Despicable Acts: Al Wynn’s Troubling Exit Strategy

The incredible Albert Wynn saga keeps getting worse and worse. I refer, of course, to the Maryland Democrat’s despicable decision to leave the House in the middle of the session simply because he got his feelings hurt after losing his primary race to up-and-comer Donna Edwards.

For some more background, and because every Washington reporter worth his or her salt these days must have a serious Self Promotion Gear (SPG), I refer you to a column I wrote Tuesday for The Hill’s print edition, entitled “Good riddance, Mr. Wynn.”

That shameless self-promotion aside, I must tell you that Wynn wants the early out in June simply because he is selfish and wants to get with the big-bucks K Street plan early. In short: Start the clock ticking on the one-year member ban on lobbying his colleagues.

In the process, the 15-year incumbent has thrown a sinking curveball to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has more important things to worry about right now than having to come up with a special primary followed by a special general election.

Up to his eyeballs in housing crisis legislation, not to mention a couple dozen other issues that must be finalized before the statehouse session ends on Monday, O’Malley will now ask the Maryland General Assembly to pass an emergency bill that allows the district to forgo the primary and go directly to a special general election to replace Wynn.

Doing so would reduce the taxpayer bill from approximately $2 million to $1 million.

Whatever O’Malley decides to do, or is able to do, it leaves about a thousand questions remaining that limited space does not allow me to list.

And I must remind you that the emergency legislation’s price tag, and all the nonsense surrounding this, is simply because Wynn has neither the honor nor the guts to finish out his term as a lame duck.

I hasten to add that this is America, for goodness’ sake, and there is nothing wrong with making money, working on K Street and thinking about one’s financial future.

What is totally reprehensible is the way Wynn is going about this. Al Wynn is putting Al Wynn’s needs way ahead of his constituents’ just so he can start pulling in the big bucks right now, as opposed to the end of the year when his term would die a natural death.

The prestigious Dickstein Shapiro, Wynn’s soon-to-be employer, should have thought this through also. Not one of their better hires. They are now complicit, co-conspirators in this million-dollar rip-off of Wynn’s Maryland constituents and taxpayers.

To regain their honor, perhaps Dickstein Shapiro should pay the tab for the special election and dock Wynn’s paycheck until it is paid off.

The best quote to describe Wynn’s outrageous action comes via Woody Allen. Special kudos to any Pundits Blog readers who know the reference.

“It’s a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.”