Eliot Cutler Called Me a Whore
Back in February, I got a call from Shawn Moody . I had no idea who he was. He told me he owned Moody’s Collision Center, which I had a vague awareness of, and he wanted to come in to talk to me about something. I assumed it was a business issue, or a DEP problem.
He showed up in my office a few days later, a friendly, unassuming guy, dressed casually in jeans and a work shirt. He quickly told me the purpose of the meeting: he had decided to run for governor.
I was floored. Not the meeting I expected. Before he said anything else, I told him that I was already working for Democratic candidate Rosa Scarcelli and if he was serious about running, he really shouldn’t say anything more. He said he was disappointed, and said he was hoping to get my help for his campaign. We talked generally about the challenges of running for governor and pledged to talk after the June Primary.
Rosa didn’t win, much to my disappointment, although she ran a great campaign and finished less than a percentage point from second place against a field of well-known political veterans. She had a big impact on the race, beat expectations and has a great future ahead of her. I count myself fortunate to have been part of her campaign and she and her husband Thom continue to be great friends.
The day after the Primary, Moody called again. I was exhausted from Rosa’s race and not very anxious to take on another one, let alone a long-shot candidacy like his. But I agreed to meet with him and ended up spending the better part of a day at his campaign headquarters and his business in Gorham, going through his history, meeting his family, listening to his ideas and why he wanted to run for governor.
What I saw was a very honest, decent family man with a strong work ethic and a common sense business approach to the issues affecting Maine. Like me, Moody has lived and worked here in Maine his entire life. I was impressed that he came from a very modest background and started his business at 17, before he was even out of high school. His company went on to become the biggest auto repair business in New England with 75 employees and five locations, with more on the way. And I was even more impressed with his concern for the environment and that his business is an ESOP, giving his employees a financial stake in the company’s success. That’s the kind of guy he is.
He continued to press me to come to work for him, and in the end I thought, why not? Political consulting is what I do. While there are some candidates I would never work for, Shawn’s down-the-middle views and genuine, workingman solutions seemed close to my own views and where I believe most Mainers are. I don’t know why he (or for that matter, anyone) decided to run for governor, but if that’s what he wants to do and he wants my help, I’m happy to oblige.
Maine’s a small state and word travels fast. Only a few days after joining with Shawn, my former boss received this curious e-mail:
From: "Cutler, Eliot R." <ECutler@AKINGUMP.com>
Date: June 30, 2010 9:28:53 PM EDT
To: Rosa Scarcelli
Subject: Dennis Bailey
From Rosa Scarcelli to Shawn Moody? Infinitely adaptable, huh? (There's another word for that.)
Now, what word would that be, Eliot?
I don’t really know Cutler. I met him once when he came into my office about seven years ago to lecture me about casinos and the Indian Lands Claim Settlement Act, which he said he had a hand in writing. It was a spectacular waste of a half hour. Cutler simply assumed he was talking to someone who could benefit from his vast wisdom, when the truth is he said nothing that I didn’t already know or was in any way useful and wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise. Like I said, it was a lecture, not a discussion.
So his e-mail to Rosa, who doesn’t know Culter much better than I do, struck me as petty, small-minded and arrogant – confirming my early impressions of the man. “Infinitely adaptable?” Strange sentiment from a corporate lawyer and lobbyist, especially someone with his…ahem, “diverse” client list (and since the email came from his Washington law firm’s account, those client connections apparently still exist). This is a guy who claims to have left the Democratic Party and became a Republican in 2005 to support Peter Mills – the same year he gave money to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. And in 2008 he gave money to Barack Obama, Tom Allen and Chellie Pingree. No Republicans. Now he says he’s unenrolled and is trying to make the case that he’s always been that way. How’s that for “infinitely adaptable?”
Apparently Cutler thinks the rules he applies to everyone else just don’t apply to him, typical of someone with his privileged background.
I don’t mean to overstate the significance of his e-mail, but I don’t really think I can. Is there some reason he felt he had to demean me with my friend and former employer? Perhaps he’s feeling threatened by Shawn Moody, who unlike Cutler is not just some summer tourist. So are these the kind of tactics we can expect if Cutler becomes governor, whenever someone doesn’t fall in line and support him? I could see a junior staffer in a fit of pique sending this e-mail, maybe. But the candidate himself? I’m quite sure Angus King (or Rosa Scarcelli) would never do something like this.
To me, it reveals some nasty character traits that even some of Cutler’s close supporters privately acknowledge and that will almost certainly become more apparent as Election Day nears.
All I know is Shawn Moody has more class in his pinkie than Cutler has in his entire hulking frame. And he’s not a Democrat masquerading as an independent. He’s the real deal.
As for Cutler, well, there’s another word for guys like him.
He showed up in my office a few days later, a friendly, unassuming guy, dressed casually in jeans and a work shirt. He quickly told me the purpose of the meeting: he had decided to run for governor.
I was floored. Not the meeting I expected. Before he said anything else, I told him that I was already working for Democratic candidate Rosa Scarcelli and if he was serious about running, he really shouldn’t say anything more. He said he was disappointed, and said he was hoping to get my help for his campaign. We talked generally about the challenges of running for governor and pledged to talk after the June Primary.
Rosa didn’t win, much to my disappointment, although she ran a great campaign and finished less than a percentage point from second place against a field of well-known political veterans. She had a big impact on the race, beat expectations and has a great future ahead of her. I count myself fortunate to have been part of her campaign and she and her husband Thom continue to be great friends.
The day after the Primary, Moody called again. I was exhausted from Rosa’s race and not very anxious to take on another one, let alone a long-shot candidacy like his. But I agreed to meet with him and ended up spending the better part of a day at his campaign headquarters and his business in Gorham, going through his history, meeting his family, listening to his ideas and why he wanted to run for governor.
What I saw was a very honest, decent family man with a strong work ethic and a common sense business approach to the issues affecting Maine. Like me, Moody has lived and worked here in Maine his entire life. I was impressed that he came from a very modest background and started his business at 17, before he was even out of high school. His company went on to become the biggest auto repair business in New England with 75 employees and five locations, with more on the way. And I was even more impressed with his concern for the environment and that his business is an ESOP, giving his employees a financial stake in the company’s success. That’s the kind of guy he is.
He continued to press me to come to work for him, and in the end I thought, why not? Political consulting is what I do. While there are some candidates I would never work for, Shawn’s down-the-middle views and genuine, workingman solutions seemed close to my own views and where I believe most Mainers are. I don’t know why he (or for that matter, anyone) decided to run for governor, but if that’s what he wants to do and he wants my help, I’m happy to oblige.
Maine’s a small state and word travels fast. Only a few days after joining with Shawn, my former boss received this curious e-mail:
From: "Cutler, Eliot R." <ECutler@AKINGUMP.com>
Date: June 30, 2010 9:28:53 PM EDT
To: Rosa Scarcelli
Subject: Dennis Bailey
From Rosa Scarcelli to Shawn Moody? Infinitely adaptable, huh? (There's another word for that.)
Now, what word would that be, Eliot?
I don’t really know Cutler. I met him once when he came into my office about seven years ago to lecture me about casinos and the Indian Lands Claim Settlement Act, which he said he had a hand in writing. It was a spectacular waste of a half hour. Cutler simply assumed he was talking to someone who could benefit from his vast wisdom, when the truth is he said nothing that I didn’t already know or was in any way useful and wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise. Like I said, it was a lecture, not a discussion.
So his e-mail to Rosa, who doesn’t know Culter much better than I do, struck me as petty, small-minded and arrogant – confirming my early impressions of the man. “Infinitely adaptable?” Strange sentiment from a corporate lawyer and lobbyist, especially someone with his…ahem, “diverse” client list (and since the email came from his Washington law firm’s account, those client connections apparently still exist). This is a guy who claims to have left the Democratic Party and became a Republican in 2005 to support Peter Mills – the same year he gave money to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. And in 2008 he gave money to Barack Obama, Tom Allen and Chellie Pingree. No Republicans. Now he says he’s unenrolled and is trying to make the case that he’s always been that way. How’s that for “infinitely adaptable?”
Apparently Cutler thinks the rules he applies to everyone else just don’t apply to him, typical of someone with his privileged background.
I don’t mean to overstate the significance of his e-mail, but I don’t really think I can. Is there some reason he felt he had to demean me with my friend and former employer? Perhaps he’s feeling threatened by Shawn Moody, who unlike Cutler is not just some summer tourist. So are these the kind of tactics we can expect if Cutler becomes governor, whenever someone doesn’t fall in line and support him? I could see a junior staffer in a fit of pique sending this e-mail, maybe. But the candidate himself? I’m quite sure Angus King (or Rosa Scarcelli) would never do something like this.
To me, it reveals some nasty character traits that even some of Cutler’s close supporters privately acknowledge and that will almost certainly become more apparent as Election Day nears.
All I know is Shawn Moody has more class in his pinkie than Cutler has in his entire hulking frame. And he’s not a Democrat masquerading as an independent. He’s the real deal.
As for Cutler, well, there’s another word for guys like him.
Posted by Dennis Bailey at 7/6/2010 7:04 AM 
Categories: Maine politics, Maine governor
Tags: Eliot Cutler Shawn Moody
Categories: Maine politics, Maine governor
Tags: Eliot Cutler Shawn Moody
Good article. I have been wondering about Cutler. He seems like one of those guys who thinks he can move in a bully/muscle everyone over to his point of view. Maybe its a big shot lawyer thing.
I wonder what it says about a guy to be so petty on such a small issue in the grand scheme of things as far as HIS campaign goes.
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Thanks for posting this, and helping to illuminate Cutler's character.
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It would be nice to read an article written professionally and with intellect, not like a child having a temper tantrum - that's why the media has such a bad rep. If you want to turn off people from what your saying, keep doing just that. It makes it hard to assess the political candidates with any amount of discernment with crap like this.
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First of all Kathy, I'm not "the media." This is a personal blog, with personal rants. If you want objective analysis of the candidates, look elsewhere. Second, as others have pointed out, Mr. Cutler's e-mail was perhaps far more revealing of his character than most of his "official" statements, and character matters, which is why I chose to write about it. And third, since you mentioned writing "professionally and with intellect," you mean "you're" not "your" in your second sentence.
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Boy, Dennis, you sure can write a catchy headline!
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I would love to hear your take on the campaign donations to each party and why the wide range between parties. Thank you.
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