When most people get discharged from the emergency room after slipping on the ice, smashing their face and lying unconscious until being found, their immediate instinct is to go home and rest. But today’s post is not about “most people.” It’s about native Massachusetts business man and Republican candidate for Governor, Christy Mihos, and that’s exactly what happened to him on December 22nd. What did he do instead? He called me from his cell phone while getting into his car in the hospital parking lot and, get this, apologized for being “late” for our interview.

This gesture alone distinguishes him from just about every other Massachusetts politician but, then again, he’s not really a politician. He’s a self-made, extremely successful, life-long resident of the Bay State who, as one of its wealthiest citizens, has nothing to gain from a stint in the Governor’s Mansion. Then what drives him? Well, after watching him from afar over the years and now having the opportunity to speak with him one-on-one, I’d suggest he’s driven by a nagging desire to fix things that so obviously need fixing but nobody else seems to have the political will (i.e. balls) to do. And he doesn’t really care whose feathers he ruffles along the way. In fact, I think that’s the part he may enjoy most.

Abbreviated Bio

Talking to Mihos is like talking to your next door neighbor, assuming your next door neighbor is a colorful multimillionaire with a penchant for one-liners and complete irreverence for the commonwealth’s political establishment (dominated by the Democratic Party). Mihos’ wealth comes from Christy’s Markets – a chain of convenient stores that covered all of New England before he and his brother sold them to 7-Eleven in 1998. However, he’s most famous for his tenure on the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority where, after being appointed by Governor Cellucci in 1999, he was eventually fired by Acting Governor Swift for his cantankerous criticism of the now infamous Big Dig. Watch the 30 second video below to see how that one ended up.

Showtime!

Mihos ran for Governor unsuccessfully in 2006 as an Independent candidate which, in my humble opinion, fits his no-nonsense personality much more than the modern day GOP that he now calls home. However, I imagine he learned that while it’s definitely tough to gain traction as a Republican in Massachusetts, it’s even tougher for a candidate without a party.

RHM: Now that you’re running as a Republican, do you regret running as an Independent in 2006?

Christy Mihos: Not at all. It was the right move at the time and it’s not so much that I left the party, it’s that the party left me. I wasn’t happy with a number of things and made the decision to go for it alone.

RHM: What do you make of your competition at this point within the party, Charlie Baker?

Christy Mihos: I’ll tell you, Randall, Charlie Baker hit the public servant lottery when he left his $90,000 a year job with the state for a $1.7 million salary. Now he takes credit for a “turn around” during his time with Harvard Pilgrim when premiums went up every year for a total of 131%. That’s like raising taxes. He’s also responsible for the Big Dig highway financing plan which we’ll be paying out through 2038.

RHM: You’ve pledged not to raise taxes, but what else will you do to balance the state’s checkbook? What are you willing to cut immediately upon entering office, regardless of the fallout?

Christy Mihos: First, rolling back the state sales tax has to be done by a ballot initiative and we’ve got more than 70,000 signatures so far. And it’s not to roll it back to 5%, it’s to roll it back to 3%. But, also, Randall, anyone who serves in my administration will have to waive their pension. We made promises to past state employees that we have to honor, but anybody who comes in with my administration will have to forfeit it. We will ask everybody to sign a waiver.

RHM: Do you think you’ll have trouble finding people willing to do that?

Christy Mihos: No, there are enough people in the state who are aware of our crisis and willing to work under those circumstances. I don’t think it will be a problem. It’s just the way things have to be. I’ll also do away with the Department of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), that’s about $30 million. That, plus fewer state employees, in general, and new employees without pensions will do a lot for the commonwealth. It’s just not fair that when private companies are forced to cut back, that our government continues to grow at a cost to everyone. We’ve got to stop feeding the beast.

RHM: As a businessman, it’s a bit easier to make changes to your organization – people either abide by your decisions or they go away. Dealing with a legislature dominated by the opposition will not be as easy. As Governor, how will you bridge this gap and try to win these folks over to your side?

Christy Mihos: You’ll recall that Bill Weld was in the same predicament in 1990. The political atmosphere was terrible, but he made an effort to meet with the leadership every Monday morning to talk about the issues. These regular meetings and a willingness to listen and work with anyone – as long as they’re interested interested in finding solutions – goes a long way. And we just can’t keep going like we are. We have to find solutions and get things back on the right track. Also, I do whatever I can to support candidates from any party who are committed to fiscal responsibility. I cut their campaign a $500 check right there when I meet them.

RHM: Massachusetts is known for its progressive judges and willingness to bend over backwards for defendants and convicted felons (furloughs, bail when it shouldn’t be granted, etc.), but local police chiefs are notorious for making things very difficult for law-abiding citizens to obtain gun permits and they are the sole authority when it comes to licensing. As Governor, what will you do (if anything) to remedy this?

Christy Mihos: I believe that people have the right to protect themselves and their loved ones, especially in their own homes. And I would set up a central authority to grant licenses in the Department of Public Safety. I also find it reprehensible that there are guns manufactured in Massachusetts by Massachusetts based companies, with Massachusetts tax payers as workers, and you can’t buy these guys in Massachusetts. It boggles the mind. We’re doing everything to restrict what is granted to us as a right, to bear arms and to protect ourselves. And I think that if the economy spirals down and more cities and towns are caught with less local aid, laying off police and public safety people, that we’re going to have to protect ourselves. It’s something granted to us and I’m going to work hard to change it.

RHM: I don’t know where that law started, but we have to be one of the only states where the local chief of police is the sole authority on whether or not law-abiding citizens get a license.

Christy Mihos: I hope there aren’t any other states that are as neanderthal as we are on this one.

RHM: Thanks for your time, Christy.

Christy Mihos: My pleasure, Randall, any time. You have a nice Holiday.

Note: Christy is matching 10% of all campaign contributions with a personal donation to the Fisher House. The Fisher House helps provide housing and other expenses so military family members can be close to our servicemen and women during hospitalization for illness, disease or injury. You can contribute right here.

This past election was the first time I’d ever voted for a Democrat in a major election. For me, the election was a clear choice between a vision for the future and giving a nod to a patriot’s past accomplishments (think Bob Dole in 1996). Regardless, it still wasn’t easy for me to watch the Republican part self-destruct over the course of 8 years. And it pains me even more to see it continue to not “get it.” I am not comfortable with one party rule, but when the opposition offers so little it is inevitable.

What has pained me particularly lately has been the unprecedented deference given to talk radio host Rush Limbaugh from Republican leadership. I have read Rush’s books and listened to his show relatively faithfully from the late 90’s though 2003 or so. I never agreed with everything he said, but I found him entertaining. He is undoubtedly the most successful talk show host of all time as he commands an audience of well over 10,000,000 listeners each week. But the fact remains that he is merely a talk show host and entertainer. Why then, are elected Republican officials on bended knee kissing his “golden microphone”? Is the self-proclaimed “Maha Rushi” really “all seeing, all powerful, all knowing, with talent on loan from God”? Or is the GOP just a ship without a rudder with Rush swooping in to fill the void?

It all started shortly after inauguration when President Obama specifically mentioned Limbaugh while criticizing the modern day GOP (a move that now looks less like a gaffe and more like an intentional strategy). Limbaugh took the bait and a minor war of words between the EIB titan and the White House ensued. Nothing too surprising here. Then something strange happened – Republican Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) publicly rejected Limbaugh’s rhetoric. 24 hours later he apologized on his own congressional website. Strange, but not as “off the hook” as what happened next.

Newly elected (and first African American to hold the position…but it’s just a coincidence that it coincided with Obama’s rise) Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steel had a similar experience. Perfectly aware that Limbaugh is a polarizing figure, Steele tried to distance his party from “Maha Rushi” in a phone interview:

“Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh — his whole thing is entertainment. He has this incendiary — yes, it’s ugly.”

Do you know where this is going yet? Steele 24 hours later:

“My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.”

Leadership? I thought he was a talk show host. In gets worse. Supposed GOP savior Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said this about Limbaugh’s hopes that the Obama administration fails:

Jindal was asked about Rush Limbaugh’s declarations of wanting President Obama to fail. He not only couldn’t bring himself to repudiate Rush’s remarks, but also praised Rush as a “great leader for conservatives” — and he said he was glad that Michael Steele had apologized for taking a shot at him.

There are plenty of loudmouths on the left. But I am unaware of any one who commands such deference from Democratic leaders. This parade of Limbaugh butt kissers baffled me. Then I figured it out.

“Maha Rushi” Becomes Ayatollah

I recently read The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran. It was a fantastic and interesting read about Iranian political society and its inextricable link to Shiism. Of particular interest to me were the explanations of the duality of Iranian government. In short, the President and other officials are indeed democratically elected, but at the same time they only have as much power and authority as the Supreme Leader (nowadays Grand Ayatollah Khamenei…not to be confused with Khomenei, the leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution) is willing to give them. Then it struck me. Rush Limbaugh is not “Maha Rushi”, he is “Ayatollah Limbaugh” and the Supreme Leader of all things Republican!

The worst part is that Limbaugh knows this, loves it, and will exploit it for everything its worth. And the duly elected representatives of the GOP don’t appear to have any plans to change it – especially after its own rock stars are seen shivering with their tails between their legs.

Prediction: The premise of Ben Smith’s recent column on Politico is spot on – the GOP has not bottomed out yet. Things will get worse. They will alienate more people and continue their rain dance on the Obama administration’s parade. And then their “savior” (a much overused word in politics these days but appropriate nonetheless) will emerge. Notice I said “emerge” and not “will be appointed.” Transformational leaders are not appointed or anointed – they create themselves and emerge as a result of their own appeal and raw leadership abilities. I’d like to think it could happen sooner, but I don’t expect to see any strong Republican growth for quite some time. What do you think?

To book me for a lecture or debate go here.

See you next week.

Is this story missing something – like the huge, glaring fact that Sarah Palin draws numbers because she’s such an ignoramus that she has no idea how much of an ignoramus she actually is? Politico sounds the bugle of the end times:

Three weeks after the Republican ticket suffered a sweeping defeat at the polls, Sarah Palin continues to dominate search engine queries, cable news and online video sites.

The only American politician who generates comparable interest is President-elect Barack Obama. No one else is close.

I don’t get it. Republican new media consultant David All takes a stab at it:

“People are projecting their values onto Sarah Palin, and in some sense, she reflects them back,” said Mark Corallo, a Republican media strategist. “She’s a conservative, she’s young and she’s attractive. She speaks to something that’s been missing from the Republican Party…There’s a heckuva lot of wind out there for Sarah Palin. Now she has to put up a sail to catch it,” he said. “She can use that Internet bully pulpit to help change the hearts and minds of folks. She has a unique opportunity to build up something massive.”

Perhaps she can mend her own image and that of her family – that ’s attainable, but there’s no way she’ll ever be seen as a viable candidate at the national level. On November the 4th, America reminded us that the majority still value ambition, intelligence and thoughtfulness. Her ambition is admirable, but she lacks the other two.

If the GOP thinks its long-term interests are best built around Sarah Palin, they are in big trouble. Her appeal ends with the shrunken, hard-core base. If they want wide appeal (which you need to win major elections – the base is never enough) they should begin to showcase their serious contenders for high office (Bobby Jindal, Romney, etc.)

I was way wrong when I said Hillary Clinton would never be Secretary of State. Am I wrong to dismiss Palin as a serious contender?

The Washington Post recently named who they think will be the top ten Republican players to watch in the next election. There are ten names on the list (noticeably absent are Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee), but the only two I like right now are Governors Mitt Romney and Bobby Jindal. In fact, that’s a ticket I might vote for if there were an election today. Romney has a ton of executive experience fixing things (especially financial disasters) and Jindal is as sharp as a tack (no to mention young and ethnic, two traits of immense value in today’s politics). This is what the Post had to say about the duo:

Bobby Jindal: There is NO hotter commodity in the Republican party these days than Jindal. Jindal is the rare candidate who both reformers and establishment types find appealing, and as a 37-year-old Indian American he is — literally and figuratively — the sort of new face the party is pining for. While Jindal is hot right now, it’s important to remember that he is the governor of a state with a complex political scene — meaning there will be myriad opportunities for Jindal to falter over the next few months and years.

Mitt Romney: Discount the former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate at your own peril. Romney has three big things going for him: he is, by almost anyone’s account, an expert on the American economy; he is incredibly ambitious and will work harder than almost anyone to make sure his voice is heard; and he has immense personal wealth and a willingness to spend it. Do his flip-flops on social issues (and his Mormonism) still make social conservatives queasy? You bet. But Romney is in the mix and will aim to stay there.

What do you think? An unstoppable team?

A few weeks ago I asked if I had been too tough on Sarah Palin. I’ve also expressed several times in the past few months how much I was looking forward to the end of this election cycle and the information that would undoubtedly flow from for McCain staffers. Well, the wait is over. Watch this video. It seems that Palin is even more ignorant than I imagined.

This Newsweek article is also worth checking out. They write:

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin’s shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain’s top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent “tens of thousands” more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast,” and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

Tuesday, November 4th – 12:00PM Atlantic Time
The fat lady has sung. Congrats to Obama.

Tuesday, November 4th – 11:35PM Atlantic Time
The Massachusetts ballot initiative to decriminalize marijuana possession looks like it will pass easily. Interesting.

Tuesday, November 4th – 10:45PM Atlantic Time
Now they’re talking about impossible scenarios. All done. The mood on Fox News is somber, the others can barely contain themselves. I look forward to the speeches – especially McCain’s.

Tuesday, November 4th – 10:35PM Atlantic Time
Thank you, Buckeyes! Yes, I’m the first to “officially” call it. I’m in a gambling mood. UPDATED: Looks like I wasn’t.

Tuesday, November 4th – 10:25PM Atlantic Time
I’ve tried to be “Fair and Balanced” and follow Fox News‘ projections as well but, as was mentioned by JD in the comments, their site has been horrendous today. I’m sticking with CNN and the very cautious Politico.

Tuesday, November 4th – 10:05PM Atlantic Time
Obama 174 v. McCain 79 according to CNN. This will all be over soon.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:55PM Atlantic Time
It’s funny to see how safe most of the media outlets are trying to play it. After the exit poll debacle in 2004 and premature-projected wins in 2000 nobody wants to be left looking like idiots. Slow and cautious.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:50PM Atlantic Time
Kay Hagan (D) has unseated Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) in North Carolina, AP reports.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:45PM Atlantic Time
They’re already drunk in Ireland?

Supporters of US Democratic presidential candidate and Illinois Senator Barack Obama drink as they watch election results from Ollies Hayes Pub on November 4, 2008 in Moneygall, Co Limerick, in Ireland. Historians have unearthed records showing Obama’s maternal ancestors lived, worked, married and had children in the Moneygall area more than 150 years ago. Fulmuth Kearney, who is Obama’s third great-grandfather, left Moneygall for New York in 1850 to eventually settle in Ohio.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:35PM Atlantic Time
Obama wins Pennsylvania (the “Biden Effect” perhaps?) Cue the fat lady.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:25PM Atlantic Time
Comrade Castro weighs in with his thoughts on Obama:

“He’s without a doubt more intelligent, refined and even- handed than his Republican adversary,” Castro wrote in a “reflection,” which was sent via e-mail. “McCain is old, belligerent, uncultivated, unintelligent and in poor health.”

Good thing he didn’t speak up earlier. It might have had the same effect as Cheney’s recent glowing endorsement of McCain.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:20PM Atlantic Time
Interesting. With everybody except Sean Hannity predicting an Obama win, the stock market saw the biggest election day rally since 1984 today. That’s always a good thing.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:05PM Atlantic Time
Obama carries Massachusetts (my legal residence since 1982) – not exactly a shocker.

Will he carry my birth state of Ohio? Go Buckeyes!

Tuesday, November 4th – 7:35PM Atlantic Time
Mr. Leo Perez Minaya (aka Don Leo), president of Democrats Abroad in the Dominican Republic, comments via telephone:

“Obama wins with 320 Electoral Votes vs. 218 for John McCain…Obama is the only candidate who can fix the US economy. which will then resonate in the Dominican economy.”

Let’s hope he’s right on both predictions.

(Hat-tip to his assistant Eduardo Berrido)

Tuesday, November 4th – 7:10PM Atlantic Time
I haven’t seen any exit polls worth mentioning yet, but the rumblings I am hearing and seeing are that this could be pretty big for Obama. Then again, exit polls are pretty much bullshit. FYI: I am going to rely mostly on Politico for my numbers tonight. It’s one stop shopping if you want numbers on each individual state (including Senate and U.S. Representative Seats).

Tuesday, November 4th – 12:55PM Atlantic Time
I’ve received a few emails about numbers. The first numbers you’ll see will be exit polls, but they won’t start rolling in until late this afternoon. Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com explains why we should ignore them. Actual numbers won’t start rolling in until the polls close (7PM is the earliest in some states.)

Tuesday, November 4th – 12:25PM Atlantic Time
A reader via Twitter:

Did you vote? How?

Yes, I voted two weeks ago via absentee ballot (the same way I did when I was in the military.) It’s very easy but you have to stay on top of your town hall to make sure the ballot is mailed out to you with plenty of time to get it back to them. If they don’t you can run into problems like this.

Tuesday, November 4th – 11:10AM Atlantic Time
Former Libertarian Presidential Candidate Daniel Williams weighs in via email:

“I believe Obama will win, getting close to 300 electoral votes. A landslide is possible, but not likely. Supreme Court appointees are my main concern, as I don’t believe the economy will allow the next president to accomplish much else. And I’d like a slight shift to the left more than one to the right. I think Hillary cut a deal to become one of Obama’s Supremes, which, in a rock ‘n roll context, is amusing.”

To see the rest of our conversation go here. Thanks, Daniel.

Tuesday, November 4th – 9:40AM Atlantic Time
Good morning. Karl Rove has officially thrown in the towel and predicts an Obama landslide of 338-200.

Monday, November 3rd – 8:00PM Atlantic Time
Matt Drudge’s blog has been disconnected from reality lately. Now he’s claiming that Obama is giving McCain “the finger” in this video. And no, he still hasn’t replied to my email.

Monday, November 3rd – 6:45PM Atlantic Time
That didn’t take long:

“May he be reunited with her very soon!”

A comment from Michelle Malkin’s blog about the passing of Obama’s grandmother. Classy, no?

Monday, November 3rd – 6:10PM Atlantic Time
Obama’s grandmother passed away today in Hawaii. Horrible. Just horrible. But not as bad as what the far right wing is sure to say about it. Standby.

Monday, November 3rd – 5:30PM Atlantic Time
This is it – the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Election day 2008 is finally upon us and, if you’re like me, you’re dying to just get it over with. A two year campaign is way too long. I am physically tired from all of this and all I do is sit on my butt and blog about it. Can you imagine how the candidates feel by now? Hats off to both of them for remaining on their feet. I’m not sure I could do it. Three to five states per day, multiple speeches, dinners, breakfasts, TV/radio/internet appearances that never end and having every little mistake amplified as if you botched the Bay of Pigs invasion. You gotta want it and both of these guys clearly do. Let’s vote.

I’ll be posting throughout the day right here on this thread like I did for the debates and I want to hear you! So, feel free to come here with your comments, questions, complaints, links and general observations on what’s happening. You can reach me via a number of different ways:

1) Comment directly on this thread (feel free to start now).
2) Email me directly through the contact tab.
3) Twitter
4) Facebook
5) My super-secret Skype account

My prediction is that we are about to see a landslide. McCain will struggle to break 200 electoral votes and Obama will also win the popular vote by 5% or more. What about you?

She’s been locked away in well-lit rooms cramming for her “finals”, kinda like Luke Skywalker when he was training in the swamps with Yoda. But she and the GOP faithful are soon to find out that you can’t become a Jedi or the potential leader of a nuclear superpower currently engaged in two wars, on the verge of the worst economic crisis in a century, targeted by global Salafi jihadists, in debt up to its eyebrows, and disliked (if not despised) now more than ever around the world in just six weeks of study – even if your tutors are the best bullshitters in the world (no reference here to Yoda, he was cool).

She doesn’t have a grasp of much outside of Alaskan affairs. This became painfully obvious in her now famous “Russia answer” during her interview with Couric. The McCain camp should have never put her in this embarrassing position and if they had vetted her in the least bit they would have known within 10 minutes of any substantive conversation that she would surely make a fool of herself trying to rub elbows with the world’s top geopolitical players. The GOP should treat their people better.

Question: Am I nuts to think there’s a good 25% chance that she’ll be replaced on the ticket?

Don’t forget to cast your vote in the poll on the left sidebar.