Wisconsin: Does Barry Alvarez, Bret Bielema, Scott Walker Take Responsibility For Anything?

This morning the front page of the Wisconsin State Journal made me wonder who among the powerful in this state think they have a duty to step up and accept responsibility for the things that go wrong?   Who among those who want to be viewed as leaders in this state actually demonstrate leadership?  How many of those who make headlines every week from their perches of power ever accept responsibility for the mistakes or even crimes that take place in the offices and environs in which they work?

Kind of heavy questions for a Saturday?  True enough.

But ones that deserve some pondering in light of the news from this week.

The front page of the WSJ had the banner tease of University of Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez claiming “I didn’t know” in relation to the John Chadima mess. 

The report which was released this week detailed how Chadima allegedly supplied alcohol to underage students, using funds for the alcohol from donations to the athletic department.  Then when drunk Chadima made unwanted sexual advances toward a male student employee, and then to top it off threatened to have the student employee fired after being turned down.

The report indicated Alvarez and deputy athletic director Sean Frazier were aware of the specific party that led to the alleged incidents. Alvarez reiterated that was not the case, just as he did in a statement he released earlier in the week.

“I didn’t know this particular party was going on,” Alvarez said. “As a matter of fact, John was supposed to be at dinner with me that night. (Chadima) canceled out just beforehand. I didn’t know anything about this party.”

For someone who is supposed to have a handle on the UW sports department, and knows very well the antics that takes place during a Rose Bowl weekend in California there is a hollowness to the prattle from Alverez over what he did or did not know. 

Last evening on the local news it was reported by WKOW-TV that head football coach Bret Bielema’s heavy January travel schedule prevented him from granting an interview to the special panel as it reviewed the Chadima mess.

Really?

I strongly suspect that if the rank and file citizen of this state was wanted for questioning in a probe of this nature there would be no room for evasion.   I bet every drop of water in Lake Monona that we would have our backsides in a chair answering as many questions as was required. 

But Bielema got a pass on answering any touchy questions as “He had a job to do,” Associate Athletics Director Justin Doherty told 27 News. “According to his secretary, he was simply not able to be able to find a time that worked for all of us,” Fiedler said.

What a snake-like approach to one of the biggest messes in memory when it comes to UW athletics.  Apparently this ‘most important’ cog in the wheel to the UW got away without answering anyone.

Finally there was the lead story in the paper this morning about Governor Walker’s dismissal that anything political was going on during work hours when he was Milwaukee County Executive.   This week two more former employees were charged with doing political work on the taxpayer’s time.

Russell, who has already been charged in the John Doe, set up the secret (internet and email) system and kept it hidden from county rank and file workers, according to one of the criminal complaints. Rindfleisch, who succeeded him as deputy chief of staff, was a frequent user of the system, which was housed in her office down the hall from Walker’s office, prosecutors said.

“It is just not believable that this all happened 25 feet away from his office and he didn’t know about it,” Zielinski said.

When asked Friday about the computer system and proximity of staff, Walker cited the ongoing investigation and his campaign’s cooperation, adding that he was “really not in a position to comment in much more detail.”

No one needs to be reminded that even if there was no reason Walker could not speak, there is no way he would take responsibility for the actions that were taking place in his office.  No chance in hell.

More than once I have thought about President Jeb Bartlett on NBC’s drama ‘West Wing’ while reading the morning newspaper. When he offered to be censured by Congress for less than candid answers about his health and MS condition, he told his White House Chief Of Staff that no one takes the blame for anything anymore. Therefore no one is ever held responsible for anything that goes wrong. As such he stepped up to the front of the line and endured the political punches by doing the right thing on the award-winning TV drama.

If only real life at times mimicked television. More often than not when there are serious lapses in judgment in government and sports much finger pointing and commission creating takes place, but little in true accountability ever surfaces. We learn of the mistakes but rarely hear, as Bartlett said, anyone taking any self-blame.