| Correction: Harlan Sylvester did not sponsor the fundraiser for Salmon, as was reported to me. Shoulda confirmed that before posting. My bad. -odum
Remember during the height of the budget conflict between the Legislature and the Governor when Auditor Tom Salmon Jr. attempted an ill-advised grandstanding stunt by inserting himself (rather inartfully) into the process? Salmon offered himself as mediator (having, of course, no qualifcations to serve in that capacity and stepping far beyond his purview as State Auditor) in the midst of a debate that legislative Dems were managing quite well without him. By trying to play the role of wise father figure and casting the debating parties as self-interested partisans who needed to compromise further than the Dems already had, Salmon played into the hands of Governor Douglas, who tried (and failed, thankfully) to use Salmon's play to his own advantage.
Well, as with the repetition of his casinos-on-the-ski-areas notion, Salmon seems recklessly oblivious to bad buzz, and is at it again. Last week he sent an email to Senator Shumlin, Speaker Smith, Secretary of Administration Neale Lunderville and Douglas Chief of Staff Tim Hayward trying to shove his way into the Joint Fiscal Office's process of identifying cost savings by suggesting he might be cheaper than the consultants budgeted into the process. In the email, he reportedly demands to know what the status of the process is, as well as any so-dubbed bi-partisan crisis planning (?) underway.
O-kay. A politician with clear and rather blunt political ambition would be a better arbiter than neutral professionals with hands on experience in such matters. Frankly, I'm finding myself a bit concerned about Salmon's perspective on reality. |
| After all, it was only last week that he indicated to Totten that he wanted to run for Governor in 2012. I suppose he's not planning on being too helpful in putting a fellow Democrat into the office over Douglas next year?
So this guy, whose here-I-come-to-save-the-day schtick has already worked against his party's legislative leadership this year, whose stated ambitions imply he might be less than enthusiastic supporting their electoral interests (as in, getting a Dem Governor) next year, and who has stated his intention to run against the current Governor next cycle... this guy is supposed to be taken seriously by all parties as a mediator or arbiter (or is it manager?) of this process? Is he nuts?
Or if not nuts, maybe just smug. Last week he had a fundraiser held for him by that reportedly included financier Harlan Sylvester - he of Democratic boogeyman fame. Sylvester is the conservative, so-called "Democratic" moneyman who was a supporter of Howard Dean, but dumped the Dems for Jim Douglas rather than back Doug Racine in 2002, who he saw as too liberal. Perhaps Salmon has decided that he's been knighted by Sylvester, so everything else is just a formality? If so, he is - like so many others - comically overestimating Sylvester's impact. We do still have quaint little things called elections.
Speaking of which, Salmon might want to bear something in mind; it's only summer of 2009. There's still plenty of time for a primary challenge this cycle to emerge. |
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