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Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 02:06:12 AM CDT
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It's sometimes hard to imagine, but when Human Events compares a political operative to Karl Rove, they actually mean that as a compliment. This is the magazine that calls Michelle Malkin one of "the great conservative thinkers of our era." At the same time, the Human Events website is currently celebrating Rush Week, a tribute to Rush Limbaugh's 20-year career in which Sean Hannity declares Limbaugh "the Babe Ruth of broadcasting" for reasons other than their similarly rotund body types.
So, I'm sure it was quite an honor to David Boomer, Republican Congressman Lee Terry's campaign manager, when he received the following write-up in Human Events just a few years ago:
"Rowland's Rove" Heads West
As Connecticut's Republican Gov. John Rowland continues to be investigated by the state legislature for possible impeachment over whether he accepted illegal gratuities, the governor's closest and most durable political associate left the Nutmeg State for Nebraska. Dave Boomer helped the young Rowland win his first race for Congress in 1984 and was his press secretary during his House tenure (1984-90)....
Boomer was in and out of major staff spots with Rowland in his gubernatorial campaigns and his record ten years in the statehouse. Most recently, he was working at state Republican headquarters in Hartford to help develop defensive strategy for the embattled Rowland. Now, the political gunslinger known as Rowland's Rove has just moved to Omaha to manage the fourth term campaign of conservative Republican Rep. Lee Terry.
That story is from April 2004. What goes unmentioned in Human Event's coverage is the fact that Boomer was leaving Connecticut under a cloud of suspicion after being disavowed by leaders in his own party.
Until charges of corruption engulfed Gov. John Rowland's administration, Boomer held quite-privileged status as Connecticut's own Karl Rove. After winning his third-term as Governor, Rowland was considered a rising star in the Republican Party with a future on the national stage. That future - in which Boomer certainly imagined himself playing an important part - went crashing down when it became clear Rowland's Chief of Staff and others had engaged in outright bribery, accepting envelopes full of cash in exchange for lucrative contracts with the state. It was later revealed the Governor himself accepted $107,000 worth of vacations, unpaid work on his cottage, and free flights, while selling his condominium at an inflated price to a state contractor.
Human Events describes Boomer as "in and out of major staff spots" during Rowland's time as Governor. He was serving as Rowland's chief political consultant as word of the rampant corruption broke. Although Boomer was never directly implicated in this far-reaching scandal, these were his associates and Rowland's political career was his baby. That's probably why he jumped to Rowland's defense just days after the Governor admitted lying about the illegal work done on his cottage, declaring:
"This is now basically kind of war, what is starting here...They have been out to destroy the governor for some time...."I am going to get the word out to the public that he is a very honest and decent man." |
| Kyle Michaelis :: Lee Terry Counting On "Connecticut's Karl Rove" In 2008 Campaign |
That bold declaration led Boomer to undertake a controversial effort to discredit Rowland's critics. While working for the Connecticut Republican Party, Boomer researched the financial disclosures of Democratic legislative leaders. To that, the New York Times reported:
A day after Connecticut legislators announced plans to form a committee to consider whether to impeach Gov. John G. Rowland, lawmakers in both parties on Thursday criticized a former Rowland aide who has begun investigating the financial records of leading Democrats.
"This was done to intimidate rank-and-file legislators," said the House majority leader, James A. Amann, a Democrat from Milford. "The idea was, we're going after your leaders and you're next."
The former Rowland aide, David Boomer, said he had researched financial disclosure records for three top Democrats, including Mr. Amann and House Speaker Moira K. Lyons, who made the decision to appoint the impeachment committee. He said he acted alone.....
House minority leader, Robert M. Ward, a Republican from North Branford, said Thursday that he thought looking into Democrats' records was a "bad idea" that "set the wrong tone." Some Democrats said they believed Mr. Boomer's research was done at behest of the governor's office or state Republican Party officials.
Dean Pagani, a spokesman for the governor, said he had no knowledge of Mr. Boomer's taking any action on the governor's behalf.
The Hartford Courant reported:
Rowland's office and the GOP state chairman disavowed Boomer's action. Boomer said he dug up the files on his own time and has no intention of using them.
Just days later, the New York Times followed-up on Boomer's resignation from the GOP after the backlash over that research he had "no intention of using":
Mr. Boomer...announced Tuesday that he was voluntarily terminating his contract with the state Republican Party....Ending the contract, Mr. Boomer said, will allow him to continue doing the research for Mr. Rowland without involving the party.
Let's get this straight: the Governor claims no knowledge of Boomer's actions in one article - even goes so far as disavowing them - then Boomer's "doing the research for Mr. Rowland" in the next. Fast forward just a few more days and it shouldn't surprise when Boomer is again recognized in the New York Times as the last Republican operative standing by Rowland's sinking ship.
That brings us to campaign 2004. Within months, Boomer escaped to Nebraska just before Rowland was forced to resign as Governor on July 1st, 2004. Rowland would plead guilty to a felony conspiracy charge before the end of the year, serving one year in federal prison followed by a period of house arrest and three years of probation (continuing to this day). "Honest and decent man," indeed.
His political career finished, Rowland no longer has a need for his very own Karl Rove. Hell, the man can't even vote. But, just because he'd lost his candidate didn't mean Boomer was done with Connecticut politics. He put in his time with Lee Terry in 2004, running as impressive a campaign as could be expected with so weak a candidate. Then, Boomer was on his way back to Hartford with the 2006 election on the horizon and plenty of new opportunities to once again prove himself as Connecticut's Karl Rove.....
TO BE CONTINUED. |
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