Some dating advice for State Assembly Speakers
Let’s all go to the lobby,
Let’s all go to the lobby.
Let’s all go to the lobby,
To find ourselves a treat.
Remember the Good Old Days when a politician climbing into bed with a lobbyist meant getting an extra campaign contribution in exchange for a vote? Remember former Democratic Party chairman Joe Wineke who got into all sorts of trouble with his party when he took a side job as a lobbyist for AT&T?
That just seems so quaint now.
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan is in a bit of hot water because he dated a lobbyist for the payday loan companies at the same time a bill was being bottled up in the legislature to limit how much interest they could charge. Some Democrats began to suspect Little Mike was doing the thinking for Big Mike.
This is when Ed Garvey is just invaluable. He quotes Sheridan, “I mean I think that part of my job is relationship building.” Garvey adds, “No comment needed.”
Hard to tell with whom Sheridan is in more trouble. First he called the lobbyist, “a friend.” Then he admitted taking her to a Christmas Party. Then he admitted dating her. Now he says he doesn’t know if he’ll see her again, essentially dumping her in the press.
Oh yeah, he’ll be getting more dates soon after this story gets out.
Here’s my advice for future Assembly Speakers: if you can’t introduce her to your colleagues, don’t date her.
What I find most fascinating about this episode is the way that Assembly Democrat legislators are falling all over themselves to defend their speaker. With Sheridan sidelined by personal issues and Majority Leader Tom Nelson facing an uphill battle to reelection due to the Hobart/Oneida budget scandal and his diarrhea mouth in regards to the Democrats’ auto insurance hikes, the Assembly Democrats are a rudderless ship just waiting to go down. Add the radical Rep. Black’s job killing global warming bill and Assembly Democrats are sitting on a trifecta of Epic Fail.
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I heard that Sheridan declined Scott Suder’s offer of dating tips
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Oh, don’t worry, ATT is doing just fine. Any time they want a law passed, they’ll bring a dozen or more lobbyists to town, hand out campaign contributions, and their bill-mill law will be passed.
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