Posted on 02/09/2005 10:09:00 PM PST by conservative in nyc
When the man who described himself as "the Prince of Darkness" arrived at the Maryland Department of Human Resources two years ago and placed a Grim Reaper figurine on his desk, longtime employees were baffled.
Though Joseph Steffen had no apparent role in the agency, he would attend meetings, conduct interviews with employees and make extensive notes on a legal pad.
Then they started getting fired.
---Snip---
He was a loyal soldier of Ehrlich's who worked on campaigns for the governor dating back two decades, and who took on a key role in both Ehrlich's transition team and administration, according to numerous sources and Steffen's Web postings.
Steffen, 45, did not answer calls or respond to visitors at his apartment near Baltimore. But in a brief interview Tuesday and in postings on the conservative Web site freerepublic.com, he described his background and embraced a reputation for hardball politics.
Steffen said he has known the governor since 1986, the year Ehrlich (R) ran his first campaign, for the Maryland House of Delegates.
Gerry Brewster, 47, a Baltimore County lawyer who was Ehrlich's Democratic opponent in the 1994 race, said Steffen was at the candidate's side throughout much of the campaign. And his role was widely known. "He was Bob Ehrlich's dirty tricks operative," Brewster said. "He was the hatchet man."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The reason NCPAC resigned his position was because he saw that the governor was going to get blamed for spreading this rumor, but he knew that the governor had nothing to do with it. He quit because he didn't want to see an innocent man get taken down. As for his own role, he only briefly discussed a rumor that someone else brought up here.
I find it fascinating that the media doesn't seem particularly interested in whether the rumor is true, but they are very interested in talking about NCPAC.
If he's in SF he's probably in a social melieu where any other sentiment isn't tolerated. Sounds like his girlfriend is most of the problem.
I understand that. I just don't understand why some mayor matters so much in the first place. Why is this guy important enough for anybody to spread a rumor about them or anybody to care if a rumor's spread??
This Story. NCPAC. See link #1
Some day your son will will turn to you and say you were right all along. Probably when he turns 40. :) Many liberals eventually see the light.
no... not really. look at Dan Rather, Ward Churchill, on and on.... it's really pathetic to see that some of the maturing process is like that of cheese in the fridge.... it gets older, bolder and stinks a whole lot worse.
That's where you get the old folks with the nipple marks on their faces from sucking on government's tit for so long, they are totally incapable of thinking for themselves or paying for anything without a government "assistance".
I think Aria's son in SF that has made a lot of money will look at the way he thinks, see that he has made a lot of money and think that one begat the other. He will think that being liberal "gave" him the money. When in fact it was hard work..... oh well.
I think 35yo with a wife and going to "burning man".... well it's a free country.
I'm sure he would think some of my friends were strange....... Heck I know or knew some 35 year olds that went to the Aggie Bonfire....so I guess it's like Einstien said, "It's all relative, baby".
Let them lurk. We get the news out faster than they do, and I will remind them that we will open up a can of investigative whoop ass on articles/stories/fairy tales every time they publish a lie or untruth. They have no monopoly on the truth!
I was surprised to learn how much attention Washington Post pays to this Web site. I too would like to know how they got hold of the e-mails. I guess this Web site is more influetial that many thought.
Give them a heads up, on their own next retraction! LOL
He is 35. Old enough to know better I think.
Well, he might be serious at the moment....but kids regardless of their age "may" revert back to an immature emotional state when dealing with their parents. Plus he's obviously a big lefty. My mother gets that way...shocked that she gave birth to a right winger. She tends to hyperventilate when it comes to my politics.
Well put.
In answer to the question of why the WaPost is over-hyping this in the extreme:
(1) desire to damage the Republican Governor of MD and hurt his re-election chances
(2) general media hostility to the web because of its smashing of the media monopoly (of course, failing to mention that the rumor was largely debunked on the truth engine that is FR) and
(3) specific animus towards FR because of its conservatism, numerous disputes with the Post, and, especially, because the FR truth engine was so effective in smashing the lies of Dan Rather and his forgeries
This is a fact of life that we must accept:
We are going to be treated unfairly by the MSM. The vast majority of FReepers are level headed - they possess good judgement.
However, there are a few folks here who do give us a bad name. Yes, we are going to be painted with a broad brush, and sad to say, there is a very small group here who will continue to hand that very broad brush to our opponents.
It is up to us clean up our own messes by holding accountable those among us who tarnish Free Republic and conservatism in general.
Who does the kid believe, his own experience with you or the WAPO?
He posted here at least a couple of times and was trashed. He thinks I/we are racist because we are against the MUSLIM terrorists. No credit is given for supporting the freeing of 50 million Muslims however. He thinks that since I continue to come here that I agree with the worst of the comments made here.
Part of my point in mentioning this, other than the hurt I was feeling, was that someone using FR to spread false rumors (if in fact that was what happened) about that mayor gives many a bad image of us. My son probably reprsents the opinions of a lot of others.
I doubt that. Those that want to scream racist will scream racist no matter what. That and fascist.
Wonder if your son has noticed that the most racist things ever said are said by liberals about conservative minorities.
Yeah, ironically some "liberals" are the epitimy of intolerance. I doubt he gets this since he is so steeped in the dogma.
Bumping so I can read this later.
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