Smart money was betting it wasn’t going to take long for the short knives to start slashing in the race to replace the cooked books regime of FEC Tony. Money placed that way is a winner! Recently deposed MNGOP Chair Tony Sutton – and make no mistake, Tony didn’t leave willingly – was MNGOP Treasurer back in the day when the back room book cooking was brought to light; for a quick primer, go read “A Key Element Of The Tostenson Memo”.
With that in mind, I went and checked some twitterlines o’ some GOPers that for various reasons I find interesting and/or amusing. First up, Andy Apliikowski of Residual Forces – let’s look!
OK, the link in that tweet takes you to Andy’s website, where Andy has a niftly little sreadsheet, listing potential candidates for the recently vacated MNGOP Chair position. Now, keep in mind Big E’s recent post on that vacated seat, “Michael Brodkorb slings mud at Tom Emmer and his supporters at the legislature”. That said, here’s what Andy says about one such potential candidate:
OK, apparently Andy doesn’t like Joe; likes to take little digs at him. I understand it goes way back, to when Repya was running for MN GOP Party Chair, and Andy was a volunteer. That was a particularly nasty campaign from those that liked the party’s status quo and didn’t like the reform-minded Repya. For background, see “Enemies Of The Party”. Andy has been, shall we say, “taken to task” by the Brodkorbs of the party, but he’s been working himself back into good graces of the last regime. And I’d venture taking cheap digs at Repya helps him do just that. Whatever.
Anyway, I did a quick twitter check on Repya, to see what others were saying. This one popped up, from Repya himself!!!
Ruh-ROH!!! Repya’s talking to someone – Luke Hellier – on Erik Paulsen’s local staff – and NOT his campaign staff; his official, local congressional office staff! Matter o’ fact, Luke – who used to be Brodkorb’s cut&paster at the notorious “Minnesota Democrats Exposed” slime machine “blog” – has the official title of “Constituent Services Representative.”
What got Repya’s dander up? Let’s look!
Oh, wait – seems Luke’s done scrubbed his twitterline!
Seems that since I started looking on the ol’ I’phone while running errands, the offending tweet done “magically” disappeared!
That’s ok; I already had a screen shot! Silly Luke…
Now, somefolk might think “hey – that’s not so bad.” Yeah, “right.” Keep in mind that although Paulsen postures about the need for “civility in politics”, he’s had two of the least “civil” folk I can think of, working for him: first, Brodkorb, back in the ’08 cycle, and now Hellier, on his district staff. And keep in mind Paulsen is a career politican – he rose to the position of GOP Majority Leader during the last 4 years of his 13 years in the State House.
Paulsen’s tight with the people that have been taking shots at Repya for years; shots for the simple reason Repya doesn’t – IMNSHO – like that GOP now stands for Greed Over Principles. And make no mistake; there is a high-stakes fight brewing in thee GOP over the direction of the party. Some people are going to get trashed. These opening shots at Repya will only get worse if he decides to rejoin the party and run. Smart money is betting against that, but with the Brodkorbs of the GOP, that doesn’t matter – smear ‘em and make SURE they don’t run is the standard operating procedure.
Hellier should know better than to tweet that – he’s on the taxpayer-paid payroll working for a Congressman. Paulsen should know better than to have a hack like Hellier on the official staff – but with Paulsen, it’s not what he says, but what he does that counts. Especially in matters of civility.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
Last Saturday in Iowa, a “conservative Christian” group held a “Thanksgiving Family Forum” in which 6 GOPers running for president attended. I’m guessing Mitt Romney ducked out declined to attend ’cause he figured – as a Mormon – he might not be welcomed with, shall we say, open arms? I saw the following YouTube on Crooks and Liars in a post titled “Gingrich Claims the U.S. Is ‘More Ruthless’ and ‘Tougher’ When Going to War Because We Send Our Family Members” and predicatbly, Newt got applause – let’s look!
“I think what makes us different and what makes us in some ways when we have good leadership, much more ruthless and much tougher than any other country in the world, is we don’t send soldiers and sailors and Marines and airmen to war.
We send our children. We send our fathers. We send our brothers and sisters. We send our mothers, and therefore there’s a preciousness to this decision, unlike any other country I know of. I think our position has been historic.”
So Newt “Is My Wife Well Enough To Divorce Yet?” Ginchrich – a former college history professor – thinks it’s only Americans on the battlefield that have children, fathers, brothers, sisters & mothers??!?
It should be noted that Gingrich himself, was never on a battlefield, let alone in uniform.
But this one, this one, is so typical of today’s GOPer: they just don’t care what others think:
“…and we frankly couldn’t care less what the rest of the world thinks.”
Why does serial adulterer and Chicken Hawk Newt get away with spewing that cr@p, before an alledgedly “conservative Christian” group, at an event titled “Thanksgiving Family Forum” – and get applause?
Because, as I always say: “Those that forget the lessons of history tend to vote GOP.”
Of course, another explanation is what Ronald Reagan told the adoring masses at the 1988 Republican National Convention: “Facts are stupid things.” Reagan said it, today’s GOP lives it.
And this sordid story is just anther example of You Couldn’t Trust The GOP Then, You Still Can’t Now, And Tomorrow Won’t Be Any Different.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
Last July we looked at the continuing fiscal mismanagement of the MN GOP – “Today’s Examples Of Republicans Believe In Fiscal Accountability (Except When They Don’t)” – we looked at their seemingly Enronesque accounting methods and the way the deadbeats were stiffing Counties over their recount debts for the 2010 Governor’s race (among other things).
For instance, Doug Groh, auditor/treasurer of Mower County, was told on three different occasions that – literally – “the check was in the mail.”
The check, of course, was not.
And we asked: “how does the GOP Faithful reward FEC Tony for his financial mismanagement – besides promoting him from the elected Treasurer to Chair?”
We answered: “By putting FEC Tony on the party payroll! $100,000 smackers worth! Good thing – for FEC Tony – that Tom Emmer covered the deadbeat RPM’s recount bills to the counties!”
This was before the Federal Elections Commission smacked the MN GOP with one of their largest fines ever — $170,000.00 smackers, to be exact. FEC Tony was MN GOP Treasurer when those shenanigans occurred.
So I wasn’t surprised to see this story, in today’s Strib:
State GOP faces $533,000 in debt
Article by: Baird Helgeson, Star Tribune
October 27, 2011
,
,
Sutton said he made a calculated gamble to spend heavily on the 2010 elections and that it paid off politically. Republicans won control of the Legislature for the first time in a generation and then were able to block DFL Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed income tax increases.“It was totally worth it to not raise taxes,” Sutton said.(empasis added)
But it left the party deeply in debt. Sutton took the helm of the state GOP in 2009 with more than $1 million in the bank and by January of this year the party owed creditors $750,000.
(more, here)
So it’s “totally worth it” to go into debt to avoid raising taxes in FEC Tony’s world??!?
Remember that, the next tome some pompous jack@ss GOPer spews the “you can’t spend more than in the check book” tripe they always do.
Of course, they actually believe that — YOU can’t (but THEY can).
The simple fact is that GOPers believe in “fiscal accountability” — except when they don’t. GOPers are always demanding “fiscal responsibility” – of OTHERS.
Reasonable people have no reason to reasonably believe anything GOPers say.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
What’s an unpopular Strongman to do, when confronted with the prospect of losing his grip on power? Well, for Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott “Baseball Bat” Walker, rigging the rules seems to be the strategy!
Republicans try to rewrite recall rules
The goal: Give Gov. Walker a better chance at keeping his job
Ruth Conniff on Thursday 10/13/2011Now that state Republicans have weakened Wisconsin’s campaign finance and disclosure rules and made it harder for students, poor people and minorities to vote, they are turning their attention to another urgent matter: getting control over the recall process for Gov. Scott Walker.
,
,
As Sun Prairie Democrat Gary Hebl pointed out during the Thursday hearing, the Republicans are trying to turn the GAB from a watchdog into a lapdog. First, they proposed an “emergency rule change” to address the GAB’s decision. That’s handy for them, because while they can’t reverse GAB decisions, they can kill a rule.Also handy: They just rejiggered the rule-making process so every administrative rule change has to go through the governor’s office, and the governor has full veto power.
In other words, the governor himself would have final say over the process for recalling him.
(more, here)
Can’t you just see ol’ Milhous Nixon smiling over THAT one??!?
So, why would ol’ “Baseball Bat” Walker need to rig the recall rules?
The Walker Recall: By The Numbers
Monday, October 24, 2011Just weeks before the official kickoff to the Recall Walker movement, things aren’t looking too good for the puppet governor of Corporate America. The Democrats have just released the numbers related to a survey of Wisconsinites regarding Walker and his job performance.
Walker must be reaching for the industrial-sized bottle of antacid whenever he sees these numbers.
And there’s little doubt ol’ “Baseball Bat” Walker will – WILL – be recalled; Milwaulkee’s AM620 WTMJ reports Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and former US Rep. David Obey were there and both names are being floated as possible candidates to depose GOPer Strongman Scott Walker – and end their report with this line: “Organizers plan to start heading door to door with recall petitions on November 15th.”
As well they should; GOPer Walker is but one example of why I always say “Republicans run on the platform ‘Government doesn’t work!’ – and once elected, they prove it.”
Oh – and be sure to link here For A Campaign Message From The Governor’s Office.
# # #
Here are the previous Strongman Reports:
(Strongman Report – 11 August 2011)
(Strongman Report – 14 April 2011)
(Strongman Report – 14 April 2011)
(Strongman Report – 30 March 2011)
(Strongman Report – 20 March 2011)
(Strongman Report – 08 March 2011)
(Strongman Report – 05 March 2011)
College Republicans – the organization that hatched the political careers of Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed – are up in arms here in Minnesota.
MinnPost has the story:
College Republicans protest water bottle ban at St. Ben’s
By Joe Kimball | Published Tue, Sep 13 2011 9:50 amA ban on the sale of bottled water at the College of St. Benedict — for environmental reasons, because of the plastic waste — is being protested today by College Republicans.
(more, here)
And The Cucking Stool has the snark:
Won’t somebody think of the free market?
The antics of college partisans are always cute, but the Minnesota College Republicans really are masters of the image event that backfires. I mean, who could forget their 2004 masterpiece shaming Matt Entenza for not shoveling his walk. And what a visual it was, when they showed up with media in tow to see a perfectly clear stretch of sidewalk. Zing!
(more, here)
Well, not one to let a GOPer gaff go un-mocked (when I got the time!), I thought it’d be a good time to repost a link to a great This Modern World cartoon, “Young Republicans Want To Help!”
But I am going to take issue with The Cucking Stool’s Arron Klemz – the antics of college partisans are NOT always cute, and the sordid story of Abramoff et al show that.
Now, when you go to that This Modern World cartoon, ask yourself – which/how many of today’s College Republican “leader/s” is/are going to end up on THIS list (or worse)?
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
…or, “Ready, Set, Auction!!!”
This screen shot was sent to me by a dedicated reader of our blog; it was actually placed on a website by the Carver County GOP.
“All GOP elected officials for sale to the highest bidder”
You knew it; the Carver County GOP simply made it official.
For more on this story, read:
1 – Common Cause’s “GOP Auctions Off Legislators To Lobbyists”
and
2 – MN Observer’s “We’ve already established what you are. Now we’re just haggling over the price” and
3 – City Page’s “Carver County Republican Party tries to auction off legislators, then denies it” and
4 – Bluestem Prairie’s “Carver Co GOP pulls lawmaker auction; lobbyists will have to find other means to buy Republicans”.
Back in February of ’09, I did a blogpost quoting then-GOP Chair Michael Steele: “You have absolutely no reason – none – to trust our words or our actions at this point.”.
True then, true now, and tomorrow won’t be any different.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
Faux News asked Scott “Baseball Bat” Walker:
Steve Doocy asked the governor if he thought the recall vote was a referendum on him and his policies.
Walker responded saying,
“Well, there is no doubt voters last November wanted us to focus on jobs, and fixing our budget, and we’ve done that.”
He went on to say,
“I think they [voters] affirmed that on Tuesday, and they said along the way, they want us to figure out ways to work together to do even more for jobs because it’s not happening Washington.”
Here’s just one example of Walker’s idea of “focusing on jobs”…
“Senator’s girlfriend had help getting job”
Daniel Bice, Milwaulkee Jorunal-Sentinel, 20 March 2011Even though the state is supposedly broke, top officials in Gov. Scott Walker’s team were able to scrape together enough money to give a state job to the woman identified as Sen. Randy Hopper’s girlfriend.
Anything for a political ally.
Valerie Cass, a former Republican legislative staffer, was hired Feb. 7 as a communications specialist with the state Department of Regulation and Licensing. She is being paid $20.35 per hour. The job is considered a temporary post.
Cass previously had worked in the state Senate and for the GOP campaign consulting firm Persuasion Partners in Madison. She also was paid for campaign work for the state Republican Party and U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner before that.
(more, here)
The amazing thing, about that girl’s boytoy, GOPer State Senator, Randy Hopper?
GOPers voted for him in droves during last Tuesday’s recall election, and he dam near won.
Which just goes to show, once again: GOPers believe in the sanctity of marriage – by OTHERS.
Here are the previous Strongman Reports…
(Strongman Report – 14 April 2011)
(Strongman Report – 14 April 2011)
(Strongman Report – 30 March 2011)
(Strongman Report – 20 March 2011)
(Strongman Report – 08 March 2011)
(Strongman Report – 05 March 2011)
(Strongman Report – 01 March 2011)
( cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
Immediately after last November’s election, the Republican Party of Minnesota (“RPM”) demanded – yes, “demanded” – Minnesota’s counties make thousands and thousands and thousands of copies for the upcoming recount of the governor’s race. And the RPM demanded – yes, “demanded” – that all that copying be done immediately. Not surprisingly, payment by the RPM to MN Counties for services rendered has NOT been “immediate” nor “prompt” nor “timely.” Far from it, as has been documented over and Over and OVER and OVER – and that’s just here and on MPP. As previously noted, SallyJo at Bluestem Prairie has been all over this one, too.
As have a lot of people. Jeff Rosenberg at MnPublius , early in the month last March, (last March!!!) pointed out a quote by the Mower County Auditor/Treasurer:
“Since December, I’ve had repeated conversations about when we’ll get paid,” said Doug Groh, auditor/treasurer of Mower County. “I had no problem with the Democrats paying, but the Republicans are fudging, because they’re short of money — that’s what I was told in December.”
Since then, Groh said, he’s been told the invoice was lost; on three different occasions, he was told — literally — the check was in the mail.
So when you read the following quote – you might think it, too, has to do with Tony Sutton’s RPM stiffing Minnesota Counties on the rightfully owed Recount bills:
“Not paying vendors on a timely basis, berating them when they call for payment, and then refusing to pay interest charges owed them for services rendered in good faith.”
Yep! Sounds EXACTLY like what FEC Tony’s RPM has been doin’ lately!!!
Well, except for the interest charges; the Counties haven’t been charging interest.
But that quote’s actually from several years ago.
You see, the RPM is notorious for it’s internal financial mismanagement. And I’m calling Minnesota’s GOP party “RPM” because that’s how they’re referred to by the Federal Elections Commission- a Federal Elections Commission that’s very familiar with the RPM (“Republican Party of Minnesota”) and Tony Sutton – reasons that cause me to refer to Tony Sutton, current chair of the RPM, as “FEC Tony.”
I’ll let Spot, at The Cucking Stool, do the intro:
Friday, July 31, 2009
Where have I heard that name before?
Something that’s been percolating around my brain for a while is a question about this Tony Sutton dude. No, not whether the Mexican restaurant chain is introducing a line of chimichangas named after prominent GOP gasbags, but his new gig as Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. As I read about his new job, I had this sneaking suspicion that his name was not entirely new to me, that there was something in the past that he’d done.
Then it came flooding back to me. This Sutton guy was, before ascending to the throne room at the RPM, the treasurer of the RPM. He’s the one whose name is most closely associated with the horrific accounting and auditing nightmare that is the treasury of the RPM. He’s been front and center in that complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission and he’s the one who has had rather pointed questions directed at him by the FEC here, here, here, and here. He also had to send in those humiliating letters – over and over and over again – stating that “An amended report correcting this error will be filed when the committee’s internal audit has been completed.” In short, he was apparently the doofus in charge as this mess was allowed to fester and grow into what some think will eventually lead to the largest FEC fine in history for poor bookkeeping.
For most of us, being so intimately connected with this monumental mess would be such a professional embarrassment that we’d slink off to North Dakota or something. We’d at least have the good sense to drop out of politics.
But not Mr. Sutton.
(more, here)
Indeed – not Mr. Sutton, a/k/a “FEC Tony”.
Yes, this quote – “Not paying vendors on a timely basis, berating them when they call for payment, and then refusing to pay interest charges owed them for services rendered in god faith.” – is from a RPM Staffer, back in February 2007, back when FEC Tony was RPM Treasurer.
This quote - “Since December, I’ve had repeated conversations about when we’ll get paid,” said Doug Groh, auditor/treasurer of Mower County. “I had no problem with the Democrats paying, but the Republicans are fudging, because they’re short of money — that’s what I was told in December.” – is from a RPM Vendor, this year, with FEC Tony as the RPM Chair.
And how does the GOP Faithful reward FEC Tony for his financial mismanagement – besides promoting him from the elected Treasurer to Chair?
By putting FEC Tony on the party payroll! $100,000 smackers worth! Good thing – for FEC Tony – that Tom Emmer covered the deadbeat RMP’s recount bills to the counties!
If there were any justice in this world, whey you googled “Peter Principle” a picture of FEC Tony would pop up – a picture from back during his tenure as RPM Treasurer, that is. Because as those two quotes show, the more things change, the more the fiscal mismanagement at the RPM doesn’t.
Hey – at least FEC Tony is on the RPM Payroll; the RPM Deputy Chair – Michael Brodkorb – well, the RPM stuck him on the Taxpayer’s tab.
Reasonable people have no reason to reasonably believe anything the RPM says. This whole sordid and scandalous RPM County Recount saga demonstrates once again that Republicans believe in fiscal accountability (except when they don’t) – and that Republicans are always demanding “fiscal responsibility” – of OTHERS.
* * *
(image credit: Tildology)
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
… are very comfortable with where we are.”
Say WHAT??!?
“Our guys, obviously, are very comfortable with where we are.” — House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove — 30 June 2011, 8:30pm
Well, actually that’s true – because “their guys” are The Top 2% of wage earners; their guys are their Boardroom Base; their guys are the guys this recession hasn’t even hit.
Here’s Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton explaining last night exactly why the GOP chose to shut down the great state of Minnesota today:
“I cannot accept a Minnesota where people with disabilities lose part of the time they are cared for by personal care attendants so that millionaires do not have to pay $1 more in taxes.
I cannot accept a Minnesota where young people cannot afford the rising tuitions at the University of Minnesota or a MnSCU campus, so that millionaires do not have to pay $1 more in taxes.
I cannot accept a Minnesota where elderly widows are denied the at-home services that permit them to remain healthy and able to live in their own homes. Or a Minnesota where local governments have to further slash their firefighter and police forces. Or a Minnesota where special education is being cut, so that millionaires do not have to pay $1 more in taxes. That is not Minnesota.” – Governor Mark Dayton, 30 June 2011
GOP: “Our guys, obviously, are very comfortable with where we are.”
Governor Dayton: “I cannot accept a Minnesota where (fill in GOPer slash ‘n burn) so that millionaires do not have to pay $1 more in taxes.”
Will you stand for the GOP’s Boardroom Base, which includes “guys” like Target Corp CEO Gregg Steinhafel?
Or will you stand with the workers in the middle class?
Pick your side, Ladies and Gentlemen – pick your side.
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
For months and Months and MONTHS , I’ve covered the Deadbeat MnGOP’s refusal to pay their debts to Minnesota Counties for the services they demanded – DEMANDED – concerning the November 2010 Election Recount.
And that’s just here, at MPP – - SallyJo at Bluestem Prairie has been all over this scandal, too.
And just this morning, I found two, and possibly three, Counties that STILL HAVEN’T BEEN PAID – Cass, Fillmore, and Grant. There may be more; after two “No” and a “Don’t think so; will get back to you” why keep going?
The funny thing is, despite Tony Sutton claiming way back in March that the MnGOP would pay it’s bills, it took someone else to to it!
Yes, Beltrami, Chisago, and Clearwater counties told me earlier today that Tom Emmer stepped up and did what Tony Sutton’s MnGOP wouldn’t – pay some bills.
Does it really surprise anyone that a party that would stiff counties for months and Months and MONTHS would drive a state to shutdown? Because that’s exactly what the MnGOP will do this Friday – shut this state down.
Oh – and can someone call Emmer, and tell him there’s still a few more counties out there, that Tony Sutton’s MnGOP has stiffed?
* * *
Previous MPP Posts:
“Deadbeat MnGOP Still Owes Omsted County” – 13 April 2011
“Deadbeat MnGOP Still Owes Martin, Nicollet, And Sibley Counties, or…” “…GOPers are always demanding “fiscal responsibility” – of OTHERS.” — 25 April 2011
“Today’s Example Of Why Reasonable People Cannot Reasonably Believe What GOPers Say: Recount” — 07 June 2011
(cross posted at MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
