Joseph Dee Morrissey, at least for the moment, stubbornly remains a Democratic member of the Virginia House. He was all “okay, fine, I’ll resign, GOD” after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor to avoid trial for child pornography, then announced he planned to stay in office while running in the special election for his replacement in order to remove the “taint over his seat.” He was totally busted this week campaigning in front of a grocery store, which is verboten under his day-release conditions as a criminal who sleeps in a jail, but a judge declined to lock him up for real to avoid “interfering with an election.”…. The circumstances stem from Morrissey’s conviction Dec. 12 on a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The lawmaker and private attorney entered an Alford plea in the case, which allows him to maintain his innocence while avoiding a possible two-decade prison sentence.
For those of you shocked to find me taking a Democrat to task for…well, for anything, you’re finding out that my outrage and revulsion can on occasion cross party lines…and in this case, it’s well deserved. Morrissey somehow managed to avoid doing hard for having a sexual relationship with a teenager who worked at his law firm, so he seems to think that he’s still somehow fit to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Morrissey resigned his seat…only to turn around and announce that he was going to run for his old seat in the special election being held to replace him. Chutzpah doesn’t begin to describe the attitude of someone who clearly doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of his crime or the damage it could do to his party. Democrats are understandably running away from him as fast as humanly possible, and who can blame them. A Republican might be able to pull off what Morrissey’s trying to do, but a Democrat? Not a chance, especially when you factor in the double standard extant in American politics today.
No, Virginia Democrats aren’t wild about the idea of having a (sort of) convicted sex offender under their umbrella. Imagine their delight when Morrissey resigned and then gave Democrats a big ol’ “f—k you” by announcing that he was running in the special election. If he wins, he’ll become the first Virginia legislator who serves in the House of Delegates during the day and spends his nights in jail. Then again, some wags might hold forth on how this is the perfect arrangement for most politicians.
Mama must be SO proud….
