical definition) of her ills, this did not just plop into Wilkerson's lap. Actually, neither did the others unless you don't believe in cause and effect.
However, a lot of eyebrows pop up and foreheads wrinkle trying to evaluate both the source and timing of this one. The true believers over at the Bay State Banner have eagerly and often illogically dismissed the many criminal and civil counts against Wilkerson. Today's issue though has a very fair wrap-up of the complexity of the complaint against her filed with the state bar association.
This one is in some ways the most serious. She could lose her law license. I am very sure she'll come up way short in her sticker campaign in three weeks. She needs to practice law or get a good-paying position.
The complaint accuses her of lying under oath orally and in writing. Either could lead to disbarment.
However, the lead accusations come from two Boston detectives who seem to have ulterior motives. Because of Wilkerson's history of vigorous defense of poor, generally black, defendants, she is, shall we say, not the cops' favorite lawyer.
The timing is peculiar in several ways. It does come shortly before the general election. On top of all of Wilkerson's other screw-ups, this one may tip even some of her scandal-fatigued loyalists. Her previous endorsers are mostly sitting out the general or going for primary winner and Democratic nominee Sonia Chang--Díaz. The big fish, like the governor and senate president, have dropped Wilkerson. Four smaller fry have stuck with her.
Yet, if the aim was to sink her campaign, before the primary would have been the time, not afterward. From the outside, it looks as though the State Bar Counsel tried to help her by waiting until she had lost the primary and recount before filing the complaint.
The judge in the case in which Wilkerson allegedly lied repeatedly was surprisingly harsh at the time. She listened to the tape of the police questioning of the suspect and said Wilkerson's testimony was "irreconcilable" with the evidence, recording and detectives' testimony. She clearly didn't believe Wilkerson.
On the other hand, Boston police and in particular the BPD detectives don't have the best reputation for telling the truth in a crunch. There's quite a sordid history of protecting their own, planting evidence and even doing as Wilkerson is accused of in this case.
Now it falls to the Board of Bar Overseers to decide who's being honest. It would be great and much easier if both the cops and Wilkerson were clean, but each side has bad history. I don't envy them this task.
I have already predicted more than once that Wilkerson will lose the sticker contest...big. She should never have considered it. How many signs does she need to understand this is not her moment. She needs to withdraw and regroup, to step aback from the race in which she should have graciously accepted defeat.
She has another history, one as the rising star, a reformer, a harbinger of more legislators and other officials of color. She definitely lost her way and more than once or twice.
She has become hoist with her own petard. The casualties include many of her supporters in shell shock from seemingly endless explosions Wilkerson causes.
Wilkerson is like our once favorite aunt, always there to listen us and help us out of trouble. Then she came for a visit, which turned into an indefinite stay. She did everything wrong and more than wore out her welcome, our affection and our respect.
Surely there's still an honest and honorable Dianne Wilkerson inside that gigantic ego. She needs to go off and find herself.
Tags: massmarrier, Massachusetts, Senate, Second Suffolk, Wilkerson
2 comments:
This article should be offensive to anyone with an ounce of empathy for a fellow citizen. There have been at least one article a day in various newspapers from angry and upset writers solidly against the Senator running again. Free speech is a right, but we understand the abuse of the press. You assault the citizen’s right to choice by distorting the information they use to make intelligent decisions. You do so by twisting the truth and attacking the Senator’s character knowing full well that the masses rely on the press for news, truth, and facts. Yet, you state very little truth, and make venomous allusions to sway the minds of the uninformed reader.
This is not your "house" it is the peoples! She has not worn out her welcome until the majority says she has! Stop the whining and let the process take its course. Should we all quit because hands full of reporters in the media don’t like us? Should we all quit when the voices in the media don’t fairly represent us? Is this a democracy where we are INNOCENT until PROVEN GUILTY?
Finally, should we all be abandoned because we had financial hardship? Does that make us all worthless?
If Blacks, whites, and other non-whites had quit when there was opposition, non-whites wouldn’t be able to vote today and SURELY not be able to vote for a BLACK Senator. Opposition is part of a continuous struggle for some of us. Intangible opposition is what stresses and sickens many of us. Understand what is at issue here: Representation and the right to choose. The sticker provides a legal choice. Let the people decide in November.
Of course she can and apparently intends to play the sticker gambit as well. My point is rather that she should not. I don't see how this can do anything but hurt her political future and any good she might be able to do.
I see a conflict between resoluteness and lack of realism. Her continued losses so close together can only distance her from the voters as well from her governmental peers and former supporter.
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