Al Mayo: Blowing The Whistle On A Whistleblower

I’ve been wrestling with a few issues regarding so-called ‘Whistleblowers’ in recent days. It’s been revealed that a contract employee named Edward Snowden is responsible for the leaks that have exposed the domestic eavesdropping and data mining programs that were deemed Top Secret. Snowden was exposed by The Guardian in a video interview, and has since checked out of a Hong Kong hotel. He says he realizes he may never be able to return to this country a free man. To me, that is the true definition of a ‘Whistleblower’. Someone who sees what he thinks is a genuine wrong, and tries to expose it, in order to do the right thing. This is vastly different from what Curtis Morrison did when he secretly recorded a Mitch McConnell campaign meeting. 
 
No matter what anyone thinks of Mitch McConnell, he’s a consummate campaigner and politician. The latter might not be considered a compliment by some, but it truly is a skill that is difficult to master. Morrison recorded a private strategy session which outlined some of McConnell’s possible strategies in dealing with Democrats who were considering a run against him. Standard pratice in ANY campaign. Also for any political party which is serious about it’s intentions, this is nothing out of the ordinary. What Morrison caught, and recorded was nothing. It was simply McConnell conducting campaign business. It only became an issue when Mother Jones released the recording, and tried to push it as Mitch and his minions performing dirty tricks, and nasty politics.

Well THERE’S a surprise! Hardball politics from Mitch McConnell!?! I expect nothing less from Kentucky’s senior Senator. He knows how these things work, and he’s prepared for any eventuality that may come up. It’s called opposition research, and every campaign worth a damn conducts it. To use it as a club to hammer McConnell is silly, and amatuerish. Which brings me again to Curtis Morrison. I reached out to Curtis within hours of the recording being released, offering to tell his story in this column. He refused, saying his voice would have distracted citizens from hearing McConnell’s evasion of the issue. I told him that ship had sailed, and he was about to get hammered. All I got was silence. Sure enough, within a day after our communication, Morrison was being verbally smacked around by both the GOP, and Democrats over his handling of the situation.

Not many days ago, Morrison authored an article for Salon.com and laid out in detail how, and why he made the recording. He claims to have honorable motives and intent, but to my ears and eyes, comes off as someone looking to become a martyr for his liberal cause. Now–I’m all about Liberal Causes–but I’m also a pragmatist and brutally honest. This is not worth the time or effort to become a martyr. My favorite part of the article was when he talked about his dismay after being attacked by Congressman John Yarmuth over his actions. He just could not believe that a man he idolized–Yarmuth–would not agree with his actions. Yet he continued on with his misguided quest to discredit McConnell. If you’re not trying to be a martyr, then why can’t you listen to a man you trust, like Yarmuth?  I’ll tell you why. Because the congressman essentially told you to cut out this high school crap.   Like it or not, politics is a profession. Even those who occasionally break the status quo in Washington eventually become pros at what they do. Exhibit one? John Yarmuth. You don’t bust the system and tear it asunder, you learn how to use it, and make it work for you.

Morrison calls McConnell a ‘moral coward’, and I confess I don’t actually disagree with that. But, as I have maintained in past columns, Morrison has done more to paint McConnell as a victim than anything else. There are several prominent liberals in Kentucky who back Curtis Morrison completely, and they are people I respect and admire. But so far all he has manged to do is get himself investigated–and possibly face a Federal indictment, allow McConnell to seize and hold the high moral ground, and flee to California where he says he will go to law school. Frankly, I don’t think he will face any charges, and I suspect that privately, that will drive Morrison nuts. He LIKES the drama of fleeing from the Feds, and exposing so-called nefarious politics.

No doubt I will take some flack over this column and I know it comes with the territory. This is not a personal thing for me, and I can take it just as well as I can dish it out. By the way Curtis. The Feds have jurisdiction in California too. You might as well come on home.