Comments on: On Glenn Richardson and the agony of victory

By: Base

Base — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:41:16 +0000

Glenn finds himself begging for mercy but he has provided none to others when he could.I will pray that he sees a change of heart.

By: Mr. Grumpy

Mr. Grumpy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:35:26 +0000

Whatever the casuse of Speaker Richardson’s depression and apparent attempt to kill himself, he needs to step down as Speaker and perhaps even as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. He needs to let the members of the House elect a new Speaker until such time as he could return. He will be ineffective if he attempts to continue in the role as perhaps the second most powerful elected official in the state. It is unreasonable for him or anyone else to presume that carrying out the duties of Speaker will somehow help him in restoring himself to good health. It will not. His history has shown that he’s quick to lose his temper, to say and do foolish/self-destructive things and to create chaos when it is not at all necessary. Fior the good of the Sate of Georgia, he needs to do the right thing and gracefully bow out. That will go a long way to show whether he is a true statesmen or a narcissist who cannot inmagine the Houswe of Representatives without him running it.

By: THEjr

THEjr — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:51:10 +0000

Thank you for this restrained and sensitive report. All sympathies to Mr. Richardson, and I hope he gets all the care and attention he needs to conquer his depression. I also hope that he has the grace to resign. Depression is an illness that affects an individual’s functioning abilities, and it’s hard to see how an all-out effort to retain power will allow him to recover.

By: Midtowner

Midtowner — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:46:47 +0000

It is sad to see someone attempt/succeed at suicide. The ripples from a successful suicide never stop reverberating with those left behind.
That said – his reckless decision to have an affair, then his decision to bank (literally) heavily on the biggest house of cards probably ever built demonstrates a real lack of clear vision/understanding of the world. I have absolutely no sympathy for anyone who chased the easy bubble money of the housing boom. It was a sham that was patently obvious to anyone who was not suckered into drinking the kool-aid, contributed nothing of true societal benefit, raped the earth and squandered resources now forever tied up in rotting empty houses – and now the State of Georgia is desperately courting anything substantive in terms of manufacturing jobs, high tech, info mgt., etc. The Northeast didn’t fall into the housing trap, and isn’t suffering the catastrophic collapse that Florida and Georgia are. And who was leading the charge of greedy nitwit banks investing heavily in bubbles? Georgia’s political leadership.

By: Amazed

Amazed — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:37:28 +0000

Leave no doubt, if Glenn Richardson were standing in Mark Burkhalter’s shoes he would be the first to chop the Speaker off at the knees. In asking to retain his seat, Richardson is requesting grace he would never give. To those who say stripping him of leadership could push him into depression: 1) Holding the Speaker’s gavel has not spared him from depression and may be contributing to it, and 2) To all those Georgians who suffer depression the House Republican Caucus can’t offer them all leadership posts in hopes of perking them up. Glenn Richardson has plenty on his plate and should not now be burdened with the people’s work. Voters have long been skeptical of his leadership and will rightly punish the GOP should they not remove him now.

By: BPJ

BPJ — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:49:10 +0000

I thought this piece was sensitive and appropriate in dealing with an issue which is neither entirely public nor entirely private. Well done.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:09:36 +0000

One sentence is telling: “Richardson intends to remain as speaker of the House.” Richardson suffers from depression. So he attempts suicide. After he is unsuccessful, he convenes the press and spins the episode into a significant public relations story. Power, status, and prestige obviously remain more important to him than all else, including his life.

By: The Snark

The Snark — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:07:01 +0000

The Snark is no admirer of the way Speaker Richardson has performed in office, but the man is due some respect and privacy. Jim, shame on you for throwing in the gratuitous speculation on whether the bank issue is related to the suicide attempt. Shame on you.