Tuesday, January 09, 2007

SOMETIMES IT NOT WHO YOU KNOW, BUT WHO YOUR DAUGHTER KNOWS

Well known farmer and Democratic Party contributer Roger Richardson is on the short list to become the state's secretary of agriculture, and that's a good thing. It's a good thing because Richardson is a life-long farmer and his understanding and success in the profession is easily measured by the reported 3,500 acres he has under till. But make no mistake, his expertise is not soley what put him to the short list. .... Neither is it just his considerable contributions to the Democratic Party over the years. And it's probably not just a combination of these two factors. More than likely, it is the fact that his daughter, Donna West, was Jim Mathias' campaign manager workerd her fingers to the bone to get him elected. And now that the deal is done, the bills are due.
This is the way politics work, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's only mentioned here as an object lesson for those seeking to move up in the political food chain. It's not just brains and ability, or even brains, ability and money. It is all those things and creating a sense of debt owed and due from politicians.

14 comments:

Historical Wit said...

Don't sell RR short, hes a good man. Hell i've hunted and fished on his property for a good long while and can say he is a steward of the land. I disagree with his loggin operations, but thats nothing I hild against him personally. Hell when I was a reckless youth who would get his jeep stuck in some deep ass mud, roger would pull your ass out, even at 11pm on a sat night. Good man.

RAT said...

I have no doubt at all that he's both a good man and an excellant candidate for this office... all I'm saying is that this looks like patronage, and that's how politics works.

Worcester said...

What makes you think that a freshman Delegate like Jim Mathias would have enough influence over the mayor of Baltimore to get him to put Richardson on the short list? It seems more likely to me that Richardson got on the short list because of his qualifications. It is noteworthy that Republican Senator Stoltzfus praises him...again showing that he's on the list for qualification reasons as opposed to political patronage reasons. Stoltzfus is as partisan a politician as you will ever find and worked very hard in the recent election to see to it the Bonnie Luna or Michael James would defeat Mathias.

Historical Wit said...

Yeah it patronage, but at least he has a clue about what to do with the office, unlike some political appointments I have seen.

And Mathias doled out party favors as the captain of OC, they were waiting for him up there in Annapolis. He is not your typical freshman delegate.

RAT said...

ahh... such short-sightedness... because it serves both the local and state parties... That's what functional political parties do; they work for a common cause and good.... you may be right that Mathias does not, on his own, have that kind of juice, but given the fact the Eastern Shore is the state's agricultural heart, and that Norm Conway is not a stranger to the movers and shakers of the state party, not to mention the fat that the party has some serious building to do on the shore, I'd say it's a safe bet that this is patronage... again, I'm not suggesting that RIchardson is not qualified for the job... I can't think of anyone better qualified.... but that doesn't take anything away from the party's need to expand and solidify it's base or meet its platform goals.

RAT said...

yeah.... remember America?... wasn't that a great idea..... too bad the Repiglicans got elected and instituted neo-fascism

Anonymous said...

Turd
you know that Tricky Dick is Albero in drag...right?

RAT said...

No River Rat, TD is the heat... he has the power to handcuff us all and make us disappear into America's secret offshore gulags and make it seem like we never existed.... He's NOT Joe. He's one of two people, whose names are unspeakable.....

Anonymous said...

if you say so RT.
But Barriboop says differently.

MsNobody said...

Hey Dick:
Happy Birthday!!!

RAT said...

awwww come on Dick... you know it's true that giving that much "discretion" opens the door to corruption.... I ain't saying they are corrupt, but damn, who's to provide oversight. Cops should be above reproach.... please note that that's quite different from being above the law.

Anonymous said...

Naaaa, someone on another site accused you of being the King of Blog!
Sorry.

This YOU SCRATCH MY BACK AND I"LL SCRATCH YOURS is so dominate in our political and legal system today I don't think you could ever get rid of it all without a revolution!

RAT said...

.... and somewhere in the bowels of Ft. Meade River Rat has just gotten himself an NSA file because he mentioned the secret word.

Anonymous said...

John Lennon Was Right.
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa