Reply #109: Connell,Rove, and the GOP boys

[Jambalaya]

Wired Connections

Although GovTech Solutions in 2001 represented his non-partisan face, Connell, the partisan, has been connected to the National GOP since 1987 when he campaigned for George H.W. Bush. As Jeb Bush ran for governor of Florida, Connell's affiliations extended into Florida's political network. This was perhaps directly the result, first advertised in PR on New Media's website in 1998, of his alliance (turned business partnership) with the principals of DCI Group. 7

At the time, DCI was (and it still is) a very successful grassroots telemarketing and lobbying company that ran all the major black-bag operations for the Republican Party. Under Bush, it has become the White House's external political arm8
In 1998 Connell also created jeb.org which helped elect Jeb Bush governor of Florida. Running the website that elects the Governor provides entrée for getting contract jobs all over state government. Following the election, Connell’s company received multiple contracts to develop and manage websites for Florida state agencies. Our research identified four state technology jobs done by Mike Connell:

Florida Executive Office of the Governor
Florida State Board of Administration
Florida Departmet of Education - Public Schools Reports
Florida Department of Community Affairs
These sites were under Connell's active development while, simultaneously, he was working on development and update of a slew of GOP and GOP candidate sites. He was also introducing the RNC's army of operatives to the eGOP Project.

Crony Connectivity or Political Affiliations throughout Florida GOP and State Government

Not only was Connell plugged into the government servers, he was also connected to powerful political and business individuals.

Mike Connell's Florida political affiliations are important since they provided touchpoints for him, as the RNC's Internet guru, to the State of Florida IT networks distinct from his access through state contract work. The following list provides just a brief overview of some of the points of connection that Connell had with key players.

Lobbyists for Global Election Systems, Inc.(aka Diebold) and ES&S During 2001, Mike Connell's New Media was engaged with two lobbying firms who came to represent the most famous voting machine manufacturers' interests.

Beginning with the registration in March 2001 after the Florida legislature took up debate of the need to replace voting systems in the State, four of Tidewater's principals advocated for Global Election Systems (bought by and renamed Diebold). Connell's company website listed New Media contact information being the same as Tidewater Consulting's until the end of 2001.

GOPWear.com partner, Bush for President County Chair, Secretary of Department of Business and Professional Regulation Connell formed a business partnership with husband and wife team Rick Seyer and Kim Binkley-Seyer to sell Jeb-labelled clothing on Jebwear.com. That partnership, incorporated as GOPWear.com, dissolved when Gov. Bush named Binkley-Seyer to head the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. From that position, she ultimately resigned under fire for having awarded and executed on a very large Accenture contract negotiated by CIO Roy Cales outsourcing online licensing processes.

During December 1999, Binkley-Seyer and her husband Rick had been named as Sarasota County chairs of the Bush for President campaign.


Connell,Rove and the GOP boys,epluribusmedia