If, by any chance, you’re still wondering why the Tea Party formed, or voter turnout is pathetic, or young people are camped out in cities protesting all kinds of things, look no further than what’s playing out in federal court in the Ulysses Currie trial.
Currie is accused of illegally lining his pocket by going on the payroll of a grocery chain and using his influence to get the chain favorable treatment from the state.
He has chosen to employ what experts call the “idiot defense.” It essentially asks jurors to believe there’s no way Currie could have carried out a criminal scheme because he’s just not smart enough.
“No one would call him smart”, former Maryland Delegate Tim Maloney testified. Maloney went on to characterize Currie as unable to remember things well, produce coherent work, and adequately communicate.
If Currie was just another defendant, such a strategy would be fine. He’s not. During his now admitted lack of smartness, Currie was Chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, one of the most powerful positions in the state that demands leadership on complex matters of tax and fiscal policy.
If Currie’s lack of ability was obvious to other legislators, how did he ever get named to the job by Senate leaders?
Whether Currie is guilty of a crime remains to be seen. But, if the sworn testimony of defense witnesses is to be believed, the public already has one more reason to be disgusted by our state of political leadership.
