(It’s 3 a.m., I have insomnia, and I’m feeling uncharitable. Release the Kraken!!!)
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Hear ye, hear ye! Big news from the Vermont gubernatorial campaign! Randy Brock is about to do something! Or so he says!
The glad tidings from Thatcher Moats at the Vermont Press Bureau. Quotes from VPB, snark from Yours Truly.
Sen. Randy Brock, the Franklin County Republican who will try to take the governor’s office this fall, said he spent Town Meeting Day week gearing up for his election bid, raising money and putting his campaign infrastructure in place.
“Wups, it’s March already, and the Leg is off this week. Guess I better do somethin’.”
This week, Brock said, he will announce the main consulting firms he is hiring for the gubernatorial race, which will provide the backbone of his campaign.
The chattering class is rapt. (Darcie Johnston.) Who will Brock hire? (Darcie Johnston.) What big names, what giants of modern politics, will he enlist? (Darcie Johnston, Darcie Johnston.)
After the jump: Yeah, more snark.
Brock said he will rely more on specialists in media, polling and policy from outside firms while trying to be lighter on paid staff.
This strategy will allow his campaign to “let people do what they do well,” Brock said on Tuesday.
Oooh, he’s privatizing his campaign! How 21st Century Neocon of him.
Not to mention cheap. Guess he won’t be paying any health insurance premiums or Workers’ Comp.
W-2’s or 1099’s? You make the call.
The firms Brock intends to announce this week will form a major part of his campaign, he said, but additional resources will continue to be added.
“It will be a substantial part of it, yes, but it will not be all of it,” he said.
“Oh God, I hope I can raise some more money.”
Brock held three house party fundraisers as the Legislature took its week-long, mid-session break, the candidate said. Brock wouldn’t say how much money he raised.
There’s a good sign.
“I will simply say our fundraising is on target,” Brock said.
Aim for the stars, and perhaps you’ll reach the sky. Aim for the ground, you’ll probably hit it.
Brock said he also held an event at the DoubleTree hotel in South Burlington on Saturday that raised money, but was more focused on bringing together “some of the key people” – ranging from policy advisers to students with an interest in grassroots organizing – who will chart the path to victory.
“A real motley crew, that was; we passed the hat and got $6.27. Managed to get some frat boys signed on to my ‘grassroots organizing’ team, once they had enough beer in ’em.”
I read this bit:
and wondered if he was going to in effect “sub-contract” his campaign out to the RGA or other national conservative money groups.(Naturally there will be no co-ordination.)But when in doubt sub it out.
I met him once, after scaring the living crap out of him. His office declined to respond to an audit request I made, then I got “famous” briefly in Vermont over the whole Martha Rainville thing, and suddenly he couldn’t respond to my inquiries quickly enough. I think it went something like this “oh, we don’t need to address that” followed by (a week later) “wait, why does that name ring a bell?” followed by “oh crap! It’s that blogger woman!” followed by “what the hell is a ‘blog,’ anyway!” followed by “oh crap! Get her everything she asks for! Last thing I need is her writing about me!”
Or at least that’s how I imagine it.
Anyway, I was asked to do Steve West’s show in Brattleboro over that Rainville stuff (which was a lot of fun) and he showed up for the wrong slot, thinking he could just bump me because, you know, he’s important. Steve told him sorry, no, I already have a guest scheduled and she’s made a point of clearing her day to come down here for me, at which point I introduced myself and smiled brightly, which was loads of fun.
My impression of Brock is that he’s wealthy, in a used-car salesman who’s moderately good at his job kind of way, and dresses exactly like you’d expect a used car salesman to dress.