Boy oh boy...I really have to shake my head.
It’s been several days now since the story about Kevin O’Brien broke. As you might have heard by now, O’Brien:
- Worked for Bullock in D.C. in 2015 at the Democratic Governor’s Association
- O’Brien’s time at the DGA was cut short, as a woman who also worked there accused him of sexual harassment and he was fired after an internal investigation found she was telling the truth
- Steve Bullock knew about the investigation and the reason why O’Brien was fired, and he agreed with the firing...according to statements released this week by Bullock’s communications director
- About a month after getting fired from the DGA, O’Brien got a job as deputy chief of staff in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s New York office...as no one at DGA - and certainly not Bullock - told de Blasio about O’Brien’s penchant to harass women
- A year after getting that job, O’Brien was promoted to acting chief of staff
- By the end of 2017, when de Blasio got reelected, O’Brien was making $220,000 a year
- Then in February 2018, two additional women accused O’Brien of sexual harassment and he was fired from the mayor’s office, though he did continue to receive a paycheck for another five weeks so he could use up his vacation time and get another $6,400 in pay.
And that’s where we stand today.
As you can imagine, a lot is being made of this story.
Mostly it’s Republicans bashing Bullock, hoping to damage his credibility ahead of a supposed White House run, or at least to diminish his capacity to oversee his last legislature.
Many are pointing to the hypocrisy of Democrats supporting the #MeTooMovement, and yet in private, turning the other shoulder when they are confronted with sexual harassment in their own workplace.
It’s important to remember that nearly all of the rich and famous that have been pulled down by the #MeTooMovement are Democrats. Most rich celebrities are democrats, and most in the media are too.
Another important thing to remember with this latest Bullock scandal is how it ties back into his other major scandal, which was his decision to fire Angela McLean several years ago.
We’re still not really sure what happened with all that mess, but at some point it’s likely to come out, especially if Bullock keeps trying to run for various offices (I still think he’ll slink back to Montana in 2020 to run against Daines after he finally realizes he can’t be president).
Another angle is the Hilltop Public Solutions aspect. You might know that this is a very slimy public relations outfit that works with Montana Democrats, and is mainly filled with Tester loyalists.
That’s where we get our sick game of musical chairs. Here’s how I see it:
- Kevin O’Brien was in the Democratic Party elite for years, starting with his time at Bullock’s DGA. It’s likely there are a lot more examples of sexual harassment in his past, and bigwigs probably know about it. They protected him for years, after all, and we’ll probably hear more stories as it’s clear there’s no reason to threaten or buy people’s silence anymore.
- Bullock is a real sad case, as he’s a lawyer and should have known a lot better. He really kicked de Blasio in the gut with this move, as sexual harassment is a much bigger deal right now in New York than in Montana. At the same time, de Blasio was an idiot for keeping someone on the payroll for five weeks after they knew he was a serial sexual harasser. Another example of protecting friends.
- It’s clear that O’Brien was passed around the Party, with everyone getting their sloppy seconds in. First the Helena elite had their go with him, then Bullock got his turn at the DGA before passing him off to de Blasio in New York, and then finally giving him over to Tester’s Hilltop crowd.
- And all the while, nobody knew that this guy was a scumbag! Hell, perhaps it’s time he heads over to Kamala Harris’s campaign. Maybe he can work damage control for her as she embarks on her 2020 White House run.
What’s especially troubling is the idea that these O’Brien’s just came out of nowhere a few years ago and this is all new. Bullshit! This kind of entitlement attitude that leads to viewing women as objects that are meant to be abused has been around the Democratic Party for sometime, and it’s especially pervasive at the top. Just look at the Bill Clinton years.
It’s important for Democratic voters to treat women with respect and follow the new rules that the #MeTooMovement has laid down...but it’s not important for the Democratic bigwigs to follow those rules.
This is hypocrisy.
Sadly, I’ll be the only political blog in Montana that covers this story. In a week or so the media will have moved on and a short time after that, you and most everyone else will have forgotten it. Montana Democrats hope you forget sooner rather than later.
When this story is forgotten, Bullock can sigh a huge sigh of relief, feeling his 2020 plans are back on track.
O’Brien will lay low for most of the next year before getting some high-paying gig at a friendly-to-Democrats political-related-consulting-business. That’s what happened with him going to Hilltop, and despite many knowing how he treats women, he would have kept that job for years if this story hadn’t broken.
Politics sure is broken in this country, but we do know that both political parties are the same when you get to the top: corrupt and misogynistic men running things, men that say one thing and do another.
