The Revolving door is the millwork of connected Political insiders in Washington. These are the people that keep tax dollars flowing into the metastasizing tumor of big government, and through the veins of the groups that use the revolving door to feed their own wealth and influence. It is a fiscally incestuous relationship between power brokers who wander in and out of government; from lobbyists, to PR firms, to bureaucrats to Industry leaders and elected officials, regardless of the party in power.
New Hampshire has a few in the form of Charlie Bass and Rich Ashooh who are not only running for the Second and First Congressional House Districts in New Hampshire respectively, but who are also connected to each other through the revolving door.
As a Lobbyist running a PAC for BAE back in 2006, Ashooh moved money to the Bass campaign; the same year BAE and its employees gave 16K to Bass; the same year Bass was finally term limited by the electorate (after ignoring his own promise at term limits) and for lingering too lavishly in the moderate, big government shadow of George W. Bush. But the revolving door keeps people like Bass well heeled. After getting punted out of office he landed at the PR firm Devine Strategies where he worked with Elias ‘Skip” Ashooh, Rich Ashooh’s older brother.
Lobbyist and now candidate Ashooh is a Bass supporter, but has also supported democrat candidates and tax schemes like the NH tax everyone (including some democrats) are now running from. He likes to mingle with environmental Justice and UN Millennial Development Goal junkies like The One Campaign, (One Vote specifically) and as noted is the younger brother of ‘Skip’ Ashooh, from Divine Strategies where Bass flopped after de-election.
The small government grass roots is uncomfortable with the reality that Ashooh and Bass both have the revolving door connections to build swollen campaign coffers to advance moderate histories. They have both chosen to run in a large enough field of primary opponents (in both districts) against candidates with significantly more conservative credentials, that a vote split to their right could allow the revolving door insiders a realistic shot at a primary win, at a time when revolving door insiders could be the most hated breed of political animal in the nation.
Ashooh, at this point, presents very little danger in CD-1. But that race is so crowded that it is difficult to see at this point who will land on top. CD-2 however offers two conservatives who will divide most of the votes, with Bass in a position to take advantage of a conservative split between Bob Giuda and Jennifer Horn. A split that has conservatives wondering what to do about Bass. Despite his rhetoric and run to the right he’s not abandoned his moderate supporters or revolving door ways.
So with the Granite State poised to make major Republican gains in the legislature, to retain the Gregg Senate seat while flipping both House seats, a Bass and Ashooh primary makes for an interesting Summer. And while a primary is always a good thing, at the end of the day these guys are still major revolving door insiders, candidates democrats would prefer to run against if given a choice. How that will play out under the circumstance of crowded primaries in a year when the TEA party is not interested in candidates like Bass remains to be seen. But even if his poll numbers are lousy, like all good revolving door candidates he’ll still have plenty of insider money to run with.
(Photo Credit: 3rd Floor Blog)
Cross Posted From NH Insider
