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

Boo Hoo! The Not-So-Great State Chairman's Race - 2013

And we do it so well....

What a difference day makes... and from my perspective it appears that they've taken all the fun out of it....

With the withdrawal of Fox 61 television megastar Chris Healy,  and passionate ideologue Wayne Winsley bailing out of the CTGOP Chairman's Race, the game has changed dramatically.  Sadly, the big show down between Mr. Corrupt and Mr. Irrelevant will never come to pass.  We've gone from Chess to Tic-Tac-Toe - a game where everyone loses. So what pray tell will become of the 32 State Central votes that Catherine Marx and Grand Old Profiteer Mary Ann Turner corralled?  With the magic number being 42, and Ron Wilcox well positioned to pick up the lion's share of anti-Labriola sentiment, there's still plenty of time for Wilcox to pull off an upset (or even time for someone else to be nominated from the floor who might shake things up in a last minute stand).  Too bad Mike Clark isn't available.

It's being heard loud and clear that Republican Town Committees don't want Jerry re-elected. As has been previously explained in these pages over the past two years, Labriola is considered the lapdog of House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney via his brother David.  An agreement was reached long before Labriola's election to the Chairmanship; in exchange for a place in the spotlight, Labs would remain silent on the issues, and not engage in public discourse unless given permission by his political keepers.  Sadly, Labs so willingly complied. When it came to issues most important to statewide voters, Labriola remained intentionally disengaged and aloof - uttering No Comment when cornered, or making a beeline for the exit at the sight of anyone harboring a pad and pen. A more courageous leader would have stood up for Second Amendment rights, or worked on behalf of Connecticut families and spoke out against perversion in our public bathrooms and elsewhere, or challenged Democrats on a dozen other important issues which apparently Labriola found uninteresting. Even when questioned by the Hartford Courant about Healy's possible coup d'etat, as if on queue - Labs volunteered the only phrase he knows - No Comment (BTW - seeing it in print brought laughter far and wide). In fact, on any issue of consequence, Labriola has been nowhere to be found - perhaps only espousing his opinions to select individuals up at the bar and out of earshot of media moguls.   Leading from the rear is not the comeback strategy that anyone ever demanded.

Even the hoity-toity gang down in Greenwich don't want to see Jerry coming - it must be more than just the Miami Vice outfit and the Member's Only Jacket he adorns when visiting the local Yacht Club which puts them off.  Or maybe its the whole 70s retro cover-band act that he takes on the road which doesn't fly with the Fairfield County elite.  It says a lot when you get dissed by someone like Linda McMahon.

Last week, Ron Wilcox had about 12 votes, and his stock has gone up significantly with the exit of Chris Healy.  Critics of Wilcox believe that he'd be unwilling to listen to opinions outside of the Tea Party faithful.  However, Republicans want to see conservative viewpoints championed in light of the state Democrat's continued, unopposed push to the left - on both economic and social issues.  Republicans have negotiated away basic principles for little or no gain, and thus have diluted the party's public image as a mere replication of state Democrats with a quasi-moderate bend - still unwilling to cast a caucus vote of "no" leaving GOP voters feeling bitter, and abandoned.  Clearly this lack of principle has been well rewarded at the polls.

If Republicans had a spokesman in the form of a Chairman who could articulate basic policy positions, week after week in a public forum (e.g. television, radio, web, and press releases, or simple ad hoc appearances) then the Party would attract voter appeal outside of diehard GOP party activists.  Today, the vacuum of leadership at the State GOP is more than self-evident, it's self-destructive.  The idea that State Central Members would chose the same course of failure for two more years is truly beyond belief.  In the absence of a viable candidate, a vote of no confidence is more preferable giving a mandate for two more years of the status quo.

On Tuesday, State Central Members have an opportunity to change the direction of Connecticut's beleaguered Republican Party.  But deep down you have to wonder if we have the stomach to end a tenure of mediocrity and give ourselves half a chance at victory by electing real leadership.  From The King's View, its hard to imagine at this late hour - anyone other than Labriola winning.  That should provide no one comfort, even those who've been bought and paid to support him.

Somewhere Nancy DiNardo and our foes are celebrating.

I AM,

THE KING

CTGOP Chairman's Race 2013 - Part I

CTGOP Tagline

Isn't it fitting that we should start off the first day of summer by cranking up the heat a bit on the upcoming CTGOP Chairman's Race?  And what kind of contest would it be without The King weighing in with a little evaluation of the situation at hand?  A morbid foreshadowing, no doubt with maybe a few surprises in store.  Connecticut, being the land of steady habits, will likely see its Republicans clinging to old time politics facilitated by the same old wrinkled faces who have brought them defeat after defeat, year after year.  

Generally speaking, it's the old cliche its not what you know - its who you know which is a song sung loudly in the hallways at CTGOP Headquarters; for it's that practice which has always reigned supreme over Connecticut Republican politics.  The majority of elected delegates who time after time have been so easily bedazzled by cash, favors, and titles eagerly delivered by those elitists who see Connecticut politics as nothing more than a sport; moving state central members and delegates around like pawns on a chessboard for personal gain and entertainment.  All the while, Connecticut residents and businesses suffer catastrophic loses.

Of course, we at The King's View have to take some accountability for what has come to pass. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were cheering the demise of the failed, corrupt tyrant, Chris Healy, as if he had been deposed from his cushy throne in a fashion not seen since France's King Louis XVI.  The final straw which did him in was his mismanagement of the worst series of election cycles that the CTGOP had ever seen.  I distinctly remember him face palmed while statewide Republicans tarred and feather him in the CCSU auditorium in December of 2010.  And we wildly cheered the ascendancy of Jerry Labriola, Jr. for whom we had such high hopes for moving Connecticut's beleaguered GOP forward into an era of victory followed by a period of prosperity.  But we were both misguided and mistaken - for we traded failure and corruption for incompetence and ineptitude (much of it intentional).  The vacuum of leadership is so obvious that we have nearly half a dozen candidates (that we know of) seeking the not-so-high office of CTGOP Chairman.

We now hear rumbles that profiteer State Central Member Mary Ann Turner and other Healy-loyalists have been burning up the phone lines to drum up support and bring back their disgraced leader.  Even old friend Catherine Marx is trying to find relevancy again since sitting by while Nancy DiNardo took us apart in the press. A email has been distributed to State Central Members full of lies and half-truths about Healy's so-called success record and ethics prompting multiple cries of outrage via email to The King's View. (Of course, in fairness, this isn't the only team working the phones for support; so anything could happen post this entry).  Labriola brags of having over 50 followers in line to hand him victory (and you'd need to be a blind follower after this past election cycle which resulted in pure calamity).  Meanwhile, Conservative Wayne Winsley, and Former Tea Party Patriot Ron Wilcox have their own surrogates pushing for support and attempting to siphon off votes from the heavy hitters.

For those who wonder why we are so down on the past and current Chairman, let's examine the recent history of failure:

Connecticut State Central Members
would do well to remember why this
cartoon was drawn
(Credit: Mr. Englehart)

Under both Chairmen, the CTGOP has steadily lost more key elections then ever before.  

Despite his revisionist public relations campaign, under Chris Healy's Leadership, Republicans lost all representation in the U.S. House of Representatives (ending with Chris Shays' defeat), he advanced the cause of the shameful candidacy of Linda McMahon for US Senate (by backstabbing Rob Simmons while his wife was on the McMahon payroll), lead us to a reduced representation in both Connecticut State Chambers, and finally lost the Gubernatorial Race which brought us four years of liberal Dannel Malloy.  Based on the evidence, it's impossible for any reasonable person to make the case that a return to the Healy years would be in our best interest. We can't imagine what tall tale can be told to brainwash state central members into supporting guaranteed failure.  Make Blue Red?  Are you kidding?  This guy left us Black and Blue, and Democrats actually felt sorry for us because of the shellacking we took. 

And if electoral failure isn't bad enough, you need to look the ethics of the Healy regime.  Attached are three documents which are part of the public record in the Manchester Small Claims Court, Manchester, Connecticut which underscore reasons for concern about how the CT Republican Party was financially run by Mr. Healy (to borrow a phrase: We report, you decide):

Federal Election Commission Complaint

Smoking Gun?

Investigation Continues

So the question people are asking is - would you trust Chris Healy with your money? Certainly, some candidates never received donations entrusted to the then-Chairman which were specifically intended for them to receive. We could also provide a list of hotel expenditures and receipts for the outrageous lifestyle of a man who lived large on Republican donors.  Of course, it would have easier to overlook had we actually won anything!!

Make no mistake about it
Jerry "Lewis" Labriola drowned in
irrelevancy.  And we joked about
Obama as an empty chair. Good Grief!

Jerry Labriola, Jr. faired no better - if not worse - at least from a political standpoint.  Besides refusing to speak publicly or distribute press releases on major issues affecting our state including gun control, the bathroom bill, economic issues or in any sort of issue of concern, he allowed Linda McMahon and Lisa Wilson-Foley to run the Republican Party ticket and under-ticket into the ground,  There are few State Chairman across this country who would sit by silently while their Republican Senate Candidate ran television ads promoting Barack Obama at the expense of other Republican candidates (if that didn't take the cake, were not sure what did).  Bending to pressure, Labriola caved in and jumped on-board McMahon's circus in the last week of the campaign.  What a joke! Then we can't forget about the one time Jerry did appear on Television, he took aim not at Democrats, but at the National Republican Party by calling Connecticut Conservatives "bombastic extremists" while he wined and dined himself at the RNC Convention for Mitt Romney.  It's no wonder why Connecticut needed to buy it's own Mitt Romney election signs.  I'm sure when it comes time for the next GOP Convention, the Connecticut Delegation will find itself seated somewhere in the back parking lot after that act.  We saw how the Romney camp skipped Connecticut after receiving such a warm welcome from our Chairman.  There was a point in time when Connecticut was actually in play.

Labriola's surrogates will claim that he raised more donations than the previous Chairman, however this can discounted by the fact that it was a Presidential Election year.  All in all, between giving Democrats the silent treatment, and letting Democrats control the debate, it's not in our best interest to continue forward with this lack-luster style of leadership.  There is just no point.  He's in Cafero's and McKinney's pocket - and he's just not his own man.  There's nothing to indicate he'd ever change

At this point, I don't see where the two upstarts - Wilcox and Winsley have enough star-power to pull enough votes to capture a majority.  Rumors are that if choices had to be made - Winsley will slide toward Healy, and Wilcox would move toward Labriola.  There's always hope that another candidate could trump them all, but it's up to that person to put themselves forward this weekend else we'll end up with the lesser of two evils - Mr. Corrupt, or Mr. Controlled.  And a split caucus that hates each others guts for another two years.

More to come?  We'll see.  Stay tuned....

I AM

THE KING

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

Squeeze Play



Even Monty Hall wouldn't be able
to top the prizes that Linda is offering
RTCs behind the curtain

It's been another big week of buzz; giving the CTGOP more excitement in the past month than it's seen in years.  It's not all bad, usually Republicans are relegated to Page 20 in the newspaper in between articles about lost kittens and astrology, so as they say bad press is better than no press at all.  Well, maybe that only applies when it's not all bad. :)

To begin with, this week our Republican State Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr. smartly persuaded Republican State Central Members to move the Ethics Resolutions to a sub-committee for study and possible amendment.  While many wanted to see a straight vote on this come to pass, it was decided that it was best to avert a quick defeat on the measures which would have turned into nothing short of a full scale public relations disaster for the CTGOP.  A no-vote would have signaled that the purchase of the State Convention was a done deal, and would have greatly diminished the integrity of both the State Party and it's Chairman.  To those angry about not seeing a debate and straight-up vote, I understand your frustration, but consider the fact that while the fix may still be in, at least the Dean-Visconti Resolutions aren't dead.

A month ago, The King would've predicted that the Resolutions would die a quick death, but now with this approach - we anticipate at least a partial victory against the Wilson-Foley/McMahon anti-ethics lobbyists.

Many people have asked what the big deal is about wearing a badge, and why certain candidates are so hell-bent against it.  Wearing a badge to identify that you're a paid campaign worker for a specific candidate seems to make perfect sense to anyone with a sense of fair play, although most people also think paid campaign staff should recuse themselves all-together from participation as a delegate.  For those of you who attended the 2010 State Convention, you will distinctly recall that during the U.S. Senate voting (and vote switching) process, Linda McMahon had dozens and dozens of her unidentified staff working over delegates to get them to switch their vote.  By convention rules, there is a limit of how many staffers are permitted to be on the floor playing games, but if you can't identify who is who then you can't enforce the rules - which was all part of the plan to rig the process.  The fact that Healy's brownshirts were throwing only Rob Simmons' staffers off the convention floor is a whole different topic. But you can see just why requiring campaign employees, or independent contractors to wear badges helps bring integrity to the the Convention process, including helping those responsible for enforcing the rules to be able to enforce them.

RTC Members and would-be delegates
have plenty of loot to chose out of
Linda's Treasure Chest

As has been reported, Linda McMahon (and Lisa Wilson-Foley) have been opening up their treasure chests and handing out handsome rewards for both Republican Town Committee (RTC) and RTC Member (future convention delegate) endorsements.  If you ask their camps about the pay-to-play strategy, they just *smile* and shrug their shoulders.  To the most unethical among us, accepting payments and in-kind bribes is just an accepted part of our political process here in Connecticut.  It's what some have had the audacity to refer to as "democracy".  Which goes to show how deep the Party has become infected with a nearly incurable virus.

You probably wonder why the McMahon camp is handing out cold hard cash to RTCs?  Well, if you though it was because Linda McMahon is just a caring, generous lady - well, you got it wrong. Dead wrong! Most candidates solicit donations, they don't make them. That should be the first indication that something is amiss.

Whether the Shays, Hill, or Westby camp understand it or not, the endgame is pretty simple.  Linda McMahon's goal for the 2012 State Convention is the same goal that she had in 2010, which is to win the Convention by the largest margin possible, but more importantly - attempt to ensure that Shays, Hill, and Westby don't secure the necessary 15% of the delegate count required to automatically qualify them to appear on the primary ballot.  If Shays, Hill or Westby don't receive the necessary 15% they'll have to make the decision to either collect about 8500 state-wide Republican petition signatures to qualify, or take the CTGOP to court for running a rigged Convention (and I'm sure no one wants the latter), or simply quit the race.  And as a reminder, in 2010 Rob Simmons did meet the 15% threshold but opted not to primary because he believed he didn't have a large enough war-chest to complete with Linda McMillions.

All reports to The King's View are that the McMahon camp is burning up the wires.  Tom Scott, McMahon's political director and former anti-Republican candidate, in particular has been working the circuit playing the role of set-up man while other minions are helping to dole out golden rewards from McMahon's bottomless Treasure Chest.  While the intimidation has been mild so far, rumors are that that Scott has been telling would-be delegates that refusing to endorse McMahon would result in "consequences" including alienation and severe embarrassment because "Linda will win in the end".  As we get closer to D-Day, you can expect more of this kind of thing, but with the rhetoric increasing. (Insider Republicans will recall similar antics during the Chairman's race on behalf of Mr. A).

The last few weeks have revealed exactly how heated the game is going to get. It also shows you just how far off their game the so-called CTGOP political gurus are.  One political operative wrote The King, "They are making so many mistakes, that I've lost count."  It's true, from staff members uttering slurs about other candidates to personal attacks - it's become embarrassing for the CTGOP Establishment.  The only person who came out looking Senatorial this past week was Christopher Shays who made his formal announcement in front of a packed Hartford crowd.

These past two weeks have been a disaster for the Foes of Ethics.  First, the McMahon-Wilson-Foley-Healy conglomerate using their surrogates waged a full scale personal attack on Mr. Visconti.  The trio, referred humorously in Republican circles as the new Axis of Greed, was not only nasty in their attacks, they also sought to mislead the public by painting Joltin' Joe as a deadbeat dad.  Had the idiots checked their facts, they would have realized that Mr. Visconti actually receives child-support from his ex-wife (we hate to have to address this here, but it's important to set the record straight as the false rumors about private family matters continue to be propagated).  The accusations of failing to pay child support were slanderous, and the Axis of Greed should hang their heads low.  Well-respected veteran Republicans not involved in the fray have expressed outrage over these tactics. Some names you just wouldn't believe! But thanks to you, you've given Joltin' Joe the green light to do as he sees fit. Good luck!

The fact remains that this personal attack was a direct warning to RTC members and future delegates that if they ever cross the McMahon Camp, or go back on their endorsement, surrogates will character-assassinate them in public.  The evidence of this is already established, and as we will see later in this piece the McMahon campaign went out of their way to make sure they had someone on-board with a knack for this kind of behavior.

The second mistake of the week came from our old friend - shadow-Chairman Healy who recklessly fired off a missive from his blog which became an instant field day for the media.  The big loser from Healy's attack on Chris Shays was not Shays nor Healy, but instead the candidate that he is supposed to be focused on - Lisa Wilson-Foley. The last thing Wilson-Foley needed was for her campaign manager to go off the reservation, half-cocked, and provide illumination into the direct connection between her campaign and Mrs. McMahon's.  We guess the phone calls claiming innocence turned out to be nothing more than a farce - with Healy running the ranch she should have expected shoot from the hip controversy; this week the shots clearly ricocheted back at Wilson-Foley.  And if you think about it, the pay-to-play strategy underway is precisely what was seen from the McMahon campaign in 2010.  The result of which was not an elected Republican, but a badly fractured Republican Party.  The Fifth Congressional District is in for a real treat.

The media, which hates Republicans anyway, was quick to pick up the diatribe from an obviously angry Healy.  Probably the most interesting line in the whole thing was when Healy went out of his way to call McMahon's campaign staff "over-fed and self-dealing", and then back slapped them by indirectly calling them "incompetent". I'm sure all those people who worked their asses off for Linda really appreciated Healy's characterization of them.  Her campaign manager, David Cappiello, who presumably had a say in hiring all these over-indulgent campaign-killers, apparently got a free pass and not a single mention - unless Healy was implying that Cappiello was one of the over-fed creeps who ruined Linda's Senate aspirations.  And as Healy's wife served as Communication Director, she owns the result of the blitz of negative advertising against Rob Simmons which helped to damage McMahon's reputation in the Second District early.  Boy, the air must be pretty thin at the top of Healy Mountain. Wilson-Foley peeps: make a note to self:  when Wilson-Foley loses you'll be stamped as incompetent gluttons - something you can really look forward to when this whole thing is over.

By the way, Republicans around Connecticut are now asking, if the the Badge Resolution is passed - just how many badges will the former Chairman be forced to wear? 

We'll assume that after getting a drumming from Wilson-Foley herself, Healy took down his post, which was almost worse because it's probably the first time in history that we can recall the shadow-Chairman publicly admitting a mistake. And Joe Lockhart pounded him in a second post which was just short of calling him a yellow-bellied coward.  Who else wanted to be a fly on the wall when that call or calls came in?

And by the way, if her WWE past isn't a negative then why don't we ever seem to see her smiling, happy husband Vince McMahon ever walking the streets with Linda or attending her campaign functions?  In a stark contrast, we saw the lovely wife of Chris Shays - Betsi Shays, formally introduce him to the Old State House audience this week. She also attends Republican functions and events at Mr. Shays' side.  For some reason, I don't think we'll being seeing Vince showing his face - rumors are that he thinks Linda's whole Senate run is a tremendous waste of money.  I guess if your spouse planned to invest $100 million dollars into a doomed scheme that the whole world knows has a 0% chance of a return, you'd be unhappy too.

Better come up with a few more Pay-Per-Views, Vincey. 

Over the course of the last few weeks, I've had a rather insistent group of readers send me a load of documents, links and so forth about a specific topic that I will now broach.  I want to be very clear to all readers that after review of the material as a whole, being public, and somewhat relevant, I'm going to provide the links in this piece.  I want to be careful to make sure that all of you know that this isn't designed as some hit-piece on Linda McMahon or her staff - I'm only providing the facts.  We Report, You Decide should be the understood mode here.

When Linda McMahon hired Corry Bliss as her Campaign Manager few people took notice.  Bliss ran Lt. Governor Brian Dubie's unsuccessful Vermont Gubernatorial run in 2010.  What is remarkable isn't that Dubie lost, but it's how the race was run is what is of grave concern to The King and to many Connecticut Republican Insiders in-the-know.  Bliss ran more than just a hard-nosed campaign on the issues, it's apparent from all reports that Bliss mounted terrible personal attacks against Mr. David Blittersdorf.  This article entitled, "Digger Tidbits: Into the Swirl of Septic; the dirt machine." is a good read.

Campaigns are often cinder boxes for political and sometimes personal attacks as we've witnessed during the GOP Presidential saga.  But the attacks by Bliss were so upsetting that Blittersdorf brought a Defamation Lawsuit against Mr. Bliss and Mr. Dubie.  The lawsuit was settled out of Court.  Few of us can recall any other campaign where a lawsuit was brought in a similar fashion which caught national attention.

Apparently, as the press has reported, Bliss was forced to write a personal letter of apology to Bittersdorf for his actions (as was Mr. Dubie).

So why does this have people up in arms?  Well, Mrs. McMahon isn't a stupid person and is well aware of the steps she needs to take to hire responsible people to keep her own Company safe and reputation intact.  Yet, out of all of the hundreds of political campaign experts, consultants, and firms available who advertise in Campaigns and Elections, she opted for a clearly troubled Mr. Bliss to run her Senate campaign.  Does this make sense?  Sure, it does!

As The King ties all these pieces together, the world is left wondering - is the Axis of Greed merely a product of hyper-imagination fabricated to tell a tale of conspiracy?  Or does all the clear evidence presented through newspaper articles, links, eye-witness reports and so forth show that the connections between yesterday's strategies by the same old Connecticut politicos are playing out in Groundhog Day fashion right before our very eyes?  I guess that's up for you to decide.

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.

The Curse of Chris Healy!

King Tutankhamen

Not every piece at The King's View is going to be of the stoic, tedious political variety.  You'll have to go to The Hartford Courant and read one of Kevin Rennie's columns if you're looking only for that. :) We've been urged to throw in a bit of humor now and then to keep the setting light.  After all, humor is the music of the soul. And we could all use a bit of laughter to get us through the winter blues...

3500 years ago in Ancient Egypt there lived a Pharaoh named Tutankhamun. The boy-king came to power at the age of 7 after his father, Akhenaten, was forced to abdicate his throne by Egyptian high priests after an uprising over his family's attempted force-conversion of Egypt to monotheism - specifically, worship of the God Aten.  Guided by his step-mother, Nefertiti, Tutankhamum ruled Egypt until his untimely death at the age of 18.  Theories abound that the cause of death was suspicious, but scholars believe that he simply died of infection resulting from a broken leg, combined with leiomyomata.

Tutankhamen was buried in the Land of the Pharaohs along side other noble Kings and Queens. As with the ritual of the time, a curse was installed by use of the magnetic placement (N/S/E/W) of the four magick bricks in accordance with Chapter 151 of The Book of the Dead (The Shabti figure "workman", the Torch, the Jackal, and the Djed Pillar).  The words: "Death will come to those who disturb the sleep of the Pharaoh" were inscribed in hieroglyphics on the Wall of Tut's Tomb.  

Despite several unsuccessful attempts at tomb robbing over the centuries, the tomb remained sealed until discovered by Lord Howard Carter on February 23, 1923.   Upon opening the tomb, the curse was released, and the God Osris took revenge on dozens of those involved in descretion of the tomb (extending further misfortune to family, friends, and even pets) . History shows that six years after the opening of the tomb, twelve of the original excavation team were dead. And only one survived up to 1939.


Origin of the Healy Curse

The old bridge now referred as
"Healy's Bridge" still stands today

The story has been related to me as follows: Once upon a time, a young Chris Healy grew up a boy of privileged means. At the age of 23, he went to work on a pivotal Congressional Campaign.  On election night, he was charged with the important responsibility of delivering a box of absentee ballots that a campaign worker had found outside of a polling place lying in a dumpster. He was directed to take the box from the polling place to the Town Hall for tallying. Given the location of the precinct, the ballots were considered favorable to his candidate, and would likely be the critical element that would win the election for his candidate .

Feeling proud and confident, young Healy began his journey. But instead of taking the main road to the town center, he opted to take a short cut by way of the old train trestle that crossed the winding river.  In his haste, he ran and lost his footing in-between two planks, and tripped.  Healy watched as the box of ballots flew high into the air and slowly and steadily zig-zagged to the water below.  A saddened Healy continued to the Town Hall knowing that he may have accidently sealed his candidate's fate.

Upon arriving at the Registrar's Office, he was met by elderly Egyptian woman who had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the ballots. When poor Healy related his story, her dark eyes narrowed and she abruptly flew into a angry rage.  The woman waved her hands in the air and screamed at Healy alternating between English and Arabic. She gestured at him, pacing to and fro for twenty minutes while a drained Healy looked on through his coke-bottled glasses.

Suddenly, she stopped.  She then looked him squarely in the eye, and moved toward him stopping at nose length. She raised her golden cane so that the handle baring the image of the Egyptian God Horus stared upon him. The woman breathed on him, and in a heavy accent chanted, "As a direct descendant of the royal family of Queen Nefertiti, King Akhenten, and King Tutankhamen, I set your fate! From this day forward, you are cursed. Any campaign you oversee, will crumble. Your plans will run-afoul. And men will laugh. "  Trembling, young Healy put his head down, and walked out in the November frost. He never to returned to that town again.

The Healy Curse Today

CANDIDATES TAKE HEED!
The appearance of this Pharaoh on
your doorstep will bring doom!

As readers are aware, there is no question about the lingering effects of the dreaded Healy Curse.  One doesn't have to look much further then the results of last few years to see that the curse as alive and well.  From a sympatheic perspective, we sense this must be painful.  Can you imagine the personal horror associated with knowing that everything you touch turns to dust? Seeing the fear in people's eyes because they know you have the reverse-Midas touch?

For those who don't believe, let us provide some evidence.

In 2006, Healy managed Rob Simmons re-election campaign to failure.  Simmons lost by a mere 88 votes - certainly an avoidable loss caused by a strategic blunder in the Mansfield-Storrs area.

As Chairman, the Connecticut Republican Party lost a favorable Republican Congressional District, seeing an overall reduction from six seats to five. 

2008: Under his Chairmanship all Federal offices were lost to Democrats.

2010: All federal offices remained Democrat while National Republicans recaptured the House of Representatives, and picked up U.S. Senate seats.  

2010:  Connecticut's Governorship turned Democrat after a failed get out the vote strategy. Democrats took most State Offices, and kept majorities in the StateHouse and State Senate.

In 2010, the Connecticut Republican Party nearly went bankrupt, and the Party torn asunder by corruption through vote purchasing, profiteering, and cronyism during the State Convention and the US. Senate Race.

Also in 2010, his short lived campaign for Republican National Chairman failed, then he jumped on board to support Gentry Collins, where he publicly assailed the eventual RNC Chairmanship winner Reince Priebus. 

2011: Healy joins Tim Pawlenty Presidential Campaign.  After a few months, it folds.

2011: Healy runs Middletown Mayor Sebastian Guiliano's re-election campaign. Guiliano loses re-election.

2012: Healy named head of Rick Perry's Connecticut Presidential team.  Perry drops out.

2012: Healy takes over Lisa Wilson-Foley's campaign.  Result?? TBD.  (But you know where I'd put my money if I were a gambling man.)

I've only highlighted a few examples from the Healy Curse. I'm sure there are many more fine examples that can be highlighted by our readers.  It makes you really wonder why so many people follow this guy given his track record. Why allow him to set up a shadow State Chairmanship knowing that the result will always be the same?

Dr. Hawass is frightened for the public

In fact, the Healy Curse has become so well known, that Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt has publicly expressed concern about the situation.  In a recent letter to CTGOP Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr., he wrote, "A Curse of this magnitude should not be taken lightly. Perhaps it would be better if Healy himself were shipped to Cairo to be made a permanent part of our exhibit.  He would make a fine addition to our collection of artifacts."

In closing, my dear candidates - local, state, or federal - if you see Pharaoh Healy headed toward your campaign office - lock the door, turn out the lights, and grab your protective amulet.  Else, your campaign may suffer the consequences of the deadly Healy Curse!

Be Warned!  Be on your guard!

I AM

THE KING

Have a great Weekend! Enjoy the snow! 

Disclaimer: This entry and others will be modified/updated at a future date. All entries are for the sole purpose of entertainment.  No Egyptians were hurt during the creation of this piece.   All rights reserved, except those with curses and infectious diseases.

Healy, Marx abandon Connecticut Republicans for self-serving interests

Last week, I asked the question, "Where's Healy?" 

My question seemed reasonable enough.  After all, Connecticut Republicans have had one of the worst weeks in recent memory and it appeared as though no one was around to quell the angry mob firing nasty missives at each other after the Aniskovich candidacy publicly imploded. And worse, when Connecticut Democrats sent out a press release ridiculing Connecticut Republicans (and indirectly Republican State Capitol members) for backing a corrupt candidate for Chair, Chris Healy was no where to be found to respond to the attack.

ABDICATION:  Both Healy and Marx
 let the ship burn in the Harbor last
week. CTGOP needs real leadership

Well, we now know why our fearless (and useless) leader was AWOL while our ship sat burning in the harbor.  According to Human Events, in an article dated June 17th, Healy was off in New Orleans endorsing Minnesota Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Tim Pawlenty - and get this - he did so in his official capacity as Connecticut State Republican Chairman.

This is so wrong on so many levels.

First, it's an OUTRAGE that Healy is still collecting the Chairman's salary, and has pretty much abandoned his responsibility to State Central and all Connecticut Republicans.  Moreover, who authorizes such trips?  I pray God that this kind of networking trip certainly wouldn't be paid for on our dime because it would be yet another example of inappropriate personal use of Republican donor funds.  When you hear rumor about the details of Healy's apparently bottom-less expense account, you have to question why anyone would donate one red cent to the Connecticut Republican Party with him at the helm.

Second, how does Healy get off endorsing Tim Pawlenty at this early stage in his official capacity as State Chairman?  With so many potential Republican nominees in the mix, many just beginning to launch their campaigns, including Romney, Gingrich, Palin, Paul, DeMint, Cain, and Bachmann to name a few - doesn't it seem to put Connecticut in an awkward position to find it's head of Party making unilateral decisions on behalf of the rest of us?  Was this decision vetted with State Central Leaders or with State Central Members?  Even if Healy doesn't require formal permission to endorse a candidate, did he even run it by anyone that he was going to do so? 

Third, many think that Healy's gig might really be about trying to secure himself a job with Tim Pawlenty, or lobbying for his wife to help to manage Pawlenty's campaign (Hmm, where did we see this before?).  What it should tell everyone is that Chris Healy is and always has been in this for himself.  So for all you defenders of Chairman Chris and his self-serving manner of handling things, perhaps you should take a minute to reflect on the obvious trends within his so-called leadership style - All for one, and one for Healy.

Finally, this entry wouldn't be complete without taking issue with our Vice Chairman, Catherine Marx.  Catherine knew damn well that Chris Healy was down in Louisiana promoting himself and taking unprecedented measures to embarrass us back East.  And since she was in the cockpit when DiNardo and the Democrats slammed us in the Press, why didn't she take up our banner and and tell them to Go Jump Off a Bridge when they started to meddle in our affairs?

Catherine, this was the one major test you've ever had to face while serving as Vice-Chair and you know what - YOU FAILED!  When you were asked by a State Central Member the other night whether you were "tough enough" for the job, and you responded, "Just try me?" Are you kidding? Heck, you were too busy spending all your time corralling your 10 supporters to make sure they didn't jump ship to another camp.  You blew an opportunity to stand up as a leader and at minimum - defend your Party.  What a shame!

It's funny.  Although he hasn't formally announced, I can see exactly why Jerry Labriola, Jr. might have felt inclined to jump into the Chairman's race after all. Between witnessing the sellout of five prominent Republicans, Aniskoich's failed coup and collapse, Chairman Healy partying in New Orleans trying to land a job with the big boys, and Catherine selfishly stewing in her Ivory Tower while Republicans took a bashing in the Press, it's no wonder we aren't in worse shape than we already are. 

And for the record, the idea of giving Chris Healy another term as our State Chairman, is about as appealing as turning the Party over to the Democrats.

APPALLED, I AM

THE KING

This original blog post can be read at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com

Interrogation at Wally-World! Healy locks out the Peanut Gallery!

Where there is smoke, there is usually fire - not that I am trying to fan the flames, but ...

By all reports, there is an angry buzz in the air because of the restrictions around tomorrow's Connecticut Republican Candidate Meeting which will be held at the Villa Capri in Wallingford, Connecticut (directions here).  The guidelines (below) make it clear that the meeting is going to be open to State Central Members only, which means that this important session will be closed to the public, and guests - friends, media, and registered Republicans are not welcome.  The set-up raises ongoing questions about the lack of transparency within the CTGOP, and compounds the litany of concerns about how State Central Leadership conducts Party business.


REVENGE TIME: Healy and his
cronies are going to work-over
their enemies behind closed doors.

 I could see limiting the number of guests for capacity reasons, but I can't understand why State Central continues to lock out Republicans from observing what goes on beyond the club curtain.  And I would also gamble that a few select guests will be let in by Chairman Christopher Healy - who has a reputation for making up the rules as he goes along anyway.  (Note: Even The King cannot recognize all 72 members, so if anyone shows who doesn't belong - feel free to send the name along to me for posting.)

I guess if regular Connecticut Republicans want to know how things turn out, they should pitch a tent, and camp out in the parking lot of Villa Capri, or pray that Healy doesn't ban social networking tools from the meeting.  Hell, if Judge Blue can permit the use of Twitter in the Komisarjevsky courtroom, then I guess Old Man Healy would be a real dictator to disallow their use on Tuesday.

The interesting part of the process is whether or not a member can ask a specific question which could be considered of private nature, or whether the forum could be used to attack or humiliate an opponent.  And who gets to decide whether a question is fair and reasonable? Oh, I bet its none other than our lovable Chairman Healy who'll be tightening the ropes on the torture rack to try and humiliate those who worked so hard to end his pathetic reign. 

And while I'm on the topic of fairness - since the meeting is limited to the elected Republican elite, it appears that certain candidates won't have the advantage of say a - Doug Hageman or Art Scialabba who are card-carrying State Central members and entitled to sit through all their opponent's question time.  That doesn't seem fair, does it?

Well, one thing is for sure.  It's going to be interesting and pretty darn entertaining.  Pipe in the laugh track.

The following letter was sent out to all State Central members, which also included a copy of the By-laws:

All:

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE EMAIL - IMPORTANT INFORMATION IS ENCLOSED

The State Central Committee decided on Tuesday night to hold another meeting on Tuesday June 14th to interview our candidates for State party Chairman. I will be sending out a notice to them shortly.

Attached is a copy of the by-laws as amended at the last State Convention. In addition a copy of the meeting notice for June 14th.

Please note the cost of this dinner is only $30.

This meeting is for State Central Members only or their proxies. NO GUESTS!

The meeting will be held at:

The Villa Capri

906 North Colony Road

Wallingford, CT 06492

XXX-XXX-XXXX

Please RSVP -ASAP. The meal will be served family style.

This WILL NOT be a debate among the candidates. Each candidate will address the committee individually. They will have 5 minutes to introduce themselves and than have 15 mins for questions. If more time is needed for questions, the candidates will be asked to stay and meet members at the end of the meeting. Times may vary depending on the number of candidates.

In the interest of time and in consultation with a few members, I am putting a questionnaire together to send to the state party chairman candidates. I intend to email it to them on June 1st. I will ask that they bring 72 copies of their responses to the meeting on the 14th.

If you have a generic question you would like to ask each candidate, please forward it to me no later than May 31, 2011at 5pm. I will include your question.

A genetic question maybe: Is there anything in your past that could be brought to light by your election? Or what our your plans on dealing with the working families party?

Some members want to ask certain questions that pertain only to that candidate and not the other candidates.

In addition, having a questionnaire will allow each member to take home some information and study it and in addition this gives each member an opportunity to ask a question.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX or XXX-XXX-XXXX (edited by The King for privacy).

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation and again, PLEASE RSVP FOR THE DINNER.

Gary

For those who haven't seen the questionnaire, here are the 16 written questions posed to candidates for Chairman (answers were to be written, copied and distributed to all members):

Question #1: Is there anything in your past that may come to light following your election as State Party Chairman that will hinder your ability to lead the party?

Question #2: What will you do to increase Republican registration in Connecticut?

Question #3: How will you combat the influence of the Working Families Party in Connecticut?

Question #4: How can we better get our message out to the people in Connecticut?

Question #5: Is there anything you think could have been done to get better results in the 2010 campaign?Question #6: Many people want us to invest large dollars in the cities for GOTV efforts do you agree with this strategy?

Question #7: How do you plan to raise money for Connecticut Republicans?

Question #8: Will you reinstate the Week on Washington and if so in what time frame?

Question #9: Are you up to date on Connecticut’s new campaign finance laws?

Question #10: Can you give me a good reason to attend a state central meeting?

Question #11: Can you assure us that attending a meeting will be meaningful and a productive use of our time?

Question #12: How will you reach out to younger voters and persuade them that joining the Republican Party is the right choice for their economic future?

Question #13: What is the role of the Connecticut Republican State Central Committee in your viewpoint?

Question #14: What is the role of the State Party Chairman?

Question #15: Do you plan on being a Full-Time or Part-Time Chairman?

Question #16: What will your staff structure look like?

So, if anyone is up for it, you might want to put together a little tailgating party down at the Villa.  Sounds like a job for the Tea Party Express.

I AM

THE KING

The original blog post can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com