Thursday, September 23, 2004
The Portrait of Dorian Ned
Willard Mitt has a dream. He believes that the rebirth of the state GOP will vault him to the vanguard of the national GOP, despite the fact that "Governor Gay" ushered single-sex marriage into Massachusetts, a stance that is anathema to the Hanoverians who control right-wing Washington. (see RiaF, 5/17/2004)
So how does Romney plan on reinvigorating the GOP? By having Alex Dunn, his jack-booted political gauleiter, recruit fresh faces, like Ned Kirby, of Whitman, to run for the lower chamber, where Republicans are currently outnumbered 137-23. (source: Boston Phoenix, 3/4/2004)
Screeeech.
Wait a minute. Romney is looking to reivigorate the GOP by running "reformers" like Ned Kirby?
Before waking up and discovering that he was a reformer in need of an office, Kirby was yesterday's news. He was first elected to the Massachusetts House in 1960 (source: Patriot Ledger, 1/25/1997), and creaked along in the Massachusetts legislature until the voters threw him out on his ear in 1991.
Perhaps Kirby's most notorious moment came in his last year in office when he was overheard telling the sister of an AIDS-infected hemopheliac that she (the sister) had brought the disease upon herself. (source: Rat Line.) The incident was related to then-Patriot Ledger reporter Jeremy Crockford, whose piece on the matter was later picked up by other area papers. (source: Boston Globe, 5/29/1991)
Kirby's defense? "There's no question I said it - `They brought it on themselves." (source: Boston Herald, 12/16/2003)
Cool. So Ned Kirby is a gay-basher. Tell us something new. It's 2004. Everyone's a gay-basher. Even gays.
This can't be the only reason that he was hand-picked to run as a Romney Reformer.
In fact it's not. You see, Ned Kirby is also apparently ethically challenged. Seems he was at least once ordered to reimburse the state for $7,500 for improperly using campaign funds and per-diem payments. (source: Patriot Ledger, 10/6/2000)
And he's one of the few old-time Republican tax and spenders. Back in 1990 (when $1.6 billion dollars was still seen as a lot of money, Kirby voted in favor of a controversial $1.6 billion tax package that not only raised revenues for the Commonwealth, but also shifted a portion of the sales tax from goods to services. (source: Boston Globe, 5/20/1990)
But now Kirby is claiming to be against new taxes? Sure sure. Tell it to someone without a memory.
Oh yeah, and (we almost forget), after Kirby was thrown out of the Senate, then-Gov. Weld appointed him to as a $70,000-a-year "judge" in the Department of Industrial Accidents. (source: Boston Globe, 12/16/1993) This was during a time when the Department's workload dropped 42 percent yet its budget jumped 43 percent, it's payroll "replete with a bevy of GOP pols and a battalion of well-paid consultants." (source: Boston Globe, 10/20/1996)
Kirby's salary hike was actually a fairly naked pension grab that increased his three-year salary average (upon which his state pension is calculated) by a cool $30 or so thousand dollars.)
Ah-HA. So that's why Ned Kirby is running as a Romney Reformer. He's a long-time legislator who was appointed to a hack position and has a history of ethical lapses. In short, he's a fraud.
Which makes him perfect for Team Reform.
Alex Dunn, you done good.
Next?
Willard Mitt has a dream. He believes that the rebirth of the state GOP will vault him to the vanguard of the national GOP, despite the fact that "Governor Gay" ushered single-sex marriage into Massachusetts, a stance that is anathema to the Hanoverians who control right-wing Washington. (see RiaF, 5/17/2004)
So how does Romney plan on reinvigorating the GOP? By having Alex Dunn, his jack-booted political gauleiter, recruit fresh faces, like Ned Kirby, of Whitman, to run for the lower chamber, where Republicans are currently outnumbered 137-23. (source: Boston Phoenix, 3/4/2004)
Screeeech.
Wait a minute. Romney is looking to reivigorate the GOP by running "reformers" like Ned Kirby?
Before waking up and discovering that he was a reformer in need of an office, Kirby was yesterday's news. He was first elected to the Massachusetts House in 1960 (source: Patriot Ledger, 1/25/1997), and creaked along in the Massachusetts legislature until the voters threw him out on his ear in 1991.
Perhaps Kirby's most notorious moment came in his last year in office when he was overheard telling the sister of an AIDS-infected hemopheliac that she (the sister) had brought the disease upon herself. (source: Rat Line.) The incident was related to then-Patriot Ledger reporter Jeremy Crockford, whose piece on the matter was later picked up by other area papers. (source: Boston Globe, 5/29/1991)
Kirby's defense? "There's no question I said it - `They brought it on themselves." (source: Boston Herald, 12/16/2003)
Cool. So Ned Kirby is a gay-basher. Tell us something new. It's 2004. Everyone's a gay-basher. Even gays.
This can't be the only reason that he was hand-picked to run as a Romney Reformer.
In fact it's not. You see, Ned Kirby is also apparently ethically challenged. Seems he was at least once ordered to reimburse the state for $7,500 for improperly using campaign funds and per-diem payments. (source: Patriot Ledger, 10/6/2000)
And he's one of the few old-time Republican tax and spenders. Back in 1990 (when $1.6 billion dollars was still seen as a lot of money, Kirby voted in favor of a controversial $1.6 billion tax package that not only raised revenues for the Commonwealth, but also shifted a portion of the sales tax from goods to services. (source: Boston Globe, 5/20/1990)
But now Kirby is claiming to be against new taxes? Sure sure. Tell it to someone without a memory.
Oh yeah, and (we almost forget), after Kirby was thrown out of the Senate, then-Gov. Weld appointed him to as a $70,000-a-year "judge" in the Department of Industrial Accidents. (source: Boston Globe, 12/16/1993) This was during a time when the Department's workload dropped 42 percent yet its budget jumped 43 percent, it's payroll "replete with a bevy of GOP pols and a battalion of well-paid consultants." (source: Boston Globe, 10/20/1996)
Kirby's salary hike was actually a fairly naked pension grab that increased his three-year salary average (upon which his state pension is calculated) by a cool $30 or so thousand dollars.)
Ah-HA. So that's why Ned Kirby is running as a Romney Reformer. He's a long-time legislator who was appointed to a hack position and has a history of ethical lapses. In short, he's a fraud.
Which makes him perfect for Team Reform.
Alex Dunn, you done good.
Next?
