Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

“Moonbats against Deval”

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As others have already noted, Frank Phillips wrote another piece on Deval Patrick in today’s Globe.  This time Phillips is reporting on the campaign by the “Killer Coke” crowd to persuade lefties not to vote for Deval Patrick because of his work for Coke and Texaco.

According to the Globe story, these guys are so worked up that they’ve printed 30,000 fliers, and will presumably be handing them out somewhere.  If you’re interested in seeing the flier, here it is (pdf).  I have two questions about it: was the cartoon with the Fat Albert-like big teeth really necessary?  And was “Deval the Fee Hugger” the best choice of title?  Wouldn’t “Fee Lover” have gotten the same anti-Patrick message across yet not have been quite so redolent of a word that we all really hope will stay out of this election?

Anyway, for what it’s worth, Phillips’ article predictably fails to mention the widely-reported fact (link is a reprint of a 2004 WaPo article) that Patrick quit Coke when its then-CEO reneged on an agreement to mount an independent investigation of Coke’s Colombian bottler:

The issue has also been a point of frustration for Coca-Cola’s recently resigned general counsel, Deval L. Patrick, according to sources close to the situation, since he promised publicly last fall to mount an independent investigation of the charges. After early encouragement about the idea internally, one of the sources said, [Coke CEO Douglas] Daft recently changed his mind and turned down Patrick’s idea. That frustration played a role in Patrick’s decision this month to resign, that source said….

The debate over sending an independent delegation to Colombia has been swirling at Coca-Cola’s Atlanta headquarters since Patrick made his pledge last October after being challenged at an awards dinner in Washington.

Patrick, who was head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division in the Clinton administration, was being honored by Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit group that encourages law students to pursue public service legal work. Andrew Hansen, a speaker at the dinner, made a reference to Coca-Cola’s alleged conduct in Colombia just before Patrick spoke.

In his speech, Patrick responded by offering to send a contingent of independent observers to inspect plants in Colombia “so we could see that those workers were in fact organized and were able to be organized,” Hansen recalled in a recent interview. For several months, Hansen said, he negotiated with Patrick, as did David Stern, president of Equal Justice Works. As recently as February, the trip was being planned for a broad-based group of activists and investigators, both said.

But in early March, despite having first supported Patrick’s efforts, Daft told Patrick that the trip could not happen, according to a person familiar with the situation.

That decision left Patrick “disappointed,” according to the source, since he saw the trip as a chance to clear Coca-Cola’s name once and for all. He viewed the reversal as the kind of “internal politics” that he had grown tired of, the source said. Those experiences, along with the long commute between his job in Atlanta and his family in Boston, led to Patrick’s decision to leave the company.

Come on, Frank.  Even the Killer Coke crowd at least mentions Patrick’s reasons for leaving Coke, though they then chastise Patrick for cutting a deal with Coke that restricted his ability to speak out about Coke’s alleged misdeeds.  Well, guess what folks: it’s called a severance package.  It’s called the real world.  Look into it.

Howie Carr recently opined that Patrick’s current lead in the polls shows that “[t]he moonbats are on the march” in Massachusetts.  He might be right about that – but some of them are marching against Patrick.

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Comments

  1. or something?  Geez, there’ll be nothing left of his axe at this rate.

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    Well, on the up side, Patrick is not hurt by a rejection from the batshit left.  The average voter does not view Coca Cola as a the Union Carbide of soft drinks.  This sort of incoming just nudges Patrick a little closer to the center and gives him an opportunity to explain the circumstances of his departure as rebuffed good guy.  All good stuff.

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    The batshit left will probably end up staying home–again.  They won’t go for Reilly or Gabrieli, let alone Healey or Mihos.  The foam of their latest offering will tickle a few noses for the next few days and then go flat.  I know, thankyouthankyouverymuch. 

  2. Well, guess what folks: it’s called a severance package.  It’s called the real world.  Look into it.

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    The whole affair looks pretty reasonable to me and very ‘corporate.’  Business as usual, so to speak, and short on public details.  Again, very corporate.

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    My read:  Patrick made a public committment with regards to some Coke labor practices in Columbia.  CEO decided not to back him up.  Patrick got pissed.  Coke released some documents that purported to show some poor work product by Patrick.  Writing was on the wall that Patrick and Coke weren’t a winning recipe and Presto:  a negotiated “separation”.

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    Some statements were made that appear contradictory, but blame it on the fog of war. 

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    “A look into it” follows (bold emphasis mine):

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    Patrick is leaving at a time when Coke faces two ongoing federal investigations and several lawsuits, including a whistleblower case that raised accounting questions. Worker safely issues in Colombia and price inflation charges in Japan also sparked controversy. Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose Rainbow/PUSH Coalition receives financial backing from Coke, has alleged that Patrick was pushed out.

    However, Patrick says he “resigned voluntarily” and hasn’t asked for any severance. He is leaving for personal and professional reasons, which include spending time with his wife, who has a practice in Boston. And then there’s the considerable amount of office politics associated with the beverage behemoth. As an example, Patrick cites the manner in which his resignation was handled: His memo was leaked and he “spent three days dealing with something that had nothing to do with making the company better or improving shareholder value.” Despite news reports, Patrick contends that board members were never unhappy with his work.

    Link for entire article

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    The amount  $2.1 million severance.

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    In 2004 he resigned as Coke’s general counsel with a $$2.1 million severance package in part, he has said, because of conflict with chief executive Douglas Daft. Patrick left the United board in December 2001, a year early, after the company decided to stop letting workers choose members of an employee group that made nominations to the board, according to news reports. Patrick declined to detail his specific reasons for leaving the board, but said: “It was a great lesson for me in a promising governance structure that worked well when times were good and not as well when times were not.”

  3. Let it be known that I am a volunteer for the Patrick Campaign…

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    Now then, doesn’t it seem that such a voracious “fee hugger” would stay in the private sector and reap far greater dividends than can be expected as a closely scrutinized elected official?

  4. Wouldn’t “Fee Lover” have gotten the same anti-Patrick message across yet not have been quite so redolent of a word that we all really hope will stay out of this election?

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    What word is that? I can think of several, and am not sure which one you mean. I can also come up with several horrific words that sound very similar to the proposed “Fee Lover,” for example, “Free Lover,” which in the context of the recent debate over marriage in this state sounds positively explosive.

      • David, this is clearly a play off of “tree hugger” and if you have to go into the Cyrillic alphabet to explain why it’s a poor choice of words, I think you’re stretching things a little.

        • I sure missed the “tree hugger” reference, maybe because there’s nothing on the flier that remotely resembles a tree or a person who looks like a typical “tree hugger” (i.e., a scraggly-haired Birkenstock wearing spotted-owl-loving enviro type).  But maybe you’re right.  Then again, maybe not!

  5. With apologies to Van Morrison…

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    Moonbats

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    Well, it’s a marvelous year for us moonbats
    With the stars shinin’ bright in our eyes
    A fantabulous time for the Democrats
    ’neath the cover of November skies

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    All our volunteers are out walking
    To the sound of the breezes that blow
    And on your door they’ll be knocking
    So that off to the polls you will go

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    Because Deval’s magic is abundantly clear
    And ol’ Frank Phillips will just cry — in his beer

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    Chorus:
    Can I just find one more moonbat for you, my love?
    Can I just make some more Kool Aid for you, my love?

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    Well, I just wanna canvass you tonight
    I have lists that I have to complete
    And I know that the time is just right
    And that Kerry Healey we’ll beat

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    When you commit our team will be waiting
    To make sure that you’re never alone
    There and then our e-mails will come through, dear
    There and then we will make you our own
    And every time I call you, you just tremble inside
    And I know how much you want to vote — you can’t hide

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    Chorus

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    Repeat 1st verse

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    One more moonbat with you in the moonlight
    On a magic night
    La, la, la, la in the moonlight
    On election night
    Cant I just have one more moonbat from you, my love?

    • Publius – this is fully worthy of being part of my Summer Sunday Sing Along.  Would you care to be a Guest composer?

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      We can push off Bulger’s Lament another week…

      • I don’t think you liked the line about “a fantabulous year for the Democrats,” did you?  😉

          • I accept your kind invitation, Peter.

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            (If I can get you a ticket to the Inauguaral, I will be pleased to do so.)

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            Signed,

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            Publius

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            Yr. Obedient Moonbat

  6. I wrote a rather lengthy response which I turned into this User Post.

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    I had a strong reaction, but I hope my post was respectfully done, as was my intention.

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