Portsmouth Herald: Bill O'Brien a dangerous demagogue who will stop at nothing to get power
Former Speaker Bill O'Brien is undeterred by this week’s rules committee vote turning back the attempt by his supporters to force Speaker Shawn Jasper to name O’Brien House majority leader.
In an interview with John DiStaso, O'Brien outlined his extraordinary plan to lead a “shadow caucus” of loyalists, with its own leadership team of “floor leaders, debate leaders, liaisons to committees, whip positions and positions that will deal with mentoring programs for first-term members and good government programs:”
Although Jasper has appointed a leadership team, from a Majority Leader on down to a whip, deputy whip and other leaders, O’Brien said he now intends make his own appointments to leadership posts. And that should add to the upcoming “fun” in the House in 2015.
‘We still have a number of positions to put in place in the leadership of the caucus and on the committee level,’ O’Brien said. 'That is going to take a lot of time and effort.’
He said he hopes the full House overturns Thursday’ 9-0 vote of its rules committee and approves a rules change that would mandate Jasper to name him the Majority Leader. Regardless, he said, 'Obviously, there is going to be a need for the caucus to have floor leaders, debate leaders, liaisons to committees, whip positions and positions that will deal with mentoring programs for first-term members and good government programs. And we will have a legislative agenda, with members ensuring that positions are properly presented in committees. A lot of work has to be done.’
The editorial board of the Portsmouth Herald today weighed in on O'Brien’s moves. “These latest actions show O’Brien is not simply a former Massachusetts Democrat who has become a far right-wing ideologue,” they wrote, “he is a dangerous demagogue who will stop at nothing to get the power he seems to so desperately crave.”