Rather than try and buy the opposing Councillors’ votes, as they reportedly did in the casino gambling legislation, the Patrick administration did the only other thing they could do when an extremist nominee was going down in defeat—they vote-shaved. That’s right, they decided after the recording of advice and consent that two of the opposing votes were not going to count, in their opinion. The administration disenfranchised two Councillors, and in effect the 1.7 million people the two represent, because the administration is too cowardly to take responsibility for its own appointments to the bench. If the vote were to stand at 4-4, the Lieutenant Governor would have to break the tie, forcing him to vote for an unqualified nominee and taking away his ability to wash his hands and blame the Judicial Nominating Commission and the Governor’s Council for the Governor’s mistake.
Rather than do their job and withdraw this nominee or vote for her themselves, Patrick and Murray pretended that two Councillors did not vote no. They then sent their spinmeisters out to do their wet work with the press, which of course the Globe and the Herald editorial staff were all to happy to do. Of course, the press won’t address the illegal and highly unethical machinations of this administration. FOR THE RECORD, I WAS NOT ABSENT FROM THIS MEETING, NOR WAS I LATE FOR THIS MEETING. THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR INTENTIONALLY AND ILLEGALLY STARTED AND FINISHED THE MEETING BEFORE THE APPOINTED HOUR TO DENY ME MY CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED DUTY TO PROVIDE ADVICE AND CONSENT.
It is disturbing to witness the depths to which the Patrick administration will sink to stamp out dissent in its efforts to sustain its not-so-hidden agenda of appointing unqualified left-wing extremists to the bench. I look into the future and I see nothing but devastation in this Governor’s wake.
Governor’s Councillor
Mary-Ellen Manning
The Governor’s Council is an eight member elected body whose primary duty is deciding whether to confirm the Governor’s judicial appointments. Every single judge in Massachusetts, from small claims cases all the way up to the Supreme Judicial Court, must be approved by the Governor’s Council. There is no bigger day that the government will have in your life than the day that you appear before a judge seeking justice. Mary-Ellen is devoted to making sure that you get the best judges—judges who are fair, honest and competent. Don’t you and your family deserve the best?
Watch the NECN interview!
Listen to the Howie Carr interview on WRKO!
BOY AM I RELIEVED!!!! I am pleased to announce that any doubts about whether I was correct in voting against Maureen Monks have been removed! My vote earned me a negative editorial in both the Herald and the Globe, so I must be right on target. No one could be prouder.
CLICK THE BANNERS BELOW TO READ ALL ABOUT IT
MY RESPONSE....
History has just been made! The Boston Herald, a paper that did not dignify the Maureen Monks appointment with even one news story, a paper that never sends a reporter to the Governor’s Council hearings, printed not one but two negative editorials about my vote. This has got to be newsworthy. They didn’t hit me hard enough the first time, I guess.
June 13, 2008 Update
