Posted on 07/10/2006 8:04:23 AM PDT by NHThompson
Mitt Romney to us, his neighbors...
IBTZ?
Careful now, you might anger the romney brigade who will try to justify his flip flopping and his left wing positions.
Jeff Fuller runs a blog iowans for romney, hes his biggest cheerleader over at redstate.com and has lately begun cross posting to free republic. Its not quite as effective here on free republic as it is over on red state where the posters tend to be more moderate.
(I grew up in Michigan and his father would certainly have been labeled a RINO if such terms were available when his dad was governor.)
If Romney, or anyone else like him gets the Republican nomination in '08, I will reregister American Independent.
Hi Mike read todays Boston Globe, The Union Leader how about the Boston Herald, your guys inability to lead and take control of the boon doggle resulted in a death--good job keep supporting this guys who has done nothing, NOTHING in his political life
RT
Reaganesque hagh? Did you read todays Globe, Herald or Union Leader? The guy you so proudly grew up with has a fear of leading and a fear of fat matt Amarillio or the death of this woman very well could have been avaoided, a one term Gov--correction 1 term as a gutless, weak Governor doesn't entitle him to a 2nd term much less the White House--
RT in NH
Mitt was sworn in as Governor in January 2003, FOUR YEARS LATER. Most reasonable people would conclude that Mitt had nothing to do with the shoddy, Union workmanship that took place years before he even ran for governor.
From the Big Dig website: "The project has been under construction since late 1991. Preliminary design began in the 1980's and final design began in the late 1980's. As of the summer of 2004, construction was 94 percent complete."
So, by the time Mitt was sworn into office, the project was already over 90 percent completed. Again, a reasonable person would conclude that Mitt had nothing to do with the crappy work done on either the Ted Williams tunnel (which was opened in 1995, 7 to 8 years before Mitt was sworn in.), the bridge (which was completed in 1999 (four years before Mitt) or the depression of the central artery (which was well underway in 2003).
So, according to your theory, the Big Dig, which has been in the works for 25 years, with all of it's related corruption, hackery and political glad handing, is all the fault of the man who has held the office of governor for the last 3 years. Your conclusion indicates an irrational political bias that is not supported by any facts.
"For several years, Romney has called for the resignation of Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello over management of the $14.6 billion Big Dig.
Amorello, a former state senator with strong ties to legislative leaders, has steadfastly refused to give up his $223,000-a-year post. Nevertheless, Romney was expected to effectively take control of the board this month when he filled a vacancy on the board, Romney's third appointment on the five-member board since taking office in 2003.
But in May the state Senate slipped an amendment into the budget that would deny Romney his third appointment by extending the term of the incumbent board member, Jordan Levy, who is an ally of Amorello.
The veto planned today would reject the budget amendment that would extend Levy's term.
Guess you must have missed that article.
As a Governor he has been in a position to REMOVE FAT MATT AND HAS NOT. Is that clear? I said nothing about Romney personally pouring the concrete, your boyhood friend FAILED TO ACT when he could have and a woman is dead--He will not win NH we real Conservatives understand that he is a 1 term Governor with NO other political experiance, we read the papers daily--good luck supporting someone who directly or indirectly contributed to last nights tragedy.
Rob Thompson
Concord New Hampshire
Former State Rep
State Director for Christian Coalition
Former Political Director Alan Keyes
Board of Director Granite State Tax Payers
Nice try at a smear post, newbie.
He can't fire him directly.This is too funny. If you're going to throw rocks at the guy, get your facts straight. You're doiong a great job at looking like a total shill here . . .
Now, even if he could have fired Matt, what difference would it have made in this tragedy? None. The damage was done. The tragedy was alread set in motion by the events of 1999 and before. Firing Matt in 2003 would not have prevented this and you know it.
The fact that you don't even mention Ed King, Mike Dukakis, Bill Weld, Paul Cellucci or Jane Swift further discredits your argument. They were in a position to do something about the Big Dig but didn't. Celluccci was in charge in 1999 and there were plenty of indications then that the Big Dig was nothing but a cesspool of political patronage. I have never known MassPort to be anything but a cesspool of political patronage. (Remember 9/11?) They all had the same opportunity to do something and didn't. They were all part of the corruption that led to the death of this woman. And yet you blame Mitt, the guy who came in in the last three years of construction. It's like the Democrats blaming Bush for 9/11 when Bush had been in office for only 9 months. That was/is BS and so is your argument.
Thanks for the personal attack, does your mommy know your online? Romney if he had the balls could have removed the director of the MTA Matt Amarillo and called for an investigation into the dig--he did not and last night a woman died because of the dig--
"Mitt Romney's political life is over"
Scott Miller Show
WRKO Boston
Personal attack? For what---for suggesting you should have an idea of what you're talking about before you chuck rocks at someone? Man, you've got a thin skin.Read post 33 carefully, newbie. Romney has been trying to can Fat Matt almost since the first day he took office. But he can't, because Fat Matt can only be fired by the board that oversees the Big Dig. And even though Romney recently stacked the board with his own appointees, Fat Matt was able to rejigger the board's by-laws so they couldn't fire him.
Honestly, my friend, you should be embarrassed. To sign up just to post a hit piece is one thing, but to post a hit piece without knowing what you're talking about is a true exercise in ridiculousness. Given the level of ineptitude you've displayed here, I'd say the good people of New Hampshire should thank God you're a former state legislator.
Authority also alters its bylaws
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | June 30, 2006
The board of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, in a meeting spiced with fist-pounding and invectives, decided in a series of votes yesterday to change its bylaws and allow chairman Matthew J. Amorello to maintain control of the agency.
With Governor Mitt Romney set to seize control of a majority of the board tomorrow, Amorello had called the special meeting in a last-ditch effort to shore up his power by changing a series of bylaws.
After four hours, in which Amorello found himself compared to Mao Zedong, the chairman succeeded in convincing the board that he ``shall have charge of and be primarily responsible for" the Turnpike's day-to-day management. He also won control of the agenda, which means members can vote on business only that Amorello approves.
But the board refused to adopt his request that future votes be subject to a supermajority, or four members of the five-member board. It left the requirement at a simple majority, meaning that Romney appointees will have control over policy issues after his third appointee, Beth Lindstrom, is installed on the board tomorrow.
There were no clear winners in the battle, the latest in the bitter, three-year feud between Romney and Amorello over control of the authority and the Big Dig. But both sides claimed victory.
After the meeting, Amorello declared triumphantly that ``the success today was to secure the administrative day-to-day operations in the chairman's office."
During the meeting, a combative Thomas Trimarco -- Romney's secretary of administration and finance, whom the governor appointed to the board Wednesday -- accused Amorello of trying to evade accountability with the rule changes. At one point, Trimarco pounded his fists and pointed his finger.
``It gives me the feel that someone is séanced with Chairman Mao here," he said.
The bylaw changes do not significantly change Amorello's powers; they were intended to prevent a board dominated by Romney appointees from undermining the chairman's authority, Amorello said. He said that in the past, the board has meddled in the authority's day-to-day operations.
Amorello, a former Republican legislator who was appointed in 2002 by Acting Governor Jane Swift, has repeatedly rebuffed Romney's demands that he resign.
Romney wants to merge the Turnpike Authority with the state Highway Department, and the Legislature last year approved a bill calling for the two agencies to merge leadership and redundant functions by 2007, when Amorello's term expires.
Romney has tried to wrest control from Amorello by appointing new members on the board who are loyal to the governor.
Trimarco, a State House insider with a reputation for aggressively challenging state bureaucracies, replaced Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Lindstrom, the former consumer affairs chief, is taking the seat of Jordan Levy, an Amorello supporter whose term expires today.
John Moscardelli, another board member and an Amorello ally, was voted to a two-year term as vice chairman yesterday.
The meeting was contentious from its opening. Romney appointee Mary Connaughton immediately asserted that the minutes taken at a previous meeting incorrectly reflected her remarks and refused to approve them. Within minutes, heated exchanges were flying.
Amorello, at one point, mispronounced Trimarco's name, calling him ``Mr. Tringali."
Trimarco responded: ``No, no, I'm Mr. Trimarco. You get these Italian names confused. We all sound the same."
Trimarco asked later why he had not received his packet of information for the meeting until nearly 9 p.m. the day before.
``If this is normal, it's legally unacceptable," Trimarco said.
Later in the afternoon, he held a 15-minute press conference, displaying packets of information from board meetings of eight other state agencies. Behind the three-ring binders and stapled papers were placards showing when committee members are provided with the packet, ranging from three to 14 days.
At the end was the packet from the Turnpike hearing with a sign that said 10.5 hours. Other board members said they also did not get packets until Wednesday night.
Trimarco said that holding the next Turnpike authority meeting in mid-September is too much lag time. ``He has to understand that it's a new day of accountability," he said of Amorello.
Amorello appeared jovial through most of the meeting, leaning back in his chair, though he raised his voice several times.
``There's more politics than there is good public policy being made on some parties," Amorello said. ``They want to be political and play politics. You know I've been in this job for four years, I don't believe in playing games . . . I grew up with eight brothers and sisters so I can take the beatings."
The project was near 90 percent complete. When the Feds have already invested the billions they did at that point, it needs to just be finished and done with. That woman's death belongs on the Feds and your US Senator Ted Kennedy, not Romney.
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