Redistricting looms in 2012, and the Republicans are going full tilt to elect as many governors as possible. Propagandist Rupert Murdoch just gave one of the biggest single contributions ever to the Republican Governors Association. Thursday The RGA released its first TV ad supporting Dubie, narrated by none other than Jim Douglas (do you suppose words come out of Dubie’s mouth?).
Hardly Pure Vermont politics
This strategy of outside advertising dollar support may be what led to Brian Dubie’s dinner date with some heavy hitters two weeks ago. Or maybe it was purely a social event. Regardless, candidate Dubie is running with a fast crowd these days.
Brian Dubie was one of 15-20 dinner guests along with former President George W. Bush at Topridge, a 207-acre Adirondack “camp”. One of the big questions on the Times-Argus’ mind was if the Lt. Gov. asked Bush to visit Vermont !
The historic camp features buildings inspired by Russian architecture, complete with onion domes. The host at Topridge was Harlan Crow, a wealthy (actually, very wealthy) and by Vermont standards, very conservative Dallas, Texas business man.
Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, the only Republican running to replace Gov. James Douglas, was a guest at a dinner for a very select group of visitors to upstate New York about two weeks ago.
Among the 15 or 20 people at the dinner were former President George Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow.
The Dallas real estate magnate Crow is also a trustee of the George Herbert Walker Bush Presidential Library and of the American Enterprise Institute and a founding member of Grover Norquist’s Club for Growth. He also is reported to have provided funding for the infamous Swiftboat Veterans for Truth.
In addition to funding conservative politics, Dubie’s dinner host Harlan Crow has another interesting pastime, collecting statues of dictators and fallen despots.
Nearly 20 statues of leaders and heroes of authoritarian regimes occupy the rolling private garden of Harlan R. Crow, a Dallas real estate investor. Heavyweights like Stalin, Mao and Lenin stand among lesser-knowns like Klement Gottwald, the first Communist president of Czechoslovakia.