Another O'Malley Insider cashes in as lobbyist

[demopublican]

RICK ABBRUZZESE has jumped ship and cahsed in for big bucks.

Remember when O'Malley was calling Ehrlich the connected insider with lobbyist connections?

LOL
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...9c5_story.html


http://articles.baltimoresun.com/201...olina-law-firm

Democrats in Maryland, worried about a punishing election-year climate, want voters thinking of something more damning than "incumbent" when they go to the polls.

Their preferred enemy: the lobbyist.

The strategy became clear last week when former Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. confirmed that he wants to unseat Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley. The message from O'Malley's campaign: Voters will have a choice between a sitting governor who made tough decisions in a down economy and an ousted opponent turned high-priced lobbyist for corporate interests.

[Norman]

Good for him! What's BGE doing for work these days crabs?

[ybnormal]

What a joke...with the joke being on the voters.

[demopublican]

What a joke...with the joke being on the voters.

I wonder what issues he will be paid to lobby for. He is not on our side.

[demopublican]

Good for him! What's BGE doing for work these days crabs?

BGE is part of Excelon now. You remember. O'Malley's BIL brokered the deal and made BANK.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/201...lon-max-curran

Right before that other buddy of O'Malley's cashed in on that crazy solar farm deal on state land in Hagerstown.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...land-solar-llc


Pays to be connected!

[Norman]

I meant him, but you knew that...

[octoburn]

I meant him, but you knew that...

Oh ~ him. I believe he's what his previous firm used to call a "rainmaker" whatever that is. And a renowned author too.

Linky

[demopublican]

I meant him, but you knew that...

Why didn't you say that? Do you honestly think that Ehrlich's BGE connections were any deeper than O'Malley's were to the Exelon deal?
I know that the BGEhrlich cliche was fun during campaign season but the fact is that although O'Malley successfully painted Ehrlich as close to lobbyists when the truth is that O'Malley is was and always will be more deeply connected to the special interests that run Annapolis than Ehrlich ever dreamed of being.

But you knew that....

[prepfan]

Why didn't you say that? Do you honestly think that Ehrlich's BGE connections were any deeper than O'Malley's were to the Exelon deal?
I know that the BGEhrlich cliche was fun during campaign season but the fact is that although O'Malley successfully painted Ehrlich as close to lobbyists when the truth is that O'Malley is was and always will be more deeply connected to the special interests that run Annapolis than Ehrlich ever dreamed of being.

But you knew that....

O'Malley wasn't painting Ehrlich as "close to lobbyists" ; he 'painted' him as being a lobbyist "an ousted opponent turned high-priced lobbyist"

Can't get much closer than that.

(You probably knew that)

[demopublican]

Sure. Fair enough. But I think it was repeated that he was a connected insider.
Personally I find the practice of leaving the administration and crossing the street to lobby your former boss/co-workers dangerous.
Maybe you like cronyism.

[prepfan]

Sure. Fair enough. But I think it was repeated that he was a connected insider.
Personally I find the practice of leaving the administration and crossing the street to lobby your former boss/co-workers dangerous.
Maybe you like cronyism.

Well, I actually think lobbying is sanctioned bribery.

I don't really have concerns about cronyism; it's really an extended form of the family business business model. Politics is not the only place where it's not what you know, what talents you have, but who you know.

All in all, I really don't see the point in posts that draws comparisons between O'Malley and Ehrlich. Been there done that and again. It's history.

[demopublican]

Personally I don't trust either one. But only one of them is in office.

I can understand why O'Malley fans don't want to discuss his campaign against lobbyists.

[prepfan]

Personally I don't trust either one. But only one of them is in office.

I can understand why O'Malley fans don't want to discuss his campaign against lobbyists.

The only campaign the fans of O'Malley (and any politician) are concerned with are those for specific elected offices.

In-office campaigns (against lobbyists, for the ICC, for other (non-referendum) issues/actions are played in that "special interests arena.

[demopublican]

I was referring to his past campaigns when he pretended to be against insider lobbyists.

[prepfan]

I was referring to his past campaigns when he pretended to be against insider lobbyists.

Sorry. you lost me. I read "I can understand why O'Malley fans don't want to discuss his campaign against lobbyists." as present tense.

I can't speak for the fans of O'Malley; I m not a fan, but I would think his "fans" would not be reluctant to discuss his past campaigns since they've been so successful. (yes, even to allow into the discussion 'negative comments ~ sorta like Ravens fans don't really mind talking about the Touchdown futility of the 2002 Super Bowl champs.)

[demopublican]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...0,800380.story


Right now Rick Abbruzzese works at a desk a few feet from Gov. Martin O'Malley's office in the State House. In two weeks, he'll report a few blocks away to the Annapolis law firm Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver LLC, where he will likely lobby his soon-to-be former boss.

Ditto for Joseph C. Bryce, a State House staffer for nearly two decades and O'Malley's influential chief legislative officer for the past six years. Last month he announced his departure and has moved into a new office at Manis, Canning and Associates where he'll cajole, pressure and maneuver on behalf of corporate clients.

Elected officials in Maryland must wait up to one year as a "cooling off" period after leaving office before they can lobby their colleagues. Not so for paid staff who can jump from public sector jobs to the world of influence peddling with nary a weekend break — an inconsistency that some in the state believe should be remedied.

What are the chances that Annapolis cleans up this mess without a scandal, competitive pressure, or other outside influence?

[boink]

And then there's Beth Blauer, former Director of Md StateStat, who went to Socrata.com to develop......GovStat

-----------------------------------

http://www.govtech.com/GovTech-Innov...ta-Expert.html

Beth Blauer’s a luminary in open data and performance management for government. She helps government departments use their data intelligently so they understand what goes on in their own offices.

In the past, she oversaw Maryland’s StateStat project, a Web tool that allows state employees to track government activity and spending. The data and results are posted online, so taxpayers see where their money goes.

She packaged that process and took it to Socrata, and today she helps the company sell performance management tools to state, city and county customers....



http://www.socrata.com/newsroom-arti...joins-socrata/

Ms. Blauer to lead the development of GovStat, Socrata’s Connected Performance Platform, built specifically for government.

SEATTLE – November 20, 2012 – Socrata, the leading provider of cloud-based open data systems, today announced the addition of industry thought leader Beth Blauer as their Director of Socrata GovStat™, a soon-to-be released connected performance platform, built specifically for government....