Tom Foley: Slinking Away from Debates?

Is Tom Foley slinking away
like a Coward?

Most politicians realize that coming in first place at the onset of a race in a single, arbitrary Quinnipiac Poll over your inter-party rivals doesn't necessarily make you a front runner in anything. This is particularly the case when the alleged-leading candidate is Tom Foley; a man who has been anything but active on the Connecticut political scene since facing defeat at the hands of Dannel Malloy in 2010.

Aside from a few social appearances here and there, Tom Foley hasn't done much of anything to support his Party over the last four years.  He hasn't served as a de facto opposition leader -voicing dissent against poor policy decisions thrusted upon the public by Governor Malloy, or even bothered to show up at the Legislative Office Building to offer his leadership, or uttered a word of support for his Republican colleagues locked in battle (if you can call it that) against Democrats on social and economic issues. Of course, he did once serve as Joe Markley's lackey, and made the claim that both parties are unethical - a comment not very well received by Republican legislators who shook their heads and privately told him to "go away". Heck, who knew that only months later, the FBI would be strolling into town trying to nail Republicans to the wall over a 2008 election scandal. Well, Tom Foley's timing has always been a bit off. (insider's joke - sorry!)

Yet, despite his self-imposed exile from politics, we now hear - far and wide - how Billionaire Tom Foley is the anointed one - all but guaranteed his unearned place as the Republican gubernatorial nominee for all to bow down to and serve - especially certain handsomely paid delegates.  This is typical arrogance of elitist man who sits in his mansion drinking Macallan 64 and dining on five-course meals while his minions shakedown RTCs for delegate votes; Foley has so little in common with the average guy - a disconnect so widely felt that even some of his biggest supporters feel a sense of frustration with his snobbish contempt for "the little people".  A contempt clearly reflected in the same aforementioned Q-Poll which shows him barely neck-and-neck with one of the most unpopular Governors in the history of Connecticut

Now this isn't a discussion on the corrupt and twisted Connecticut Republican Convention process (we will get into that on another day), but rather to call attention to the disgraceful reluctance of an alleged Republican front-runner who outright refuses to exchange ideas and debate with his fellow competitors in a televised venue scheduled by The Hartford Courant-Fox 61 on April 11th (rebroadcast on April 13).  There can be no more sign of disrespect of our American tradition then for Tom Foley to slink away, and thumb his nose at a process that has been in existence since the early 1800s.  (Besides, if you recall the 2010 Foley v Malloy debates, you know darn well that Foley could use the practice - because he wasn't ready then, and he's not ready now).

Hold on there! You didn't say this was going to be Televised!

On their own merits, we thank John McKinney, Mark Boughton, Mark Lauretti, Joe Visconti and even CTGOP Party looney-toon - Martha Dean for their willingness to take tough questions and engage in live public discourse.  Foley's approach makes him look weak and cowardly to the general public, and the media (we remember how well that worked out for Linda McMahon).  And it shows Republican delegates that he lacks confidence by refusing to engage fellow Republicans in front of a Republican friendly-audience.

If Tom Foley isn't willing to debate members of his own Party to win support, then how will he win support from Republicans in the Primary? Or possibly later from Democrats and Independents in the General Election? The prevailing thought is that if he goes off and hides under the bar until after the State Convention that his rivals won't bring him down a notch by forcing him to defend his questionable, and ambiguous positions on Minimum Wage Increase, Pension Reform, Municipal Taxes, Public Unions, and even Second Amendment Rights. But one would think both he and the public have more to lose by him playing it safe. Much like ObamaCare where Congressmen said they had to pass the Bill before knowing what's in it, Connecticut Republicans are being expected to nominate Tom Foley without knowing where he stands. This has been a reoccurring theme by some of our CTGOP nominees over the last few election cycles (and it hasn't boded well for us).

Four years have passed since Tom Foley ran for Governor and lost. Unfortunately, Tom Foley's sole focus has been on how to locate the 6,000 votes from 2010 election which he presumes, if found, will catapult him to victory in 2014. But by trying to rerun the 2010 election, and repackaging himself as the same stale candidate, he wrongly assumes that the landscape hasn't changed, and that he doesn't have to re-earn the support of his own Party, and those who voted for him during he last gubernatorial cycle - a strategy that may prove deadly to his gubernatorial ambitions.

Just because RTC Chairmen and his campaign staff (with the help of Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr.) may jury-rig and deliver Tom Foley the State GOP Convention, doesn't guarantee that Foley will have the same showing that he had during the 2010 primary.  Given the strong field of candidates who are more than willing to engage the public on issues of the day, and earn the public vote, Foley may find himself trailing behind shortly after he receives the usual temporary State Convention boost.

Connecticut Republicans want to elect a candidate who is unafraid to stand on principle. Not a politician like Tom Foley who would rather lead from the rear and play "the strategy game." He may not know it, and he may not believe it - but Tom Foley is losing respect of Republicans all over the State who are already lukewarm about his nomination to begin with.

Maybe Tom Foley might change his mind. Perhaps he'll show the courage of his convictions and take the stage with his colleagues on April 11th, and just maybe he might earn the respect of the Party faithful and the delegates (many he has already bought) by outlining his vision for Connecticut's future.  But if he's not, then it signals that Connecticut Republicans are ready to nominate a new gubernatorial candidate; someone unafraid to serve as the standard bearer on behalf of voters who have for so long been under-represented. 

I AM 

THE KING

Martha Dean: A Fool's Errand

Even Conservatives Fear the Conspiracy Candidate

Long time readers of The King's View would imagine The King would be excited about the prospect of Martha Dean entering the Connecticut Gubernatorial Race, but if you understood the agenda of one of the CTGOP's loudest, opportunistic, bomb-throwers then you may have second thoughts too.  Dean's run is bad for both the Connecticut Republican Party, and for herself, and her family.

The issue is not one of qualification per se (although God knows we have way too many ambulance chasers holding public office these days mucking up our personal lives through an overreaching political system) but one of conviction and more importantly - of purpose.  Martha Dean's goal is to engage in a stratagem of self-promotion to improve her prestige with the gun lobby, enlarge her client base, and to damage the political aspirations of her Republican political enemies - most who happen to be less extreme than herself, and have a legitimate chance of actually winning the Governorship.  

The facts are clear. Dean has privately told several Republican insiders that she has no intention of campaigning beyond the State Convention (her intention also captured in the CT Mirror piece here) which tells anyone with half a brain that she's already quit before she's started. Since Dean is well aware that the CTGOP Convention process is rigged in favor of the establishment candidate, and she has a snowball's chance in hell of winning then why - pray-tell would she even bother jumping in at this late hour?

"Martha Dean's goal is to engage in a stratagem of self-promotion to improve her prestige with the gun lobby, enlarge her client base, and to damage the political aspirations of her Republican political enemies - most who happen to be less extreme than herself, and have a legitimate chance of actually winning the Governorship. " - THE KING

The reason has much to do with her well-paid role as legal representative of several gun rights groups which may possibly include the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL), National Rifle Association (NRA) and others - which for disclosure - The King also supports. And given our State Government's antagonistic behavior toward those believing in our Constitutional right to bear arms - then what's a better platform for Dean to expand her client-base than using the CTGOP gubernatorial stage to offer her billable services? It's The King's View that it's a bit disingenuous for her to take up one second of podium time at any Republican Town Committee when she's already announced that she doesn't plan to go the distance!  I would think twice before donating a penny to Martha Dean because she has no intention of being a serious candidate for Governor.

If Tom Foley, Chairman Jerry Labriola, John McKinney, and even Mark Boughton are paying attention (Joe Visconti is already actively engaged in Second Amendment advocacy), then not one of them should be happy to see Martha Dean turn the CT GOP Governor's Nomination process into a single-issue, Second Amendment media shot-storm! You think the media is celebrating now - just wait until the debates take place, and all the remaining candidates take collateral damage defending themselves against Dean's maniacal crusade!

The big problem for Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr is that Dean's unhinged rhetoric will bring nothing but public scrutiny and humiliation upon the CTGOP. How does the head of Connecticut's Republican Party feel about a seeing one of his candidates for Governor make claims that the Sandy Hook Massacre might have been little more than a Government Conspiracy to erode Second Amendment Rights?  Dean aired her half-cocked conspiracy on both John Rowland's show and on Face the State with Dennis House.  The idiocy is unprecedented! The King can personally introduce Ms. Dean to a close friend of his who lost relatives on that horrific day.  To politicize this matter this way is personally hurtful to all of those who honor both the Second Amendment, and the victims and families of the Sandy Hook nightmare.

Martha Dean fancies herself to be cut from the same cloth as the late, great British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. But the difference between the two is stark; for unlike Martha Dean, the principled Lady Thatcher - never ran from a fight.  For example, back in 2010, Dean secretly met with a handful of Connecticut Republicans to discuss the clear and blatant corruption within Connecticut Republican Party Convention process.  At the urging of others, she penned a set of revised Convention Rules, but when it came time to present them - like a coward, she ran away from the issue, asked that her name be taken off as the author of the recommended rules, and refused in any way, shape, or form to stand with her allies and fight for CTGOP ethics reform.  Martha Dean is well known for saber rattling, but once the artillery starts firing, she's the first person to run away from a fight, and abandon her friends on the battlefield.

Another concern Republicans have about Martha Dean is that her convictions aren't genuine.  Much like this gubernatorial run, she watches quietly from the sidelines, carefully calculating the moves of allies and enemies, and only after determining the coast to be clear - enters the field of battle. Her never-ending, Johnny-Come-Lately waltzing in on the scene is what has frustrates her own friends in GOP-land; many screaming that she's often done nothing tangible (and non-paid) on her own to contribute to the cause, but she'll be the first person to demand an opportunity to address a revved crowd. As everyone knows -  there's never been a microphone that Martha Dean didn't like.  Evidence of Dean's lack of political activism even lead to her being voted down from formal membership on the Avon Republican Town Committee. One RTC Member told The King, "Martha refuses help anyone but herself. She won't lift a finger locally. She doesn't want to get her hands dirty, and thinks campaigning on the local level is for the little people.  Besides, none of what we do [in Avon] fills her coffers."  If it's not for profit, it's not for Martha Dean.

To add insult to injury - in 2010, Dean publicly criticized then-candidate Jeff Wright of Newington  for taking Citizens Election Funding for his State Treasurer campaign calling it UNCONSTITUTIONAL. She also criticized others. Now, only a few years later, Dean is taking what she once referred to as Taxpayer Welfare to run her own temporary spoiler bid for Governor. This shows Dean's lack of consistency, and exposes the hypocrisy of her feigned principle. When challenged about this by Jeff Wright, Dean said, "You can't win without it." Hasn't she earned enough off of the the gun lobby to finance five campaigns?

Wright is Right.  The whole Connecticut political establishment finds
it interesting.  You have to wonder how much longer, Good Ol' Tom will be smiling
once Martha Dean gets rolling!

Another question everyone is asking is since Dean's run isn't going beyond the State Convention, will she return every unused penny back to donors?  Or will she turn the money over to a charity which will then in turn hire her to represent their interests thereby creating a back door money-making scheme?

Lastly, unlike other blogs on the web, we avoid getting into candidates personal lives. But I have to say that given what has been published by media sources during her last campaign, and with what she's initiated as of late, I'm gravely concerned that the current personal controversy being widely-discussed in political circles will have a long term negative impact on both her and her family. Sympathetic Martyrdom is not achieved through self-inflicted wounds. Her conscious decision to nail herself upon the cross for all to see (for a profit) - as she twists and turns in the wind - is hardly worth the pain and anguish she and her family will suffer at the hands of a hostile press. With Dan Malloy on the ropes for his incompetency, Dean has become the Democrats' "great white hope" for survival in 2014.  Let's face it - she's a lightening Rod for GOP negativity which radiates from her out to the entire brand. Dean's claim that her announcement to run is "perfect timing" shows a real lack of judgement considering that the whole gambit is at stake.

Now I'm sure there are Republicans who love Martha Dean. She has some followers who are so out of their minds that they wouldn't care if she tried to pull a coup d'etat with a borrowed pistol (note to all: our pretended second amendment poster child doesn't even own a gun, let alone a pistol permit). And I'm sure her handful of brownshirts mean well when they blast her name everywhere.  But they aught to know that legitimate candidates don't announce a run for big time public office only weeks before the Nominating Convention takes place.  Martha Dean may have well gone to acting school, but she should have gone to scripting school - because there is no way in hell for her to have a happy ending.  A Fool's Errand?  It's already begun.

If Martha Dean loves her state, loves her country, loves her party, and loves her family, then she will not embark on a mission that will undoubtedly yield disastrous results for everyone involved, especially Republicans.

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

I Know You Missed Me...

It's good to take a break from things once in a while.  Everyone needs a chance to recharge their batteries, reexamine things, and determine what's next.

I'll be completely honest with you - after the complete shellacking the Republican Party took on Election Night, I wasn't much in the mood to discuss politics, let alone write about the results of the election; and I certainly didn't want to get into a squabble about the direction of the Connecticut Republican Party which seems to predominate the majority of Facebook Pages these days.  My prediction piece from earlier this year turned out mostly accurate with two major exceptions - Mitt Romney didn't win, and neither did Andrew Roraback.

With regard to Romney's loss, I'm still very surprised at the outcome.  It's hard to believe that America rewarded a failed politician who maintained a full-term of near double-digit unemployment, a stagnant economy, ran a inept foreign policy, and who had no plan on how to get us up and running again.  My guess is that the reason Obama won was that things are so bad that people were afraid to give up what they were clinging to in order to survive: aid, support, unemployment checks, and what-have-you. (The perception being that Mitt Romney would have taken all the safety nets away).  In short, for the first time that I can remember, we've become a nation that fears the future which is hardly the mindset for creative thinking, or finding solutions to our deepest problems.  Thirty days post-election, people around me are still in the mindset that if we just close our eyes - eventually our troubles will just go away.

As for the Republican National Committee, well - they certainly have their work cut out for them to regain respectability - at least in this writer's eyes.  Mitt Romney wasn't a terrible candidate, per se.  But the strategy to focus solely on key swing states was a big mistake in my humble opinion, and it had devastating consequences for our election chances beyond just the Presidential Race.  Abandoning loyal Republicans in states like Connecticut sent the wrong message to millions of voters; and in doing so severely damaged the Republican Party's brand nationally.  Mitt Romney was quick to come to Fairfield County and pick up millions in donations, but as a reward for our generosity -  he told our State Chairman to go purchase his own Romney signs and bumper stickers, if they wanted any Romney visibility around the state.  They didn't even bother to fake a presence here; not even so much as a closet space to give the pretend to give the impression that we mattered one iota.  I propose that anyone receiving a GOP donation card aught to scribble the words:  "F*CK YOU! CAMPAIGN HERE NEXT TIME ASSHOLES!" and mail it back to RNC, postage due.

A National Party that abandons it's constituents is not worthy of support.  Sorry. I don't want to hear any excuses that outline strategy and tactics, or hedging bets; you can tell all the overpaid, career campaign hacks that results count more than political theories - and so far our so-called experts have done us in, brilliantly.  You know, it wouldn't have taken that much to make a reasonable effort; and it could have helped the under ticket to some extent.  If Republican Nutmeggers feel abandoned, well - they should.

I don't have to tell you that in Connecticut our issues run much deeper. We have double the trouble. Here we have a crazy Governor, and a Legislature that spends far more than it collects, and has made the private sector the enemy of the State.  And Republicans aren't even on the radar except for the few media-whores who show up up on John Rowland's show to have a knee-slapping good time preaching to the small choir that commutes home from our dwindling Capitol.  Lately, the best part of that show is traffic and weather, for the rest is about as boring and uncreative as ever.

As far as the Connecticut GOP is concerned, things pretty much turned out as expected.  Linda McMahon torpedoed the ticket from top to bottom; her selfish last minute tactic to garnish her appeal by hooking her train to Barack Obama did wonders for poor Andrew Roraback in Connecticut's 5th District.  You'd have to be ignorant not to see how McMahon's strategy polarized the CTGOP in the final weeks of the campaign, leaving many to stay home or skip the Senate line all-together.  Andrew Roraback deserved better, but the rest of the GOP-field pretty much got what it deserved.  Many of our campaigns were manned by novice campaign staff and volunteers.  Serious campaigns require serious experience at the helm; and the State GOP did a huge disservice to many of our first time Congressional Candidates who put their lives on hold to try and make a difference by ignoring their requests for help and direction.

One high ranking CTGOP Official told me: "Every minute I spend in the First, Second or Third District, is a waste of my valuable time."  Boy, that aught to make our future candidate recruitment pool feel confident.

Notwithstanding, McMahon's army of well-paid, experience, career-favor collectors ran both her prospects and ours into the ground. This started with buying convention delegates and RTCs which is old hat by now.  Linda McMahon was and always will be a bad candidate - and GOP insiders decided long-ago that it was more important to cash-in and take from her treasure trove then it was to win the U.S. Senate Seat.  What a lost opportunity.  What a shame!

The saddest part of the whole thing is that there are still CTGOP State Central Members out there defending the choice.  Really?  You have to be kidding, us?  It's hard to look at some of these people with a straight face when they spew such nonsense. It's people like this who make me believe that the disease within our CTGOP Party leadership is both terminal and incurable.  And although there are a few bright spots where new seats may have been captured, they don't offset those that were lost.

So the big argument that's engulfed the CTGOP is whether or not we are too conservative, too liberal, or too idiotic (I happen to think its the third option). I've looked at all the arguments on both sides of the equation and actually took the time to compare it against the election results map.  On one side you have Peter Wolfgang claiming that all the right-wing candidates the FIC endorsed won handily - that's of course, if you discount people like Len Suzio or Bill Wadsworth, and other conservatives who lost.  On the other side of the equation you have the left of center crowd crowing that moderate Republicans picked up seats because of the popularity of social liberalism.  But this argument too is nonsense; where Democrats were involved in 3-way races, or faced a challenger from the independent line more closely aligned with their ideology, they lost. The results also show that this contrived argument that moderate positions are more appealing to Connecticut residents is equally as fallible as those made by my friends on the right.

Do you want to know what wins elections?

It's getting off your ass every-day, taking nothing for granted and knocking on doors, talking to voters, attending important events, distributing signs and palm cards and having a support team in place to help you get your message out.  There is no magic bullet wrapped in some ideological position which makes one more or less attractive to voters (that's just posturing and power-playing by certain political cliques and interest groups vying for control).  It's all about elbow-grease.  If you took your constituents for granted and campaigned half-assed, then you got the result you deserved.  If you went out everyday and worked like it mattered then you likely won.  I admit that demographics play a role in certain locations - I understand that.  And Republicans aren't likely to take Hartford anytime soon, but lighting does strike - if you're willing to put in the time and make it happen.

There's a lot on the horizon.  There is a massive effort underway to determine who the next leader of the CTGOP will be. Our current State Chairman is finally showing a bit of life after a disastrous election, and is now out campaigning for his survivability (which I'm not so convinced he deserves).  So we have our internal wars, listening tours, and feedback sessions - which are largely pointless bitch and gripe sessions - which are least productive in helping us rebuild our Party.  Then you have your early jockeying for the next big thing - the upcoming Governor's Race which at this point seems like it will be made up of the usual suspects which Democrats eager to run against based on CTGOP candidate appeal and perceived electability.

Still our problems persist.  And in the end we'll have to decide whether competency and electability will trump pay-offs and the favor-patronage system.  Honestly, I'm not that hopeful.  But there's always a glimmer of hope that the public will become fed-up enough of the status quo and replace the entrenched, self-serving saboteurs among us with those who will put constituents and the public interest first.

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 any candidate, nor has it been solicited for publication by any political candidate, party, campaign, or PAC.

Retro Recap of the August 14 Primary; What Next?

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

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

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

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

Shays v McMahon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fifth Congressional District

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Second Congressional District

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




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

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

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

What’s next?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I AM

THE KING

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

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

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right

Our CTGOP candidates need Party
support. They don't need to be yanked
around by our short-sighted leaders

Month after month, I've heard tale of how Republican infighting is causing permanent damage to our so-called Republican Brand.  Of course, these claims are pure nonsense perpetrated by those who don't want to see the millions they've invested in their own glorified plans go to waste.  This is particularly true of our candidates who've made numerous deals with party insiders, and others, and expect that their golden path to nomination won't be shortened by some upstart contender, or worse - by someone who hasn't paid the club dues like they have.

Today's email appeal by our Republican Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr. is certainly warranted, and I applaud his efforts for reaching out to the party faithful 30 days before Primary Day to rally the base, and ask for financial support for a Statewide GOP victory in November (I'll add a link to his statement when the party webpage is eventually updated).

But I'm unhappy to report that beyond the fanfare for a REPUBLICAN victory in November, there is a practice being advocated which is far more damaging to our brand than spirited public debate.  I'm talking about the decision by some Republican leaders to encourage many Republican candidates to file paperwork to seek endorsements from outside our Party, or worse - run as Independents.

We are alleged to be Republicans for a reason. We are supposed to stand on a set of established principles that make us Republicans , and not anything else (free markets, strong foreign policy, lower taxes, less Government intrusion, traditional family values, etc) . There are reasons that we aren't members of the Libertarian Party, or the Independent Party, or the Constitution Party, or any other political group.  Like so many others, I'm proud of our lineage dating back to Abraham Lincoln (and perhaps earlier by some records), and still believe that we don't need to beg and barter for support from fringe groups who we wouldn't ordinarily be associated for any reason beyond comic relief. 

Republicans aren't Independents, they are Republicans.  Period.

I don't really care what Democrats do.  It's a fact that they are so weak in their own ideology that they have to go out and establish front groups like the Working Families Party and others to give the false impression that their Democrat Candidate is somehow being supported by a whole separate constituency.  The practice is deceitful, and in poor taste - and should be banned altogether - so God knows why instead of standing on our own laurels and selling our own principles as Republicans, why we would run out an emulate the shady practices of our enemies.

Remember when your mother made a teaching point by asking you .... "If little Johnny next door jumped off a bridge, would you?".  Well I guess when it comes to some of our leaders,  the answer is "yes". 

Below is an email which is being duplicated in form and is being distributed to many of our statewide Republican candidates.  In my view it shows that our leaders are once again going down the wrong path.  If you haven't noticed, we excel at poorly executing the schemes of our opponents - which is why they spend half their time mocking us all the way up through and beyond the election.  And - they clean our clocks pretty good!

Subject:	HURRY XXXX INDEPENDENT PARTY ENDORSEMENT!
Date:	Wed, 18 July
From:	M. Boughton <ctgopwin@
To:	XXXX

Dear XXXX ,

Congratulations on your recent nomination! As a Republican, I am proud that we have fielded such a strong team for the November elections.

I am writing to you today to notify you, if you haven’t done so already, of an important opportunity for your campaign. For many years I have been working with the Independent Party and have used their support as a cross endorsement.

If you are to be successful in November, being on the ballot in two locations can make the difference in whether you win or lose - as you are aware, many of the Democratic candidates for office have accepted cross endorsements from the Working Families Party.

I have taken the liberty of including the necessary petitions and the paperwork required to access the ballot for the Independent Party. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Time is of the essence so if you decide to pursue the nomination, you must act quickly.

As always, I am available to help you and your campaign in anyway. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Mark Boughton

Instructions:

• Print and fill carefully and completely ASAP the Certification of Nomination and FEDEX to:

Dr. Robert Fand
c/o 79 ½ North Street
Danbury, CT 06810

• Print and fill carefully and completely ASAP the Application for Nominating Petition and FEDEX to:

Pearl Williams

State Elections Division
30 Trinity Street
Hartford, CT 06106

After Ms. Williams receives your Application, she will then send you a petition for you to obtain signatures. There are a required number of signatures for each district and Ms. Williams will provide that number with the petition. You should make copies of the petition package when you receive it so your campaign can garner signatures quickly! Please follow the directions provided with the petition page carefully.

ALL FORMS MUST BE RECEIVED, DATE STAMPED by the Town Clerk by AUGUST 8, 4pm.

 

Certainly, I expected a lot more from Mayor Mark Boughton who aspires to be Governor of Connecticut one day.  But first, to make a fool of himself endorsing Linda McMahon, then Lisa Wilson-Foley (after the controversy), and now to get caught up in this "hogging the line" strategy is ridiculous.  Whatever happened to campaigning openly and honestly on the issues, and helping to re-brand the Connecticut Republican Party into a viable entity?  

Frankly, I'm embarrassed by the whole affair.  It can't be understated - with the prospect of Linda McMahon at the top of our ticket as a sort-of clown candidate, and Lisa Wilson-Foley riddled with scandals and impropriety, and another woman down in the Second District who is nearly certifiable - I'm surprised we amass over 30% in total at the polls. 

 

 

Let's stop acting like Democrats, and start acting like Republicans - honest, fair, principled, and hard-working.  We don't need trickery and smoke and mirrors to win elections - we just need to get out there and tell our story.  And given President Barack Obama's failures, we aught to have an easy job doing just that.

 

 

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.

CT National Committee Person Race Heats Up?



We've started to see some internal jockeying within the CTGOP for the upcoming Connecticut National Committee Person race.  For those who don't know, the position is a liaison role between the Republican National Committee, and the Connecticut Republican Party. The position-holder is very influential within CTGOP politics. This role is currently held by both John Frey (Ridgefield) and Pat Longo (Wilton).  Both Mr. Frey and Ms. Longo have been fantastic ambassadors for the CTGOP during their tenures. 

Ms. Longo has set the standard for
Republican excellence

Sadly, after many years of service to her Party, Ms. Longo is retiring from the National Committee Person position.  It's a sad time for the CTGOP to see such a wonderful lady and stalwart Republican step down. Whoever is chosen to replace Ms. Longo will have big shoes to fill.

The attached letter is making it's rounds to various State Central Members as our first potential nominee for Connecticut National Committee Person. The letter is from Leora R. Levy of Greenwich, Connecticut. 

I'm not familiar with Ms. Levy personally, but I do know that she's contributed a handsome sum to Republicans over the years ($71,611 between 2008 and 2012 - wow! $27K between and 1990 and 2006) according to her online donations via OpenSecrets.org, and more locally based on records at Seec.org.  Morevoer, it looks like she's spent a lot of her time helping Republicans in Fairfield County and elsewhere run for office, and get elected.  She's very active in the Community and well-liked.  It would be interested to hear what Pat Longo thinks of Ms. Levy, or any of the potential nominees because her opinion would well respected.

The King has also heard rumblings that CTGOP Vice Chair Themis Klarides may also seek the position, but many CTGOP insiders feel she already has enough on her plate as a State Rep, and barely has the time to serve as CTGOP Vice Chairman during Session.  We also hear that Republican Minority Leader Larry Cafero is behind the push of Ms. Klarides to seek nomination.  While Ms. Klarides is a nice lady, she would likely have to give up one of her two roles to be effective.  She's best to ignore the pressure from the power-play that Cafero is seeking.  He's best to focus on the real work of the people set before him at the LOB.

Here is Ms. Levy's letter to State Central Members.  The King and his Court will vet her more thoroughly at a later date (hopefully we won't find that she's donated to Democrats like Linda McMahon, or worse - voted for someone like Barack Obama or Bill Clinton in previous elections):

LEORA R. LEVY

XXXXX

XXXXXXXXX

GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT 06831

March 11, 2012

Dear State Central Member,

I am writing to introduce myself and express my interest in serving as our next Republican National Committeewoman from Connecticut. I was born in Havana, Cuba. My family fled Castro's Communist Revolution there, losing everything. (My father and my uncle had to avoid arrest by Castro who accused them of "stealing from the Cuban People" and then escape to the United States in a story similar to a Tom Clancy novel.) We came here with only the clothes we were wearing, our dignity, the ability to work hard and a love for America. I had to learn English and my dream was to become an American citizen. It was the proudest day of my young life when my sister and I were sworn in as American citizens. I was in 4th grade and I vividly remember the ceremony, saying the Pledge of Allegiance to my flag and my country in a judge's chambers and the pride and joy I felt (and still feel) at finally being an American.

My father worked hard and eventually built a large textile business. My mother and father taught me the value and the ethic of hard work. I attended public high school, studied diligently and was able to go to college after 11th grade. I graduated from Brown University and went to Wall Street where I was one of the few women commodity traders of that time. I have lived the American dream. I am blessed that my husband and I can afford for me to spend my time volunteering in the community and in the Republican Party. I have raised three Republican sons who are all in college now, two at Trinity College in Hartford and one at Colgate University.

I have become an activist Republican because I am worried about what I see happening to the country I love and to our state as well. My passion today is to save our country and our state from the slide to socialism. I fled one communist country, I fear what happens if this country continues the slide toward socialism. I have been active in Republican campaigns since 1980. In the last few years I have raised substantial money for the RNC as well as for congressional and presidential candidates. My husband, Steve, and I have been Team 100 (and now Regents) donors since 2004. We do this at great personal sacrifice but it is our priority. I am on the National Finance Committee of the RNC and also Mitt Romney's National Finance Committee. For many years, Connecticut has been perceived as a state where national candidates come to pick up checks and leave, but I think we have to also develop our Republican base here and showcase our state and local talent to national donors. Our serious, dedicated efforts here at home should not be lost to our national focus. This leads me to run for party office where I know I can make a difference for all of us, building on my range of friendships and familiarity with dedicated Republicans across America, and in our own backyard, in the service of Connecticut Republicans as well as the national party. I know that, as a National Committeewoman, I can do more to help our state and national candidates.

It is time that we focus on building our party in our state. Since Steve and I moved to Greenwich 24 years ago, as a young couple to raise our family, there has been a drastic change in our State Government as well as our representation in Washington. Twenty-four years ago five of the eight members of our Federal delegation were Republican and over that time we have had Republican governors. Now we have none. That is not going to change until we build our local party organizations and the farm team of candidates. Today with Democrat State Government controlling the Executive and Legislative branches as well as our entire Congressional and Senate delegation, the situation is devastating for our Party but most of all for our State. Connecticut is in a death-spiral of debt and entitlements. There are many state legislative and local races that go uncontested, without Republican candidates, or with our candidates desperately under resourced. I would like to work with you to change that. Our next National Committeewoman must be part of a team that believes in rebuilding the party from the grassroots up.

Our state and local party efforts need to be promoted with Republican donors regionally and nationally. I can help, because I know many of these people and have worked with them for the RNC and on various campaigns. I have worked hard over the years to build strong relationships with colleagues across the state and nation. They know I am here because I believe in the country that saved my family, that provided us the opportunity to live the American dream. They can attest to my proven record as a donor and activist over thirty years.

My civic and philanthropic activities are also a major part of my life. These include my present role as Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bruce Museum where I have been an active member and fundraiser since 1997 and a trustee since 2002. Several years ago, I chaired a campaign which raised over $900,000 to relocate and build a new animal shelter in Greenwich. It was a public-private partnership between the Bruce Museum and the Town of Greenwich. The campaign was called Shelter Our Strays. Our goal was to raise $750,000 in five years, we raised over $900,000 in two years. I still chair the SOS committee which oversees a fund to support the shelter. (And, when you get to know my family, you’ll meet the dogs, too!). I have also been active in philanthropy related to the faith of our family as well as in our sons' schools.

Let me share one story I am proud of. Two years ago, my cousin who was a sergeant in the Army stationed in Afghanistan (his third tour, he had served two tours in Iraq) asked me if I could help to furnish the first MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury) clinic our military had built at Bagram Air Force Base. It was going to take six months for the military to provide those at the clinic with basics like towels, pillows, blankets, toiletries, hangars etc., so when I learned of the need I did what volunteers do, I organized 33 of my friends as well as some national companies and local merchants and we furnished the first two clinics in six weeks. We provided the basics listed above but also four comfortable arm chairs and ottomans, two Nintendo's with games for entertainment and physical therapy, a big screen TV (quite a challenge to ship), Bose noise-cancelling headphones (very important for soldiers suffering with concussions and post traumatic stress disorder at a noisy air force base), small appliances, (even a popcorn machine) and artwork created by local students in their "Support the Troops" Club. In fact, the kids in that club decided to continue the project and furnish additional clinics. We sent many other items as well. Everything was donated, even the packaging for shipping the items by one of our local shipping stores.

Since this had to happen so quickly, it was not a 501(c)(3), everyone just pitched in, donating and shipping the items with no expectation of personal benefit, only the satisfaction of knowing that we just did what had to be done. It was a special day when the officer in charge of the clinic came to Greenwich to meet many of us at a small reception in my home on an anniversary trip through New England with his wife.

What I try to do is what we all do, in our own ways, in our neighborhoods and across our nation. I hope you will honor me with the opportunity to work with you as a National Committeewoman to do what needs to be done for our party, to work with Chairman Jerry Labriola, Jr. and Vice Chairman Themis Karides here in Connecticut, and Chairman Reince Priebus at the RNC, to rebuild the Republican Party at all levels. We need Republican leadership in Washington and Hartford, but we also need it in each of the 169 towns of Connecticut. Just as you are there to help build the future, to do what needs to be done, so am I.

I look forward to meeting you. I will be calling you soon to personally ask for your support and your confidence to represent Connecticut on the RNC. Please feel free to contact me by email or phone.

Cell: XXXXXXXXX

Email: XXXXXXX

Warmest regards,

Leora R. Levy


Good luck to all the nominees, whoever may run. 

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.