Republicans Give McMahon Fake Fairytale Ending

How many disasters can we create in a month?

Last week Republican insiders were angered to read the headline that federal agents were swarming the capitol city, interrogating members for evidence that CTGOP officials directed candidates to hire a Clearwater, Florida direct mail and printing firm to the tune of nearly $2 million dollars with an alleged kickback scheme.  As if that wasn't bad enough, we heard the news that the Feds are working with Brian "The Rat" Foley (chief conspirator of the Lisa-Wilson Foley-Rowland-Healy gang) to help return ex-Governor John G. Rowland to The Big House.  The timing of these scandals couldn't be worse - as they come on the heels of Republican Candidate Tom Foley launching his gubernatorial bid by leveling ethics charges at Governor Dan Malloy's administration.  Now that strategy looks to be a hard-sell with the CTGOP mired in it's own mega-controversy.

All of this negative press is very frustrating given that Republican gubernatorial candidates had just finally begun to get their message out to eager constituents.  Well, at least there was some good news - as it turned out - neither John Rowland nor Lisa Wilson-Foley were going to be roasted recipients of this year's Prescott Bush Award.  For that would have almost been worth paying the outrageous $250 a head ticket to attend that media circus.

Knowing full well that two of the CTGOPs biggest stars were about to go Super-Nova, Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr. and his near-sighted group of politicos decided to chose Connecticut's least-effective candidate - Linda McMahon to receive the Connecticut Republican Party's highest honor.  When announced, Republicans statewide shook their collective heads in unison, screaming: "Do we ever learn from our mistakes?"

The CTGOP has become a lot like Disney's Dumbo Ride:
It goes round and round and never manages to get anywhere

With many of the Party faithful calling for his head - Chairman Labriola, Jr. was quick to defend his selection.  In a rare statement to the press, he wrote:

"Linda McMahon has shown tremendous leadership, both as a candidate herself and as a tireless advocate for Republicans at all levels of local, state and federal government,” Labriola said. “Her experience creating, building and running a business has helped shine a light on the need for government to help, not hinder, the creation of jobs in order to help our state and our economy prosper.” 

Leave it to Jerry Labriola, Jr. and CTGOP to completely rewrite the historical fact.  The truth is that Linda McMahon only advocated for Republican Candidates and Town Committees which endorsed her candidacy over both Rob Simmons, and Christopher Shays.  Anyone else who was found supporting her opposition, or playing neutral, was isolated, ridiculed and harshly, and personally attacked from the word "go".  The only thing "tireless" about Linda McMahon was her campaign for self-promotion, and desire for adulation from her supporters who were all too unwilling to see both campaigns for what they were - pure political calamity; void of content, ideology, or ideas.  Her inability to communicate specific solutions on any issue during her many interviews and debates was enough to expose her candidacy for what it was - shallow theatre.

Moreover, it's very hard for us lifelong Republicans to watch our Chairman (who was punished by McMahon and her minions for quietly, but openly supporting her primary opponents) crawl on all fours, beg her forgiveness, and reward her after she's had a history of donating to Democrats, and spent millions of dollars on door hangers, mailers, and television commercials encouraging voter turnout for Barack Obama.  How humiliating for Labriola!  How humiliating for  Connecticut Republicans! Only the seal-clapping elite at CTGOP Headquarters would both excuse wholesale betrayal of our Republican Presidential Candidate, and then kiss her arse after the fact.  Has the Connecticut Republican Party lost all it's self-respect?

As for Labriola's comments regarding her business - Republicans have long established that the wrestling business it's not the kind of pro-family, pro-traditional values organization which our own GOP brand claims to champion.  It was tough seeing some activists at the Family Institute of Connecticut endorse a candidate who made her millions promoting a raunchy, anything goes mentality which the FIC purports to fight against. Based on the past two campaign cycles, its hard to determine if it was - as Labriola suggests - a shining light that Linda was waving, or a lit fuse of dynamite which twice annihilated our GOP Senate hopes, and destroyed the Party under-ticket.  If there's something the CTGOP does very well - it's that it has a habit of repeatedly rewarding failure.

It will take a cast of characters to explain how McMahon earned this award

Party insiders agree that handing the Prescott Bush Award to McMahon is pay-off for Linda's personal contribution of thousands, and thousands, and thousands of dollars to rescue CTGOP coffers from complete bankruptcy.  It's long been established that RTCs, delegates, state central members, convention votes, and now even awards can be indirectly purchased by those with the deepest pockets (Tom Foley's Convention is likely next). And sadly, now the effects of behind-the-curtain party corruption has been brought to public light; exposing that the CTGOPs internal battle with ethics is more than just a matter of 'inside baseball'.   

Handing the Prescott Bush Award to Linda McMahon is wrong, but its just another chapter in the CTGOPs endless identity crisis. The King supposes that this crime may seem minor when compared with FBI agents turning over Republican desks, or ex-cons acting as head of Party from the WTIC broadcast booth while our Chairman goes AWOL. At the end of the day, the problem for the Connecticut Republican Party is that neither principle, integrity or elections can be bought.  Until that lesson is learned, and we clean up our own house - it's very unlikely that the public will see Republicans as a viable option now or in the near future.

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

Bit and Pieces; last word on Porky Jenkins, How It Works

Happy Dreary Friday!

Let me begin this entry by THANKING EVERYONE who has commented, direct messaged me on Twitter, and emailed me with their support for The King's View.  Your emails are  thoughtful and encouraging! (and I will try to get back to each of you over the next week.)  I wish I could share some of them with readers, but since 90% of you have asked me to keep your comments and names from public view, I'm committed to that end.  I think I get the anonymity part.  If we learned anything this week, it's is that there are some very sick, and demented people - like CTGOP State Secretary Bill Jenkins  who uses filthy, low brow tactics to root out dissenters, and work to undermine our Connecticut Republican Party - to perhaps its lowest level yet. 

Disgraceful CTGOP
State Secretary Bill Jenkins
has got to go!
"That's All Folks!"

Based on what readers have sent me, I could write a six part series on his antics and anger issues.  But I'm not going to go there - this blog is not about Jerkins (or Porkins), or the role of his co-conspirators  No, its about many other things including blowing the lid off of the lack of transparency at State Central, and giving Connecticut Republicans a fighting chance to regain the majority of seats at both the State and Federal Level; the first step of which is to elect a competent slate of leaders.

As a reminder, we only brought Jerkins into the picture because he foolishly began a witch hunt, and began to distribute personal information to State Central members in his official capacity as Secretary with the intent to solicit retributive action against TKV. My understanding is that he's got such a mental problem that he STILL does not see that his demeaning characterization of women and distribution of private information as - problematic.  From all I have heard and seen -  there is enough anger regarding his behavior to warrant him not being re-elected to his post. 

If you haven't read it, please take the time to review Bill Jenkins comments here: http://www.ctconservativecoalition.com/GOP_Official_s_Abuse.html .  The foul language and derogatory comments about women, individuals, the Tea Party, and others is disgraceful. 

I also recommend you take the time to read how Bill conducts "discussion" on public forums, such as in the comment section located here of the Norwich Bulletin.

Remarkably, Martha Dean, one of the patron Saints of the Connecticut Republican Party  posted: 

"It is with sadness that I must agree. Though I appreciate his service to the party and assistance, it must be said openly now that this is a fully public: Bill Jenkins needs to resign immediately. As part of top Republican leadership in CT, he has simply demonstrated in his official position as party secretary too much poor judgment for too long. Time and again his foul mouth and shoot from the hip attacks on the innocent have been a public embarrassment to the good people of the CT GOP. If he doesn't step down immediately, his actions (and leadership's silence) will take down everyone around him." - Martha Dean

You see - this is no longer just "A Blog Thing" Catherine!  Jenkins is your boy, and you look pretty bad right about now.  Let me say this - if State Central members return Bill Jenkins to the State Secretary position, I would expect all hell to break loose.  And this will create a firestorm for the next Chairman that they won't be able to put out for months - as both the Democrats, and the media are watching how CTGOP handles its rotten apples.  There is not a single person in the Chairman's race who isn't privately telling their camps that this is unacceptable.   Don't Blow it!

One last IMPORTANT NOTE on Jenkins.  If you read the correspondence between himself and Mr. M (name withheld) you can see Jenkins makes light of his decision to donate campaign contributions to FOUR DEMOCRATS.  I don't know about you but I have a REAL problem with the Connecticut Republican State Secretary filling the coffers of the enemy camp with the clear intention of helping Democrats defeat Republicans.  Jenkins justifies his decisions by stating that it had no difference on the outcome.  Fact is, its one thing to stay out of the mix, or vote in privacy, its quite another to contribute cold hard cash!  It's akin to supplying bullets to an opposing army.  State Central would do well to investigate this traitorous act!

Through this series of posts, it's been quite interesting to learn how many registered Republicans have no idea what State Central is or how the Republican Party works in Connecticut (or doesn't work).  One well-intentioned lady emailed me asking where she can go to vote for Chairman.  Hahaha.  I wish!

Here is the skinny from The King's view:  First, you have to realize that for the most part, the whole system is pretty much rigged from the start.  Republican Town Committee leaders pre-select town committee members who are friendly to a certain viewpoint or candidate, and send those folks off to a so-called district convention to vote for State Central Members to be elected in their district.  Most of the people who go are long time members, officers, or loyal supporters/ donors to specific candidates.  9 times out of 10, there are few challenges to attend the convention, and moreover - since the various convention rooms are stacked with people friendly to those seeking re-election, or election, its a rare situation to see candidates nominated from the floor, or a vote of no confidence to take place at the time of balloting.

When Republicans controlled the Governor's Office, the Governor - as head of Party- chose who the State Chairman is.  Governor Jodi Rell selected Chris Healy at the urging of Rob Simmons (isn't that an interesting fact given how Healy stabbed Simmons in the back last year?). But since Tom Foley lost, the accountability for choosing the Chairman falls to State Central Members.  The other positions (Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) are voted on by the members - but usually hand-picked by the Chairman to whom they are somewhat accountable to.

Since Connecticut has been governed by Republicans for twenty years, and the Governor's Office under Lisa Moody has hand-picked the Party spokesman - it's understandable exactly why the process has been so dramatic and political.  What we are witnessing is an incredible power-play by various individuals and groups who understands what's at stake here - complete control and direction of funds, policy, platform, and most important - the laying of the foundation for those pulling string behind the scenes who want to be candidates in the upcoming contest. 

Make no mistake.  All of these candidates are loyal to key individuals who need control.  For example, Justin Clark is loyal to Tom Foley (and I'd be willing to bet that if Foley had won, Clark would be Chairman today), who is looking to run for Governor in a few years.  Jim Campbell is loyal to Linda McMahon, who is looking at a Senate Run.  And Rob Simmons is calling and backing everyone so that he can also make a Senate run.

So the reason the politicos are so upset about what they are seeing on TKV is that they have no way of controlling the debate, or the flow of information.   They are furious that ordinary Republicans are getting a look into the inner-working of the broken machine. They are so angry that they have resorted to accusing each of being moles and informants because they cannot properly frame their meritless arguments. And this is how our leaders behave; all of whom demand a vow of obedience to their would-be Masters.  Pretty pathetic.  Pretty UN-Republican.  I fear that if Catherine Marx gets elected, Republican State Party Members will be forced to wear brown shirts, and take a loyalty oath.  What a Mess!

Our State Central Members seem to be in a bit of a quagmire.  From the beginning of their journey to State Central, they have NEVER been their own people.  Favors are granted, loyalties and alliances are formed, and expectations are set the day they get involved.  The idea that most State Central Members are free to vote as they wish (without fear of repercussions and influences) is pure fantasy.

But this race could be different.  While many State Central members are being called, and pressured - many are now uncommitted.  And there is a hope - just a shimmer of hope - that those who are strong enough to break their chains, can vote their own conscience, and select a Chairman who will be best for not just the CTGOP, but for Connecticut's citizenry over-all.

Buckle your seat belts. With lots of time between now and June 28th when the voting takes place, it's going to be a wild ride. Next week - it's going to be an INTERESTING week!

Lastly, yes I do have a lot more to share, but I need time to debunk the spin and noise. 

(Whisper:  Court Jester, let me know!)

I AM

THE KING

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

Aniskovich Melt-Down

Less than 24-hours after Wild Bill Aniskovich anointed himself the front-runner in the CTGOP Chairman's race, he finds himself dangling by a thread - an inch from being forced to withdraw due to public exposure of his numerous past improprieties. And he's likely never to recover. 

This is the sign placed just down
the street from Aniskovich's home
No radiation suit can protect even
his closest friends

And you know what's worse?  He's caused his new-found friends serious collateral damage to their reputations and respectability within the Connecticut Republican Party.  The five candidates who were conned to withdraw (Scialabba, Torres, Clark, Campbell, and Hageman) all drafted letters to their supporters begging them to support Aniskovich.  Bill Aniskovich is a great leader... Let's all come together for the good of the Party. Yadda Yadda. So tell us boys - how's it working out so far?  Everybody feelin' good?  You guys still cranking "Don't Stop Believing" on your CD Players? 

Before I get into the details, I need to point out that all of this embarrassment could have have been avoided if people took a step back and looked at Bill Aniskovich's background, and didn't buy his I found the Lord shtick.  Last week I posted a number of links to Aniskovich articles cited his scandalous background which were raised by the mainstream media late this afternoon.  "It's just Inside Baseball!" You cried, and now some of you are crying your eyes out - thinking what could have been if you only stayed in the race and didn't buy into the phony hype.

Earlier last week (I'm told), Joe Visconti posted a note to all State Representatives who signed Aniskovich's letter of endorsement, warning them to retract their endorsement before the media picked up on Aniskovich's checkered past.  In humor, du-Count Visconti posted a picture of a nuclear bomb, and ironically, that's exactly what Republicans are experiencing today.  The problem is that its not just about his past, but pattern of distrust continues - he also lied to a reporter last week during an interview claiming that he wasn't a State Contractor.  Luckily, the savvy reporter, Kevin Rennie, wasn't easily fooled having served with Wild Bill in the Legislature, and conducted an investigation of his own.  Not that it was too hard to pick up the telephone and the Connecticut State Election Official.

I can hear it now:  "The Lord told me to lie to Kevin Rennie"

For those who haven't caught up, here are few links for you to read.  I posted these via twitter earlier today:

Here is the article dealing with Wild Bill's Stonington debacle.

Here is an article from the Hartford Courant which basically calls on Aniskovich to quit his job at the Stonington Institute or resign from the State Senate based on his improprieties and conflicts.


Wild Bill's damage control center.
Doh!!!

Read Jon Lender's article on the Stonington Institute as is relates to Wild Bill.

And finally here is Kevin Rennie's piece that pretty much incorporated the detail from the articles tweeted earlier today.

The situation is so bad that Aniskovich got shelled by the Democrats today in this Press Release. Normally, I wouldn't quote the Democrats but this goes to show you exactly what we would be in for under an Aniskovich Chairmanship.  The ballots aren't even cast and they're ready and waiting to put the Republican's through the political wood-chipper.  Enough is enough.

There are two other losers from this misadventure.  First, Justin Clark has been telling everyone that he's supporting Aniskovich for the benefit of Tom Foley - "I don't want to screw this up for Tom", he told State Central Members. Yeah well Good Old Tom has egg on his face today after learning who he's really making deals with now.

And the second loser is Rob Simmons.  While Simmons cracked a deal with Aniskovich over  Shrimp and fish sticks in Mystic this week, I wonder if any of the controversies surrounding the Stonington Institute (the hometown of Simmons) ever crossed his mind.  Or was he simply worried about getting a fair hearing for his next Senatorial bid?  Not that it will matter.  Simmons is now tainted, and his prospect of ever surviving the convention process is bleak.  Linda McMahon outplayed Simmons once again, this time by keeping quiet and staying out of the limelight.  Tough luck there.

Once Aniskovish leaves (or is abandoned by his supporters), Republicans will have the opportunity to choose a legitimate leader who is both ethical and can set a vision for Connecticut's Republican Party.  The five fools who pledged allegiance to Bill Aniskovich should NOT be given a second chance.  Instead Republicans should look at the courageous few who didn't bow to the pressure and cronyism  - Al Alper, Catherine Marx, Pauline Kezer, and of course - Rich Olivastro.  State Central Members:  Don't allow the wrong people to decide who the next Chairman is going to be. Make up your own minds for your constituents.

Lastly State Central Members: If one of Aniskovich's goons call you and plead for you to stay in or join his fold, save your energy - and just HANG UP.  Those who advocate for Aniskovich (even after all they have read and seen) have expended lots of personal capital on this corrupt candidate - and to them they have nothing left to go back to should Wild Bill exit the race.  And that's - they're problem, not ours!!  We have a Party to build!  And a State to take back for the Taxpayers of Connecticut!!

I AM

THE KING

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

Rick Torres cuts a deal with Aniskovich; Simmons reported to be next

Not that Rick Torres was ever a factor in the Connecticut GOP Chairman's race, but it appears he's cut a deal with Wild Bill Aniskovich, and has endorsed him for CTGOP Chair.

CT Republicans will need to rethink
the slippery slope they are on
before its too late

The next story simmering on the front burner is that everyone is waiting for Rob Simmons to send out a formal communication over the next few days endorsing Bill Aniskovich.  This won't be big surprise since Simmons is eager to run for U.S. Senate and wants to cut a deal that doesn't permit Linda McMahon to have her henchman running the next Connecticut Republican State Convention.

I still believe this is a foolish move on Simmons' part.  His assumption that Aniskovich wouldn't eventually follow the money and stab him in the back is by far not a foregone conclusion.  Simmons, instead of being above the fray is opting to choose sides - quite a gamble for someone who has so much more to lose than gain.  Simmons is best to keep his mouth shut, be neutral, and avoid all entanglements during this process.  But as of this writing, it looks as though he won't thus signing a suicide pact for the remainder of his political career. Tisk, Tisk.

I further expect that Doug Hageman, who is seeking a consolation prize for his valiant effort will join Wild Bill's alliance with his handful of votes.  And everyone knows that Simmons and Hageman are good friends in and out of politics.  Should a deal be struck, Hageman would likely secure badly-needed employment under an Aniskovich regime.

This move will result in a shock-wave of realignment within the Connecticut Republican Establishment. Former foes may find themselves lowering their swords against each other and banding together in order to defeat a far more dangerous enemy to the future of the Republican Party - Bill Aniskovich (of course, that's only if they're smart enough to do so).  Wild Bill's letter to State Central Members last week created a firestorm that is continuing to spread at a rapid pace. 

Besides the concern with turning the Party over to a Chairman with several known improprieties, the Aniskovich strategy seeks too surrender control of State Central from the public body politic of (mostly) citizen representatives to leaders within the Connecticut Legislature.  You would think that after this last session, Republican leaders in the Statehouse would want to straighten out their own caucuses before trying to seize control of Republican State Central.  Moreover, its said that Derby-Orange-Woodbridge Representative Themis Klarides, who is always embroiled in controversy (not to be taken as a compliment), is being fronted as a possible Vice Chairman under Wild Bill.

What will be interesting is how the other candidates will ultimately react to the Aniskovich surge, and the outcome.  Will Art Scialabba work with Justin Clark, and/or Catherine Marx (and possibily Al Alper) to form a counter alliance?  Or will they all remain independent, frozen by their own egos, and simply become crushed under by the Statehouse-run machine?   And how does Pauline Kezer fit into the mix?  Will she join the contest and siphon off Aniskovich supporters, or will her entry into the race have the unintended consequence of further eroding the opposition against him?  And has anyone even seen the rules that Chris Healy is using to preside over this great big giant nightmare?

One thing is for certain, Joe Visconti, the de facto leader of the Connecticut Tea Party (via Liberty Unplugged) is watching all of this very carefully, and is likely to reject any Chairman who would abandon key positions on social issues, have a background of unethical (if not illegal behavior), or continue the failed practices of Chris Healy.  My own fear (and for disclosure I am NOT a Tea Party member) is that Visconti might work to set up a third party thus creating additional hardships for the Connecticut Republican Party to overcome resulting in further setbacks the CTGOP. 

And this, my friends, is a MAJOR concern that others should start to take an interest in.

Ok, enough for today...

I AM

THE KING


For the record, the following letter was sent out today by Bill Aniskovich to his followers:


June 12, 2011


Connecticut Republican State Central Committee:


For the past many weeks I have attempted to line up support in my run for Chairman of the State Republican Party. I am honored to have had the opportunity to get to know the other candidates better and I am especially happy at the opportunities to share my personal philosophy with many state residents.

Additionally, I think that the process has ultimately given the state party a clear opportunity to choose among many capable people who have offered themselves up to scrutiny. All of the candidates would bring unique and valuable capabilities had any one of us been able to serve. Although I felt deep in my heart that I offered an especially unique set of abilities that would have been useful to a chairman, there ultimately can be only one. In my analysis I recognized that I could not harness the necessary support to win.

However, I did spend a good amount of time accessing the other candidates and in my opinion Bill Aniskovich has a skill-set that is most competent. Bill’s legislative experience is unmatched. Bill has an exceptional track record in fundraising. Bill is a conservative. This fact alone will allow the state Republican Party to reach out to disaffected folks who feel the Party has lost its way. Bill understands my contention that Republicans have ignored minorities, the poor and urban dwellers. Bill also recognizes that we have also ignored rural communities and that we must never again ignore our natural constituencies.

If I were to think of what it is that impressed me most about Bill Aniskovich I would say it is Bill’s heart-felt and genuine sincerity. Bill will be proactive to improve the things we’ve done right and repair the things we’ve done wrong. I look forward to working hard with a person with these qualities. I believe that in time Bill will bring our great party together and that the process of rebirth begins as soon as Bill is installed as our new Chairman.

It is my sincere pleasure to endorse Bill Aniskovich for the position of Chairman of the Republican Party in our great state of Connecticut. I encourage my supporters to vote for Bill on June 28th.

Sincerely,

Rick

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

The Great Connecticut Chairman's Race: 20-Day Tally

With only three weeks left in the Great Connecticut Chairman’s Race there are only a few major players left in the game who appear to be holding the majority of cards. First, let’s start with the raw numbers based upon actual known counts derived from discussions with representatives of the various camps who are in touch with The King.

We've coming
down to the wire

The vote totals look like this: Wild Bill Aniskovich leads the pack with approximately 22 votes, Art Scialabba and Justin Clark are tied with 12 votes apiece, Catherine Marx has about 8 votes, Doug Hageman clings to 6 votes, Al Alper has 5 votes, and Jim Campbell and Rick Torres have 3 votes apiece, and taking up the rear in last position is Rich Olivastro who has managed to secure at least one vote. (Margin is +/- 3 votes).

The candidates and their minions are telling members (and others) that they have a much greater total of votes than they really do. Of course, this is merely a political tactic to get others to switch to their winning team. A more entertaining fact is that I know that some State Central members are telling more than one candidate that they are supporting them so that “they get off my damn phone.” 

It’s true that the vote counts will fluctuate over the next week or so as calls are made and the real wheeling and dealing begins. Remember that the numbers above do not reflect the entry of possible dark-horse candidate(s) who are still sizing up the situation and trying to determine whether or not there is an opportunity to jump in at the last minute and take the prize (if you really want to call it that).

Last time around I floated two dark-horse candidates. The first was Rob Simmons. From the looks of things, Rob Simmons is telling people that he’s flattered to be considered, but would much rather focus on another bid for U.S. Senate. This is unfortunate on so many levels. But we respect his decision to seek glory elsewhere, and go back to the mat with Linda McMahon for Poli-Wrestlemania II. Let’s hope Rob has amassed a good size war chest this time – because he’s going to need it.

The second dark-horse candidate is Jerry Labriola. Labriola is said to be considering a run, but would only make the leap if he knew for certain that he would have high double-digit support before giving up the Treasurer's post. What is absolutely known is that State Central members are excited about the prospect of a Labriola chairmanship because he represents one of the few opportunities to elect a Chairman who could unite all the bitter factions and reunify the CTGOP because he’s the only guy who doesn’t appear on anyone’s enemy list.

It’s my personal belief that if the process lends to installing another corrupt Chairman to carry forth the failed legacy of the Healy years, then Labriola may not find it within his best interest to serve another term as Treasurer.  It doesn’t make sense to under utilize his talent and stick him in an powerless accountant’s role.  No glory there – particularly when you’re handcuffed by the Chairman, and his hand-picked finance committee.

Playmakers Involved

We touched on the some of the kingpins who are behind the scenes pulling strings, twisting arms, and making payoffs to secure votes. It’s worth taking a look at the reported alliances being formed which may likely influence the end result anyway. Obviously, above all else this is a numbers game.

It’s clear to The King that the main driving force in the formation of the present two coalitions in play is the Republican U.S. Senate Nomination. It’s no secret that Linda McMahon intends to make a second run for U.S. Senate against the likely-Democratic candidate Chris Murphy in 2012. For her purposes, it would be extremely beneficial to have friendly partisan in the Chairman’s seat who would orchestrate a perfect replay of the 2010 Republican State Convention which would ensure her victory through another round of political convention rigging, and filthy shenanigans. To this aim, a new coalition has emerged which includes Jim Campbell, Justin Clark, and Catherine Marx. Roughly, this coalition has a healthy 24 votes. Reportedly, the sitting Chairman Chris Healy is also fronting this power coalition, as is Tom Foley, who the likely front runner in the nomination for Connecticut Governor in 2014.

Given what's at stake, we see Rob Simmons working to form his own coalition to help him secure a path to the same goal. It’s obviously not in his interest to see a Pro-McMahon Chairman emerge (he's been through that hell before), so naturally – he has reached out to the remaining pool of candidates, attempting to establish a coalition of his own. Reportedly, this coalition includes Bill Aniskovich, Doug Hageman, and possibly Rick Torres. This coalition has 31 votes which gives them a slight edge over the McMahon-Foley alliance.

The one problem with this coalition is that its very hard to accept a coalition between a squeaky clean Rob Simmons and a corrupt character like Bill Aniskovich.

The Missing Piece

As I’ve said before, the two remaining candidates of consequence – Art Scialabba and Al Alper could, if persuaded – play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the Chairman’s race. Between them they have about 17 votes – not enough to win, or formulate a winning coalition of their own, but enough to put either of the two main coalitions over the top to win the Chairmanship.

Bill Aniskovich: The
Simon Bar Sinister of
CTGOP. Just what we
need - a crook at the helm

For Alper and Scialabba the choices are rather grim. Both coalitions have extreme negatives, and will cause a backlash in one form or the other.  Moreover, these two candidates have a high level of integrity, and are in the race for the noble purpose of rebuilding the Party; neither is seeking personal wealth or has the goal of paving the way for the next millionaire's adventure.  Perhaps they would offer to simply release their supporters to vote their conscious, and let the chips fall where they may instead of helping to install either a puppet of the Foley-McMahon camp, or sinister opportunist in Bill Aniskovich. 

Regardless of either of these choices - the Connecticut Republican Party will remain as divided as it does today.  You can read the tea leaves to see what I mean; I don’t think I need to spell it out here in detail once again.

For my dithers, I guess I still hope a dark-horse candidate has the courage to enter the race and give us a leader that EVERYONE can admire and feel proud of. With so much at stake for Connecticut’s taxpayers, Connecticut cannot afford a fractured Party, or two years of sworn vendettas – one camp against another, and the possibility of the emergence of a third party which no one will be able to control which will kill opportunities for us to take valuable seats statewide and at the Federal level.

Democrats are watching this very carefully. And by the way, as of right now, they LOVE what they see.

I AM

THE KING

This entry can be found at www.thekingsview.blogspot.com

A Motley Crew: The Chairman's Race Countdown

Ever heard the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words?  Well, take a look at the motley crew (below) running for Connecticut's Republican State Chairman slot - and all kinds of words come to mind - few of them positive. I’m deeply concerned about the quality of all of the candidates which State Central members are stuck choosing from to elect the next State Chairman. In fact, I don’t see ANYONE in the field with the charisma or leadership who can lift the Connecticut Republican Party out of the gutter – never-mind get us to the next level.


The motly crew above have made a
valiant effort but the CTGOP needs
 someone else to emerge and lead 

The next Republican Chairman cannot be a one-trick pony who plans on delegating his way through tenure. The next Chairman will have to be hands on and PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE and SKILLED as a fundraiser, strategist, candidate recruiter, public spokesman, chief activist, election guru, media expert, and above all else – will need to be an ethical, trusted leader who can reunify the Party under one tent. This individual will have to reach out with an olive branch to undo significant damage caused by his or her predecessor. The problem for the CTGOP is that there is not one person capable of all of that in the current list of candidates running for the office.

This also includes Catherine Marx who is likely the second worst choice of all possible options. The CTGOP certainly doesn’t need another closed-door leader shutting out non-elitist Party members from participation, and wheeling and dealing in a backroom with long-time Party hacks who have nothing but distain for conservatives. A Catherine Marx chairmanship is likely to cost the GOP significant set-backs since she is seen as nothing more than Healy’s lackey, or worse – an extremely incompetent person, unskilled and inexperienced in any area I’ve listed above.

Rumor is that Catherine got all bent out of shape
over a post that Joe Visconti put up on a blog -
taking the words out of context to imply a
threat. Good Grief! Just go away!

Riding someone’s coattails is hardly a skill; it’s more an annoyance. And Marx’s tenure as Vice Chair has been nothing short of pathetic. While Healy shredded the Party and turned friends into foes, she supported his every action. How many of you have actually seen her at your RTC? How many of you see her now? Catherine Marx is what is absolutely wrong with the Republican Party in Connecticut – quiet, pointless, mellow, and a silent collaborator with the enemy. We need a new direction. We need someone with high energy, and who can reignite the Party faithful.

And a quick sub note here – before you accuse me of placing a glass ceiling above Catherine’s head, let me say if she had the Thatcherite leadership skills and personality of a Martha Dean, then I’d be promoting her left and right. But she doesn’t have it. Marx only has about 10 or so votes; these are loyal friends from her region - many of which are old timers from the Healy camp.

At the end of the day, Catherine has to ask herself how long she can carry on like this. It speaks very poorly of someone who doesn’t know their own limitations. It’s time to withdraw and fade with the sunset, leaving the Healy years behind you.

Was anyone really shocked to open up The Hartford Courant and read them singing the praises of Chris Healy? You’d have to be pretty brainwashed not to see the truth here. Sure, the liberal media loved Chris Healy – his strategy and leadership guaranteed Democrats a first place finish every time – particularly where it counted. Healy was everything they wanted out of a GOP leader – enough to make it appear to be a legitimate contest, but never enough to win first place. My wallet has had enough of second place. And I’m tired of having ZERO Republican representation at the Federal Level. It’s embarrassing to be dead last out of fifty states in this area. Catherine Marx would deliver the same results, except the margins of defeat would likely be much greater and municipal seats would continue to dry up. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Courant endorsed Marx as a replacement. She fits the bill to continue his legacy of failure.

The visible candidates in the race simply don’t have it.

Al Alper

Alper is a patriot, no doubt, but
moving GOP HQ to Bridgeport
makes as much sense as moving
Santa's workshop to Afghanistan

Al Alper is a nice guy. He’s probably a very good business man, and he knows how to put together a PowerPoint presentation. But the bottom line is that he doesn’t have the political experience or background to be State Chairman. And his idea to spend our limited funds on moving State Central Headquarters to Bridgeport is simply short-sighted, and foolish. And at first I thought he was simply trying to make a statement, but it seems that he wants to follow through on this moronic idea.

If anything, State Central should be moved back to our Capitol City – Hartford, where it belongs, operating in the open and not hundreds of miles from where the business of the people is being conducted at the State Legislature. I want to see Connecticut Republican Headquarters become a base of operations staffed by individuals working 12 hours a day to change the accepted status quo. There is a reason Al Alper has somewhere between zero and a few votes for Chairman. This isn’t to say he wouldn’t be effective in some role, or that he hasn’t contributed to the debate. But it’s time for him to man-up and withdraw from the race. He’ll come out respected if he does so now.

Art Scialabba

No doubt Art thinks The
King  has been unfair to him.
In truth he may have a point.
Then again...

Art Scialabba is another decent person, but again – doesn’t have the characteristics required to be State Chairman. He is soft-spoken, and his communication skills aren’t strong enough to command respect from Republicans, State Central members, and most importantly - donors. Frankly, I’ve been shocked by his poorly written emails, and correspondence. And frankly to his experience - there is a big difference between turning around Norwalk (which should be Republican) and reversing the Democratic trend in towns and cities that have marginal potential to become GOP majorities.

I’ve seen Art’s shtick. It’s not enough to win people over, and plainly put – he’s just too nice to be able to make tough calls, and lead with an iron fist to get things done. Now to his credit, Art has managed to pull out a few votes here and there – some people feel he has about half-dozen or so votes – most of which are loyalists out of his region. You can’t count this guy out entirely. His having 12-15 delegates at this time makes him a player in the race, or at least gives him the opportunity to influence the outcome. At the end of the day, Art is going to have to do the right thing, and pass his support to a more prolific leader. Surely, he has to know this.

Unfortunately, there is scuttlebutt that he is in a number of discussions trying to form alliances with candidates (sort of like Survivor). But everyone I talk with seems to imply that they are the ones looking to merge and take advantage of his support, not surrender the Chairmanship to him in return for a favor. Art is the guy to watch in the race because as of right now he could play a big part in choosing the next CTGOP Chairman.

“Wild” Bill Aniskovich


Aniskovich: "And I was about
this close from getting away
it all, if it weren't for those
darn-gosh meddling kids!"

The next person to discuss is the most significant entry into the Chairman’s race over the last few weeks, and probably the biggest surprise given his checkered past - Bill Aniskovich, a former State Senator, who resides in Branford. Aniskovich has a record of multiple election violations, conflicts of interests, and tons of controversy marred by his tight allegiance to Lou DeLuca and Governor John Rowland. His background is likely to feed a media frenzy of negativity that the Republican Party has not seen in years (you can visualize them licking their chops in this short piece in the Hartford Advocate). The wolves at The Harford Courant would have a field day dredging up dirt (from their own archives) on his past exploits that would likely be distraction to the Connecticut Republican Party as a whole. Things like: 1. His illegally using Victory Fund PAC Money for his re-election bid in 1998, 2. Being ordered to return $5,740 worth of misused funds in 1999, 3. His role in the Universal Health Care Scandal which moved forward without public hearings, and to the tune of $40 million dollars (2004). I could probably write an entire piece on Aniskovich based on the swirl of discussion floating around since his announcement to seek the position.

Imagine if you will, how hypocritical and constrained a Chairman Aniskovich would be if he had to call out a Democrat on similar illegal acts or wrongdoings. His moral high-ground is akin to an ant-hill on a sand lot. Given the public scrutiny on political financing and campaign funds (see Senator John Edwards, for one), this choice would be a move in the wrong direction for the GOP given his past transgressions. Aniskovich would be handcuffed by his own history, likely urging Republicans to avoid the tough fights on ethics issues to avoid personal humiliation. His bad choices would lend to impacting other Republican candidates, and the influence and part he would be able to play from a strategic standpoint. And no conversion to God would lift that negative factor. Heck, the only person who would benefit from a Bill Aniskovich chairmanship is Chris Healy because Aniskovich would make even Healy look quasi-ethical.

What scares me is that he's found nearly 20 State Central members who by hook or by crook are said to be in his camp. Many people see his quick ascendency to be a carefully planned power-play by House Republicans led by House Minority Leader Larry Cafero who is looking to take advantage of a confused situation at State Central where no-one is has emerged as the clear successor as Chair. Placing Aniskovich in power would serve to deliver State Central into the hands of Capitol Republicans. Not the best idea if you think about it. Perhaps this piece might open up some eyes on what the CTGOP would be in store for under Wild Bill. By far, Aniskovich would be Connecticut Republican’s worst nightmare.

Doug Hageman

Hageman deserves to
have a small town
named in his honor
for ridding us of Healy

After that somber note, let’s turn to the most animated character in the race – Doug Hageman. I have to start by giving credit to Mr. Hageman for having the guts to be the first State Central member to stand up and challenge Chris Healy and call Healy’s ethics and failures into question. Hageman is also credited with exposing controversies regarding staff salaries and reimbursement accounts that likely lead to Mr. Healy to not seek re-election (at least for now). Doug is a dinosaur but also a work-horse, but it’s unlikely that he will win the Chairmanship given that he has approximately a dozen votes, and has suffered from being the first guy out of the box to attack the sitting chairman. Healy loyalists blame Hageman for unseating their candy man, and many have hateful revenge in their eyes for a so-called betrayal in the family. Touching thoughts to mourn their fallen star, but very misplaced given the pathetic state of the CTGOP.

For my part, I do not agree with Hageman’s intended leadership approach. From the start he has told Republican Town Committees that he would institute a bottoms up approach where he would delegate authority normally reserved to the Chairman to other individuals. I also disagree with his plan to allow younger talent to become the “face of the Party” on television, and elsewhere – clearly, a recipe for disaster since doing so would likely result in contradicting positions, and confusion about who is really in charge . In order for the chairman to be effective he cannot decentralize his authority; he must be front and center, available for media interviews, and at times serve as a lightening rod – taking the hits in order that candidates and elected officials can focus on the work at hand. I can also appreciate Hageman’s ideas to increase minority involvement in the Party, but I’m not sure of the advantage of placing a novice in the Vice Chair role – no matter how much potential he might have. The name being floated around is Corey Brinson to play this role (rumored).

Notwithstanding, Doug Hageman should find a place in the new CTGOP administration. But clearly, not as its Chairman.  It should also be noted that Hageman at one point likely had as many as two dozen votes, but several were siphoned off due to dirty tactics of Aniskovich, Inc.

Rick Torres has a bilingual agenda
To that we say, "Adios, Amigo"

Rick Torres

Rick Torres is out of the race entirely. His appearance at the Westport candidate forum where he rattled on for 10 minutes straight in Spanish pretty much killed any hope he had of becoming a future leader in the Connecticut Republican Party. The only reason I even devote space in this essay to Mr. Torres is to lament what might have been, and highlight Mr. Torres’ agenda. It’s true that Republicans need to branch out to minorities and influence the brainwashed thinking that is dragging this state’s Hispanic community into age-old dependency subculture owned by Democrats, but Mr. Torres’ approach of placing Spanish on par with English is an outrage.

The Republican Party has always held the position of One Language-One Nation. This isn’t to say that other languages and cultures aren’t important, but they just aren’t as important as working to make sure that children from Spanish communities are expected to learn English as a requirement for graduation. Moreover, learning English is without a doubt the single most important skill for non-English speaking persons having a chance to be a successful member of American society. Mr. Torres sees Spanish and English on the same level, and he would embarrass Republicans by trying to advance his bilingual agenda.

At first I thought finding Mr. Torres a key role to play in the Republican Party would be a good idea. But his agenda is far too outrageous to be contained. And he would present the Republican Party with a new set of problems which would serve as an ongoing distraction for the incoming chairman to deal with.

Justin Clark

Poor Justin. If you look closely you can see
the puppet strings that lead to Tom Foley

I saw Justin Clark walking in West Hartford last week. I have to say that from the wide-eyed look in his eyes, the bleached red hue of his face color, and the size of the sweat beads dripping off his face that this poor guy looks like he’s under way too much pressure to be forced into running for this job. And all this stress is not worth the twelve lousy votes that he has amassed from Tom Foley’s failed attempt to push him into seeking this job. This poor guy looked like his head was going to explode.

Look, he should take time off and spend it with his family -- and forget about it!

He’s lost three straight elections. He’s managed to lose his own West Hartford Town Council bid in 2009, Tom Foley’s 2010 gubernatorial race, and most recently the 2011 Special Election State Representative Campaign of Allen Hoffman – where he had nearly a blank check and did nothing with it. Moreover, he’s been bounced around the legal industry – holding several different jobs with various law firms over the last few years. None of this makes his resume shine brightly above the rest of the field. In fact, it does just the opposite. If you can’t win, and you can’t remain in a stable job, I’m sure you can’t lead a sinking ship out of a harbor.

Justin, please call Tom Foley and tell him to get off your back! Tell him to find another stooge to work through to clear the path for his next election bid. Tell him life is valuable and you need to spend time with your wife and children, and leave the political cronyism to someone else.

The Others

Pardon Me, James. Do you have
any Grey Poupon?

There are a few other people who’ve announced that they are running for State Chairman. As I mentioned in my last article, I expected Jim Campbell of Greenwich to run. He’s finally thrown his hat into the ring but has doesn’t have the personal appeal, name recognition, experience, or charisma to rally members to support his election. We know he has the money, and he’s in league with Linda McMahon, but even that isn’t enough at this late date. People cringe when his name comes up because he’s viewed as a bossy, arrogant man; a typical Greenwich high society dolt. That’s not the kind of person who will unify tea party members with blue collar Republicans with regular middle class Republicans. I’m sure he’s good for Linda and her agenda, but disastrous for the rest of us.

Olivastro has a future...
hosting The Price is Right

Then there is Richard Olivastro.  He's sort of a comedy act of his own. Again, another guy who jumped in after sizing up what we've thought all along - that the existing field didn't contain anyone who could galvanize the Party and lead it.  Sadly, he falls into that category too.  His best attribute is that his bright orange hair would help him be identified by a search party if he was ever lost on a snowy mountain. Time to quit Rich.  Thanks for playing.  Staying in doesn't make a bit of sense.

Hello? Is anybody (decent) out there?

There is still a chance that someone with the attributes I first mentioned at the top of this piece could still be out there testing the waters before jumping in. Last time I made fun of those hiding in the bushes waiting to see how the field does before launching their own campaigns. Now it appears as though I’ve done a 180 on this line of thinking – and I’m praying that someone new emerges who can rally members to drop the choices above, and give the Connecticut Republican Party - someone without a history of controversy and corruption.

Bring back Col Simmons
There's a war to be won on the
homefront

A few names come to mind and I’ll float them here for discussion. The first is option could be Rob Simmons. Simmons would be ideal because he knows how to win elections, and is the only person who’s successfully held leadership positions in Government, Politics, and the Private Sector. It’s unlikely that this would be the choice of Linda McMahon but that’s to be expected. Rob Simmons is far qualified to lead the Connecticut GOP out of the swamp. Sure, people don’t like every vote he’s cast (neither does he), but he would be ideal since he’s trusted and competent in all areas, and would be a well-respected face for the Connecticut Republican Party.

When Jerry Labriola takes his
jacket off, you know he means
business

Another name is Jerry Labriola. Labriola doesn’t have the experience of a Rob Simmons but he has served The Connecticut Republican Party as it’s Treasurer for multiple terms, and by all accounts – all factions seem to respect him for his work ethic, leadership skills and career consistency as a lawyer. He’s a very sharp guy. He’s also run for Congress in Connecticut’s 3rd Congressional District – one of the toughest districts in the Country. He gets credit for making a run against Republican nemesis Rosa DeLauro, and he did so while maintaining the workload of his career and CTGOP Treasurer. His strengths would be to knowledge of fundraising, business prowess, and negotiation skills. Labriola has been openly frustrated about how the Healy appointed a finance board that circumvented responsibilities usually reserved for the Treasurer. To his credit, Labriola has reported all CTGOP financial data to the appropriate authorities, and has always remained loyal to the Republican Party and its principles, and not to its unethical Chairman.

There may be others in the wings. But someone had better step forward soon, or the outcome of this election is likely to benefit the Connecticut Democratic agenda and give free pass to Democrats seeking re-election at the National Level.

And a word to the wise: Just because Chris Healy has taken himself out of this race DOES NOT mean that his name couldn't be put forward from the floor by one of his loyal minions just prior to the election taking place.  If a front runner doesn't emerge over the next few weeks with votes counted, Healy's name could be thrown into the mix, and he could capture enough of the votes to end up in the Chairman's seat. And it wouldn't surprise me if this is part of some elaborate scheme of his to front a coalition with an alliance of pretended nominees who deliver their support for him at the time of balloting.  Silly conspiracy or not - remember, its not over until its over, until the last vote is counted.

I AM,

THE KING

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