Politico labor reporter Mike Elk continues to set new records in the annals of extreme lethargy. Not only has he written a pathetic total of only five stories since he came on board at Politico in the middle of October, he can't even be bothered to write or even contribute to currently breaking important labor stories.
Yesterday Politico published a story about the Secretary of Labor in the wake of the settlement of a big labor dispute that caused a slowdown in container freight traffic on the West Coast for several months. Where was Mike? Gone. Not only did he not write up that story, he couldn't even be bothered to contribute to it. And now another labor story about the largest oil refinery strike in 30 years. So where is Mike? Gone again. What caused the Boy Wobbly, who attempted to organize his fellow Politico workers into a union a few minutes after coming aboard, to go MIA? If I told you the reason you wouldn't believe me so allow your humble correspondent to quote the Daily Caller:
...But sources close to Elk say something else may be keeping him away from the office — his PTSD.
...John Paul Wright, agreed to speak to The Mirror about his friendship with Elk and what he has observed in him since Politico hired him last September.
Wright, a union organizer for Railroad Workers United, is certainly a sympathetic voice for Elk. He’s known him for six years. He also knows Elk’s father, a well-known labor activist. He makes no bones about his concern for Elk.
...Another weighing factor here: father issues.
“Mike’s father is a very, very, very respected in the United Electrical Worker’s Union,” said Wright.
He said Elk’s mission to unionize Politico is part of his struggle to “be a man” and separate himself from growing up under the shadows of his father.
“I know his father and I know his father is very worried about this,” he said. “His father is a very respected and seasoned organizer. Mike is a bull just like his father was. Now he’s trying to make his way into his own field. Mike’s father is scared for him. He’s got a lot of friends who are watching out for him. If he goes off the deep end, there are a lot of people there for him.”
DAH-DA! DAH-DA! I wuuuv you but the stress of living up to your reputation that few even know about is making me suffer debilitating PTSD!
So I checked on who Elk's father is and he turns out to be one Gene Elk, a spokesman for the Electrical Workers Union. Hardly a towering Jimmy Hoffa. Probably not one in ten thousand people ever heard of that guy yet living up to his relatively obscure reputation is causing poor Mikey to shrivel up into fetal position to avoid work. Oh, and any Iraq or Afghanistan vets must be laughing at the cause of his supposed PTSD.
Exit question: How many of the Politico reporters will follow a phony PTSD crybaby with weird daddy issues to the barricades in a struggle to organize a union shop? DAH-DA!!!
