Media Watch--McQuaid Can't Handle The Truth; Monitor Doesn't Know The Truth
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 06:02PM Union Leader publisher Joseph W. McQuaid, the consummate bully when it comes to attacking Presidents (only Democratic ones of course) when they come to New Hampshire, sure can dish it out, but like any bully, McQuaid has proved this past week that he can't take it.
In the wake of this column blogging about the uprising against McQuaid on Loeb Drive (including the WWLD stickers reporters are sporting--yes that stands for What Would Loeb Do), czar McQuaid has arranged to have everything sent to him from this post deleted.
In other words, McQuaid doesn't want to be burdened with having to listen to unpleasant truths. Here's the proof.
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So that no one in the media can ever claim ignornace when it comes to anything I write, I have created two lists of people who automatically receive everything you see posted here, a media listing and a friends listing. If you want to get on either, just drop me a line at steve.vaillancourt@leg.state.nh.us.
Apparently, W isn't concerned about getting on. In the spirit of an ostrich sticking its oversized neck in the sand, McQuaid has decided to block everything coming from here.
Isn't it strange that McQuaid remained happily on the list for nearly 11 months (note at the bottom of this blog that I've written more than 100 pages of entries since signing aboard here in January--that's more than 500 items)? Did he just discover the joys of blocking?
More likely, he's decided he just can't take any more Only when I exposed the Union Leader, using its own personnel as sources, did McQuaid the coward decide to bug off. In true patrician fashion ("Oh Lovey, could you find out how to ban that Vaillancourt material from my tender eyes?"), McQuaid has removed himself from this source of truth. Even if you don't always agree with me (and I suspect no one does--always), who could deny that this blog is a worthy source of material--at least occasionally?
McQuaid could deny it, that's who.
Next thing you know, he'll probably insist upon the departure of others to whom he dictates, the half dozen Union Leader personnel who also receive everything you see here.
Yes, this is the same McQuaid who has ruined the once proud newspaper Loeb left to his witless mercies; the same McQuaid who insisted that his reporter daughter (nepotism still rules on Loeb Drive) should never support Joe Kelly Levasseur; the same McQuaid whose friendship with former Governor Steve Merrill was ruined over a petty spat involving Pat Buchanan and Bob Dole.
Whoa there, don't tell me you haven't heard that last story? It's a doozy and is detailed at great length in a book on the 1996 election. On a slow news day, I'll recount the entire episode.
McQuaid calls Obama a disaster of a President (I agree), but McQuaid is an even bigger disaster as an editor.
McQuaid refers to Obama as glib and clueless, but no one is more clueless than McQuaid himself who, at least in his own mind, thinks he's glib. ("Oh Lovey, he's attacking me again. Lovey, make sure we don't ever use anthing he writes in our superb paper. What's that you say, Lovey? We haven't used anything he's written for years now? Never mind, Lovey. Can't we shut him up, Lovey?")
As well as being clueless, incompetent, and a wannabe patrician, McQuaid is also an egomaniac--note how he uses his own picture on today's front page. He's also, of course, a coward who prefers to hide behind a veil of secrecy than to face the truth.
Could anyone be more vile (viler) than Joseph W. McQuaid, the failed publisher of Loeb's once thriving newspaper.
The Reckless Monitor--Normally even when I disagree with Concord Monitor editors (often), I find their editorials informative and worth a read since I expect they are telling the truth as they see it.
Someone failed that test in the November 15 editorial entitled "Another year, another school funding drama". I actually agree with much of what the Monitor had to say in this piece as proven by my record voting against nearly every education funding Constitutional amendment put forward by Republicans.
However, here's where the Monitor has deceived its readers. It's this line--"Should O'Brien eventually get the House to approve a constitutional amendment of his liking, it probably wouldn't have the backing of the governor." The second part of that statement is correct, but the "should" clause would lead anyone conversant with the English language to believe that Speaker Bill O'Brien has in fact failed to get the House to approve a Constitutional amendment of his liking.
That is simply not the case. In what I considered to be a stunning upset earlier this year, the Speaker in fact rounded up the 240 votes (with room to spare) necessary to pass an amendment of his liking. I was not for it, but that does not diminish the magnitude of the Speaker's achievement nor the magnitude of the Monitor's error in its attempt to ignore his achievement.
Had the paper said that O'Brien was unable to pass an amendment of his liking through the House and Senate, it would have been correct since the Senate-passed amendment is not the same as the one the House passed, and before a version can go to voters, the House and Senate will have to agree on the precise wording.
However, O'Brien succeeded in the hard part (herding 240 cats) whereas only 15 cats need to be rounded up in the Senate.
Of course, everyone should know that the governor, any governor, has nothing to do with getting an amendment on the ballot. It requires 60 percent of House members and senators with no veto possible. Of course it's true that the Governor can work to defeat any amendment once it gets to the people, but in Lynch's case that might be more difficult since he's chosen to make himself a lame duck.
We expect cowardice and constant misstatements from Joe McQuaid who surrounds himself with incompetence--in fact he rewards incompetence on Loeb Drive--but we expect better from the Monitor.
At least, the folks at the Monitor are educable while McQuaid, like anyone who refuses to listen to the truth, is beyond redemption.
Happy Thanksgiving W--be careful not to eat yourself, you turkey!
Ouch!