blogger interrupted

Here’s what Eric has to say about Leo Jennings working at Progress Ohio.

The bad news? He did do some work for them and I’ve been hearing about it from just about everybody that heard it and knew I started PO with Rothenberg back in 2006. Countless emails and IMs that basically all start “dude, wtf?”….Leo Jennings was paid in some capacity to do some work but was definitely NOT “hired” by PO. He was never in an employee relationship with PO.

Eric thinks this means Leo Jennings isn’t working for Progress Ohio.  That is a bit of a stretch.  

Jennings was likely hired on a 1099 consulting basis, which is how Rusnak manages to place his toadies on his cronies’ projects without having his own hands on them.  Whether it was “consulting” on a 1099 form, or an “employee” on a W2 form, there is no substantive difference between the two.  Money is exchanged for work.

In addition, Leo Jennings’ being on a 1099 consulting relationship with Progress Ohio means it can continue indefinitely, and is unreported.  What’s worse, and more likely, is that Jennings is on a 1099 relationship with Rusnak’s consulting firm that does work for Progress Ohio (incestuous conflict of interest ahoy).  That means that (a) Progress Ohio can claim clean hands and that Leo Jennings doesn’t “work for them”, and (b) they can keep using and paying Leo Jennings.

Which is probably what is still going on as we speak.  Ya know, it’s a good thing I’m such an unhirable sick fuck, or else I might have ended up disgracing Progress Ohio for something I did 7 years ago…wait….Leo Jennings is already doing that for something he did 3 months ago, and is still under investigation for.  

Darn.

Progress Ohio has been, from the start, a total farce.  It exists entirely as a funnel for money to the board that created it.  I can think of not a single instance in which Progress Ohio has had any effect on policy in Ohio, or politics in Ohio, or ahem….progress in Ohio.  I can’t even begin to imagine what they’ll do for Barack in the fall.   The only things that Progress Ohio has progressed are Jeff Rusnak’s and Brian Rothenberg’s incompetence and bank accounts.  

And now, Progress Ohio is progressing Leo Jennings’ bank account, too.