As Dave Catanese reported in the KY3 Notebook Nov 3, former Roy Blunt aide Gregg Hartley, now a lobbyist with the powerful K Street firm of Cassidy & Associates, announced his endorsement of Nodler's candidacy:
"I endorse Gary Nodler and will actively work with folks in SW Missouri to ensure his election; I urge others to join this important campaign," Hartley wrote on his Twitter page. "I believe the best candidate in primary has the experience as a former congressional aide, business advocate & current legislative leader," he wrote.
Hartley, it has been noted in various media sources, was the man responsible for bringing disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff into Cassidy & Associates. After Abramoff was forced to resign under fire from the Greenberg Taurig lobbying firm in 2004, RIch Lowry wrote in Roll Call:
A longtime confidant of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and the GOPleadership, Abramoff was brought into Cassidy by Gregg Hartley, a former top aide to House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
Abramoff pleaded guilty to a number of felonies in January 2006. From the Center for Media and Democracy:
Abramoff's principal activity was the collection of tens of millions extorted from Indian tribal gambling operations. Much of the money was used to buy influence from Washington Republican figures, but a considerable amount was used for self-enrichment or personal pet projects.
While Hartley has not been touched in any of the scandals surrounding Abramoff, his connection to Washington lobbying and the fact that he is the first major figure to endorse Gary Nodler's candidacy does little to bolster confidence that the election of Gary Nodler would send an independent voice to Washington.
More of the same. Why would we elect anyone who is experienced in the way the system works? Isn't what we really need is someone who is real, not a spin artist whose position changes with the latest poll? Someone who would rather talk to me, an ordinary citizen than Rudy Farber, David Humphreys, Dwight Douglas-the "insiders" in Nodler's campaign. I, for one, will not be voting for Nodler. I will go further and predict he doesn't win a super majority of Newton-Jasper County. We know him. And we are tired of his rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteActually the first to endorse Nodler was Missouri Speaker of the House Ron Richard the day Nodler announced. Randy just has trouble getting things right
ReplyDeleteFormer Senator John Danforth and William H. T. Bush , brother to one President and Uncle to another Co-hosted a fundraiser for Nodler in St. Louis a month ago, Hartley was far from the first or most important endorsement for Nodler.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct about the earlier endorsements. It had just been so long since anyone endorsed Nodler, I had totally forgotten about it. i notice there is no comment from the last two about any of the rest of the post.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of this post? "Hartley has not been touched in any of the scandals surrounding Abramoff". That's the only significant thing about the rest of the post. It makes evrything else in it a smear and nothing more. What will be interesting is to see if you correct the post knowing it is wrong.
ReplyDeleteYou also didn't mention that former Governor Matt Blunt works for Cassidy & Associates. That is something that might have some meaning in this race.
ReplyDeleteRandy, some time ago I was in Washington working on a local project that had nothing to do nor was it sponsored by any of the people you like to smear. During a break in a hearing, I was approached by a man who introduced himself and said he was a lobbyist. He gave me his card which said he was from Cassidy & Associates. He was very nice, gave me encouragement and advice, saying he had clients in this area and he wanted to help if he could.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many lobbyists from Cassidy & Associates you have ever met or talked to, but I was very pleased with my own experience and appreciated what the man did on behalf of my project...
I took nothing from him but the kind words he spoke, and he asked for nothing. I have not seen or heard from him again but I remember his helpfulness.
It's easy to sit back and slam people, but it the real world things have many shades.
It's got to be frustrating for you Randy, knowing that positive things are happening for Nodler and you cannot stop them.
ReplyDeletePerhaps someday, you too will have created a body of work and lifelong friends who will stand up for you, should you ever decide to seek an opportunity of public service.
I've believe many other well-respected people will speak favorable of Senator Nodler in the days to come and you will be left to your, your, your........whatever it is you do?
7:36-He gets it wrong by intent.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that as much time as this guy steals from the public system to maintain and write on this blog; to twitter & tweet; write books and continue a failed journalism career, he would get things right. But, his intent overides his civility and ability.
9:39 and 9:49 (or one and the same) sound to me like the type of folks who call others "elitists" when it suits them. But here, in their petty attacks on Turner, they sound a whole lot like, well...
ReplyDeleteTo Turner, the 11:51 anomaly:
ReplyDelete"It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good disposition." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, 1785