Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Rep. Aaron Schock Resignation Statement

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) announced Tuesday that he's resigning from Congress, after weeks of headlines about spending from his taxpayer-funded account for official expenses.
"Today, I am announcing my resignation as a Member of the United States House of Representatives effective March 31st. 
I do this with a heavy heart. Serving the people of the 18th District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my life. I thank them for their faith in electing me and letting me represent their interests in Washington. I have given them my all over the last six years. I have traveled to all corners of the District to meet with the people I’ve been fortunate to be able to call my friends and neighbors.
But the constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficultfor me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself. 
I have always sought to do what’s best for my constituents and I thank them for the opportunity to serve."
Here is the statement with analysis: 
Today, I am announcing my resignation as a Member of the United States House of Representatives effective March 31st. 
Where one begins a statement is always important, and sometimes the reason for the statement itself.  He begins with the resignation and uses the pronoun "I" early on.  
I do this with a heavy heart. Serving the people of the 18th District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my life. I thank them for their faith in electing me and letting me represent their interests in Washington.
Strong pronoun use regarding:
"I" begins statement with "heavy heart"
but "serving" has the pronoun towards the end.  "Serving" does not have the same structure.  
Thanking them returns to the pronoun start.  

 I have given them my all over the last six years. I have traveled to all corners of the District to meet with the people I’ve been fortunate to be able to call my friends and neighbors.
Two topics here: him "giving" and him "traveling", which is interesting in light of the allegations that he was "taking" rather than giving, and that he billed tax payers for many thousands of miles on his personal car that the odometer did not register.  The "taking" had to do with renovating his office a la Downton Abbey.  
But the constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficultfor me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself. 
"But" refutes or minimizes that which preceded it.  
I have always sought to do what’s best for my constituents and I thank them for the opportunity to serve."
This is key to the analysis:  he has "always sought" is not to say "I have always done what's best for my constituents" rather the deceptive wish to be interpreted as having done, what was only intended. 
It would be interesting to learn who was paid for the excesses and who landed the contracts for the excesses:  locals, or his "constituents."

1 comment:

Sus said...

Thank you, Peter. I am (was...yippee) a constituent of Aaron Schrock...from a redustricted portion. I knew it didn't bode well for the future with that move. And from pics of Schrock in Miami at the Republican Convention. Those are not on his Instagram. :-)