Hank Johnson: Wimp

David Weigel | November 17, 2006

The out-of-nowhere politician who upset Rep. Cynthia McKinney has promised not to beat up the cop whom she smacked with a cell phone.

"I apologized to him for any embarrassment the incident may have caused him or his family, and he appreciated that," Johnson added. "I told him if he ever asked me to comply, that I would, that he wouldn't have to worry about that."

Johnson, 52, is among more than 50 new members in town this week to learn the ropes of a becoming a member of Congress. He is one of three new black members and the only new practicing Buddhist.

A Buddhist? Jesus Christ.

In all seriousness, the fuss about Nancy Pelosi's intervention in the House majority leader race (most amusingly overplayed here) obscures an interesting fact about the new Democrats - by the end of the year they might have purged two of their most unqualified members. McKinney's gone, and Rep. William Jefferson (of $90,000-in-the-freezer fame) is expected to lose a runoff for his House seat. There are still plenty of corrupt Democrats to promote, but thus far they're doing a better job of purging the caucus than Dennis Hastert used to.

Comments

|11.17.06 @ 12:32PM|#

Well you wouldn't think a buddhist would be going around smacking people, would you?

|11.17.06 @ 12:41PM|#

I don't know where to post this. It is surreal. Bo Schembechler just died. Tomorrow is "THE GAME"

|11.17.06 @ 12:43PM|#

The "highly publicized investigation" of William Jefferson? I think not.

|11.17.06 @ 12:47PM|#

Is this the first Buddhist member of Congress? We've had some Asian-Americans, but think most, if not all, of them were Christians.

|11.17.06 @ 12:48PM|#

[Cue John lambasting David for saying anything positive WRT Democrats...]

ed|11.17.06 @ 12:51PM|#

Wake me up when Congress gets an out-of-the-closet atheist.

David Weigel|11.17.06 @ 12:53PM|#

There's at least one more Buddhist in the freshman class, an Asian-American from Hawaii: Mazie Hirono.

|11.17.06 @ 1:09PM|#

"A Buddhist? Jesus Christ."

No. Siddhartha.

By Zeus, can't you keep your enlightenment right?

|11.17.06 @ 1:11PM|#

"Well you wouldn't think a buddhist would be going around smacking people, would you?"

John C. Reilly in Anger Management. Oh, and the Tamil Tigers, too.

|11.17.06 @ 1:14PM|#

Did any Republican incumbants those their primaries, or lose to another Republican in a runoff?

|11.17.06 @ 1:17PM|#

A black... Republican... buddhist.

I think my head just exploded.

Not that I'd expect anything less from the district that elected McKinney.

|11.17.06 @ 1:26PM|#

He's not a Republican. He's a Democrat. He beat McKinney in the primary.

|11.17.06 @ 1:43PM|#

John C. Reilly in Anger Management. Oh, and the Tamil Tigers, too.

I think most of the Sri Lankan Tamils are muslim and hindu. It's the rest of the island -- the Sinhalese parts -- that are buddhist.

|11.17.06 @ 1:54PM|#

J sub D,

Just to acknowledge your comment, as a HUGE OSU fan, I am still greatly saddened by the death of Bo. I wonder how this will play out at the "Hate Michigan" rally tonight, headlined by Columbus band "Dead Schembechlers".

|11.17.06 @ 2:17PM|#

jf, Thanks for your sympathy. I read some comments in the on-line version of the Columbus Dispatch. They all showed a lot of class. That said, we will still beat the crap out of the Buckeyes tomorrow. GO BLUE!

|11.17.06 @ 2:25PM|#

The joke here in Columbus is that now we'll have to kill John Cooper just to even things up tomorrow.
RIP Bo.

Rhywun|11.17.06 @ 2:27PM|#

Wake me up when Congress gets an out-of-the-closet atheist.

Ed wins the thread.

ed|11.17.06 @ 3:08PM|#

I'd like to thank all the little atheists for this award.

|11.17.06 @ 3:15PM|#

kill John Cooper

Pretty much any sentence with that phrase in it I can agree with.

|11.17.06 @ 3:17PM|#

The out-of-nowhere politician who upset Rep. Cynthia McKinney
Umm, if she lost to a tic-tac I might call it an upset, this however was wholly predictible.

ed|11.17.06 @ 3:37PM|#

Umm, if she lost to a tic-tac I might call it an upset...

Only if it was a white tic-tac.

|11.17.06 @ 4:23PM|#

Hmm. A congress of tic-tacs.

Well, at least the hot air would have fresh breath.

|11.17.06 @ 4:50PM|#

I remember seeing a black man once in a Japanese compact car with a Bush sticker on it.

Took me weeks to get over that one.

StoneyBaloney|11.17.06 @ 5:00PM|#

since when did Weigel's blurb say that Hank Johnson did the smacking?

|11.17.06 @ 5:10PM|#

For the record, I'll vote Zoroastrian if one chooses to run. Ditto anyone who prays to Zeus the Thunderer. Or to Mithras, who is kind of in between the two.

|11.17.06 @ 5:17PM|#

You're all infidels, heretics and apostates. Odin is the one supreme God. Bow down and tremble.

|11.17.06 @ 5:40PM|#

Zeus blows that one-eyed loser out of the water. And look at his sexual accomplishments! Truly a manly god.

|11.17.06 @ 6:19PM|#

But Odin has a way cooler son.

|11.17.06 @ 6:19PM|#

PL

Fine with Zeus. Let's not mention Ganymede, though. Or that kinky bull thing with Europa.

|11.17.06 @ 6:21PM|#

Plus, does that incestuous second stringer have a day of the week named after him plus one for his wife and one for his son

|11.17.06 @ 6:42PM|#

J sub D

Depends on which language you use.

|11.17.06 @ 6:53PM|#

Depends on which language you use.

Valid point, but we are posting in english today.

|11.17.06 @ 6:53PM|#

Thank you Aresen, you read my mind.

|11.17.06 @ 7:10PM|#

"Well you wouldn't think a buddhist would be going around smacking people, would you?"

Uh, yes I would. Haven't you watched Hong Kong cinema? Those Buddhist monks kick ass!

GTF|11.17.06 @ 7:54PM|#

Wake me up when Congress gets an out-of-the-closet atheist.

...Aren't most Buddhists atheists?

ed|11.17.06 @ 8:50PM|#

Aren't most Buddhists atheists?

I can't answer for today's temporary Buddhistamines, but I lump all mysticists together, and mystic-legislators is what matters to this real-world fella.

|11.17.06 @ 9:20PM|#

"Aren't most Buddhists atheists?"

Most Buddhists arent' concerned about whether there's a "God" or an afterlife. They figure that one could spend one's entire life trying to figure that out, thus one should concentrate on making our life here as pleasant as possible for all beings.

|11.17.06 @ 9:50PM|#

Zeus married his sister, birthed his own daughter out of his forehead, and throws lightning bolts. That's just godding with impunity, buster. Days of the week. Wow.

|11.18.06 @ 7:12AM|#

I don't understand the reflexive annoyance directed at Buddhists in this post. Especially because properly trained and practicing Buddhists are probably the most libertarian religious people on the planet.

|11.18.06 @ 1:49PM|#

Fuss, schmuss -- Pelosi had no more hand in these 'purges' than Hastert did in the 'purge' of Republicans from the Hill a few weeks ago.

And Michigan sucks...but Ohio State swallows.

|11.18.06 @ 4:12PM|#

And Michigan sucks...but Ohio State swallows.

Sounds like someone is tired of getting beat by both.

|11.20.06 @ 10:29AM|#

J sub D,

Bring 'em on.

|11.21.06 @ 12:33AM|#

Bodhidharma, one of the founders of Mahayana Buddhism, created KUNG FU!

So a Buddha created kung fu. That's why I find it ironic that people think Buddhism is pacifist.

Also the whole "I thought Buddhist were supposed to do this is" is a cop-out because many Christians are supposed to do a lot of things they don't do. And you don't hear people saying "You're a jerk, I thought you were a Christian."

|11.21.06 @ 12:37AM|#

sorry for the outburst just tired of stereotypes folks, ha.

|11.21.06 @ 1:41PM|#

"...but thus far they're doing a better job of purging the caucus than Dennis Hastert used to."

As a Democrat, I have to concede that that is a very low bar to get over. Has the GOP purged *any* corrupt Congressmen?