Sunday, June 24, 2007

I need to stop reading so many blogs...

I mean, I find a good news story to post about, and then I find that some dude like hilzoy has already written much better things about it than I was going to. Happens all the time (witness my long list of unfinished "save as draft" posts buried somewhere in the depths of the blogger dashboard).

But this one is funny enough to re-post, with appropriate credit. There's a very funny article in the SF Chronicle about how the Republican Party, noted champion of immigration, used an HB1 visa to hire a Canadian to "fill the role of 'political director'" in its California operation. An HB1 visa is granted to allow legal status to a non-citizen in circumstances where that person possesses skills that cannot be otherwise found in another person within the applicant pool.

Which might lead you to believe that this new official (one Christopher Matthews) was some real-deal political whiz, right? Wrong. Mr. Matthews has "no experience in statewide politics".

But
the California GOP was also in dire need of a COO. So who, amongst the nation's 300+ million citizens did they hire to fill that post? Well, none of them. Actually, they hired some Australian guy (one Michael Kamburowski). But obviously this guy was some real politico-financial whiz, right? Wrong. According to his resume, Kamburowski has been largely unemployed for the last 6 years, with stints as an "aspiring actor" and as a real estate salesman in Punta Cana Dominican Republic (according to his boss at ReMax Island Realty, he never sold nor leased any properties, despite being given exceptional leads ("coffee's for closers!!!), stating "I don't know what he was doing. I wouldn't give him my company to run, I can tell you that.").

In addition to his, um, spotty resume, Kamburowski was also "ordered deported in 2001, [and] jailed three years later for visa violations" by Homeland Security. It is still not proven that Mr. Kamburowski is in the United States legally. He is suing the U. S. Immigration Department for $5 million dollars. One month after he (according to the ReMax guy) "ran away without mentioning anything to us", Mr. Kamburowski was hired as California GOP COO, who heralded him as a "national issue management specialist".

So, what does this tell us? Either: (1) Mr. Kumburowski has a lengthy pedigree from fundamental Christian educational institutions, or (2) the Justice Department has extended its hiring practices much further than had previously been believed. Or both.

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By the way, hilzoy's post has a highly amusing anecdote right at the end.

3 comments:

Gleemonex said...

Astounding Brass-Balled Hypocrisy: It's a Republican Party Thang!

TXsharon said...

Or could it be 3) he did some slimy favor for some slimy Republican politician so he has the goods on the guy. They hire people to keep their mouths shut. That's what Gonzo's job is all about--Dubya's DWI records and his AWOL from the National Guard paper trail.

None said...

When cronies come home to roost?
You bet they are in need of a COO. Best not look at that bottom line for the CA GOP. $7m down with $250k in the bank. I think they need more than these two out of towners..