Frack you: The self-aggrandizing dishonesty of Eric "The Groper" Massa

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Yesterday, I called Eric Massa the Worst Democrat of the Day for a variety of reasons.

Well, Massa went to Glennbeckistan last night and admitted to having "groped" and "tickled" a male staffer at his 50th birthday party:

He also said he'd used rough language when he shouldn't have and that he had jokingly told a male staffer at a wedding reception that he'd rather have sex with him than with one of the bridesmaids.

But, Massa told Beck, "I did nothing sexual."

He said he had done "things that were wrong," but he suggested that his only real sin -- aside from "salty" talk -- was that he had allowed himself to become too familiar with his staff.

Uh-huh, sure. Is he lying or is he really that (self-)delusional?

Because it seems that there was more going on than the ex-Congressman would care to admit:

Not long after Eric Massa joined Congress in January 2009, several male staff members began to feel uncomfortable with the sexually loaded language their boss routinely used, according to accounts relayed to the House ethics committee.

As the months passed, rumors began to circulate in Congress that the married New York Democrat had sexually propositioned young male staffers and interns in his office, allegations, according to two sources with knowledge of the inquiry, that included Massa groping at least two aides. In the second week of February, Massa's deputy chief of staff contacted the office of Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer for help in dealing with the accusations.

According to two sources familiar with the investigation, Ron Hikel, Massa's former deputy chief of staff, provided the information about the staffers' allegations to the House ethics committee three weeks ago. Hikel had earlier sought advice from Hoyer's office about internal complaints, the sources said, and had been urged to report the allegations to the panel.

Upon becoming aware of the claims, Hoyer (D-Md.) gave Massa an ultimatum, his office confirmed: report the staffers' complaints to the ethics committee within 48 hours, or Hoyer would do it for them. Last week, the panel's investigation became public, and Massa resigned, effective Monday. 

And yet Massa insists on lashing out at Rahm Emanuel and blaming his situation, claiming he was forced out, on the Democratic House leadership, which, in his polluted mind, wanted him out so as to have one less No vote on health-care reform?

Uh-huh, sure. Does anybody outside of Glenn Beck and his ilk actually think this guy's story is credible? He refuses to take the blame for anything, only vaguely admits to doing some "wrong" things, like "tickle fights" and "inappropriate language," and, offender that he is, tries to direct the focus elsewhere, anywhere else but on himself, attacking his own party and turning to Beck to spin his nonsense (like that it's all about his health-reform vote when, as we know, this all started long before his vote mattered).

Massa may very well be "a very sick person," as Nancy Pelosi put it, referring to his health problems, but it would seem that he's also sick in a different way, either deeply delusional or deeply dishonest -- or perhaps both.