A New Dawn for Connecticut Republicans

A New Dawn for the CTGOP!

The King and his Army send formal congratulations to our new Connecticut Republican Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr. You are hereby knighted Sir Jerry, and are to be given a large white horse to ride, and parcel of land within the second tier fortress. You are further to be granted unlimited access to the Knight's Armory where the finest swords are fashioned, and to the Grismill where the finest Ale in The King's Realm is made. Hurrah for Sir Jerry! For he is a Noble Lord!

Today is a great day for the Republican Party in Connecticut, and more so for the Connecticut conservative movement. The last legislative session, hijacked by a liberal Democrat agenda, saw little to no resistance from our Republican elected officials. In fact, the case could be made that the so-called moderate leaders within the Republican Party sold us out in thought, word, and deed. A boastful Len Cafero, awarded by our previous Chairman, doesn't do "God, Guns, and Gays" - he does very little for our cause, but strike deals with the enemy, surrendering the moral high ground without firing a shot, and then declaring that it could have been worse. Under Jerry Labriola, Jr. - we expect that those days are over.

Democrats have watched our Chairman's election with strained eyes - watching every move and gesture with keen interest. In some ways, we owe them a debt of gratitude for jumping on our Dump Aniskovich bandwagon so early. If they were actually smart over there, they would have quietly cheered on Bill Aniskovich and waited until after he was elected to send out their dispatches of condemnation. Leave it to Nancy DiNardo to run her mouth at the wrong time; we are counting on her to continue as we start the next phase of our Take Back Connecticut Campaign.

Back to a little more inside baseball.

We have to admit that yesterday's quick conclusion to the Chairman's ballot was a bit of a surprise. Surely, the fact that Catherine Marx was unable to form a coalition between herself and other candidates proved to be the final blow to her designs on the Chairmanship. Strangely, the sudden late push by Jim Campbell of Greenwich, backed by Rick Torres of Bridgeport revealed the thickness of smoke and confusion on the battlefield. Jim Campbell was running around telling people he had as many as 40 votes. Most politicos know that people who run around bragging about what they have, likely have nothing. Candidates who actually have the numbers - say nothing. They do not try to bluff their way to victory, as in the case of Mr. Campbell (and Linda McMahon).

Well, now it's Sir Jerry's turn. And frankly speaking there is a heck of lot of work to be done.

First internally there is the work of the mending of the souls. Only a fool would claim that Jerry's win was a landslide. Jerry earned 43 or so votes to Catherine Marx's reported 25. Marx's votes were mostly geographical in nature - the usual first district stalwarts garnered by the usual suspects - Moccabee, Turner, etc. What this means is that the CTGOP is pretty much split down the middle as Labriola takes the helm.

How we as a Party respond to this division and work to come together in unison (or not) is going to be extremely important to the potential for progress that we can make as a political force. Face it - Jerry Labriola, Jr. will need help in every district, and from every Republican Chairman, coordinator, and individual in the land. It will be a true to test of character to see who stands up to be counted on to help our new Chairman be successful. Continued infighting, and posturing, or the making of demands by certain groups will only help and aid the enemy. Republicans now have a unique opportunity to form a powerful and productive force against Dan Malloy, Nancy Dinardo, and Legislative Democrats; and to formulate a strategy to purge the Democrat cancer that is plaguing Connecticut Taxpayers and Businesses.

Or we can chose the nasty path. We can sulk, whine, create disunity, and destroy each other through name calling and employing the usual sabotage tactics to help ensure that Democrats stay in power forever. The choice lies with the Catherine Marx's, the Art Moccabees, the Tom Foleys, and all those who live in the first district who are crying in their Cheerios this morning. Take a few days to reflect on what has come to pass, and then for the sake of the Taxpayers (if not the Party) come together to focus on turning Connecticut - red.

Also, I should recognize and congratulate our new Vice Chair Themis Klarides.  The King will be carefully watching Rep. Klarides with great interest.  Many suspect her inclusion as a ploy to help steer State Central on behalf of her moderate collegues in the Legislature.  Time will tell what Ms. Klarides' agenda really is. We note that she voted against Repeal of the Death Penalty, and against the Paid Sick Leave Bill, but unfortunately in favor of Same Sex Marriage, and Decriminalizing Marijuna.  So the record is mixed, and it will be interesting to see what influence she'll have on the CTGOP's public platform.

The King also congratulates new State Secretary Art Scialabba, and Gary Schaffrick as our new State Treasurer.  Both will do a fine job in their respective roles.

A week or so from now, I'm planning to publish a piece called "Winners and Losers". But before I do this, I want to give people ample time to cool down and reflect on what has just transpired. Whether one is a good loser or a sore loser will depend on how they conduct themselves over the next few weeks.

As witnessed, several of last night's losers stormed out of the building after hearing ballot totals read. That human reaction is both painful and emotional, I know. In politics, losing stinks. And there isn't any other way to look at it. Which is why campaigning on any scale is not for the weak of heart or soft of skin. When you lose its as if your the total sum of your being has been rejected. You feel a deep pit in your stomach, and you see yourself as cast off -- alone; it's as though you are staring out from a dark, narrow tunnel. Being rejected by your peers (in this case those sitting right next to you) is about as bad a feeling as it gets emotionally. 

Now it's time for Jerry Labriola to select his team. He should do this of his own accord and without a thousand motley fools whispering in his ear. I urge him to take his time and chose wisely. Talent and loyalty are the best characteristics that he can find in an individual charged with the important tasks set before us. I hope he examines every aspect of the individuals who will apply for key positions. All to often there are geniuses at the top setting direction which are in turn stifled by morons selected for the execution of plans at the next tier. And remember, there is no advantage to employing a loyal, but incompetent person in any role. They cost more than they are worth!

Pray Jerry's team is a competent and capable one. We are all counting on a successful two years.

At this point, it's important to recognize one of the architects of this little revolution - Mr. Joseph Visconti.  Regardless of what you hear, and the revisionist history that will take place when we are all white-haired dinosaurs sitting around the retirement home parlor, it was Mr. Visconti who played a key role in recruiting Jerry Labriola, Jr.  To his credit, Visconti has asked for nothing in return.  Say what you want about Joe, but he is a tireless arbiter of the Conservative Momement in Connecticut, and an unsung hero of the Republican cause (and he's going to kill me for putting this in here).  You will never meet a more selfless activist than Joe.  And those who have taken the time to get to know Joe, know this well.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the happiness many of us share about seeing Bill Jenkins out of the Secretary's position. The lowest of the low has been knocked off his perch - destined to return to cigar blogs where - I guess - he has the most credibility. Although he only lost by a slim margin, it shows that there is still a majority of State Central Members that find using such vulgar language against women unacceptable for any leader of our Party. I'm glad we were able to settle this internally without the media using Jenkins as a tool to aid Democrats. Jenkins thought he was a mercenary, but in fact his entire contribution was akin to an Islamic suicide bomber detonating himself in an empty warehouse.  Good Riddance!

I AM

THE KING

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