The Closing of Connecticut ConservativeI have enjoyed my time blogging at Connecticut Conservative. But, as I have been unable to attend to the blog as much as I would like, I have decided it is time to move on. Instead of seeing the blog slowly slide into obscurity and ruination, I have decided to end the blog here. The blog itself will remain as an archive; browse some of the more interesting posts, like the interviews of politicians on the sidebar, at your leisure. I will continue to answer to the email address as well. I want to thank all of the people who have been involved with Connecticut Conservative in any matter, and I urge all to continue to work for a return of conservatism in Connecticut. Blog UpdateAs you may have noticed, I lately have not been able to post as much as I would like to or as much I as used to. I will still still be blogging, probably weekly if not more, but I would also like to add some co-bloggers to the site to make sure more news is covered. Several people have already emailed me expressing interest; if you think this is something you would be interested in, please email me (the link is on the sidebar) and we can discuss this. The Influence of the InternetThe Courant has a new article about Sen. Dodd's attempt to appeal to the Internet crowd by using YouTube, blogs, and a straightforward website. It's nothing that many of you already don't know. Another article takes the focus off of Dodd into a more macroscopic piece about all of the presidential candidates. Again, the information is just old information rehashed for those who many not have heard it the first time, like the implications of the 1984 Clinton YouTube video.
I think campaign are putting too much of an emphasis on the potential impact of blogs and the Internet on the presidential election. The 1984 Clinton video, while entertaining, received three million views. About 150 million will vote in this upcoming election. For a small group of the population, the Internet has a large impact on how they view candidates, but for the rest of the voting population, maybe around 145 million, they could care less about YouTube videos or what the blogs are saying. The presidency will be won the old-fashioned way, and blogs and YouTube videos are truthfully just flashy distractions with little substance. The only time the Internet can really have any influence is when the mainstream media reports on it, like they have with the 1984 Clinton video or George Allen's macaca video. In and of itself, the blogosphere and YouTube have incredibly little political influence on the presidential level. The mainstream media still sets the agenda for presidential elections.
On another note, I realize that I have not been posting as often as I used to lately, so expect to see the frequency of posting dramatically increase. Lower the Voting AgeAs you may have read, there is a movement to get Connecticut to lower its voting age to seventeen in certain circumstances. The idea is that someone turns eighteen by the time of a general election, they should be able to vote in the primary of that election. An impetus of the movement is Daniel Peterson, a noble citizen:
Daniel Peterson is a senior at West Haven's Notre Dame High School. He is headed for the military when he graduates and believes 17-year-old's who are old enough to enlist are old enough to vote. "You're potentially sending someone off to war and a life-or-death situation and its kind of hard to not give them the full choice ...," said Peterson. "You're fighting for what somebody else thinks. Although you might believe in it you might not be fighting for your own opinions."
He is right, and I have voiced these same concerns about our current drinking age as well as the proposed smoking age, that the Courant covered several weeks ago. I have no idea why Susan Bysiewicz hadn't though of this earlier. I can't imagine that many people would be against this, and given how political ambitious she is, this would be the type of thing she could have supported. It is frankly embarrassing that this proposal had to originate from students, not from Bysiewicz herself or her office. It is not a difficult concept to understand, and if she spent slightly less time on her optical voting machines, she could help initiate reform on more significant issues.What Is Going on with Rell?Gov. Rell nominated Justice Peter Zarella, current an associate justice, to be chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. That in itself is fine, as Justice Zarella is experienced and qualified. The problem comes with Gov. Rell's conduct, as she didn't even spend time to interview him about his aspirations, plans, idealogy, or anything. At least her legal counsel could have interviewed him.
The response of the Rell administration, from Adam Liegeot, a spokesman for Rell, was:
"There was no formal interview of Justice Zarella because Gov. Rell already knew him and knew of his years of state service. The governor already knew that Justice Zarella possessed an ability to issue opinions supported by the facts that were informed with fairness."
While it is true that Justice Zarella's record could, at least in part, speak for itself, it still seems unbelievable that Rell would not bother to interview the man she nominated to become the most influential judge in Connecticut. Now, she is receiving flak from both sides of the aisle. Republican Rep. O'Neill said, "Personally, I would want to sit down and look this person in the eye to be sure. It's not like they had worked side by side during the Rowland administration." The Democrats are even more critical than O'Neill, lambasting Rell for not show leadership.
As much I prefer to have Gov. Rell in office than, say, DeStefano, I'm no longer sure if the woman I voted for is the one in office. First there was her education proposal that was even too radical for the Democrat's agenda and now there is this, which reeks of utter incompetence. Even if a qualified job applicant was likely to land a certain job, I would expect the manager of the business to interview him. Doing otherwise is careless and irresponsible.Dodd Gets Glowing Coverage in the CourantSen. Dodd has essentially no chance to win the Democratic presidential nominee. His poll numbers are lower than the margin of error, he is overshadowed by better-known New England liberals, and he has assembled a second-rate campaign team. So what you do expect the Courant to say about his presidential run?
If the presidential primary process is a marathon, and people, in fact, judge candidates as they would friends, Dodd probably has some momentum.
What? Maybe he started campaign a little earlier than some of his competitors like Hillary, but even if he is running and she is walking, his starting line is still miles behind hers. Maybe in another year, Dodd could possible stand a chance, but this year is already packed with stars, namely Hillary, Obama, and Edwards, and with quality alternatives to the stars, like Vilsack. Frankly, I think Kucinich, given his radical stance on Iraq, will have more supporters than Dodd. He isn't a bad candidate per se, but he is just so unoriginal that he becomes inconsequential. He isn't a woman, he isn't a minority, he doesn't have a compelling life story, and he hasn't really achieved much of lasting significance in the Senate.
Of course, this isn't the story you see in the Courant. It's unclear to me why they are so desperate to portray he swan song in a positive light. I'm sure most of the editorial board supports either Obama or Hillary over Dodd. So can't they just report the reality? A better description would have been, "If the presidential primary process is a marathon, and people, in fact, judge candidates as they would friends, Dodd might just possibly have a modicum of momentum."News RoundupSorry for the lack of frequency of the posting in the last two weeks or so, I've been busy, posting will now resume regularly. I'll start with a news roundup of stories that I haven't covered.
Greenwich First Selectman Lash has been criticizing Gov. Rell's proposal to increase education spending. "I don't understand why this proposal is good public policy," Lash said. He's not alone.
Stonington is holding a community plan forum meeting on global warming and ways to address it.
The fines the government has been collected by charging residents for talking on cellphones while driving have totaled $700,000. However, about 9,000 cases were dropped, meaning the government lost $900,000 in potential revenue. Now, they are looking into ways to address that. How about dropping the entire bill?
The Courant has a new article about the backlash to Gov. Rell's new education proposal, and Rell's bizarre choice to remain completely silent after proposing the new spending. Gay Marriage Legislation Is a MistakeThe efforts of gay rights advocates to legalize gay marriage here in Connecticut have been covered extensively in the news lately. Supporters plan on introducing a bill this year and using vast amounts of money to sway the opinions of the public and legislators. However, this is a large mistake, and I believe these efforts will be futile.
Aside from the political problems that I have with such a bill, there are large strategical ones for introducing such a bill now. The advocates think that following the civil union law, which was passed two years ago, will give them momentum. Instead, I think people are tired of the ceaseless attempts to bring so-called gay rights back into the news. Gay marriages are now effectively equivalent to regular marriage in the state, with both being granted equal state rights. Trying to argue for a new term for civil unions, especially so soon after the last bill was passed, will be looked at as a foolish attempt focused on minutia.
Next, there still is a Republican governor, and as liberal as Gov. Rell is, she would never sign a gay marriage bill as long as she considers herself a Republican. The legislator has essential no chance at overturning a veto by Gov. Rell, so the overall attempt is merely a waste of time.
After this effort, Connecticut residents will be very much tired and annoyed by the constant barrage of news about gay marriage, and the gay marriage advocates will be unable to bring back such legislation for at least several years, probably until the governor is a Democrat. Dodd Gets Cold Reception on Campaign TrailAs is to be expected, Sen. Dodd has generally received a cold response on the campaign trail. People don't necessarily dislike him, they just don't really know enough about him to care. And with several Democratic stars already or likely to be in the race, they don't really see a need to care about minor players like Dodd. Even Imus, on whose program Sen. Dodd announced his candidacy, told Dodd that he wasn't going to vote for him.
Dodd will need to make a unique and inspiration pitch as to why he is going to be the best choice for the next president. Right now, he isn't making it. He told the Courant:
"There's an obvious sense of urgency people feel today, a sense of unease, and it's not just about Iraq. There's a desperate cry for leadership, and I'm fundamentally optimistic.
"We're not beyond the point where things can't be done to make the country better. But you have to know how to lead and have the capacity to bring people together. "
Dodd seemed unfazed by his underdog status. "There's a pace to all of this. ... It's 12 months and basically four states," the early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
As far as the Democrats go, he'd probably be a better president than, say, Hillary Clinton, but that isn't saying much. I predict he'll drop out after the first four states and won't get nominated for the vice-presidency.Connecticut Politicians on Rise in TroopsSen. Joe Lieberman is one of the only Democrats, if not the only Democrat, who has been willing to support President Bush's call for more troops in Iraq. The leadership of the Democratic Party is against the increase in troops. Harry Reid is now urging senators to reject any plans, having once said that he would "go along with it." Sen. Lieberman explained his position:
This moment cries out for the kind of courageous leadership that does what it can to succeed and win in Iraq, not what will command the largest number of political supporters in Congress. The battlefield is in Baghdad and Anbar, not in Washington, and we need to support the president as he goes forward, hopefully, with exactly that kind of new initiative in Iraq.
...
The worst thing that could happen here is that there be some kind of attempt to resolve this pivotal moment where they compromise among factions in American politics and in the American Congress, rather than doing what is right and has the highest prospect of succeeding in Iraq.
Rep. Shays, on the other hand, has expressed skepticism about the plan. Others, including former military generals like Colin Powell, have also expressed skepticism. At this point, I believe Lieberman is going out on a limb supporting the President before the plans have even been released. With people like Powell unsure about the potential success for such a decision, I think Shays' opinion is far more rational.News RoundupWhat are some of the final stories of 2006 in Connecticut?
Connecticut is the 49th state in income growth.
Rep. Larson talks about his true self:
Make no mistake, though. Larson is a Pelosi loyalist. "We're not joined at the hip," he says, "but I'm one of the top 10 she calls for advice, and that's a good thing. I don't think she's going to fail."
I don't believe most people would consider that to be a good thing, and if the Republicans would only field a decent candidate against him, at a minimum he would be forced to become more bipartisan.
Joe Lieberman decries inappropriate video games while receiving campaign contributions from companies that produce such games.
Sen. Dodd wrote an article for the Des Moines Register discussing his anti-war beliefs.Lieberman Site Never HackedApparently Sen. Lieberman's claims that his website was hacked on the night of the primary are unfounded:
The U.S. attorney's office and state attorney general have cleared former U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont and his supporters of any role in the crash of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman's campaign Web site hours before last summer's Democratic primary.
"The investigation has revealed no evidence the problems the Web site experienced were the result of criminal conduct," said Tom Carson, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal confirmed the joint investigation "found no evidence of tampering or sabotage warranting civil action by my office." Both men declined to provide additional information, such as what might have happened to the site.
I don't think many people still believed that the website failure was due to hacking after it was uncovered that Lieberman's team had used an extremely cheap and unreliable company for hosting. It's a shame that we had to waste tax dollars investigating this, and Lieberman should apologize for his baseless accusations. While it was opportune for him to publicly blame "Lamont supporters" for the website failure, it would have been far more honest to admit that he didn't know what had caused the failure and that it would be investigated.Dodd's Trip to Syria a MistakeSen. Dodd's latest trip to Syria has received the ire of the President, but has gotten him in the news. Tony Snow explained the President's position:
"A lot of times, you know, a member of Congress may think, `Well, I'm going to go there and I'm going to tell them exactly the same thing. I'm going to take a tough line,'" Snow said. But, he added, "You can take a tough line all you want, but the Syrians have already won a PR victory. And so it's important to realize that in this case, it is not that there is a want of communication. We do have diplomatic relations with the Syrians, and they do know what our position is, and that position is not going to change."
The United States has strained diplomatic relations with Syria because it backs Hamas and Hezbollah, which the U.S. regards as terrorist groups. Dodd had wanted to visit Syria in April, but was discouraged by the State Department. This time, the department did not object, but officials were also not enthusiastic.
It seems to me that Dodd is desperate for attention and credibility in anticipation of his presidential bid. He'll be traveling with John Kerry, a politician well-known for his liberal beliefs. At this point, it is unclear how Dodd is trying to position himself for his presidential run. Will he try to run as an experienced statesman capable of bringing a divided country together? Or, more likely, as a liberal senator from New England who will appeal to the Democratic base? Unfortunately for him, Hillary Clinton already has the position largely staked out, so perhaps Dodd is trying to go even further to the left of her, as evidenced by his trip with Kerry.The Courant's Perspective on SimmonsThe latest Courant article on Rob Simmons is quite interesting. Simmons was one of the best members of Congress, and I think even Democrats are a little disappointed that such a well-respected representative will be leaving. Will he be coming back?
He might be the most upbeat beaten candidate in Washington. All this despite his loss, by less than 100 votes, to Democrat Joe Courtney last month.
Simmons makes it clear, above all, that he is ready for more political combat. Unlike most of his soon-to-be-former colleagues, he's not complaining. The Vietnam veteran and former CIA operations officer has been schooled to absorb the blows. He understands you suck it up when you're down and get ready for the next mission.
Simmons won't rule out another run in 2008; nor will he reject the idea that he could be Connecticut's Republican chairman, as was raised as a possibility last week. He'll continue to live in Stonington, hoping to find work "in the industry," meaning something to do with veterans' affairs, military strategy or intelligence work. Old soldiers never die, and they fight like crazy not to fade away.
I interpret that as a 'yes.' To me it's clear that Simmons has every right to run again after managing to lose in closest race for Congress in America, despite having run in a liberal district with a hostile national political environment. This will be a crucial term for Courtney, to see if he can establish himself enough before facing Simmons again. This time around, Courtney won't have national political trends to rely on.Car Tax Will StayAt this point, it appears highly unlikely that Gov. Rell will ever be able to get her car tax idea passed. The legislature is overwhelming liberal, so they are disinclined to support it to begin with, and recent news that we may be facing a large budget deficient means that the state government will be extremely reticent about removing any tax.
The state could have a budget deficit of at least $500 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year, which Gov. M. Jodi Rell said today could require some cuts in state services.
If spending continues at its current rate, state budget director Robert Genuario projects a deficit of $500 million to $700 million for the next fiscal year to provide the current level of services.
"We're going to have to talk about what we want as priorities, and what we will be able to afford, and it won't be all at one time," Rell told reporters Friday after a meeting of the state Bond Commission. "It may mean the possibility of some cuts in current services." News Times
I don't think Rell is willing to publicly admit defeat on this, but her car tax idea is all but dead.News RoundupAnd after a brief break, I'm back.
Rob Simmons' future is up in the air for now. Will he become the state Republican chairman? Or run again for his seat? Or maybe both?
All of our U.S. congressmen are calling for changes in Iraq, as prompted by the Iraq Study Group report. "The Iraq Study Group is providing momentum for changing the course at a critical time for the future of Iraq, and we need to move quickly to review its recommendations," said Rep. Christopher Shays. Rep. John Larson said, "I hope the president will listen to these recommendations and work with Congress to set a new direction for Iraq."
Finally, the Republican-American has an editorial on Connecticut's energy problem, and points to Congress as part of the problem.
BloggingSorry about the light posting. Blogging will resume as usual next week. Until then, you can amuse yourself by reading about Dodd's presidential bid. Happy ThanksgivingWe could be the most liberal state in New England, even though we do have one Republican in the House. Connecticut is giving massive sums of money to catalyze state stem cell research. Now, gay marriage is before the state Supreme Court. In some slightly more felicitous news, there is increased speculation about a McCain/Lieberman ticket in 2008. It seems unlikely, but you never know...
Happy Thanksgiving. It's Official: Courtney over SimmonsThe race for the U.S. House in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District has finally come to an end. On Election Day, it was impossible to call, with Democratic challenger Joe Courtney marginally ahead of Republican Rep. Rob Simmons. For the past week, counties have been recounting, at one point discovering a miscount that had added 100 votes to Courtney. Now, more than one week later, the results are in. With about a quarter-million votes cast, Courtney won by 91 votes and Simmons has stop further recounts and conceded.
The fact that Rep. Simmons was able to do so well in a Democratic year is a testament to his character and values. He would have been one of two Republicans from New England in the House. He has consistently been the House Republican in the most Democratic district. If Democrats weren't able to gain that seat this year, they never would have been able to.
The smallest of things could have sent the race either way. If Rumsfeld had resigned before the election, Simmons would probably have won. If Simmons had run a slightly different ad campaign, or made one more speech, or any number of things, he could have won. But it serves no purpose to lament now.
Simmons had been the congressional leader on military affairs. A special forces veteran with combat experience in Vietnam, he also served in the CIA and received a degree from Harvard. He was the consummate congressman, regardless of party affiliations. I'm truly disappointed to see him lose. Hopefully we'll seen him again in two years. How Shays Got Re-ElectedRep. Chris Shays was certainly one of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress. He represents a liberal district, had become closely linked to the Iraq War, and was running against a woman whom he had only narrowly beaten in 2004. He has now visited Iraq a total of fourteen times, often coming back extolling the progress of Iraq. Now, with Iraq's progress stagnating and frustrated Americans calling for change, he seemed like the perfect candidate for the Democrats to beat. But they didn't.
Granted, the race was extremely tight, and Shays edged out challenger Diane Farrell with only 51% of the vote to her 48%. But he didn't lose. Rep. Nancy Johnson, representing Connecticut's Fifth District, was running for her thirteen term. If any Republican was thought to be unbeatable, it was her. But she lost, receiving only 45% of the vote. Rep. Simmons, representing Connecticut's Second District, seems to have lost a bitterly contested race to Democratic challenger Joe Courtney. Though no winner has officially been announced, Courtney is ahead by 200 votes. Of the three Republican congressman in Connecticut, Shays was thought to be the most likely to lose. What happened?
First, his challenger was far from perfect. Farrell's main issue was the Iraq War, but her own stance has been controversial. At one point, several years ago, she had supported the war. Now, she was running as staunch anti-war candidate, a switch that reeked of hypocrisy to many voters. Also, Farrell has made statements like "we have aided and abetted Al Qaida and terrorists" that outraged liberals and conservatives alike.
Rep. Shays can be considered a moderate, but Farrell is most certainly a liberal. For voters, Shays was moderate enough, "un-Republican" enough, to be re-elected. He has carved a niche in Congress as a being an independent maverick in the mold of Sen. McCain (McCain even campaigned with Shays), and voters felt that Shays was far enough from the President to deserve re-election. Maybe what Shay's re-election can tell us is that voters weren't intent on electing Democrats to Congress time term. They were focused on voting out Republicans, and Shays has been liberal to the point were he can hardly be called a Republican anymore. Lieberman WinsFox News and CNN are calling Lieberman to be the winner. Details to come... Simmons and JohnsonInitial reports:
Simmons up.
Johnson down by a lot.
Developing... Victory for RellThe AP is reporting that Gov. Rell, as expected, was re-elected. The final results yet for the race as still unknown.
Update: Story in the CT Post. The Schlesinger FactorRegardless of what many state Republicans want, Alan Schlesinger is not going to win the election. He is trailing far behind Lamont and Lieberman. However, Schlesinger, who has been polling in the single digits, will likely get double digits on Election Day. Rumor is that Schlesinger's internal polling has him around twenty percent. It seems unlikely that Schlesinger's campaign has enough to spend money on poll, and Schlesinger's campaign manager, Dick Foley, had denied conducting internal polling. But, whether or not it has been substantiated yet, twenty percent is easily in the realm of possibility for Schlesinger. Next to Jodi Rell on the ballot, some voters will just check off across the top line, neglecting to search out Lieberman at his lonely position at the bottom of the ballot.
Hypothetically, if Schlesinger gets 20%, and assorted minor party candidates 1-2%, Lamont or Lieberman has to break 40% to win. Lamont has typically polling in the upper thirties, Lieberman is usually over 40%. Indications point toward Lieberman here, but it would be an extremely tight race. Anything less that 20% for Schlesinger and Lieberman wins with a safe margin.
However, if Schlesinger does tremendously well, Lamont could win. Most of Schlesinger's votes are Republicans he regained from Lieberman. Lieberman is trying to cater to Republican votes but plans to caucus as a Democrat, a very precarious position to take. While his support is broad, it isn't particularly deep. If Schlesinger gets about a quarter of the vote, Lamont will probably win.
There still is time left to vote and keep Lamont out of Congress. Go if you haven't! Quote of the WeekChris Healy, Rob Simmons' campaign manager, in response to Ben Affleck campaigning for Joe Courtney: "Rob Simmons doesn't do Hollywood, he does a reality show called Congress."
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