Like mother like son. As Robert posted yesterday, Meg Whitman physically assaulted one of her employees while in the board room at eBay. After likely committing a felony, Whitman apparently had eBay pay the woman $200,000 in hush money and charges were never filed.
It seems that assault is a “family value” in the Harsh-Whitman clan. Gawker reports that Meg's son, Griffith Rutherford Harsh V (yeah, that's really his name), was arrested in 2006 and charged with felony battery for pushing a woman at a bar. Meg posted a cashier's check for the $25,000 bail and took Griffith home to their mansion in Atherton. The charges were later dismissed, the circumstances of which will be thoughly investigated, I'm sure. Gawker has all the charging documents if you'd like to puruse them.
This, of course, is not the only display of a superiority complex among Whitman's sons. Her son Will is widely reported to have used the “n-word” at a private club, yelling “what are all these n****** doing here” one night when the members of the Black Arts Company were there celebrating a show they had performed. Brother Griffith was suspended from Princeton, and after a guy whose face Griff threw a beer said “You can't do that to people,” Griff reportedly pointed to himself and said “Billionaire.”
These probably aren't the “family values” for which Meg wants to be known. But if she can't even teach her own sons to respect other people and take humility in their own fortunate happenstance, does Meg Whitman have what it takes to run this State?
I’d expect nothing less from the children of Empress Margaret. Margie if you like.
The last sentence is a cheap shot at Whitman. Her ability to raise decent sons has little to no bearing on her potential to be governor.
Not. If one can’t manage to bring up a family decently, they can’t run a state. Raising a family does require a strong tendency for leadership, they way her kids act sounds like she didn’t raise properly them at all.
As a parent of four grown children and grandparent of six, I understand from personal experience what both sides of this argument can mean. Yes, we do tend to judge parents by the behaviour of their children, and often with good reason supported by additional facts and experience. On the other hand, just as outstanding, productive, caring children have been born and raised by derelicts and alcoholics (to our surprise), some kids don’t get the message from well-adjusted, thoughtful and decent parents. We try to teach our children correct principles, imperfectly at best, but at some point they are free to govern themselves — even in criminal ways. Apart from partisanship, who can fairly judge anyone’s family dynamics and the deeds of grown offspring?
We didn’t like it when the GOP ridiculed Presidents Carter or Clinton for their brothers’ behaviours, or when the media invaded Chelsea Clinton’s privacy by stalking her every move. It’s ugly and cheap and out of bounds. It violates our own principles. Progressives have plenty of philosophical ammunition on the core ideas of government — we do not need to stoop to this kind of puerile, ignoble disparagement outside the political arena. Even if the other side does — let them be stained in the eyes of voters for doing so, not us! Please! Let’s not soil our own nest with such drivel. As Governor, she’ll not be dealing so much with children as with ideas, principles and policies. Let’s stay focused on giving the voters what matters.
The child bragged about being a billionaire. He did not earn billions himself, his mother did. That brings her into the issue of his behavior. He reflects her values and attitude, which are highly germaine to her qualifications for office. Chelsea’s behavior was not germaine, but would have been if she kept saying, “Shut tf up, my Daddy’s President.” And then there is the small matter that, at Princeton, this guy is no child.
My sister and I are as different as chalk and cheese–as the British say. Yet we were raised by the same parents in the same home, and aren’t even that far apart in age. These things happen. And you can’t always attribute it to upbringing.
Unless they’re ALL that way. Then you have to wonder what they were taught. From what I’ve read, it would appear their mother’s sense of entitlement–an attitude every reporter covering this race has remarked on, and more than a few eBay employees have confirmed–was a lesson learned quite well by her kids.
Whitman has that in common with another California candidate. A neighbor of mine has worked for HP for more than 30 years. When she saw a newspaper photo of me protesting a local appearance by Carley Fiorina, she said she proudly showed it to her co-workers, telling them, “That’s my friend.” She said they were so pleased!
Pay attention to how these women treat “the small people.” It will matter a great deal if they ever get into positions of power. And I predict we’ll all be as sorry as their former employees if they do.