A Familiar Theme from New Jersey: Follow the Money

A New Jersey news site, www.newsworks.org has picked up an interesting tidbit of behind the scenes contracts between former Gov. Haley Barbour and Chris Christie. The full piece (which can be found here) encourages New Jersey's citizens to "follow the money," a phrase you've read from Cottonmouth a time or two.

So we felt that it was just as important to tell this story in Mississippi as it is for it to be heard in New Jersey.

From NewsWorks:

A debris removal company ripping-of New Jersey towns was suggested to Gov Chris Christie by Haley Barbour, who helped Christie get elected and is throwing a fundraiser for him at the end of this month.  Wasn't Christie elected to stop this type of nonsense?


During Chris Christie's successful run for Governor in 2009, Haley Barbour was Governor of Mississippi, and head of the Republican Governors Association. The two became good friends and Barbour directed $7.5 million in spending towards Christie campaign, a move Christie said was "probably one of the primary reasons that I'm governor of New Jersey."

Fast forward to October 2012, when Hurricane Sandy devastated the New Jersey shore. Barbour, now a partner at BGR Group, the lobbying firm that represents Florida debris removal company AshBritt, told Christie if he checked with AshBritt, they could start working in New Jersey the next day, due to an existing 2008 contract to clear debris in Connecticut that could be "piggybacked" in New Jersey. 

Hurricane Sandy struck on October 29. By October 31, AshBritt had a multi-million dollar contract in New Jersey. Days after that, AshBritt donated $50,000 to the Republican Governors Association now headed by Chris Christie.

And round and round we go on a carousel where money buys influence, secures contracts and gets politicians reelected, all at the expense of taxpayers at home...

This is New Jersey business, for sure. But follow the money. It would be wrong to wonder if another hurricane-prone state with connections to Barbour (like, you know...Mississippi) might have this troublesome deal...

Right?

IT'S LIKE THEY DON'T LEARN...paging Jon Stewart and the New York media...

Well, Rep. Palazzo (R - Miss.) wound up voting for Hurricane Sandy relief after all, but guess who didn't?  Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R - Miss.).

Sure, Rep. Nunnelee doesn't represent the Mississippi Gulf Coast, he represents places in north Mississippi like Tupelo, Corinth, Oxford, and...Smithville.

Rep. Nunnelee, why don't you talk to us about disaster assistance?

Palazzo goes on a strange tour, then flip-flops

Roll Call just ran a story stating that south Mississippi Republican congressman Steven Palazzo has flip-flopped on Hurricane Sandy relief, and will be supporting it instead of railing against it.  But that's not all.

According to the New York Daily News, Palazzo apparently hopped in a plane and flew up to New York and New Jersey to "tour the damage" from Hurricane Sandy.  When he arrived, he dropped into the offices of fellow Republican congressman Michael Grimm, but Grimm wasn't in.  (How pathetic must that have seemed?)  Rejected, Palazzo then went to the local office of Rep. John Runyan (R - NJ), who gave him a tour.  (Said tour was apparently needed by Palazzo as he thought all of the footage of devastation was rigged.)

I'm not sure which is more embarrassing:  the flip-flop, not knowing to call ahead, or actually needing to see the devastation firsthand before deciding to support relief.

Good Lord, man.

Hey, look! We're on the teevee! Oh, wait...

In the clip below, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show rips into south Mississippi Congressman Steven Palazzo (R - Miss). South Mississippi, this is your congressman:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Palazzo's two-faced history revealed by Salon

Boy, this just stings.

In a post entitled "Republican who voted against Sandy relief asked for Katrina funds", Salon.com's Jillian Rayfield absolutely eviscerates Rep. Steven Palazzo (R - Miss.) with his own words. Palazzo, of course, is Mississippi's congressman from the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast.  He was roundly criticized for voting against a relief package for Hurricane Sandy victims last week.  But guess what he said as head of the Biloxi Housing Authority in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

“Tell our national leaders — don’t send more inspectors — we know what’s damaged and how to fix it,” he added. “Send us money so we can put families back together and do our part to rebuild our community.”

Wow.  That's your congressman, south Mississippi, making us all proud.  At least for another 2 years, anyway.

National media rips Palazzo

I bet he wishes this was just about a rowdy bunch of his staffers having a party after the Navy-USM game. Check out a taste of the national press concerning Gulf Coast Congressman Steven Palazzo (R - MS):

• NY Daily News - "Bunch of jackasses" 
• The New York World - Gulf Coast collected billions from flood insurance, repays with ‘no’ votes for Sandy 
• Gulf Coast Lawmaker Votes Against Sandy Relief 
• Remember the 67 Republicans in House of Representatives who turned their backs on Hurricane Sandy victims 

Before this is over, Palazzo will have better name ID in New Jersey than in Biloxi.

As an aside, I couldn't help but notice a quote from Rep. Peter King (R - NY).  He said that “Turning your back on people who are starving and freezing is not a Republican value.” Oh, come on, Peter. Since when?