Connecticut Republican Party: The Epitome of Dysfunction

If press reports are accurate, the CTGOP
could set a new fashion style in 2014
before this is over

Well, you knew this was coming, didn't you?

Before we begin, let's get one thing straight - for years now, and in these very pages, The King has warned the Connecticut Republican Party of it's endless flirtation with calamity and corruption.  If the last two months of full mainstream press exposure hasn't convinced readers that there's a cancer crippling our Party than nothing else will.

Even liberals agree that Governor Dan Malloy and the Democrat-owned legislature have done an exceedingly poor job of handling our economy.  For years, Democrats have successfully chased businesses and jobs away through regulation and tax increases, raised spending to record levels, and turned Connecticut into little more than a social experiment laboratory - pushing the envelope every session to the point where social norms are nearly unrecognizable to the average Nutmegger (legalizing transgender bathrooms, ending the death penalty for murderers, forcing Common Core standards on children, and eroding first and second amendment rights; even Republicans admit that last month's marginal victory over liberals on assisted suicide may be only a temporary victory - as the devil reassesses and regroups, and plots and waits for the next round).

But believe it or not, the problem - or more specifically our problem - isn't with the Democrats. They're going to be what they've always been  - liberal, intrusive, and progressive to the point of madness. And it's not like they have anyone standing in their way to challenge them, or point out their flaws.

If Jerry Labriola were a UConn basketball
player, he'd be "self-checked"

The problem lies with the CTGOP which over the last 10 years has become the epitome of dysfunction. Our current chairman - Jerry Labriola, Jr. hasn't the foggiest idea of what he's doing - anywhere or at any time. Instead of rallying troops from the front like a leader, he's relegated himself to a whispering ghost who nobody actually sees or hears; many of our own candidates can't even pick him out of a crowd (I've actually witnessed this first-hand).

Labriola rarely does television appearances (like he should), and you can count the number of press releases that he's produced over the course of his chairmanship on one, maybe two hands. Jerry is persona-non-grata so much so that Democrat opposition leader Nancy DiNardo has been able to go on vacation mode since Labriola's took office. Aside from a few canned paragraphs he might issue from time to time, she never worries about pressure from a guy who'd much rather spend his evenings in a smoky hotel lounge at his keyboard pretending he's Stevie Wonder.

Oh, he'll tell you he does a lot behind the scenes - but that's the role of the Treasurer, or Secretary, or the Party Twitterina - and not the role of the Party Chairman.  And he does get it, folks.  It's just that he just doesn't want to do the real work.  And you can see that a minimalist effort reaps minimalist results.

I think the final straw came for The King this week when he described recently indicted villains Lisa and Brian Foley as "good friends" who'm he hopes can put this "unfortunate episode" behind them.  Unfortunate episode? Behind them? Really? He certainly wasn't good friends when he was a willing accomplice to help push Andrew Roraback over the line to defeat Lisa Wilson-Foley at the 2012 State Convention. Talk about revisionist history!

Look, Jerry Labriola is a fabulous family man, a good coach, and a decent person. Deep down he probably cares about winning, but it's just that when it comes to leadership -  he's inept. And for those of you who want to make poor Jerry out to be just another victim of this blog - Save it!  Between the Healy years and the Labriola years - there's no where to go but up.  Our last two Chairmen have marginalized our brand to the point where it is unrecognizable to the electorate. We are in the game to win elections, and our Party's record is dismal.

Moreover, Connecticut Republicans have become so irrelevant to the Republican National Committee that Connecticut Republicans had to create a volunteer phone bank to beg local RTC Chairmen for money just to purchase Mitt Romney signs - I think that tells you that there's something seriously wrong.

If Jerry Labriola were a product in store; you'd agree that he didn't come as advertised.  He's not suited for the Chairman role. The CTGOP needs a strong leader who is going to lead from the front, set the tone, and work to coordinate political activity on a statewide basis.

And someone please tell the CTGOP to stop bragging about fundraising totals over Twitter. While we appreciate the hard work and effort, it gives everyone the impression that the CTGOP Headquarters is oblivious to the current crisis.  Few people are going to be distracted by Yea-Rah-Rah-Sis-Boom-Bah,  As someone wrote in a email to The King, "What the F--- is wrong with these people?"

It's hard to explain to people who are probably well-meaning that success isn't determined by how many dollars you raise, or by the number of shots you can do at the bar - but rather but by how many Republican seats you win

Bottom Line:  For the good of the Connecticut Republican Party, Jerry Labriola, Jr. must resign.  And a visible, activist Chairman must be elected in his place immediately following the Prescott-Bush Dinner. State Central must cast a vote of no confidence, or be willing to accept the squandering of limited funds, and the consequence of further electoral defeat in 2014.

If Republicans want to rebuild our brand, and confidence with voters we need to make a few more things happen:

1. Fire Jerry Labriola, Jr. - and most of the CTGOP officer corps (they are no better than he is). Term limits for the same old faces might make way for new ideas, and a new approach.
2. Publicly condemn those Republican individuals who have been indicted, or found an accessory to political improprieties and crimes.  Refusing to do so implies approval of their actions and pursuit of the status quo. And the media, and our opponents have already taken note of the CTGOPs hunker down strategy, and will exploit this fact for all the mileage they can get out of it.

   

   There aren't enough of these to pass out to everyone in an
   elected or leadership position in the Connecticut Republican
   Party. Time to end CTGOP corruption before things get worse 

   
   
3. Adopt a more conservative platform and promote conservative candidates - which was once the key to Republican victories in Connecticut before it became fashionable to emulate Democrats on both fiscal and social issues. Democrat-lite is a sure way to guarantee Democrat majorities for the next 100 years.
4. Stop promoting corrupt former Republican candidates, elected officials and party chairmen to serve as CTGOP spokesmen (and women) - for they have comprised our position, ethics, political process, and integrity.  Every time Governor Rowland squawks on radio, or Chris Healy makes sarcastic comments on Capitol Report, Republicans want to puke. An ex-felon and a failed chairman are the last people we want to take advice from (and the latter couldn't even find a Republican attorney to defend his pathetic ass - guess there were none available - so much for keeping business in the family).  The Curse of Chris Healy is alive and well.
5. Discourage candidates from hiring long-time Party hacks with failed win-loss records from managing Republican campaigns. It's frankly embarrassing how some of our profiteers weasel their way onto campaigns promising everything and delivering nothing!
6. Stop relying on candidates to build the Party apparatus. Create a state-wide organization to  build the brand, and coordinate activities, and formulate a get-out-the-vote campaign.  Today, there is nothing in place!
7. Require all candidates to show up for televised debates. Again real leaders don't cower out of fear of saying the wrong thing, or believing they're not quick enough on their feet to debate publicly with members of their own Party. It's kind of pathetic if you think about it!
8. Work to end the wasteful and rigged State Convention Process and move to a direct primary. Think of all the money we could be saving while the State GOP boozes it up at Mohegan Sun. Donors should think about that when they get mailers asking members to fork over $30/$50/$100 a pop.
9. End Radio Silence! Put the Democrats on the defense! With a record like theirs we should have a field day. Daily emails, tweets, press releases, Facebook posts, mailers, etc. Make Nancy Dinardo sweat!
10. Condemn fringe candidates like Martha Dean who think Sandy Hook is a hoax and think there's an NSA Agent hiding behind every tree. This Party has a hard enough time operating in the real world without public candidates venturing into fantasy and delusion.  It's hard to quantify the level of anger the public feels when a Sandy Hook Truther who wants to train kids to fire guns in school takes to a Mic. (Oh, and Chris Healy's quasi-endorsement of her entrance into the race tells the rest of us that he's ready to be put out to pasture, or take his place at Club-Fed. Get Out! Funny, the political genius didn't mention that Dean has no money and only a few Facebook advocates who surf the web and sit around watching TV in their sweatpants)
11. Stop using the Prescott-Bush award dinner as a platform to prop up billionaire donors, and failed candidates who campaign with the opposition President, or tries to take selfies with the enemy, or does anything else that serves to promote our disgraceful big-government, anti-Republican President. 

Martha Dean and her flying monkeys 

are doing permanent damage to the Connecticut 

Republican Party; she's tearing apart the 

conservative wing for personal gain and ego

Wicked is the best way to describe this one!

It's been said so many times before - when it comes to the Connecticut Republican Party - we are our own worst enemy. The best thing we can do is cut our losses by removing our poor leadership, change direction, and start anew.  Do what's necessary, or anticipate that 2014 will be another banner year for Dan Malloy and his Democrat henchmen. And trust me - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents deserve a viable option for their families, their businesses and themselves - and it's up to Republicans to deliver that option.

I AM

THE KING

Election Day! (Thank God!)

Hooray! Election Day is finally here!

For my own part, The King is glad that after two years of making hundreds of phone calls, conducting literature drops, and helping with generally campaigning across multiple districts that we will finally see, race-by-race, either the pay-off for hard work, or punishment for a comedy of errors.

I think we've said all we've needed to say about our political races in Connecticut.  We all know this is a pretty drab place to live if you're a loyal, red-blooded Republican.  But to underscore the point, I would urge readers to go out and vote for Republicans in all districts and races who you believe have conducted themselves with honor and dignity during this cycle.   

The King also urges voters to "Leave the Line Blank" in the Connecticut Senate Race.  Linda McMahon has lost The King's vote, and the vote of so many of the Party faithful for her betrayal of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan by supporting Barack Obama in her campaign commercials and literature.  Moreover, she has intentionally hurt several federal and local candidates by pushing the Independent line which has been detrimental for both federal and state Republicans.  Let's pray this is the last campaign that we will ever have to see Linda McMahon a part of in The Nutmeg State. 

Again, please don't sit out the election - go to the polls and vote for state and federal Republican candidates, but don't vote for Chris Murphy (obviously), and PLEASE go out of your way to NOT VOTE FOR Linda McMahon.  Leave the Line Blank.  Make this a teachable moment for Linda McMahon, and our spineless CTGOP Chairman Jerry Labriola.

And if old friend - Andrew Roraback takes the win tonight (as expected), everyone should recognize that he and his staff, and his army of tireless volunteers won the campaign the hard way - with hard work, elbow grease, and dedication.  Yes, there was a last minute infusion of cash from a strange source in New York, but the truth is that Andrew and his team have been changing hearts and minds since he won the State Convention earlier this year.  And we should all be grateful that Andrew stayed above the noise, ran a positive campaign, and that he didn't allow State Party incompetence damages his campaign.   Although a little presumptuous at this point on Election Day, let me offer congratulations to Andrew Roraback and his team for a job well done!

Above all else, this is the race that counts!

Now that we've got that off our chest, let's look at the race which is the single most important  contest this evening.

Here is what to watch regarding the Romney-Obama Race:

Virginia:  This is the first state to watch with 13 electoral votes up for grabs here.  This state will be an early indicator of what we might expect during the night.  If Mitt loses Virginia it doesn't mean it's game over, but there would need to be some serious surprises elsewhere to make up ground.

North Carolina:  This state used to be a lock for Republicans, but Obama managed to win it in 2008.  Sadly, the demographic changes have made this state more of a swing state which will remain in play for decades to come.  North Carolina boasts 15 electoral votes.  As of the last poll sample taken this week, Romney leads here.  If Mitt loses here, it will indicate that polling samples are nearly useless.

Florida:  The Gator State is a critical key piece of the puzzle with 29 delegates - the largest number of swing state delegates on the electoral map.  Romney has won seven polls, Obama has won four, and there was one tie.  This state leans Romney.

New Hampshire:  New England's last and only remaining red state (turned blue in 2008) will be interesting to watch, not because of its four electoral votes, but because the Presidential contest is in a dead heat.  If Mitt Romney wins in New Hampshire, it could mean a big night for the Romney camp.  Obama is expected to win New Hampshire given the demographic changes from the influx of MassHoles to the Granite State which has watered down Republicanism over the past 12 years.

Ohio: If you haven't noticed, the entire political universe has been rotating around Ohio over the last three weeks.  With 18 electoral votes in a state dubbed Main Street America,  pollsters claim that this state is a must win for candidates - unless neighboring Wisconsin (10 electoral votes) partially counter-balances an outcome in Ohio.    

Iowa: This state has 6 electoral votes.  Again, this state is not a deal breaker for either candidate, but certainly will help frame the night in terms of trending.

Nevada: This state is considered a swing state by the media, but The King sees this state as under control by Democrats - given the combination of the Latino community, the culinary community, and the gambling lobby.  The majority of these groups are reported to have already voted during the early voting process, so I'm not expecting a win for Mitt here, but a close voting percentage will be interesting for discussions on trending.

Pennsylvania: This state could be an interesting battleground state with 20 electoral votes - which I've always assumed would go to Obama since I don't believe Mitt Romney has won a single poll based on all results posted a RealClearPolitics.com.  What makes this state "in-play" is that the race has moved within the margin of error for the last few weeks.  A Mitt Romney win here would be an incredible upset, and would likely signal a landslide win for Romney-Ryan.

The King's Prediction:  Romney by a larger than expected margin.  The national media will be eating humble pie for months to come while our local media will likely gloat.

Realistically, you have to expect plenty of shenanigans along the way  - so be prepared to sit long in your seats, it could be a long night!

I AM 

THE KING

This original blog entry can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: This entry and others will be modified/updated at a future date. All entries are for the sole purpose of entertainment. This article does not imply endorsement of the candidate mentioned above, nor has this article been solicited for publication by any political candidate, campaign, or PAC.

Catapulting Andrew Roraback to Victory

There are not many bright spots for the beleaguered Connecticut Republican Party this election cycle, but alas - there is at least one race where Republicans will likely make a gain.  The 5th Congressional District - perhaps where the last visible bastion of Connecticut Yankee Republicanism can be found - is on track to elect State Senator Andrew Roraback to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday.  And all things being equal, this will be a great outcome for what has been a rough year for the State GOP.

While Andrew isn't exactly the choice of the social conservative wing of the CTGOP, he is a decent family man with a strong record of representing his constituents with honor and decency.  A case in point is that despite his own personal convictions on the issue, he switched positions to cast a vote against Repeal of the Death Penalty which won him points with those of us sympathetic to the Petit Family, and all victims of homicide crime. Even if his vote was somewhat political, as claimed by his rival Lisa Wilson-Foley, he cast the right vote for the right reasons, and on behalf of is entire constituency. (Note that his opponent Elizabeth Esty, who has a long record of being soft on crime, voted to coddle murderers and criminals and relieve them from facing absolute justice).  With Andrew, you can say that it's one thing to say he stands for certain principles, but its quite another to be able to deep dive into his extensive record and see that he's never wavered during his multi-year term.

From a fiscal standpoint, Roraback has been responsible with taxpayers money during his twelve year tenure, and being raised on wishy-washy Episcopalianism, one would expect him to continue to strike a balance between social responsibility and fiscal restraint.  This is certainly a stark contrast to his opponent Elizabeth Esty who is publicly on record saying that she is willing to send the elderly and those on hardship who can't afford tax increases packing beyond the Cheshire Town Line.  It's hard to find a candidate with less compassion for people than Elizabeth Esty.  And if you've ever had a chance to talk with her in person, like I have, you know that she comes across too direct, and very mean. 

Queen Elizabeth Esty: "All of you old fools can move out of 
Cheshire, and Connecticut if you can't afford it!"

It's sort of remarkable if you think about it.  Normally, Republicans get a bad rap for being so tight with the penny that Democrats almost always twist our candidates' records so to play the class warfare card to their advantage during every race, but with Esty's voting record of cutting the elderly off at the knees at every turn during her two year stint in Hartford, she's removed any credibility she has on social welfare.  Democrats are probably furious about not having a stronger candidate like Chris Donovan on the ballot, but scandals can seem to egulf both parties from time to time.

The Roraback folks are looking for some help in the final days of the campaign to ensure victory.  If you haven't already volunteered your time, this is a great opportunity to become part of the winning team.  The Campaign is in need of people to make calls from their phone bank, go door-to-door to conduct literature drops and help get out the vote, and work the polls on Election Day.   If you'd like to help, please call the Roraback Campaign at 860-626-7244.  And tell them The King sent you. Let's catapult Andrew to victory.

Final Note

Lastly, with a concerted effort with all hands on deck, Andrew should sail comfortably to a solid win on Tuesday. However, there is one real note of concern that's generating plenty of angst amongst Roraback Campaign staffers.  Having watched the Republican base backlash from Linda McMahon's tie-in political ad supporting Barack Obama, there is another ad being broadcast on television by American Unity Pac that is causing alarm.

Dissatisfied with trying to ruin just Mitt Romney's chances in
Connecticut, Linda McMahon is setting her sights on
killing Andrew Roraback's campaign

There is real reason for concern.  At one point, Linda McMahon boasted more than a 10-point lead over Chris Murphy in CT-5.  After her pro-Obama commercial aired, polls showed her trailing by 6-points in the District.  The last thing Andrew Roraback needs is for Linda McMahon to anchor herself to his surge and sink his ship before he crosses the finish line.  The concern is so real that one Roraback person told The King, "Every time that commercial airs, Andrew runs to the bathroom and vomits ... if we lose this thing [race] by a few points, it will attributed to this stupid commercial ... she'll climb over, on-top of everyone to get her face out there.  And everyone is suffering because of it."

We pray that this doesn't turn out to be the case.  Andrew should look in his rear view mirror like Jeff Goldblum did in Jurassic Park and run like hell to avoid Linda "T-Rex" McMahon from taking a bite out of his forward momentum.

Good Luck, Andrew.  And remember, "Faster, Faster!"

I AM

THE KING

This original blog entry can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: This entry and others will be modified/updated at a future date. All entries are for the sole purpose of entertainment. This article does not imply endorsement of the candidate mentioned above, nor has this article been solicited for publication by any political candidate, campaign, or PAC.

The Rotten Plank

I’m sure this piece may raise a few eyebrows with some of my more traditional friends out there on Republican Island. Read in the proper context, I expect that many of you might take it to heart and get the message, while others will leave here, red-faced, angry, and in search of an even larger hammer in which to nail that square peg into the round hole.

For years I’ve avoided writing about the abortion issue because it’s without a doubt the single most divisive issue within our fragile Party. The mere mention of it almost always results in bad feelings, and internal squabbles which seem to escalate to the point where it begins to tear the very fabric of our core – as it has for at least the last two decades. I going to put aside my own personal opinion about the subject with the hopes of addressing the larger implications the issue has had on our State Republican Party. And moreover, the impact it’s had on our ability to appeal to moderate Republicans, and Independents whom we desperately need if we plan to ever have a chance of winning key Congressional racess. Later on, I’m going to point out what I see as a bit of hypocrisy within our own CTGOP ranks which is burning a gaping hole through this so-called Move to Unity that everyone seems to be going on about. I’m going to call a spade a spade, and I can understand that some of you won’t like that very much.

Jack Kemp (NY-R) understood the value of coalitions
for the purpose of winning elections

Years ago, one of my personal heroes - Jack Kemp (R-NY) used to talk about the “Big Tent” that the GOP needed to construct in order to attract a diverse group of supporters to help us win federal elections. Kemp was a self- proclaimed compassionate conservative, who advocated several non-traditional Republican solutions including enterprise zones, and going into cities to extend GOP appeal to what the country-Club crowd considered mere undesirables. Kemp was also a Pro-Life advocate. While I concede that he never compromised his position, I’ll also point out that as a former Quarterback and a visionary, he understood the value of knowing his audience, so instead of sparking disunity with angry polarizing all or nothing rhetoric – he sought ways to build consensus – never losing sight of main goal which was of course - winning elections. Like his mentor Ronald Reagan, and having spent so many years fighting from a minority position under a Democrat controlled Congress, Kemp understood the value of coalitions, and plurality. A concept considered foreign to many within our GOP ranks.

You’ll recall through media reports that a few weeks ago at the National Republican Convention, several of our GOP delegates voted against including the Pro-Life plank in the Republican Party Platform. This sparked a wild protest from many who are a part of the Amen-corner of our State Party ranks. Our Chairman, Jerry Labriola, Jr., a pro-lifer, took unyielding criticism for allowing delegates to vote their conscience, or better put – for not stacking the deck with pro-life delegates, or strong-arming or intimidating delegates into voting against their respective positions. Labriola was correct to not bow down to the minority holier-than-thou crowd (or manipulate the process as previous Chairmen might have done). Had that been the case, one could only imagine the mileage the press would have gotten out of that story.

 

The extreme right went ballastic when CTGOP Chairman Labriola
didn't twist arms and break heads to support the Pro-Life Plank of the Platform

Much of the outrage back home came from confused individuals who see moral issues as the primary agenda for the Republican Party, and could frankly careless about economics, or jobs, or anything else. Over the years, I’ve had a hard time relating to the extreme far-right of our Party because I find that no matter how hard you try, you can’t reason with a group of rabid raccoons who become unhinged with spiraling eyes, and foaming mouths when it comes to certain positions. For all the important issues that the Republican Party stands – free markets, capitalism, strong foreign policy, interventionism, low taxes, individual responsibility, less government, etc. - You have to really question the conviction of someone who turns to you and says, “If it wasn’t for the Pro-Life plank in our Platform – I wouldn’t be a Republican.” Really? If that’s how you feel, then it doesn’t seem like you’re a Republican anyway. Could one be so shallow a person that s/he’d be just as happy with ObamaCare, high taxes, and a run-away debt as long as Abortion is outlawed? Here’s The King’s challenge - ask this crowd that very question the next time they utter a narrow-minded threat to bolt the Party if they don’t get their way.

Now I recognize that after last week’s clear attempt by Democrats to exclude God from their party platform that it certainly appears that Republicans seem to have cornered the market on God. Even wishy-washy Episcopalians and hippy-loving Congregationalists can see that! Frankly, I was amazed at how blatant Democrats were in their opposition to including God to the point where their leadership struggled to override (and ignore) the consensus of their represented constituency present. Without question the whole scene was certainly a C-SPAN moment for the ages. Surely, this imagery is one that Democrats will work tooth and nail to erase in the minds of Southern Black Christians who helped Obama win in 2008, and who he desperately needs to win in November. Republicans would do well to air commercial after commercials of Democrat delegates coming out of their chairs screaming their heads off to kick God out of their Convention. Whatever your religious preference, it’s pretty apparent that if God isn’t welcome, Jesus probably isn’t either. That’s ok – over in our imperfect world we’ve got plenty of room for converts.

What it all boils down to is that I’m trying to convince a few zealots in my Party is that being Pro-Life isn’t a litmus test for being either a real Christian, or an Orthodox Jew or Muslim for that matter, or for being a Republican. Nor is it a litmus test for being a decent human being. And as for as this writer is concerned – it’s not a litmus test for being our Party’s nominee at any level either.

It’s not often that within a few hours of my attending any social gathering that antagonists will seek to bait me into a political discussion. When I walk through the door, I can see them from afar - liberals gathered in a corner, peering over at me, smirking and scheming up ways ambush me at the dessert table in order to push my buttons. Even 10 on 1, I can usually hold my own against the most obnoxious gang of bedeviled Marxists - on most issues – and after all else fails when they see their in a losing battle, they almost always pull out the abortion card. They never use it for the purpose of winning the debate at large – that never works – they use it to expand sympathy to their cause from those observing us – mostly women - who tend to be more liberal on social issues.

It’s a no brainer to most of us that the abortion issue is a disastrous issue for Republicans – particularly Connecticut Republicans. Even my mainstream Catholic friends won’t touch the subject with a ten foot pole when pressed into service – and that’s because most of them are Pro-Abortion or Pro-Choice (take your pick). Oh, of course some of them will come up to me afterward and pat me on the back, but they won’t stick their necks out publicly. And again as for the women in the crowd – well you can forget it!

Last week, and taking a page out of the liberal playbook, Connecticut Governor Dannell Malloy gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention which invoked the usual Democrat themes – class warfare; hate of the rich, environment extremism, and of course – abortion. Malloy cleverly used the mother-daughter-wife theme to frighten viewers into delivering Barack Obama a second term. Sadly, this fear mongering resonates well with neutrals and the apolitical. And it’s hard to counter Malloy’s argument when GOP representatives go out of their way to include it as a plank in the Party Platform – a rotten plank at that.

"Republicans kill the elderly and eat small children. I've seen it myself!"

Women aren’t going to budge from the age old argument that they don’t need to surrender their reproductive rights to some guy in a polo shirt. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve been told by women that they’d be inclined to vote Republican if it weren’t for the Abortion issue. And including it as a plank in the GOP Party Platform does us no favors – trust me. I’ve been through it a number of times. Ladies can agree with me on 99% of our positions, but when it comes to this one matter – they can’t stomach looking the other way. Not even for an instant. Not even for a single vote.

By now I’m sure some of you in the Pro-Life movement are reading this piece and turning beat read. Well, I got news for you. I can’t lie about the perception this issue has on our Party, and I can’t be deceitful about its impact. And I’m to the point where every time I see a Republican Candidate banter on and on about how important this issue is, or make the claim that it’s the most important issue - I see the imagery of a reverse debt-calculator subtracting votes from the GOP , and into the Democrats’ vote column.

To be clear, what I’m not saying is that our pro-life Conservatives need to abandon their viewpoint on Abortion, or modify their position. But what I am saying is that as long as you’re going to make this issue the center-point of your argument for whether or not you will support a candidate, or attack one of OUR Republican candidates running for office, then you are going to continue to aid and abed the enemy camp right up and through every election. You guys chase away more votes in five minutes with this religious demagoguery than the rest of us can muster in a week’s worth of door to door canvasing. Remember this next time you hem and haw about this issue in public, or issue ultimatums and threats. Remember how many Republican and moderate votes you just hand-delivered to Democrats. Sadly, a percentage of that group would rather have a moderate Republican lose so that a Conservative can possibly win next time. Indeed, we are our own worst enemy.

Listen, according to statistics there are somewhere between 23 and 25 million unemployed Americans out there (perhaps more if you include those who’ve just given up looking or applying for jobs or benefits). None of them are standing in a bread line worried about whether or not Sally Sue down the road should be allowed to have an Abortion. Most of them are worried about trying to put food on their tables for their families and themselves. They are worried about making the rent payment or mortgage payment, and they aren’t trying to weigh the importance of a great spiritual war going on in the Heavens or around us. I know it’s hard to make pragmatists out of extremists and zealots. But for the sake of our Party, can you please keep the religious pontification to yourselves? The rest of us are trying to win an election. Later on, after we take care of the basics, we can try to turn this nation into the world land of clouds and harps.

I have one more tale that I need to impart to you. I swear - this is a true story.

Back on Election Day in November 2008, my friend and I came upon a mutual acquaintance who told us that she was not planning to vote in the election. We imagined her to be somewhat conservative based on the many discussions we had with her over the years. After scolding her for a good thirty minutes about the need to do her civic duty, we convinced her to let us drive her to city hall so she could register on the spot and vote – presumably for John McCain. At that point, she said she was undecided on exactly who she would support. On the car ride, and while waiting in the endless winding line in the hallway, my friend and I ran the gambit on the issues – foreign policy, taxation, on and on; we thought we had done our work, covering the many reasons that electing McCain was the best choice for her and for the country.

Five feet from the room, she turns to us and says, “Ok quick… tell me the MOST important reason I should vote for John McCain.” For a moment I was filled with glee. Oh this is so easy I said to myself! I thought I’d make the tax pitch and deliver the vote for my side! But before I could get out the words, my friend turned around toward her and went into this three minute tirade about how Obama and Democrats want to kill babies, and stock the Supreme Court with Abortionists, and that the Pro-Life position was the single most important matter in the world, and on and on. My heart sank. The blood drained from my face, and I looked down at the ground in disgust. Her eyes squinted, her jaw tightened, and her fists became clenched - she turned her back on us and approached the registration table. I whispered to my friend, “You idiot! Of all the things to say! She’s Pro-Choice!” All he could muster was, “Oh.” He tried to come back with a few other items but the damage had been done.

After 40 minutes of brilliant discussion (not that it would have mattered) – Poof! My friend’s zealotry had pushed her to support Barack Obama for President. I don’t know whether I was more annoyed for the rest of the night about the land-slide victory achieved by Obama, or because my friend had spoiled a sure thing.

Again, this is a true story. It still irks me to this day. There are times when you can be so right, but at the same time – be so wrong.

Taking Issue with the FIC



I expect this part of my entry could ruffle some feathers. Now to start, I have to say that I love my friends at the Family Institute of Connecticut. I admire the work they do as activists in support of many fine and noble conservative and mainstream causes on behalf of Connecticut families. I admire that their leader, Peter Wolfgang, who leads by example by walking the walk to the point where it causes his distractors and enemies to spit flame and yellow bile. I don’t have to be in lockstep with the FIC to appreciate its dedication to conservative action.



"Sorry, Manfred - no jobs today, but enjoy your cold porridge courtesy of the FIC." 

But I have to say that I’m slightly disappointed in the way the leadership at the FIC is currently handling the Andrew Roraback situation. During the primary, The King took Senator Roraback to the shed for many of his left-leaning positions. But that battle is now over, and Senator Andrew Roraback is our duly elected nominee in Congressional District 5. I have to say I was quite perplexed at the haste in which Peter Wolfgang came out to endorse Linda McMahon (via Twitter to the CTpolitics community) – who, for all intents and purposes harbors nearly the exact social positions as Andrew Roraback – on abortion, on gay rights, and on a number of social issues. My goal isn’t to demean either Andrew Roraback or Linda McMahon (God, knows that I’ve taken issue with Mrs. McMahon) but to point out the incredible hypocrisy the FIC has shown by endorsing one candidate, and holding out against another when their social positions are virtually the same.

Now I’m not saying the FIC is expected to be front group for the CTGOP, and defend all its positions and candidates. What I am saying is that the lack of consistency on the part of the FIC is more than notable – and moreover, it’s hurtful in the grand scheme of things for them to engineer open dissent against an elected nominee of the Party - which by the way – encompasses the majority of supporters and donors of which the FIC is a mutual benefactor. Obviously, it’s true that Andrew Roraback has a voting record to scrutinize where Linda McMahon has none – that’s not a dig on Linda, that’s simply the case in fact. But honestly said, you’d be hard pressed to show where Linda would have voted differently than Andrew Roraback on many of the same bills had she held a similar public office.

But for consistency purposes, it’s The King’s View that it would have been better for Peter Wolfgang and his comrades to have remained silent and not endorsed either based on both candidates’ social ideology, instead of endorsing one over the other publicly when no reasonable difference between them can be found. Splitting hairs to support this thinking won’t accomplish much except to further fracture the fragile coalition within our ranks. We are hoping (and praying) that the endorsement of one candidate instead of the other wasn’t driven by undue influence of any kind – for that would be unscrupulous, indeed.

The King hereby calls on the Family Institute of Connecticut and its leadership to reinstitute fairness in their endorsement practices, and make the Call to Unity the promise from which all right-learning (and imperfect) candidates can equally benefit from.

As the primaries are over, and given the alternative, playing the hold out game for a pointless power-play isn’t in the best interest of everyone involved. If conservatives want moderate support at ballot time, moderates will expect conservatives to follow suit. If this concept is too hard to comprehend, think of Jack Kemp, or better yet remember the Reagan Coalition which led Republicans to successive victories in the early 80s, and delivered a decade of properity across our Nation.

I AM

THE KING

This original blog entry can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: This entry and others will be modified/updated at a future date. All entries are for the sole purpose of entertainment. This article does not imply endorsement of the candidate mentioned above, nor has this article been solicited for publication by any political candidate, campaign, or PAC.

Retro Recap of the August 14 Primary; What Next?

I realize that it’s been several weeks since the August 14 Primary. And my view at the time was that there wasn’t a sense of urgency to publish a post about the outcome – which was always predictable, offering few, if any surprises, whatsoever. I also believed that there wasn’t much of a reason to go bonkers; pounding the daylights out of our opponents given that the die was cast perhaps as early as June (maybe much earlier in some races). It’s not that I gave up, but with summer as short as it is, I believed that time was better spent enjoying the great weather and company of good friends rather than getting all wound up and frazzled about a fleet of run-away trains headed over the cliff. Looking at it from purely a mathematical perspective, the delta between the victors and the defeated proves my thinking right. There were no close outcomes; instead, lambs were put to the slaughter in every race.

Of course, I knew I would eventually publish something. I drafted an early version of this post, shelved it for over a week under the guise of a cooling off period, with the plan to come back later on to modify it - had my opinions changed. I figured why not let the smoke settle a bit before pouring gas on a blazing fire. I expect that as usual my views will clash with conventional wisdom and the thinking of CTGOP Party hacks, and that’s perfectly fine. I continue to write what people think and seem to be afraid to say, and more often than not - I predict the outcome long before it happens. For me it’s not about “being right”, as much as it’s about praying that one day the CTGOP will take the extraordinary step of altering its usual self-destructive course, and make the voters (a.k.a. taxpayers) winners again. From the looks of things, it’s not likely now or in the future. But anyway… buckle up, here we go….

With only one exception, primary night’s results were certainly not all that unexpected. Everything that you’ve ever known about politics came true – moderates win when conservatives split their votes, and television ads and print media trump digital-free grassroots campaigning - even when aided by big-time endorsements. In truth, the only bright spot for Connecticut’s badly fractured Republican Party, was watching Lisa Wilson-Foley’s campaign crash and burn after months of nasty campaigning and personal attacks by her surrogates on (former) friends, and foes. If there was any surprise, it might have been the fact that no one expected Speaker Chris Donovan to become embroiled in a massive scandal which all but resulted in Elizabeth Esty getting the Democrat nomination (Update: as of this writing bitter Donovan has decided to withdraw from the Working Families Party line). Esty’s win is a plus for Republicans because she harbors some extreme views, which enough to make even the most moderate Republican like Andrew Roraback look appealing to those in the middle, and hopefully to the right (a future post is in the works on that point!). Whether Roraback can survive the long negative shadow cast by Linda McMahon being atop of ticket is yet to be determined. But it certainly won’t help.

If you don’t want to read the rest of the detail below, I can save you some time. In November, there will be few surprises here in Connecticut. While I still believe National Republicans will muster enough voter dissatisfaction to remove an ineffective and arrogant Barack Obama, we will be likely beaten across the board here in the Nutmeg State. And to make matters worse, the results of the U.S. Senate Race primary have all but guaranteed that Mitt Romney will avoid Connecticut. Connecticut will become the ultimate flyover state thanks to Linda McMahon, a fact brought to you by our Connecticut Republican State Central Membership and many of our RTC officers – who played their parts well in McMahon’s scripted storyline - it’s unfortunate for all of us [Republicans] that the song and dance we are about to encounter will result in a sorrowful ending.

Shays v McMahon

Now I’m not going to get into a long diatribe about what went wrong with the Shays campaign; I could easily write six volumes. But I’ll point out a few things that clearly helped destroy his campaign from the start – before it ever really got going (that’s if it ever got going at all). I like and admire Chris Shays even though he’s far more liberal on several issues than I am, but I respect his service, and the manner in which he conducted himself during his tenure in Congress. I remain steadfast in the belief that he was our best and only chance of a Republican winning a U.S. Senate Seat for decades to come. Of course, none of that matters now, and as we know – nice guys tend to finish last, and the disorganized and inept campaigners – dead last. When it came to the Shays campaign strategy, you almost had the sense that he was doomed from the very start. What struck me most was that he had already been briefed about the McMahon strategy first hand by her last opponent Rob Simmons. Simmons had warned Shays repeatedly about what to expect, and what was required to beat his ambiguous foe. Shays seemed to ignore all counsel, and he ran his campaign as if it were a local contest for State Rep; he rarely ventured out of his home district, and when he did, he appeared uninterested and tired, as if he was forced to do so.

"All I wanted was my F*&^%ing Country Back, You Wrestling *&^?!" Got it??!!

I don’t know when Shays made his decision to run. But from all signs, the whole misadventure appears to have been a last minute deal. After being ahead of McMahon in the Quinnipiac public opinion poll in February, he walked into a hostile CT State Convention and took a drumming that was hard to swallow. The problem was that the majority of convention delegates and town committees had been bought off months in advance; the Convention was simply the final act of a well-orchestrated show by the McMahon team. Worse, McMahon’s surrogates worked hard to humiliate Shays by working the floor to turn the remaining delegates to their side for nearly an hour after the first vote was taken (a classless and unforgiveable act) in order to try and reach the three-fourths threshold, and force him to collect signatures to ballot. After that fateful night, everything turned south, and Shays never rebounded.

Shays enlisted the help of a fundraising outfit, PierceZappi to help him raise funds, and plainly speaking, they fell flat on their rears. Nice people, but clearly exceedingly poor results. Complaints have circulated that the mixing of candidate lists may have resulted in fewer dollars raised by Shays (and more by other candidates they were working for). This compounded Shays’ problem since he didn’t have the capital to produce mailers, campaign signs, and most importantly - run televisions commercials to promote his public recognition. Some estimates were that to every one sign of Shays, Linda McMahon had 200. On television, he was persona non grata. In the final analysis, Linda McMahon’s job was made much easier by the fact that she was running against a ghost. This was far more than her campaign could have ever hoped for. Not even fundraising visits by Republican Strategist Carl Rove, or a public snub of McMahon by Mitt Romney in Hartford helped booster Shays.

It’s clear that the Shays campaign didn’t know how to use the weapons they had at their disposal until the last few hours of the campaign when they put out a few robo-calls – of course, by then - it was too late. Losing by 27% is one thing, but gaining only 27% of the vote is a far more shameful a result than could ever be imagined. Conspiracy theorists have already begun to cast Campaign Manager Matt Wylie and his team as insiders paid by Linda to run his campaign into the ground citing that no-one person, or one team could be this incompetent. Indeed. Whatever the case may be, smart candidates won’t be reaching out to this crew if they do their homework. Effort is Admirable, Achievement is valuable. In this case, both components are missing.

By late July there wasn’t much else that could be done. Unfortunately, there are quite a few CTGOP leaders, like Larry Cafero and John McKinney who stuck their necks out and put their reputations on the line to help Chris Shays. It must have been horrific for these guys to watch events unfold. They must have been saying, “What the F-- is he doing?” - Because I know that’s what I was saying. From my perspective, I could see the writing on the wall in early June. And the Quinnipiac poll which he had earlier been touting as the be-all-end-all, flipped direction in her favor the second time around. It was as if an Australian Boomerang had come back around and clocked him square in the head. Live by the polls, die by the polls – Shays had painted himself into a corner of defeat.

Shays performances in the debates were ok; he got better as time went on, but of course time wasn’t on his side. My view is that the debates didn’t help either him or her, but they certainly helped Chris Murphy and the Democrats. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I was taunted about “your likely nominee” from my light-hearted friends on the left. Everyone watching them could see exactly how shallow a candidate Linda McMahon truly is – rehearsed, unknowledgeable, static, boring, and incompetent. None of that will change now that August 14th has passed. And they don’t make the kind of Cliff Notes which will enable her to cram or absorb twenty volumes worth of basic understanding of economics, public policy or Government functions. If you haven’t figured it out by now - her avoidance of newspaper editorial boards wasn’t due to scheduling conflicts, it was because for someone like Linda – who doesn’t know anything – they are simply an intellectual death trap. Well, guess what? – She won’t get to pull the same trick in the coming months. And since she’s pretty much declared war on the media, it’s bound to become very interesting soon enough.

Lastly, I was disappointed to see Chris Shays jump onto Linda’s bandwagon so quickly and put out a press release saying he’d vote for her and even work for her in the November Election. Not that I expected him to show sour grapes either. So I have to surmise that he got a pretty sweet deal from her - negotiated in advance - to cover his campaign debt, or he completely lost heart and soul. At one point in the campaign he said he wouldn’t support or vote for her because of some of the campaign tactics she had used against him. To many Chris Shays supporters, his quick act of contrition might have earned him a few temporary points with McMahon supporters, but to his own supporters who rooted him on, and worked their arses off for him – he left them all feeling rather empty. He could have at least looked respectable by waiting a few days before getting down on his hands and knees and bowing before her. Rushing out to make that announcement made him look weak, and unprincipled. It was a sad final moment on a long and pointless campaign.

Linda McMahon never stopped campaigning from the moment she was defeated by Richard Blumenthal. What she lacks in policy knowledge, personality, and charisma, she makes up for in being able to follow a carefully crafted script; part of her trade, of course. The problem is just that those scripts don’t work against a population that is already in large part suspect of you, and the industry in which you made your millions from. You can’t undo a lifetime of hypocrisy; it’s just not going to happen.

Right or wrong, Linda McMahon and her cronies deserve credit for formulating the solid strategy she needed to win the nomination: direct cash and indirect payments to Town Committees, and influential Individuals, including the buying of delegates, and bankrolling supporters help win the ground war. All of this helped her steamroll her lifeless opponent. The question is now what? The public can’t be bribed or bought, and are far more cynical of Republicans, especially fake ones at that. An eager media can’t wait to unleash their stored archive of unprinted documents, and stories about Mrs. McMahon, her bankruptcy, and her industry. What will be most interesting will be watching how much heat CTGOP Party officials will be willing to take by acting as human shields for Linda McMahon, which could lead to their own demise (particularly those who are in their own close races). Will John McKinney and Larry Cafero come running to her aid when the heat gets turned up in September? Will Busway Joe stick his neck out now that the primary is over? Or will they all waive from a distance, running in the opposite direction – getting as far away from her as possible? I suspect that those in safe districts will reap the mutual benefit of making public appearances with her, and those in swing districts will likely run for cover.

Looking ahead to next year, the larger question will be what will happen to Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr, and the State Party after November’s dismal results. While those pages are yet to be written, it’s likely to be another internal bloodbath between the money-takers and the see, I told you so reformers. And from Labriola’s perspective, he’ll have to decide if it’s worth his time and energy to preside over the fallout when the majority of those leaders responsible for the conundrum will likely remain in power, and continue their backstabbing ways, undermining his every move. At this pooint, The CTGOP Chairman’s Position a double-edged sword that only a fool would grab twice!

One has to feel for Chairman Labriola, Jr. who won’t have to look very far to find the unappealing elephant in the room. Everyone in the State Party recognizes that on her best day, Linda McMahon will pull in the high 30s simply because her negatives are so extremely high. There is no way to turn around her public image, because there is no way to undo her past. When confronted with questions about her Pro Wrestling background, she can only utter that she’s proud of the Company she’s created, but when you get to the details about what that company promotes, she either pretends she didn’t hear the question, or changes the subject. Statistics about your opponent’s attendance record will only get you so far – particularly when you’re Linda McMahon. It’s an albatross around your neck to be able to claim some level of success, and then be unable to talk about it to curious public, or editorial board. Check and mate!

Fifth Congressional District

"Don't worry I'll fix ya a strong one to ease the pain!"

The attacks on real estate baron Mark Greenberg, orchestrated by ex-Chairman Chris Healy, will go down in the annals of CTGOP history as one of the most repugnant, and hateful campaigns of all time. Over two full weeks after Primary Day, people are still talking about the Wilson-Foley team’s effort to character-assassinate Greenberg in way considered unforgiveable by any reasonable standard (distributing libelous documents to thousands of homes in the Fifth Congressional District). Mark Greenberg didn't deserve that. And it's not "just politics"; it's personal and simply unacceptable.

Lisa Wilson-Foley has damaged the Republican brand to the Fifth Congressional District to the point where the winning candidate, Andrew Roraback, will need to work overtime to have a chance of defeating Democrat Elizabeth Esty in November. Karma has a way of circling back and clobbering those most deserving; a poor second to last place finish could be just the start if more turns up on her fraudulent business front. And as The King has learned, legal proceedings could be in the works if time doesn’t heal old wounds. We’ll have to see about that one – after the November election.  Better open up that checkbook, kid. In the meantime, we can enjoy the fact that Old Chris Healy has extended his record of defeat. Given the mathematics, The Curse of Chris Healy may now rival the Curse of the Bambino. Well at least you have to give Healy credit for at least one thing – he’s consistent.

What went wrong for Wilson-Foley? Everything. To be honest, those running her campaign (including her dimwitted husband) became preoccupied with side issues – like this blog, for example – and wasting valuable time and resources dedicated to attacking not only candidates, but going as far as to attack supporters of opposition candidates. What a pathetic group of failures at that pay rate. The simple fact is that Wilson-Foley’s dirty campaign schemes got her nowhere, and destroyed her chances of winning anything. Once she started down that road, she initiated a full scale war between all Republicans in the District – a war she lost badly. After failing badly, she announced that this would be the last campaign she would partake in – good, and take that media glutton Healy with you. He’s a menace. And as long as he continues to hang around, he’ll the best hope Democrats have of retaining Connecticut - for the next fifty years.

Lisa Wilson-Foley: The King accepts your white flag of surrender. Now Go! Just Go! Stop blaming Mike Clark, and Mark Greenburg. And take Fat Maria with you before she stuffs herself to death!

So whatever comes next ought to be somewhat interesting. The King sees an even matchup between Democrat Elizabeth Esty (Pipi Longstocking) v Andrew Roraback (Howdy Doody). It’s a battle made ripe for the heart and soul of the sleepy 5th District. I sort of liked the idea of Speaker Chris Donovan hanging around on the Working Families Party line and making life hellish for Elizabeth Longstocking. But as predicted any traitorous thinking of Donovan’s didn't last long – for Democrats almost always find a way to eventually work together while CT Republicans always find ways to hold grudges against each other for decades. Yep, that’s one of the negatives of having do or die principles – you stick by them regardless of whether they kill you or not.

It's Elizabeth "Pipi Longstocking" Esty vs Andrew "Howdy Doody" Roraback
in CT-5

Second Congressional District

To be honest, I have more concerns about the potential for an embarrassing campaign on behalf of Republican. Its The King’s View that the Paul Formica who dazzled and shined early on has seemingly fallen flat. Not long before the vote, there was YouTube video of a debate between Cap'n Paul and his maniacal opponent Daria Novak in which – to her credit – Novak obliterated Formica on every question for nearly an hour. The simple fact is that either you know the material or you don’t. Cable Access is reported to have continued to run the debate throughout CT-2 which may have a negative impact on Formica’s initial impressions on those who don’t know him. Simple case in point that that you have to appear to at least have capacity to formulate coherent answers to simple policy questions (Note to Formica: The correct answer on the threat question would have included North Korea and other nation states which possess either a nuclear arms program or nuclear arms – not just Iran). In all honesty, one would have expected a book-smart Novak - with her uncanny nack for being able to memorize and use the works of orthers - to have done quite well in a one-on-one contest, but one would have also expected a veteran politician like Formica to have waged an even fight in front of a televised audience.




Cap'n Paul Formica is going to have to step up his game in the next round!
(And make Porky Jenkins walk the plank!)

Word to The King is that there is a feeling of dread based on these results given that Formica will be forced to debate a clever and steady Joe Courtney. Of course, there is always time for Cap'n Paul to learn from his mistakes, so we’ll be hopeful that he’ll review his performance in depth and right the ship to get ready for the next series of debates. If there is any district in the state that needs a Republican fighting for them – it’s got to be the Congressional Second. On the way to the beach, you can see it’s beginning to look the way Rhode Island used to look ten years ago – in decay and with dozens of boarded up businesses along the route. Even Linda McMahon won’t go down there – probably afraid to get her limousine dirty or something.

Of final note, The King is dismayed to learn that Porky Jenkins is holding Formica's purse strings.  Further examination of that decision may be in order.  If there is anyone who might give the Democrats false claim that Republicans have a war on women merit, it could be this character.  I'll leave that one alone for now.  It just irks me to see our Party's worst creatures weasel their way into places where they don't belong.  What a shame!  This isn't a reflection on Paul Formica, its a reflection on his lack of judgement.

What’s next?

Everyone constantly asks “King, when push comes to shove, will you vote for Linda McMahon in November?” If I answered that question about two weeks ago, I might have said “No” which is why I wanted to wait a few weeks before firing off an article that I might regret later on. So my answer now is “I’m not sure. We will wait to see what happens.” It’s pretty clear to all concerned that I’m not particularly fond of Mrs. McMahon. But I’m not a fan of Chris Murphy either. Linda is an embarrassment to my Party, and I don’t like the fact that she turned my State Party into both a laughing stock, and the Party of Patronage and Payoffs.

That being said, it’s very hard to simply say don’t vote for her because she’s corrupt – both candidates are corrupt creeps in my book – not one different from the other on either side of the fence. If it came down to a swing vote that would mean ending ObamaCare, and I could be guaranteed McMahon wouldn’t go back on her word, I might be inclined to vote for her. The problem is that she doesn’t seem to hold convictions on anything, and she won’t tell us where she stands specifically on most issues. Her previous donations to Democrats, and her ambiguous stance on most issues casts a shadow of doubt that she would vote any differently than opposition Democrats on key issues; this point still bothers me. Remember that she went out of her way to say that she thought Richard Blumenthal would be a great guy to work with? Well, he’s on the other side, remember?

Then you have to wonder where there are other matters where a Party line vote “yeah” or “nay” could mean the difference between a good Republican Bill passing or a bad Democrat Bill failing, and you also have to wonder if Linda would barter for her own power-play as a hold-out centrist, or if she would actually tow the Republican line. Make no mistake – I had questions about Chris Shays in such cases as well, but he would have been Republican-strong on economic and foreign policy matters while letting social issues slide (and in that case he’s no different than Linda McMahon who is not less liberal than Shays on these matters).

Some have urged me to support a third party candidate, but that’s not my cup of tea. I don’t believe in protest votes; it’s just not in my nature to waste my vote supporting someone who I disagree with 50% of the time to get back at someone I disagree with only 30% of the time. Such thinking is a bit moronic if you ask me as it sort of defeats the purpose. I also don’t believe I need to be the one to “Teach the Party a Lesson”. I can appreciate that line of thinking by some of you, but I think the General Public will do just that in November when Linda isn’t elected. If CTGOP loses big with her atop of ticket, there will be plenty of people coming out of the woodwork screaming “I told you so.” And they will call for Chairman Labriola’s and everyone’s head from their RTC Chairman to the lowly phone banker – and it will likely result in little change because most of these people are like unmovable concrete fixtures – so utterly convinced of their own correctness that they couldn’t be persuaded to any other course of action even if given the opportunity to go back in time and change it. Sometimes I think we should change the CTGOP logo to a mule because it certainly fits our nature perfectly.

It’s funny watching the massive logo atop of the Republican National Convention which reads in large letters, “We Can Change It” and how such a simple slogan carries so much weight in the minds of our national movement to rid ourselves of Barack Obama. Yet if given the chance to establish a moto in Connecticut, our CTGOP slogan would read, “We Can’t Do That!”  because any new and bright idea is DOA if it doesn’t come from one of the self-anointed, rehashed Dinosaurs who roam from campaign to campaign, year after year, and deliver us nothing but defeat, and a bag full of excuses when it’s all said and done.

Whatever people want to do on Election Day, I won’t fault you. I know many of you are discouraged and frustrated. I totally get that. I really do. But I would ask you to at least show up and support those Republicans who have earned your support and trust – whether it's Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, or local candidates running for the Statehouse, or those running in special elections where-ever they may be. There are a lot of people with R’s next to their names who aren’t rolling in c-notes like Linda McMahon or Tom Foley, these folks are on their own dime pounding the pavement every day - trying to get elected in order to eradicate the liberal infestation in Hartford which is eating away at Connecticut’s economy under Dannel Malloy and his friends. Taking your anger out on these good people because our State Party apparatus is corrupt and broken isn’t the answer. Do what you must in the booth to settle the score you need to settle, but please don’t no-show and penalize the innocent who are honestly running for office to make a difference for all of us.

Thanks for your emails and continued visits, although less frequent - there is a lot more to come.

I AM

THE KING

This original blog entry can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: This entry and others will be modified/updated at a future date. All entries are for the sole purpose of entertainment. This article does not imply endorsement of the candidate mentioned above, nor has this article been solicited for publication by any political candidate, campaign, or PAC.

13 Questions that Lisa Wilson-Foley Must Answer / Comment on Dr. Petit's email

Here we are on the cusp of yet another CTGOP Convention.   As Republican Delegates gather their thoughts, and try to find their scruples, we thought we'd pass along one of the many emails that The King's View has received over the past 48 hours.  This particular email stuck out because the questions posed to Lisa Wilson-Foley might be just as relevant during the Primary and in the General Election (should she make it that far) as they will be this afternoon/evening when delegates decide who will be the formal nominee on behalf of 5th Congressional District Republicans.

I'm told an email was sent to various campaigns and outlets, so its possible that this information may be duplicated somewhere already, or distributed during the course of the day by other means, and venues.

The email was drafted by Mr. Philip R. Dunn, who is a member of the Farmington RTC, and was a staunch supporter of Mike Clark's candidacy until Mike took the high road earlier this week, placing Party before ego, and withdrawing his name from consideration based on a realistic appraisal of the state of his campaign.  I appreciate Mr. Dunn's willingness to allow me to share his name; he is also a delegate to the State Convention and offered that if anyone would like clarity on the questions he is asking below, he would be more that willing to discuss them in detail. 

Dunn writes: "There seems to be a “fear factor” relative to going after her [Lisa Wilson-Foley] which escapes me as the questions I have are not only fair game, but they MUST be answered before she can ever become our standard bearer and suffer the slings and arrows the Dems will toss her way in a general election."

Aptly put.  All too often we don't vet our own candidates, and wind up stuck with person who ends up dead in the water by the Fall because of a scandal that insiders knew about, but kept secret in order to propel their buddy across the nomination finish line.  This might be one the reasons that the CTGOP does so poorly in General Elections.  As Dunn sums up, if we don't vet our own, surely our enemies across the aisle will be more than happy to in October.

Here are the questions/documents that must be produced:

1.    Provide information regarding the identity of “Apple’s Ownership” that had a twenty (20) year relationship with Mr. Rowland as alleged in Mr. Foley’s statement.

2.    Provide a list of all owners of Apple Health Care, Inc. stock for the last twenty years.

3.    Identify any labor contracts that Apple Health Care, Inc. negotiated with Mr. Rowland’s assistance and further identify all union negotiators involved in any such negotiations.

4.    Provide copies of Board meeting minutes demonstrating that Mr. Rowland attended any meetings of the Apple Health Care, Inc. Board of Directors.  If the meeting minutes do not list the attendees I request that you provide a list of all persons who attended any such meetings including their names and business addresses.

5.    Identify any consultants ever hired by Apple Health Care, Inc. through Christian Shelton, Esquire or any other lawyer/intermediary and provide copies of any such contracts.

6.    Provide bank documents including but not limited to cancelled checks and wire transfer information that demonstrate how Apple Health Care, Inc. paid Mr. Rowland and/or Attorney Shelton.

7.    Provide copies of cancelled checks that were used to pay Mr. Rowland pursuant to his agreement with Attorney Shelton.

8.    Provide a copy of any and all 1099 tax forms reflecting payments to Mr. Rowland for 2011 and 2012.

9.    Provide a copy of the schedules from Apple Health Care, Inc.’s 2011 Federal Income Tax Return wherein any and all payments to Mr. Rowland and/or Attorney Shelton are listed.

10. Provide copies of any emails or correspondence between Apple Health Care, Inc. and John G. Rowland reflecting any work preformed for Apple Healthcare, Inc. by Mr. Rowland.  This includes any work that Mr. Rowland may have Performed for any subsidiary or affiliated companies of Apple Health Care, Inc.

11.  Provide a copy of any fee agreement or other documents that detail Attorney Shelton’s relationship with Apple Health Care, Inc and/or Brian Foley and/or Lisa Wilson-Foley.
  
12.  Request from Mr. Rowland his “work product” that was developed in performing his consulting services.

13. Provide a list of donations made by Brian Foley and Lisa Wilson-Foley to all candidates for Governor from 1994 through 2002.

It seems to me that although there are many questions, none of them appear to be out of line, or questionable.  You would think that after everything that has happened over the last few weeks that the Wilson-Foley Campaign would have gone the extra mile to assure committed delegates (and uncommitted delegates) that Lisa Wilson-Foley (and her husband) have been and are operating above board.  It seems that there are still more questions than answers.

Chris Healy's decision to pull Lisa from her interview on NPR's Where We Live with John Dankoski was not the confidence booster that people were looking for.  This hunker down and muddle through approach might be a great temporary political strategy, but eventually Wilson-Foley will have to face the music in real-time and there won't be weapon in Healy's bag of tricks to stop the damage to the CTGOP, it's brand, or her nomination should something come out over the next several months.

Thank you Mr. Dunn for sharing your concerns.

Dr. Petit's email

As everyone knows, I've been a very strong supporter of the Petit, Chapman and Renn families over the last several years given the horrific 2007 Cheshire Invasion Murders.  I've also made it quite clear that I'm in favor of the Death Penalty, and the repeal action taken last month by Connecticut Democrats was a violation of the public trust given the clear support that Connecticut residents have for the keeping the Death Penalty in place.

Prior to this year's vote on the Death Penalty, I was very critical of Andrew Roraback for his previous vote when the anti-Death Penalty Bill came up the first time.  I also took Mr. Roraback to task for a few other social positions he holds not in keeping with the expected Republican standard.  I don't make any apology for that post; my feelings remain the same.  But I also realize that - Mr. Roraback, regardless of his personal agenda, did cast a vote against repeal this year.  Now, I could speculate as to the underlying reason for his vote, but the fact is that Roraback voted against repeal and that is the fact.  He may be a hypocrite of sorts, but he did well by me, his constituents, and Dr. Petit whether they like it or not.  If he voted in support of repeal this year - I'd have a different opinion, I'm sure.

I was more than surprised to see Chris Healy (who is a personal friend of Dr. Petit's) use Dr. Petit as a political campaign prop to attack Candidate Roraback.  Quite frankly it was in bad taste to drag the Petit family into Republican Party politics, and to ask them to expend their remaining political capital to support Lisa Wilson-Foley - who is without a doubt, considered scandalous to the point where she is even afraid to answer basic questions about her past.  There was no need to turn Dr. Petit and Hannah Chapman into political hacks for such an important cause.  While I'm disappointed in Dr. Petit, my anger is with Chris Healy who cares only about himself and nothing about who he hurts while trying to achieve his status objective.  This is the kind of judgement that time after time Healy has made which has placed the CTGOP in a disgraceful light election after election.  And the mistakes continue to pile up on top of each other to the point were at times victory seems nearly unachievable.

Lastly, the Death Penalty debate will likely continue as we struggle through the repeal process for all of villains on Death Row eager to find a loophole by virtue of the passage of Gov. Malloy's new law.  I'm hoping that Dr. Petit and his family have not caused themselves any  collateral damage with the public by engaging in inter-party politics over a dirty federal office-seeker and an issue that has nothing to do with the outcome of the Convention or even the Congressional Campaign; the issue being strictly a State's matter.

Make no mistake, I still remain a strong supporter of Dr. Petit and have immense respect for him, his sister, and the entire family, and will likely be a supporter of theirs forever more.  I'm just a little disappointed. But I'll get over it.

I AM

THE KING

This original blog entry can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: This entry and others will be modified/updated at a future date. All entries are for the sole purpose of entertainment. This article does not imply endorsement of the candidate mentioned above, nor has this article been solicited for publication by any political candidate, campaign, or PAC