After repeatedly denying that this was him, New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed today that that was him ( a part of him anyway), and so is this.  And he’s ashamed. And he’s not quitting.

Weiner admitted hat he had, contrary to previous ranting denials, tweeted a picture of himself … his shorts exactly… to a woman. He also admitted that he’d been involved in “inappropriate” exchanges with several women before and after getting married.

In a press conference today Weiner said he was deeply ashamed, that it was “a dumb thing to do” and of course, reminiscent of another political confession, wept.

Radar online is now reporting that a woman claims to have 200 sexually explicit messages from Weiner, sent through a now inactive Facebook account.  So why deny all this in the first place, when there’s photo evidence in the blogosphere?  I’m not sure if we’ll ever know, but  check out Weiner’s teary-eyed press conference here…

Imagine if someone took the most corrupt, dishonest, egotistical people on the planet, separated them into two groups and put them in charge of a bunch of sh*t? Oh wait, we don’t have to imagine it. They already have and it’s called the Senate and the House. In case I haven’t been clear, I’m not a fan of politics or politicians. And not wanting this to become yet another political blog, I laid off the politics for a minute. But like a bad boyfriend, every time I try to get out they just draaaaag me back in.

Yesterday was election day. Political affiliations aside, what does it say about a state when they choose to elect as their governor a man who nonpartisan political watchdog group The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named one of the 15 Most Corrupt Congressmen Of 2010? Here’s what the Atlanta Journal had to say about Deal:

He has signed up with the worst excesses of the nativists; he’s an early sponsor of an ugly proposal to change the 14th Amendment, to strip birthright citizenship. Republicans used to consider the 14 Amendment one of their proudest achievements.

He has demanded that President Obama prove that he is an American citizen. That was a reversal for Deal, who had earlier been sane enough to say that he was satisfied that Obama was born in the USA.

U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, a Republican candidate for governor in 2010, personally intervened with Georgia leaders to preserve an obscure state program that earns his company nearly $300,000 a year.

Deal on three occasions in the past year and a half met with state Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham to question proposed changes Graham wanted to make in the way Georgia inspects rebuilt salvaged vehicles. Deal coordinated his efforts through the office of a political ally, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.

Also, Deal’s chief of staff used his congressional e-mail account to contact Georgia Senate and Revenue Department staff to discuss the plans and to set appointments for Deal to meet with officials, including Cagle.

Deal and Ken Cronan own and operate Recovery Services Inc., also known as Gainesville Salvage & Disposal, which for nearly 20 years has enjoyed a lucrative agreement with the state that earned the company $1.5 million from 2004 through 2008, according to state records. The company provides a location and equipment for state inspectors to examine salvaged vehicles. Deal and Cronan never had to compete for the business, state officials said. Deal personally earns up to $150,000 a year from the enterprise, according to reports he files with the U.S. House.Graham has tried for years to expand the system through competitive bidding or privatization. Ultimately, Deal prevailed; the program, which at least two state leaders call a monopoly, remains unchanged — for the time being.

So my question for Georgians is this, how bad does a boss have to be to be too bad to be your governor? Apparently worse than Nathan Deal. Read more on Deal’s questionable ethics here.

1. As CEO, give your annual state of the company address loaded. Fully loaded. The following two quarters, do it again; include staggering and slurred speech for effect. As if that weren’t enough, stumble into the lap of your assistant in front of a room full of employees. Good times.
2. Completely revamp the company’s sales structure. Give it three months to work, then revamp it again.  Repeat every quarter for three years. Then when, as a direct result of your restructuring, half the sales force quits, systematically get rid of everyone who reports to you, blaming the company’s abysmal state on them.
3. When morale is at an all time low, throw weekly potluck luncheons, blindly believing that employees will be so busy binge eating they won’t realize the CEO is drunk, the VP is insane and the HR manager is off her meds. Oh yes, send intimate gifts to your male subordinate and promote him shortly after. No one will suspect a thing.
4. Call the marketing manager on a Friday night to ask her about warehouse inventory levels and why product hasn’t shipped. When she reminds you that she’s marketing and not purchasing/warehouse/sales or anything remotely related to what you’re asking, insist loudly and repeatedly that she should “know everything that’s going on with the company!”
5. Insist that female employees where pantyhose, even in 100 degree weather. Conduct unannounced pantyhose checks and clandestine trashcan searches just because you can.
6. While you’re at work, have the police come looking for you to investigate your passing of counterfeit bills. Leave abruptly through the back door,  for an “appointment”, when you notice the officers entering the building. Don’t tell your staff you’re leaving so that the cops suspect them too. (Refer to Mark Sanford’s Disappearing Act for detailed disappearing instructions.)
7. Use a clown nose and Dr. Seuss hat as props during your annual address to board members. Be hung-over when you give your presentation. As an added bonus, chug ice water directly from the water pitcher on the table in front of you. “Resign” the following week.
8. At your first meeting with your racially diverse staff, begin the conversation with “the first time I ever met a black person was in college.” Convince yourself that there’s nothing wrong with introducing yourself with that statement because, you know, one of your best friends is black.
9. Use the Jim Jones cult’s mass suicide by Kool-aid as a motivational tool. Continually encourage employees to “drink the Kool-aid” even after their eyes widen in fear, and they contemplate lodging a complaint with the EEOC.
10. Do not take the time to remember the names of any of your employees. Instead, refer to them by their race/ethnic group/body type, i.e.: the black guy, the Asian, that fat chick.

Submit your true stories of stupid things your bosses have done to denised@reallybadboss.com, or leave them right here in the comment section.

Eric "friendly groping" Massa

Whether it’s politicians lying about their love children, teachers having affairs with students and each other, or bosses lying to protect the bottom line, we’ve been experiencing a crisis of bad boss behavior lately, and there’s no telling when it’s going to stop.

Politicians are notorious for their bad behavior, but with the recent onslaught of Argentinian mistresses, love children, “friendly groping”, and corruption scandals that’s been in the news over the past couple of years, it’s no wonder people have had it with all things political.

The worst display of bad boss behavior in the political realm? The health care debate. We don’t know about you, but we don’t like the idea of a bunch of guaranteed retirement policy and health insurance for themselves and family having politicians determining who deserves health care in this country. It’s like a carrot deciding whether it’s pork or beef for dinner – the carrot’s got nothing to lose. He wins no matter what choice is made, and that’s the system we’re currently stuck with.

But there’s always hope in the upstanding and underappreciated field of education, right? Not so fast. Apparently teachers now think it’s ok to sleep with their students. They also seem to think its ok to duke it out in the halls at school when they realize they’re both sleeping with the same teacher. But it’s not all sexual. A former researcher at the University at Buffalo hired actors to testify in a case on his behalf. That same researcher was later found dead in his home.

Bail outs, recalls, foreclosures…need I continue? Running a close second to the bad boss behavior of politicians is the greed that’s rife in corporate America. From awarding million dollar bonus packages to CEO’s who ran their companies into the ground, to monopolies like AT&T with what many consider THE worst customer service in the world, we’re at the end of our proverbial straws.

So how do we attack this national, and global, crisis of mismanagement head on? It certainly won’t be easy. Greed, arrogance and selfishness are the driving forces behind much of this global bad boss behavior, and we’re not expecting those traits to go away anytime soon. So, is it too late? Can anything be done to save our leadership?

Share your thoughts in the comment section, on Twitter, or on our Facebook fan page.

As is par for the course in these kinds of cases, Tiwari is denying his involvement in the tryst. His aide in a written statement claims “The news channel report is fabricated, false and malicious to tarnish the image of the governor.” After the tape was shown on television, women’s groups protested, demanding Tiwari’s resignation. As if the tapes weren’t salacious enough, the women seen on the tape were said to have been brought to the governor by a fourth woman who was reportedly promised a mining lease by the governor in return for sexual favors. The woman said she exposed Tiwari through a sting operation when he failed to keep his promise.

It’s not customary for the Indian news media to reveal these kinds of indiscretions amongst their politicians, but this one apparently riled someone enough to break with standard practice. Personally, we think it has something to do with the shock value involved in seeing an 86 year old in bed with 3 women. Read more about the 86 year old stud at the Daily Mail.

Roland Burris was bad enough to earn slots in both our shady politicians and tool of the week roundups. Here’s how we summed him up back in August.

It seems as though politicians are falling all over themselves to display tool-like behavior.  If we could unilaterally present the award to the architects of the birther movement and the healthcare town hall showdowns, we would.  But, in keeping with tradition, we’ll give the award to a single individual who’s recently displayed very tool-like behavior.

This week, it’s a toss-up between Blagojevich puppet, Senator (we use the term loosely) Roland Burris and Governor Mark “don’t cry for me Argentina” Sanford.  Sanford’s personal use of his state’s plane has rightfully fallen under scrutiny. Pickups from his son’s games and flights to get discount haircuts, all funded by taxpayer dollars, deservedly put Sanford in the running.

However, Burris gets the award this week for announcing a change of heart and declaring that he might run to retain his senate seat.  He then provided further proof that he’s operating solely on fumes when he declared “people all over the country” were urging him to run.  When pressed, Burris could not specify what country or clearly define what he meant by “people.”

The New Jersey Massive.  Remember them? Here’s a refresher.

This one is about a week late in coming, and it’s technically 44 tools…but we’ve got to give it to the group we now refer to as the New Jersey Massive.  The NJ Massive includes Rabbis, assemblymen, mayors and a host of other elected and appointed officials allegedly involved in crimes ranging from money laundering to human kidney selling.  The turnpike isn’t the only thing that stinks in New Jersey.

Brilliantly Stupid Boss

We kind of tread lightly on this one, after all she was the victim. But we had a hard time believing that this extremely intelligent, highly paid woman would be duped into living in abject poverty by her fake Rockefeller husband. Here’s how we saw it back in June…

The Harvard educated ex-wife of Rockefeller perpetrator Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter says she stayed married to a man who she says withheld food and kept her a mental prisoner throughout their 12 year marriage.  Gerhartsreiter, who’s on trial for kidnapping the couple’s 7 year old daughter last year, spent his entire adult life pretending to be someone else, the most famous of which was Clark Rockefeller, heir to the Rockefeller legacy. Read the full story here.

RNC Chair Michael Steele was a Really Bad Boss favorite this year.

RNC Chair Michael Steele continues to do everything in his power to attract minorities to the Republican Party.  And by attract, we mean swear them off for life.  He seems to be aiming for a Really Bad Boss Lifetime Achievement Award, and if he keeps it up, he’ll get several.  In his seven months as RNC Chair, Steele has done the following – Suggested that hosting hip hop rallies was the key to recruiting a younger, more diverse following for the Republican party. Declares there’ll be no more apologizing from the Republican Party, and then fearfully continues to apologize to Rush Limbaugh on the rare occasions when he has an original thought. Thinks that fried chicken and potato salad will attract diversity to the Republican Party.  In the same interview, refers to the end of slavery, but doesn’t seem to believe it himself. All this and he’s only held the position for about seven months. For his sheer ignorance and intense stupidity, Michael Steele gets this week’s Really Bad Boss Tool of the Week Award. He’s earned it.

Bosses behaving badly – Another Senator, another affair, another Tool of the week

Nevada’s Republican Senator John Ensign is the latest publicly elected figure caught up and out engaging in an extramarital affair.  It’s becoming rote. The headlines can practically write themselves.” Insert politican/public leader /CEO name here, has affair with 30ish assistant/campaign staff member/former model.”  In fact, it’s so common that this “news” almost didn’t make it as a post.  But then I started thinking.  The fact that extramarital affairs by public leaders have become so commonplace that it’s no longer news…is news. Read our take on it back in June here.

Valley Swim Club gets the Tool of the week award

Philadelphia Club rescinds camp’s membership  when they learn black children attend the camp – We know that members only (often code for whites only) clubs still exist.  But the fact that the president of one of these clubs (a club that advertises open membership) issues the following statement after members complain about black children swimming in their pool, reminds us that stupid is a club with more members than it can handle:

“There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.”   John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club. Yes, he actually used the word complexion. Read the rest here.

Text and the City – Embarrassing text messages between Kwame Kilpatric (Detroit, Michigan mayor) and former mayoral chief of staff Christine Beatty (not his wife) were made public yesterday.  We are really big fans of Kwame Kilpatric.  Why?  Besides the fact that he gives us so much to work with,  the only thing worse than a really bad boss is a really bad boss who doesn’t know when to sit down and shut up.  After weeks of vehemently denying the affair, perjuring himself in court  and refusing to resign even though EVERYONE KNEW HE WAS LYING, prosecutors revealed the existence of  the text messages that would ultimately seal his fate.  Now that the messages have been made public, they reveal quite a few salty exchanges between the two. Nice mayoral conduct Kwame and yet another example of bosses behaving badly.  To read the nastiness in detail, click here.

Don’t cry for me Argentina – Well, as we reported yesterday, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was indeed in Argentina, trying to get his groove back.  In an emotional, tear filled press conference, Sanford (ironically tanned) apologized to his wife, his children and, it seems, to everyone else in the world.  Sanford, unlike many other of his ilk didn’t deny having the affair and came clean about it before evidence surfaced that would prove he was lying (think Kilpatrick, Edwards).  We can argue ad nauseam about whether or not unfaithful politicians should continue to be trusted by their constituents, but in Sanford’s case, what’s unarguable is his M.I.A  routine. You can’t just go AWOL because you feel a sudden urge to get your groove on.   Abandoning your office – even temporarily – without alerting your staff or your family, is inexcusable and cause for serious questioning of your mental stability.

I’m not a South Carolina resident, and ultimately the decision lies with them.  But in our opinion, Sanford’s disappearing act is a surefire sign of a Really Bad Boss.

This is happening waaaay too often – These politicians are keeping me busy. Last week while I was lollygagging about up north minding my own business, yet another Senator admitted to having sexay times with someone other than his wife, practically begging me to write about him here.

This time the senator was 47 year old Paul Stanley (R-TN), and his “indiscretion” was with a 22 year old intern.  The conservative Republican (of course) and abstinence only supporter (of course, of course), admitted to having a sexual relationship with his intern.  After much soul searching the senator decided to come clean because his conscience wouldn’t allow him to continue with the hypocrisy.  NOT.  What really happened was the intern’s boyfriend got a hold of some nudie pictures the senator took of his girlfriend and tried to blackmail him.  It was only then that the Senator saw the light and fessed up about the affair to local authorities, stopping the blackmailer in his tracks.  The boyfriend is now charged with trying to extort $10,000 from the senator.  And the senator has joined our growing list of political Really Bad Bosses.

As if the whole sordid tale wasn’t bad enough, guess how Stanley met his current wife? You guessed it, she was once his intern.  Read the entire hot mess of a story here.

Tomorrow: Affairs weren’t the only deception by politician’s in 2009

• Mark Sanford’s been ridin’ dirty
  • Say it aint so – Roland Burris threatens to keep his senate seat because “people keep telling him he should.” We’re not buying it.
  • Ten things employers do that drive job seekers crazy. CNN had five, we knew we could find at least five more.
  • The slap that launched a thousand fantasies…

I have no idea what I'm doing...

It seems as though politicians are falling all over themselves to display tool-like behavior.  If we could unilaterally present the award to the architects of the birther movement and the healthcare town hall showdowns, we would.  But, in keeping with tradition, we’ll give the award to a single individual who’s recently displayed very tool-like behavior.

This week, it’s a toss-up between Blagojevich puppet, Senator (we use the term loosely) Roland Burris and Governor Mark “don’t cry for me Argentina” Sanford.  Sanford’s personal use of his state’s plane has rightfully fallen under scrutiny. Pickups from his son’s games and flights to get discount haircuts, all funded by taxpayer dollars, deservedly put Sanford in the running. 

However, Burris gets the award this week for announcing a change of heart and declaring that he might run to retain his senate seat.  He then provided further proof that he’s operating solely on fumes when he declared “people all over the country” were urging him to run.  When pressed, Burris could not specify what country or clearly define what he meant by “people.”

Providing additional fuel for our Really Bad Political Boss files, the Associated Press is reporting that the governor used state planes for dozens of personal trips for himself, his wife and family during his tenure.  Some of the fun trips include: 

• A pick up from Myrtle Beach and return to Columbia, at a cost of $1,265 for “personal time” at Sanford’s favorite “discount” hair salon. Does anyone else see the irony in that?
• A pick up from his son’s football game in Bishopville and then on to a commercial flight to a Texas lake house for a gathering of Republican donors.
• A book signing in Mount Pleasant and then a 65^th birthday party for a business owner and supporter.
• On five of the last six Thanksgiving weekends, Sanford used a state plane to fly himself, his wife and their four sons from the family’s home in Beaufort County to Columbia for the state Christmas tree lighting.
• First and business class flights on commercial airlines at taxpayer expense, despite a law requiring lowest-cost travel.

Sanford with pigs

What makes Sanford’s behavior even more aggravating is that he’s made a career of appearing thrifty, demanding state employees use both sides of Post-it notes and attempting for months to block federal stimulus money for South Carolina schools.  

The governor, who’s grown fond of quoting scripture and likening himself to biblical figures, is now facing increasing calls to resign.  We’ve got one question for the spiritually minded governor, WWJD?  Thoughts after the jump.

Read more here.

These politicians are keeping me busy. Last week while I was lollygagging about up north minding my own business, yet another Senator admitted to having sexay times with someone other than his wife, practically begging me to write about him here. 

This time the senator was 47 year old Paul Stanley (R-TN), and his “indiscretion” was with a 22 year old intern.  The conservative Republican (of course) and abstinence only supporter (of course, of course), admitted to having a sexual relationship with his intern.  After much soul searching the senator decided to come clean because his conscience wouldn’t allow him to continue with the hypocrisy.  NOT.  What really happened was the intern’s boyfriend got a hold of some nudie pictures the senator took of his girlfriend and tried to blackmail him.  It was only then that the Senator saw the light and fessed up about the affair to local authorities, stopping the blackmailer in his tracks.  The boyfriend is now charged with trying to extort $10,000 from the senator.  And the senator has joined our growing list of political Really Bad Bosses.

As if the whole sordid tale wasn’t bad enough, guess how Stanley met his current wife? You guessed it, she was once his intern.  Read the entire hot mess of a story here.

Update: the senator is resigning - does not fancy himself  King David.

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman"

Politicians are our favorite kind of bosses. They have authority and power over a lot of people, and as luck would have it, quite a few of them are really bad. In light of Marion Barry popping up in the news last week for allegedly stalking a female friend, and as Rod Blagojevich continues to deny what we all know to be true, we thought it’d be fitting to compile a list of seven memorable lies politicians have told us. Can you guess which really bad politicians uttered the following whoppers?

1.       “I want you to listen to me…I did not have sexual relations with that woman…Ms. Lewinsky”.   No guessing games here.  The infamous Clinton/Lewinsky dalliances have long been public information, stains and all.  What makes Clinton’s denial so infuriating is the vehemence in which he initially denied the accusations.  Watch the video here. Then, Clinton famously redefined the term sexual relations.  Only a president could get away with that. Which brings me to our next quote…

2.       “When the President does it, it means that it is not illegal” – Richard Nixon, discussing Watergate in 1978.  From infidelity, to wire tapping to creatively inventing WMDs, presidents are notorious for “bending” the law.  Nixon just summed up what many of them secretly believe. President’s are above the law. But presidents aren’t the only politicians to bend the law.

The Lying King - Rod Blagojevich

3.       “…those simple values that they teach us in Sunday school, the Golden Rule…those are the things I’m going to keep fighting for…I haven’t let you down.”  There are at least two lies in this sentence, and it’s a wonder Rod Blagojevich didn’t get struck by lightning immediately after saying the words “Sunday” and “school”  in the same sentence. The foul mouth, helmet headed former Chicago governor uttered those words on his last day in office.  He didn’t mention that he actually slept through most of his Sunday school classes or that he wouldn’t know the Golden Rule if it tried to comb his hair. And yes, Blago, you did let us down and probably God too. Speaking of God…

4.       “it is my hope that I am able to follow the example set by David in the Bible - who after his fall from grace humbly refocused on the work at hand” We collectively gave Mark Sanford the side eye for that one, particularly since there’s no mention of David going AWOL in the Bible and then crying at a press conference on his return from Argentina five days later.  No mention of David skipping out on Father’s Day either.

5.       “The story is false. It’s completely untrue, ridiculous…made up” – Former senator and one time presidential candidate John Edwards denying an affair with a campaign assistant.  When it became clear that he did have the affair, Edwards gave a contrite interview on ABC, admitting to repeatedly lying about the affair even during his presidential campaign.

6.       “…they were misconstruing my actions.”   Here’s a hint, he’s got the widest and most inappropriate

The "misconstrued" Larry Craig

 bathroom stance in the history of bathroom stances.  That would be former Senator Larry Craig.  And which actions did the cops misconstrue? It may have been when he hovered around the entrance to the men’s restroom, a well known gay pick up spot. Or did the arresting officer occupying the stall next to him misconstrue his intricate foot tapping, hand swiping routine? I’ve discussed this with several of my male friends, and NONE of them have ever, even accidentally, done any of the things Craig did in that public restroom, much less all of them. Seriously Craig?

7.       “Occasional cocaine use” While I couldn’t find the actual quote from Marion Barry, his attorney did admit that Barry was an occasional cocaine user. Because occasional cocaine use is so much more acceptable than crack use, which Barry had been caught on tape engaging in. No worries for him though, because after serving a six month prison sentence, Barry was re-elected as Washington D.C.’s mayor.

In the end, politicians who lie for a living do so because a lot of the time, they get away with it.  Sure some lose their positions of power, but many others stay in power and in a few years their trespasses have been forgiven and forgotten.   If only the world was as forgiving towards the rest of us. 

Compiled from the true life submissions of readers, and from my own personal really bad boss horror stories, this manual will be the must have summer read for any really bad boss on the rise. To get things started, I’ve listed ten of the most asinine things bosses have done to immediately and irrevocably lose what little respect we ever had for them:

1. As CEO, give your annual state of the company address loaded. Fully loaded. The following two quarters, do it again; include staggering and slurred speech for effect.
2. Completely revamp the company’s sales structure. Give it three months to work, then revamp it again.  Repeat every quarter for three years. Then when, as a direct result of your restructuring, half the sales force quits, leave quickly and quietly with your golden parachute intact.
3. When morale is at an all time low, throw weekly potluck luncheons, blindly believing that employees will be so busy binge eating they won’t realize the CEO is drunk, the VP is insane and the HR manager is off her meds.
4. As a female manager, send “just because” gifts to your male subordinate.  Send them directly to the office via FedEx for everyone’s viewing pleasure.
5. Insist that female employees where pantyhose, even in 100 degree weather. Conduct unannounced pantyhose checks and clandestine trashcan searches just because you can.
6. While you’re at work, have the police come looking for you to investigate your passing of counterfeit bills. Leave abruptly through the back door,  for an “appointment”, when you notice the officers entering the building. Don’t tell your staff you’re leaving so that the cops suspect them too. (Refer to Mark Sanford’s Disappearing Act for detailed disappearing instructions)
7. Use a clown nose and Dr. Seuss hat as props during your annual address to board members. Be hung-over when you give your presentation. As an added bonus, chug ice water directly from the water pitcher on the table in front of you. “Resign” the following week.
8. At your first meeting with your racially diverse staff, begin the conversation with “the first time I ever met a black person was in college.” Convince yourself that there’s nothing wrong with introducing yourself with that statement.
9. Use the Jim Jones cult’s mass suicide by Kool-aid as a motivational tool. Continually encourage employees to “drink the Kool-aid” even after their eyes widen in fear, and they contemplate lodging a complaint with the EEOC.
10. Do not take the time to remember the names of any of your employees. Instead, refer to them by their race/ethnic group/body type, i.e.: the black guy, the Asian, that fat chick.

Submit your own Really Bad Boss stories in the comment section after the jump.

Blagojevich and former aide John Harris/AP

Illinois’ foul mouthed former governor can add one more person to his list of people at which to hurl obscenities. His former chief of staff, John Harris, sang like a canary this week in a plea deal that could have him testifying against Blagojevich.  On Wednesday, Harris plead guilty to wire fraud in connection with the ongoing investigation into Blagojevich’s attempts to sell Illinois’ vacant senate seat. 

Harris, who was arrested along with Blagojevich last December, is the first staff member to flip on the former governor, beginning what we hope is the collapse of  the governor’s criminal house of cards. Harris now admits to having discussions on Blagojevich’s behalf, in an attempt to appoint an adviser to Obama in exchange for financial benefits.  Harris’ statement outlines the magnitude of Blagojevich’s arrogance and greed.  You can find more details about the statement here.

The problem with lying – besides the fact that it makes you a liar – is that you’ve got to rely on others to sustain your lies for you. And nothing gets people flipping faster than the prospect of serving time in prison.  John Harris took one look at the potential 87 year sentence he was facing and basically said, the hell with Rod Blagojevich.  Our sentiments exactly.

Blagojevich, having inhaled dangerous levels of hairspray over the years, doggedly maintains his innocence and like many politicians caught with their hands in the cookie jar…in Argentina…bring  the Good Book into the mix.  Blagojevich has been overheard hearkening back to his Sunday school days and “…the Golden Rule.”   We think Blagojevich must have dozed off at some time during the Golden Rule lesson and created his own version;  “Do unto others…as long as they pay you for it.”  ]]> http://reallybadboss.com/2009/07/the-problem-with-lying-former-blagojevich-aide-sings-like-a-canary/feed/ 0 http://reallybadboss.com/2009/07/the-really-bad-boss-week-in-review-3/ http://reallybadboss.com/2009/07/the-really-bad-boss-week-in-review-3/#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:30:26 +0000 denised http://reallybadboss.com/?p=2800 This week in Realy Bad Boss:

• Palin piles it on.
• In a five-way toss up between Mark Sanford, Joe Jackson, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and a company called Giant Labor Solutions, Giant won the Really Bad Boss Tool of the Week Award. Yes, they really are that bad.
• Mark Sanford’s hoof in mouth disease had him crying for Argentina, confessing to the media and comparing himself to King David.  
• Bernie Madoff gets 150, Ruth Madoff gets amnesia and the government gets their stuff
• The movie The Proposal saw a harried assistant marrying his really bad boss so that she could stay in the country. Not on your life.

Governor Sarah Palin (AP Photo/Robert DeBerry)

Really Bad Boss hits where it hurts regardless of political affiliation. Some of our fondest memories  have come from the antics of really bad democrats (Blagojevich, Kilpatrick, Burris), and republicans (Sanford, Craig)   This week goes to the republicans, specifically republican governors. First Really bad boss/governor/Latin lover Mark Sanford goes AWOL and leaves South Carolina in the dust as he beat a path to his soul mate in Argentina.  And now Sarah Palin abdicates her throne before her term is over. Palin said taxpayer money was being wasted investigating her and that she could have a greater impact outside of government. We agree.  But we think one of the following is a more likely explanation for the abrupt resignation. 1) It’s cloudy in Alaska and she can no longer see Russia, nullifying all her foreign policy experience, 2) We’re about to learn something potentially damaging about Palin and/or her brood and she wants to be out of office before we find out, 3) She’s got a book deal/reality TV show/cash cow in the works or 4)…gulp…she’s resigning to begin cramming for a run at the 2012 presidential election.

 Take a moment to let that sink in. It will take at least three years for her to learn all of the things she should have known before she became McCain’s running mate in 2008.  She also alluded to attacks on her youngest child, stress and extensive criticism as being determining factors in her decision to resign.  Had she been our vice president, would the same set of circumstances resulted in a desire to resign the position? How would she have handled the intense pressure then? I’m glad we’ll never know.

If Palin does plan on running in 2012, we sincerely hope she uses this time to study, travel and re-read some of those magazines she forgot the names of during her infamous Katie Couric interview. Would Sarah Palin be a really bad boss? Maybe a three year cram session would allow her to avoid the title. I for one, hope we never find out.

Read more about the resignation here.

Although Mark Sanford, Joe Jackson and Al Sharpton fought hard for it.

This week the politicians, companies and spin doctors of the world fought hard to receive the coveted Really Bad Boss Tool of the Week Award.  Let’s review:

•  Mark Sanford came down with a horrible case of foot in mouth disease. His incessant yapping and weeping revealed additional affairs that may have cost him some of the sympathy he’d garnered from his initial admittance.  While his handlers are still in search of a cure for his particular strain of foot in mouth, Really Bad Boss has a simple, time tested cure. Shut up. 
• We’re trying to bottle that cure and have it overnighted to Joe Jackson. Jackson family patriarch and grieving father of the deceased King of Pop has been promoting…himself.  We were especially disturbed when he appeared to promote his new record label during a recent CNN interview.  Not to be outdone, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (who would both show up at the opening of an envelope if microphones and cameras were present) fought to receive the coveted award themselves.  The Reverend Al Sharpton was seen gyrating on stage at a Jackson memorial event while Jesse Jackson was seen at several venues desperately attempting to remain relevant.
• Yet, while the behavior listed above is shady, none of it is illegal. And so, this week’s award goes to Giant Labor Solutions. The Kentucky based staffing company ran a massive racketeering scheme that took advantage of immigrants attempting to work legally in this country. Shame on Giant Labor for their despicable behavior. So, for that reason, despite fierce competition over the past few days, this week’s Really Bad Boss Tool of the Week Award goes to Giant Labor Solutions.

Sanford with pigs

Mark, please do us all a favor and sit down and shut up. Yes you, King David comparing, only cheated with your soul mate claiming, AWOL going, Mark Sanford. 

Now Sanford is admitting to having other affairs, claiming that those relationships didn’t go as far as the one with his Argentinian soul mate Maria.  And, by ”as far as” ,we don’t think he means geographically.  Look, I’m no saint. I’ve been caught lying once or a couple dozen times before, but the minute the gig was up, it was up.  I came completely clean.  What is it with politicians that demands they release the truth drop by drop over a period of weeks, sometimes months? Here we were giving Sanford props for his weepy, well tanned and informative apology last week.  And now we find that our half praises were about half too much.  Well Sanford, all that’s left for us to say is please, just sit down and shut up.

Governor Mark Sanford weeps during his press conference

South Carolina governor Mark Sanford continues to earn his spot in the Really Bad Boss archives by persisting with his droopy eyed, tear stained admissions of guilt. He’s recently upped the ante by playing the biblical character card. Sanford pulled out all stops by comparing himself to King David. Yes, that King David.  And, while King David and governor Sanford are both men who committed adultery, that’s where the similarities end.  While I guess I understand what he was trying to accomplish by making the comparison, the whole premise ends up sounding more ridiculous than sympathetic.

As much as we frown on infidelity at Really Bad Boss, we’ve believed from the beginning that the infidelity wasn’t the most shocking portion of Sanford’s admission. It was his disappearing act.  If anyone of us had simply disappeared from our jobs for five days, we would have been fired. No questions, no excuses.  Why should Mark Sanford get special treatment because he’s a governor? We think that it’s precisely because he’s governor that his M.I.A act should be considered a serious breach of his constituents’ trust.  And now, in the face of objections to him remaining in office, Sanford brings King David into the matter. 

If Sanford is a fan of reading the Bible, let’s see if he remembers Luke 12:48, which says in part “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” We’re asking Sanford to tell his story walking…right out of office.

• Frustrated employee seeks good boss for a change - We had to run our classified ad again. We got no takers the first time around.
• Reading, Writing and Rip-offs - How to get paid $70k a year to do yoga – NYC teachers aren’t allowed to teach but get paid full salaries to sit around all day…and year.
• Don’t cry for me Argentina - Sanford gets three mentions this week, including the Really Bad Boss Tool of the Week Award. Lying, cheating, disappearing governor still wants to keep his job.