First and foremost, I wish a Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours, Dear Reader. I ask that you kindly indulge me for a moment on this whole Bill Cosby thing. This being the "turkiest" week of the year, it seems appropriate whilst discussing the two Bill's -- one of them with the honorary doctorate and the other the dishonored president.
I'm of an age (a man chuffed to still be in his 40's) where I have friends and acquaintances in their 70s and 80s. Even as a boy I enjoyed carrying on conversations about finance and theology and screenwriting with those several decades my senior. Their book recommendations meant the world to me, and often they would inscribe a tome or two to yours truly with an admonition about my future in some field or other. Man did I admire these men and women, and over the years have warmly welcomed their mentorship and advice and criticism, and today appreciate them as living exemplars of how one gracefully transitions into one's dotage from an active career in academia, theology, law and entertainment.
One such individual was my friend, Mac (not his real name), who "came up" (his words) with Bill Cosby and several other famous and successful black entertainers who all made their way westward from the East Coast and Chicago out to the land of easy money, aka, Los Angeles. (I don't mention the others as not to tarnish the group.) It wasn't quite William Faulkner easy Hollywood money, but talent will out, Dear Reader, and talent did see them all rise to the top of their respective fields of television, voice-over, writing, film and even sport.
My pal (intro'd by my ex's mother -- they worked together) was a voice talent and actor, you know the kind who does "In a world ..." for our favorite movie trailers, etc., he of the baritone voice range, with dozens of years doing emcee/voice over work for the most prestigious Hollywood award shows. He was also a regular on several television shows, and was able to create a marvelous career after a fine jazz radio DJ career in Chicago. Mac asked me to play golf with him semi-regular, and we'd always lunch at the club after our round.
Quick admission, because I'm nothing if not transparent: I sort of lost my playing privileges with my pal after an afternoon of playing rather badly and losing my cool. I blew off some steam in a rather vocal fashion, and may have even tossed a golf club (okay, maybe two) with vigorous aplomb (I'm nothing if not vigorous). Peter Falk, the most famous one-eyed actor in the history of Hollywood, was routinely in the twosome in front of our foursome over the years that Mac graciously extended invitations for me (and occasionally my brothers) to join him at "the Riv" (Riviera Country Club) in the Pacific Palisades. And every once in a while, on that bad day of bad days, Peter would turn and give me the ole stink-eye with his good eye. When you get the stink-eye from a one-eyed acting legend, it's really noticeable because to make sure he's got you in his sights, he had to crank around the ole noggin with that still-great-head-of-hair to give me the good once-over. Damn, that Falkian glare! I knew that my acting the fool would some day get me once'd-over but good. Yes, on that day I was that guy, and am still embarrassed by it. We live and learn, am I right or am I right?
Then a story or two were fleshed out and exposed (double entendre doubly intended), with a couple of the men relating to us how ole Bill C. (you know the one I mean) had a penchant for maltreating women, especially young, blonde women, who were called upon to fellate him behind his desk whilst he entertained friends on the other side of said desk, plying them with the usual accouterments of fine scotch, cigars, and pink party hats. Okay, I'm not sure about the hats, but their detailed discussion of the fellatio and other stories were more than matched by similar sounding offerings in the news the last few weeks. What were once unctuous whisperings about the Coz's sexual proclivities are now full-throated news headlines of rape.
There was a man who worked for Bill Cosby for many years at NBC Universal whose job included paying off these women by the handful, with monthly hush money payments. Bill Clinton had a similar sounding team of men and women whose job it was manage the "bimbo erruptions," i.e., to perform character assassination on any of the many women who dared to come forward when Bill Clinton's shenanigans would come to the light of day.
Bill Clinton, aka, President Interbush (thanks Alec Baldwin!) No. 42, could frisk a woman up and down as good as any undercover officer working a crowd to ensure that no n'er-do-wells were carrying any concealed weapons. Bill Clinton was checking for concealed weapons all right, on seemingly any woman he met. And sometimes when he was comfortable or bold enough, it was his own weapon that was no longer concealed.
Two very attractive women, friends of mine from law school were both groped by Bill Clinton. One, Ms. A, was propositioned whilst in DC out on her morning run, where the President's team approached her and asked if she wouldn't mind chatting with ole Bill. She declined, but eventually they chatted briefly on both of their supposed morning runs! In a rare moment of chivalry, rather than press Ms. A himself, he had his chief pimp (hard to believe this was secret service) detail ask her for her phone number so that they could contact her subsequently for "lunch."
The second friend from law school accompanied a Senator's son from California to a wedding at the White House. In the receiving line, Bill gave Ms. H. the full body search with his aw schucks, "Nice to meet ya, Ms. H." (cops a feel on shoulder.) "What part of California are ya'll from?" (slides hand down to feel curvature of the Ms. H's derriere.) "I look forward to seeing you inside after the ceremony!" (looks longingly into her eyes whilst double clasping a handshake.)
So, what's the difference between these two Bills? Apparently very little in their private lives and behaviors. What's different is perhaps how the media are treating them. Bill Clinton suborned perjury, lied to a grand jury, and was eventually disbarred and impeached. But, worst to my way of thinking, was that he was a serial abuser of women, not to mention how they were then impugned, besmirched, and called "trailer trash" by James Carville and other men and women who worked for Clinton #42. The media, like they did under JFK, looked the other way. Ben Bradlee knew of the women during JFK's time, as did many of the other "good ole boys" in the Beltway media. Pigs all, then and now.
If you took the transcripts on today's news shows, and swapped out the name "Cosby" for "Clinton" you'd have the headlines as they should have been 20 years ago and should be today. Rape allegations that were presented against Bill Clinton are still swept under the ole Sam Donaldson rug, er, toupee. If today's animated media chasing after Cosby put the same effort into the same number of women with allegations against Clinton, then we'd have some sort of justice. The Clinton women were overwhelmingly ignored by the feminists, to their own shame and discredit.
I hope the "Bill's C" both get their day to face in the cold light of day the women they abused, and I hope the media are called to account for their complicit and scandalous participation.
