The K-Street Whore debacle
People are upset at a comment that Alan Grayson (who lately has been badass at his criticism of the GOP "die quickly" health plan) made a comment a few months back that has been dug up.
He called a woman who had been recently hired to be a lobbyiest for the federal reserve a "K Street whore." Now women are all upset about it because of the connatations that the word has had to women.
But considering who this woman is...I think the definition might be fitting. This woman, Robertson, was the head of the lobbying arm of Enron.
Some are wondering if the blacklash is not due to her being a woman being called a whore but because of what it means to label lobbiests as whores.
Perhaps he should have used a different word since 'whore' has that special connatation of hurt associated with it towards women. But the defintion he was using was correct.
As per TheFreeDictionary.com
whore (hôr, hr)
n.
1. A prostitute.
2. A person considered sexually promiscuous.
3. A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.
intr.v. whored, whor·ing, whores
1. To associate or have sexual relations with prostitutes or a prostitute.
2. To accept payment in exchange for sexual relations.
3. To compromise one's principles for personal gain.
lob·by (lb)
n. pl. lob·bies
1. A hall, foyer, or waiting room at or near the entrance to a building, such as a hotel or theater.
2. A public room next to the assembly chamber of a legislative body.
3. A group of persons engaged in trying to influence legislators or other public officials in favor of a specific cause: the banking lobby; the labor lobby.
v. lob·bied, lob·by·ing, lob·bies
v.intr.
To try to influence the thinking of legislators or other public officials for or against a specific cause: lobbying for stronger environmental safeguards; lobbied against the proliferation of nuclear arms.
v.tr.
1. To try to influence public officials on behalf of or against (proposed legislation, for example): lobbied the bill through Congress; lobbied the bill to a negative vote.
2. To try to influence (an official) to take a desired action.
pan·der·er (pndr-r)
n.
1. A sexual procurer.
2. One who caters to or exploits the lower tastes and desires of others.
se·duce (s-ds, -dys)
tr.v. se·duced, se·duc·ing, se·duc·es
1. To lead away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct. See Synonyms at lure.
2. To induce to engage in sex.
3.
a. To entice or beguile into a desired state or position.
b. To win over; attract.
sell·out (slout)
n.
1. The act of selling out.
2. An event for which all the tickets are sold.
3. Slang One who has betrayed one's principles or an espoused cause.
per·fi·dy (pûrf-d)
n. pl. per·fi·dies
1. Deliberate breach of faith; calculated violation of trust; treachery: "the fink, whose perfidy was equaled only by his gall" (Gilbert Millstein).
2. The act or an instance of treachery.
knav·er·y (nv-r)
n. pl. knav·er·ies
1. Dishonest or crafty dealing.
2. An instance of trickery or mischief.
char·la·tan (shärl-tn)
n.
A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud.
der·e·lic·tion (dr-lkshn)
n.
1. Willful neglect, as of duty or principle.
2.
a. The act of abandoning; abandonment.
b. A state of abandonment or neglect.
3. Law
a. A gaining of land by the permanent recession of the water line.
b. The land so gained.
mis·fea·sance (ms-fzns)
n.
Improper and unlawful execution of an act that in itself is lawful and proper.
shill (shl) Slang
n.
One who poses as a satisfied customer or an enthusiastic gambler to dupe bystanders into participating in a swindle.
v. shilled, shill·ing, shills
v.intr.
To act as a shill.
v.tr.
1. To act as a shill for (a deceitful enterprise).
2. To lure (a person) into a swindle.
On the other hand...she may not be the whore but the madam of the house since she is the one not compromising her morals but inticing, inducing, persuading, lobbying others to do so. So it's the people who she's hired to seduce, the congressmen/women etc, who are the whores not her, right? She's just a shill selling her wares knowing what bad apples they are.
He called a woman who had been recently hired to be a lobbyiest for the federal reserve a "K Street whore." Now women are all upset about it because of the connatations that the word has had to women.
But considering who this woman is...I think the definition might be fitting. This woman, Robertson, was the head of the lobbying arm of Enron.
Some are wondering if the blacklash is not due to her being a woman being called a whore but because of what it means to label lobbiests as whores.
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) took Grayson's remark quite personally-- and for good reason. Shrieking that Grayson "is out of control"-- one of the reasons why so many Americans love him-- she didn't mention that she sits on the Committee on Natural Resources (and it's subcommittee on water and power) and has solicited immense sums of money (thinly veiled bribes) from forest products companies, oil and gas companies, and electric utilities and, coincidentally, I'm sure, always votes in their interests and against the public interest. And if people start calling lobbyists like Linda Robertson whores, how long before they start realizing that the Honorable Congresswoman from Spokane is also a whore-- as are almost all of her colleagues.
Perhaps he should have used a different word since 'whore' has that special connatation of hurt associated with it towards women. But the defintion he was using was correct.
As per TheFreeDictionary.com
whore (hôr, hr)
n.
1. A prostitute.
2. A person considered sexually promiscuous.
3. A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.
intr.v. whored, whor·ing, whores
1. To associate or have sexual relations with prostitutes or a prostitute.
2. To accept payment in exchange for sexual relations.
3. To compromise one's principles for personal gain.
lob·by (lb)
n. pl. lob·bies
1. A hall, foyer, or waiting room at or near the entrance to a building, such as a hotel or theater.
2. A public room next to the assembly chamber of a legislative body.
3. A group of persons engaged in trying to influence legislators or other public officials in favor of a specific cause: the banking lobby; the labor lobby.
v. lob·bied, lob·by·ing, lob·bies
v.intr.
To try to influence the thinking of legislators or other public officials for or against a specific cause: lobbying for stronger environmental safeguards; lobbied against the proliferation of nuclear arms.
v.tr.
1. To try to influence public officials on behalf of or against (proposed legislation, for example): lobbied the bill through Congress; lobbied the bill to a negative vote.
2. To try to influence (an official) to take a desired action.
pan·der·er (pndr-r)
n.
1. A sexual procurer.
2. One who caters to or exploits the lower tastes and desires of others.
se·duce (s-ds, -dys)
tr.v. se·duced, se·duc·ing, se·duc·es
1. To lead away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct. See Synonyms at lure.
2. To induce to engage in sex.
3.
a. To entice or beguile into a desired state or position.
b. To win over; attract.
sell·out (slout)
n.
1. The act of selling out.
2. An event for which all the tickets are sold.
3. Slang One who has betrayed one's principles or an espoused cause.
per·fi·dy (pûrf-d)
n. pl. per·fi·dies
1. Deliberate breach of faith; calculated violation of trust; treachery: "the fink, whose perfidy was equaled only by his gall" (Gilbert Millstein).
2. The act or an instance of treachery.
knav·er·y (nv-r)
n. pl. knav·er·ies
1. Dishonest or crafty dealing.
2. An instance of trickery or mischief.
char·la·tan (shärl-tn)
n.
A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud.
der·e·lic·tion (dr-lkshn)
n.
1. Willful neglect, as of duty or principle.
2.
a. The act of abandoning; abandonment.
b. A state of abandonment or neglect.
3. Law
a. A gaining of land by the permanent recession of the water line.
b. The land so gained.
mis·fea·sance (ms-fzns)
n.
Improper and unlawful execution of an act that in itself is lawful and proper.
shill (shl) Slang
n.
One who poses as a satisfied customer or an enthusiastic gambler to dupe bystanders into participating in a swindle.
v. shilled, shill·ing, shills
v.intr.
To act as a shill.
v.tr.
1. To act as a shill for (a deceitful enterprise).
2. To lure (a person) into a swindle.
On the other hand...she may not be the whore but the madam of the house since she is the one not compromising her morals but inticing, inducing, persuading, lobbying others to do so. So it's the people who she's hired to seduce, the congressmen/women etc, who are the whores not her, right? She's just a shill selling her wares knowing what bad apples they are.
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