Will Undersecretary Jennifer Wright do anything to end the perception that FVAP has whiffs of a partisan Democrat operation among some election officials? 

Since posting earlier about the partisan embeds at FVAP, we received an email from a well placed reader detailing the partisan Democrat background of the person the Obama administration chose to run FVAP: National’s fan and partisan Democrat, Paddy McGuire.  It comes as no surprise to many that the Obama administration has placed a seasoned partisan in the position to oversee military voting, or the lack thereof.  The content of the email follows:


Background Summary of Paddy McGuire:

Paddy McGuire was the Oregon State Director for Clinton/Gore in 1996 and the Clinton/Gore Political Director in 1992, both Presidential Election cycles. He was the Executive Director of the Oregon Democrat Party for 4 years from 1988-1992 and then he served as a political appointee at the Department of the Interior for 5 years (1993-1998) under President Clinton.

Oregon State/Political Director
Clinton/Gore 92
“Paddy McGuire managed the most exciting campaign of my lifetime. In 1992, a little-known Governor from a small Southern state rose up to capture the Presidency. Bill Clinton succeeded with the help of political professionals like McGuire. He organized and led a powerful political operation that persuaded citizens to embrace change. Bush lost the election in Oregon by nearly 10 points, an extraordinary margin of victory against an incumbent. McGuire is an exceptional leader, motivator, planner and problem solver. His work on behalf of the Democratic Party fueled a progressive agenda that transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Oregonians.” February 17, 2011
2nd Chris Vetter, Public Relations Aide, United States Presidential Campaign
worked indirectly for Paddy at Clinton/Gore 92

Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
US Department of the Interior
Government Agency; 10,001+ employees; Executive Office industry
1993 – 1998 (5 years)

Oregon State Director
Clinton/Gore ’96
1996 – 1996 (less than a year)
Oregon State/Political Director
Clinton/Gore 92
1992 – 1992 (less than a year)
Executive Director
Democratic Party of Oregon
1988 – 1992 (4 years)

We received this email from an FVAP insider and permission to publish.  I wonder if Undersecretary Jessica Wright is aware that FVAP staff ridicule the Kansas Secretary of State.  I wonder if Wright knows about the partisan hiring and lack of qualifications detailed in the email.  I wonder if she cares even if she did.  The email:

Scott Stinson, is the FVAP Program Analyst re-titled or promoted to Policy Analyst. When Scott was hired, he and Paddy shared ongoing contempt for the Kansas Secretary of State.  One example, Stinson would say, “What are we going to do about Kris (Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State)?” Then there was much snickering about Kris’s qualifications and intellect, which if you look at Kobach’s Wiki, include Yale, Oxford…Scott Stinson is from Kansas, and was very active in youth Democratic Party activities before moving to DC.

That’s what made him a perfect partner for Paddy.

Why is a Democratic Party activist, wrongly hired in the first place to serve in a sensitive federal election office like FVAP, being promoted, especially after publically mocking a Republican Secretary of State?

Paddy McGuire’s staffing of the Local Election Official group at FVAP should be questioned: 
* why staffing up of LOE group, when the mission is to serve military and overseas voters?

* why the emphasis at FVAP on LOE, when the Inspector General reported FVAP failed military voters? 

*  why hire young, inexperienced staff with no election admin experience (one did have 18 months in SC) 

* the work at the state level was in the year following passage of the MOVE Act – 2009-2010 

* state level work was mostly legislative after MOVE Act. Having a staff at FVAP is a waste. 

* travel seemed to be cut back, but there is no need for any FVAP Program Analyst to attend State or even Election Center Conferences 

* Certification (CERA) at The Election Center will cost upwards of $10,000 – FVAP should have hired experienced election administrators instead of financing CERA for young, inexperienced staff 

* Only two current LOE staff has any election admin experience, one with only 18 months in a rural South Carolina jurisdiction.

* Paddy McGuire did have five years as Deputy Secretary of State in Oregon, but no other election admin experience, and during his tenure Paddy served as a partisan, evidenced by this quote after the 2000 election, telling Al Gore, “Mr. Gore, I think we can pull it out for you.”

* Will Paddy deliver the military and overseas vote to Hilary Clinton? Paddy was her 2008 Chair in Oregon. 

*  Let’s not forget Paddy’s 2000 LA Times quote as a self described “political hack” 

The question must be asked, “did Paddy McGuire hope to gain favor with the Obama administration/Democratic Party in 2010, just as the IRS began targeting conservative groups?

The money allegedly came from Eugenia Harris, another campaign aide who pleaded guilty last year to directing $653,000 in off-the-books funds from a D.C. businessman to the campaign. Two other campaign workers have agreed to plea deals over their handling of campaign funds.”

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