You almost have to feel sorry for the guy. Almost.

Andrei Nastase, the European Union’s golden child, is now out of a job after losing the Chisinau mayoral race twice.

Briefly the head of the Interior Ministry, he lost that job as well when his partner in craziness, Maia Sandu, was brought down by her own coalition in Parliament after she decided that she alone would choose all of the top judges and prosecutors in the Republic of Moldova, something the European Union and the United States completely supported as “democratic”, by the way.

So what did Andrei Nastase do after losing all of his big political jobs? Did he return to Vienna, Austria to be with his wife and kids? Of course not!

He decided to hang around where he’s not wanted. That’s why this is so hilarious.

My translation:

“No council ruling can force me to abandon God!”

That was Andrei Nastase’s reaction after the Council to Eliminate Discrimination and Assure Equality issued a ruling that Nastase must give a public apology for having installed a crucifix in the Interior Ministry’s headquarters.

I knew he was crazy, but check out this gigantic crucifix that he used taxpayer money to buy and then mount on the wall at his old job:

Yes, the majority of people in Moldova are Orthodox Christian, but I’ve never seen a crucifix like that in a public building.

Back to Nastase:

The Republic of Moldova continues to suffer, and the country finds itself navigating an extremely difficult path towards an authentic and modern democracy.

The crucifix that was mounted in the Interior Ministry headquarters is part of a set of symbols that can support Moldova on its path to becoming a free, democratic, and European country.

Say what?

First of all, Moldova has been a European country for several million years and will continue to be in Europe for several million more, so that’s utter nonsense.

Secondly, keep in mind that the Council to Eliminate Discrimination and Assure Equality is a democratic institution designed to ensure equal access for all citizens of Moldova, not just the ones who think giant crucifixes make great wall decorations.

“All of my public statements and all of my actions are what defines me as a person, a responsible person as well as a political person. That council cannot force me to abandon God!,” said the former Interior Minister.

Quite literally no one has asked him to “abandon God” or his religion. But, of course, he knew that.

Lynch-pin

But this is my favorite part of Nastase’s reaction to the council ruling:

“That decision [by the council] wasn’t really about the crucifix but about Andrei Nastase. It’s part of a well-established plan to both force me to compromise [my views] as well as pillory me in the press.

I think it’s almost a law that anyone who speaks about themselves in the third person is a genuine idiot.

In English, it’s almost impossible to truly translate “linșaj mediatic” (which I translated as “pilloried by the press”) because it’s such a powerful term. It comes from the French “lynchage,” which English speakers will recognize by its more American form – a lynching.

So what Nastase is saying is that, once again, the media is “lynching” him or “executing” him without trial.

And he is really, really, really fond of using this term:

April 22, 2016 – Nastase complains about how the press is lynching him.
October 5, 2017 – The press is lynching him again.
April 18, 2018 – The press is lynching him once again.
May 8, 2018 – Nastase writes an open letter about how the press is lynching him.
July 31, 2018 – The press is lynching him some more.
January 23, 2019 – Nastase complains that social media posts on Facebook are lynching him.
February 5, 2019 – Nastase says that the media lynching him is now a daily occurrence.
December 13, 2019 – Nastase complains about how the press is lynching him yet again.

I am not the only one to have noticed that Nastase overuses this term. Andrian Candu, a man I despise (but respect for his intelligence), said the same thing:

Nastase and Sandu seem to have confused “media lynchings” with free speech.

Exactly.

You Get What You Pay For

Normally, I wouldn’t give a crap about yet another moronic politician, especially one as stupid and unlikeable as Andrei Nastase.

But you have to remember just how much this guy was lauded by the European Union, the United States, the Romanian government, and an entire galaxy of Western journalists.

I had to write not one but two extremely long articles after Nastase lost the Chisinau mayoral race in 2018 and the entire Western World decided to treat Nastase like he was some kind of Nelson Mandela, a “victim” of an evil government that secretly “controlled all the courts”.

Keep in mind that this was all over a special election for a one-year temporary appointment and that Nastase admits that he broke the law by campaigning on election day. Yet when the courts overturned his victory, everybody west of the Prut River went batshit insane and acted like Moldova was returning to the Dark Ages.

That really was surreal for me to see, especially considering that Nastase has always been dumb as a brick and a thieving oligarch to boot. His godfathers (close family friends) are two obscenely rich oligarchs who control several TV stations and newspapers in Moldova.

And what did they do when Nastase lost in 2018?

From here. My translation:

The magistrates of the Chisinau judiciary, downtown division, condemned the “media lynching” conducted against their members by the Nastase-affiliated media.

I guess it takes a media “lyncher” to know one, eh?