Kay's former spokesman forms own firm, bashes Palin...

Kay's former spokesman, always the source for anti Rick quotes, tweets, and op eds these days, has formed his own lobbying and consulting firm (link).

One of his first quotes in the paper as a new political communications consultant was a snarky anti Palin quote (link). Listed as a GOP strategist, the msm was happy to have a Republican take a swipe at Palin. Excerpt follows...

Sarah Palin could have stolen the show without uttering a word at Monday night's $14.45 million Republican congressional dinner. But she didn't.

It was the keynote speaker, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who ultimately dominated the end of a day on which the Alaska governor's whereabouts -- her attendance at or absence from the Washington Convention Center -- had seemed to captivate the nation's capital.

Gingrich held forth for nearly an hour, delivering a policy-heavy address that few Republicans, and surely fewer Democrats, think Palin could match.

Deemed both "too long" and "cogent and well thought-out," by Utah Sen. Bob Bennett, Gingrich's speech sounded a bit like the rough draft of a State of the Union address.

He articulated policy visions both broad and specific on such a wide array of topics that it was hard to keep count: taxes, education, energy, regulation, affirmative action and the role of religion in American life, to name a few.

It was a bad scene for Palin, according to GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak.

"She has to sit there and agree with him, knowing it's a speech she cannot give, that she is not equipped to give," Mackowiak said.

CQ was willing to use Mackowiak, but they weren't willing to disclose that Palin had endorsed Rick, the nemesis of his former boss. Sort of a big detail. The Statesman link has an interesting string of comments going back and forth between bashing and supporting Mackowiak. I tend to side with the comments supporting Mackowiak's hard working work ethic. He obviously works hard to get quoted a lot, lots of op eds in the newspapers, lots of TV appearances, and all of that. He has a lot of twitter followers. He gets his name out there with the best of them. Just getting a press release about his new firm picked up by the wires is proof that the guy is good at promotion.

At the same time though I think he spends way too much time telling the liberal msm what they want to hear, and too much time in the business of self promotion. He is the go to guy for anti Rick quotes, and now it seems anti Palin quotes.

The commenters over at Hot Air (link) totally shred Mackowiak, who I think to both his detriment and benefit crafts himself intentionally as a Washington insider. Some of the comments are pretty brutal. Not a great start for his firm...

Matt Mackowiak works for Kay Baily Hutchison, who has issued a primary challenge to Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry has been endorsed by Palin.

doug1981 on June 9, 2009 at 5:49 PM

Worked. Past tense. Not present tense.

Makes total sense now!!!!

The best thing I love about Sarah Palin, I have not heard her speak ill of anyone on “our side.” Now THAT is class

deidre on June 9, 2009 at 5:54 PM

Being anti Palin may be cool inside the beltway, but she was and remains super popular in the heartland.

Newt’s a really, really good speaker, but I’d venture to say that Sarah’s even better. Has this Mackowiak guy completely forgotten about her astoundingly well-delivered speech at the convention? Or her drawing power and consistently good delivery at every stump speech thereafter? Sarah is spell-binding when she gets going. Newt always seems like a college professor, albeit a more engaging one than most.

aero on June 9, 2009 at 6:04 PM

I think Mackowiak was just feeding the msm beast's appetite for the "Palin is not smart" meme.

This expalins alot. Being from Texas myself, I have been suspecting that Kay (or her staff & supporters) may be involved in some of the anti-Palin “anonymous” sources. She wasn’t supportive of Sarah from the getgo, and ran a snide remark about Sarah on her website in response to Sarah’s support of Perry.

She thinks she has the governors race here in Texas in the bag. I wouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch.

spen52 on June 9, 2009 at 6:04 PM

I wouldn't count them either.

Mr. Mackowiak is so wrong here. This is the woman who electrified the RNC in 2008. She is great at giving speeches. We will see who hosts that fundraiser in 2011.

sarahpalinfan99 on June 9, 2009 at 6:09 PM

I guess any press is good press, right? This is pretty bad for Mackowiak, but at least his name is getting out there I guess.

Is Mackowiak on drugs? Anyone could have said what gingrich said. How full of themselves they are.

Blake on June 9, 2009 at 6:36 PM

Yikes.

This guy is emblamatic of the things that are wrong with the republican party. He’s buddie with the guys at politico and moveon.org. He’s a total washington insider, one of the self annointed elite. Guys like this ran the mccain campaign. They are effete, self important creeps who manipulate the process behind the scenes. I’m hoping that Palin doesn’t decide she needs any of these washington dirtbags, my guess is that she turned down this guys services and he’s taking a shot at her. I hope Romney is smart enough not to employ any of these sleazes either, or any other of the outside the beltway conservative hopefuls either. I hope Romney, Palin, Jindal (and I’m not sure there is anyone else out there I want to listen to) realize that with the new media and the internet they can flush these leaches down the toilet and bring their message staight to the American people. Despite what these washington bottom dwellers would have us think, communications isn’t rocket science and they aren’t the smartest people in America.

peacenprosperity on June 9, 2009 at 7:24 PM

Ouch. Even in spite of the poor spelling.

Yeah, I don’t get back-stabbing one of your Party’s best hope for taking the White House.

jazz_piano on June 9, 2009 at 7:29 PM

Not quite as ouch.

And guys like mackowiak were the ones who set Bobby Jindal up for the disasterous state of the union rebuttal. Guys like this are so out of touch with the base, with America, and look down on us out here in flyover country that they though that whole Southern Gothic set up would actually go over big with us.

peacenprosperity on June 9, 2009 at 7:31 PM

That seems like a weird attack. I doubt Mackowiak had anything to do with Jindal's rebuttal.

The words GOP strategist have become synomous with clueless moron.

People like Mackowiak are the reason the GOP has become known as the Stupid Party.

The sooner we move control of the party from K Street to Main Street, the better off we will be.

bw222 on June 9, 2009 at 8:40 PM

Ouch again.

Thanks Doug, I didn’t recognize his name.

Kay thinks she can be governor, but it’s not going to happen.

Never Again!

Blacksmith8 on June 9, 2009 at 9:00 PM

Careful, or you'll push people further away from Kay.

BS!!!!!

Anybody who knows Palin knows she NEVER would leave a line of people cold like that. If she saw them or noticed them, she’d have put in the extra time because she loves to meet people and she is a gracious person.

Accusing her of that is like accusing Barbara Bush of shoplifing.

More lies that the outside the beltway doesn’t believe.

If this Mackowiak said this, it means KBH is way jealous of the Cuda.

Sapwolf on June 9, 2009 at 9:11 PM

Ouch dude. Very very ouch. Public life not treating you very well thus far. Even the comment thread on the Statesman site is pretty harsh. Not pretty. I didn't realize he had told a reporter to go f himself, or that he was the spokesman on Conrad Burns' losing race, assuming those things are true.

Mackowiak needs to be careful making attacks against his fellow Republicans, or he will rapidly dwindle down his list of possible clients. That being said, congrats to him for his new firm. Doing research for this blog, I found out that he graduated in 2003 from UT. Just a kiddo and doing a lot already. When I was his age, I certainly did yet not have my own company.