Cogliano
On July 8th I sat down for an interview with Congressional Candidate Vincent Cogliano Jr. at the Liberty Clubhouse on 18 Grafton St in Worcester.
Vince is running out of the 9th Congressional District which cover areas of Bristol, Plymouth Counties. I spent about two weeks e-mailing Vince and he decided to come on the show almost last minute due to his incredible campaign schedule. This is a guy who has worked in Massachusetts politics for years. But the mantle of being a Beacon Hill politician should not be draped on Vince’s shoulders. Vince told me about how he has worked behind the scenes and has rubbed shoulders with some of the MASS GOP’s heavy hitters and knows exactly what they are doing wrong because he keeps seeing it election year after election year.
Gomez
During the Gomez/Markey season he solidly backed Mike Sullivan much to the consternation of Charlie Baker. I had the pleasure of meeting Sullivan also that year and I can see what Vince means. He went on to explain how a candidate can’t just appear out of nowhere and expect support and to win. Vince’s experience stems from his time as Selectman and his work within the GOP.
Oddly enough he explained how Markey did not have a lot of Democratic support in the South Shore area and that the election was Gomez‘s to win. The problem was he was doing the same thing many Republicans do even today. He was trying to be a middle of the road candidate or, as Vince calls them, Democrat Light. Given the choice between a RINO candidate and a Blue Blood Democrat Massachusetts always picks the Democrat. It would have been better if Gomez used his Navy Seal persona to stand up on his principles. At least if he lost, he lost on his principles.
Vince explained how delegations help win as well. Bill Weld was able to pass legislation because he worked hand in hand with the Democrats. He also knew many of them personally. So does Vince. He pointed out that Romney did not have that ability while serving as Governor.
Vincent owns an auto financing company and told me how his loans have gone from a few hundred a month down to under one hundred. The economy IS NOT improving. In addition he predicts another bubble burst due to the fact that the government is forcing banks and loan companies to repeat the process that led to the housing crash. Vince has to now work to approve loans for people not able to afford them in the first place. The potential for disaster looms large. Vince went on to spell out the history of the housing crash dating all the way back to the Clinton administration and how he and fellow underwriters were some of the first to see that 2+2 was not adding up to 4.
Vincent’s grasp of the solid principles of freedom were refreshing. He even said (and I have seen it as well) that many candidates stand up for freedom, but he wonders if they truly understand what it means. What makes Vincent Cogliano Jr. a likely nominee is his depth of knowledge of the political process and his devotion to the ethics he was raised on. Vince comes from a different time in America when a man was able to make something of himself without alot of interference from big government. He also does not take any BS when he hears a politician circle talk. He knows the rhetoric and will point it out.
The only problem he faces is that the GOP ( and Romney) have already chosen their golden boy in the race and are pouring in the money. We are seeing the same pattern all across the nation. Actual, viable candidates that speak to the message and spell it out plain are being pushed out by the established machine. Vince holds out hope because he can see that Americans are paying attention to this and are sick of it. Even Democrats in Massachusetts now realize the crock of bull their party dishes out. Republicans are no better because they act more and more like Democrats every day.
Vincent did not offer any solutions and I purposely never ask questions like that. I want to get to know the man. What he did say to me is how he wants to get to Washington to find out what the problem is and try to get some common sense legislation passed that opens our markets, and reduces the overreach of government into our wallets, our businesses and our lives.
