Hi Guys and Gals! Nice to be back where I won't automatically be piled on @ "Hello" just because I'm a liberal. I think ;-)
So are you sufficiently panicked by the upcoming Snowmaggedon? I had to look up "Thunder Snow". Can you spell A-W-E-S-O-M-E? Surely another sign of the Snowpocalypse.
But back to politics.
1) For some reason that I find extremely curious, Stu Rothenberg's Political Report has put the 5th CD in play, although still in the Democratic favored category.
After meeting with state Sen. Sam Caligiuri (R) and former state director of military affairs Justin Bernier (R), it's clear that Cong. Chris Murphy (D) can't take his reelection for granted.
Clearly no one can take their reelection for granted, particularly in a mid term election when people's pocketbooks are hurting. But here's why I think he's wrong:
Caligiuri has made enemies within his own party. It's not like he's locked up the support of the RTC's in the 5th. Far from it.
Bernier's a solid candidate, but he's got a fight on his hands before he even gets to Murphy. Not just with Caligiuri but with the other GOP candidates, most of whom don't register, but one of whom, Mark Greenberg, is willing to dig into his deep pockets for the fight.
Meanwhile, Chris Murphy is has $942K cash on hand as of the 4th Q, and continue to fund raise while he waits to see who survives the GOP primary free for all. As a comparison, Bernier has $200K on hand, Caligiuri, $70K and Greenberg $256K of which $150K is a personal loan to his campaign.
I'm not a big gambler (the stock market was enough to take care of that urge) but I'll bet Stu Rothenberg a beer that Chris Murphy is still the Congressman in the 5th come November.
2) The shape of things to come? South Carolina Republicans are uniting with Tea Party activists to "share resources, coordinate messaging and push the GOP in a more conservative direction".
"This is not something the state party by edict pushed down," Floyd said. "This is something the grass-roots pushed up with an understanding that we are stronger together than apart."
Floyd said that working with the groups accomplishes her goals of "growing the Republican Party, electing conservative Republicans and growing the strength of the party," though she was careful in describing what the party intends to do in working with the tea parties to elect more conservative members.
"What we mean by that is being ideologically in step with our platform of creating a small government and advancing individual liberty," she said, insisting that partnering with the tea parties would not block support for more moderate candidates.
Yeah. And if you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. But the CT Tea Partiers, at least one branch of them, are taking a different tack having registered the name with an eye to becoming a political party in the state, although not all the TP'ers agree with this strategy. Maybe we'll have a Tea Party Free for All!Oh Please...
Several people who attended Saturday's forum expressed skepticism at what they view as Simmons' fairly recent turn to the right.
"There's room for redemption, but he's got a ways to go to square his record with us," said Bob MacGuffie of Fairfield, founder of the conservative political action committee Right Principles.
MacGuffie doesn't buy Simmons' portrayal of himself as a fiscal conservative. "The whole Republican Party went off the deep end" during the Bush years, MacGuffie said, and Simmons "got swept up in that."
MacGuffie has even harsher words for one of Simmons' GOP rivals, Linda McMahon, saying that the former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO has "no record" to run on.
Guess they're not convinced by that Tea Bag Simmon's has been carrying around.
The Journal Inquirer and the Middletown Press are doing a great job providing readers with the latest on the horrific explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems power plant
CT Mirror's Mark Pazniokas has a great write-up on the status of Ned Lamont's exploratory gubernatorial campaign.
In response to a comment Lamont made in Pazniokas's piece in which he disagreed with the legislative's attempt to mandate that private businesses offer paid sick days, Dan Malloy issued a press release where he went on the attack.
"There are certain basic rights that should be afforded to any working person in Connecticut, and paid sick leave is certainly among them," said Malloy. "It's wrong that we would penalize workers - salaried or on hourly wage - for being ill. A person should not have to worry about missing a rent check or a mortgage payment because they catch the flu."
"Ned doesn't get it. Ned says he thinks '...we deal with sick leave just fine at the small-business level where I live.' But that's the problem: most people don't live in that world. Ned's statement shows just how disconnected he is from the concerns of the average working person in Connecticut."
"Providing paid sick days to employees isn't just the right and fair thing to do, it's also good public policy," continued Malloy. "Connecticut has tens of thousands of employees who work in food service and healthcare. Allowing those sick workers time to recuperate benefits the entire population. Additionally, allowing workers to take time to seek early treatment also means fewer trips to the emergency room for untreated illness - saving the state money.
"It's not anti-business. It's smart public policy, and it's the right thing to do."
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, now a Democratic candidate for state attorney general, has politically exploited her office's database of citizens' names assembled over the course of a decade at taxpayers' expense -- by having her 2010 election committee send unsolicited e-mails to thousands of people in the database in search of political support and campaign contributions.
It's my great pleasure to announce that saramerica from CT Local Politics has agreed to be a front pager here at My Left Nutmeg! I"m sure that everyone in the MLN community will agree with me that her writings will be a great addition to this site.
What else is happening out there?
UPDATE: Criticism directed at Ned Lamont's stance on paid sick leave increases. 32BJ SEIU Connecticut State Director Kurt Westby issued the following statement:
Does Ned Lamont really believe that Connecticut doesn't need a paid sick leave policy?" said Kurt Westby. "Too many workers are forced to choose between going to work sick or losing a pay day. As a result, too many working men and women put off seeing a doctor or taking their kids to one because they can't take off from work. Not only is this situation bad for sick workers and their families, but it puts other workers and the public at risk of contracting infectious illnesses. 32BJ is fighting for paid sick leave in Connecticut because it is critical to keeping our state and our economy healthy.
Today, the conservative leaning Rasmussen Reports released their latest gubernatorial poll that shows Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy leading their GOP counterparts in head to head match ups:
Thomas Foley (R) 37%
Ned Lamont (D) 40%
Some other candidate 9%
Not sure 14%
Thomas Foley (R) 36%
Dan Malloy (D) 37%
Some other candidate 10%
Not sure 18%
Michael Fedele (R) 33%
Ned Lamont (D) 41%
Some other candidate 8%
Not sure 18%
Michael Fedele (R) 35%
Dan Malloy (D) 36%
Some other candidate 9%
Not sure 21%
Although this is a right leaning poll that doesn't provide a proper breakdown of their polling data (besides the number of voters contacted), it is somewhat consistent with the latest more reliable Quinnipiac poll from late last month.
(The list of GOP gubernatorial candidates continues to grow... - promoted by ctblogger)
Chris "Both Ways" Shays is back from Maryland and on the verge of running for governor of Connecticut. If you had forgotten just what sort of character Shays really is, here are some more nonsensical comments from him.
Referring to the General Assembly Democrats during Governor Rell's speech on the budget, Shays said,
"The majority party (Democrats) sat on their hands when (Governor Rell) talked about being fiscally responsible. It's like they are in another world. It's like they can repeal the law of gravity,"
Really? Incredible that Shays has already forgotten that he served all during the Bush administration while the Republicans added more to the federal debt than was added from the beginning of the republic up to that time. He was serving on the Financial Services Committee in Congress while America's financial system headed into its greatest meltdown since 1929. It was Shays who stated, literally just hours before the meltdown began, that "Our economic fundamentals are strong. No one can disagree with that."
Jim Himes was the only Congress member from Connecticut to sign a congressional letter calling on the United States to press for the lifting of the blockades imposed by Israel and Egypt on Gaza.
The congressional letter, sent to the White House on January 21, expressed deep sympathy with the residents of southern Israel who were under rocket attacks from Gaza and stated that Israel's siege on the region was imposed "out of a legitimate and keenly felt fear" of terrorism. But it calls on the president to "press for immediate relief for the citizens of Gaza" via a list of measures that include allowing movement into Gaza and out of it, and by enabling citizens to gain access to food, building materials, fuel and other products that are now restricted...
Jewish groups from the left, including J Street, Americans for Peace Now and Rabbis for Human Rights, supported the letter with J Street actively lobbying members of Congress to sign it. The initiative also was backed by Arab and Christian Middle East advocacy organizations.
It was the right thing to do, and let's hope the moral courage Jim Himes has displayed here isn't a passing illusion.
From the Keith Olbermann sponsored free clinic today in Hartford. Rep. Joe Courtney made a brief appearance on The Ed Show, while his wife Audrey (a nurse) attended the event. I'm told Ned Lamont also attended.
I don't know what they are doing in Washington.
I know that there aren't any house members here and there aren't any senators here. And I can tell you one piece of information here in Connecticut, the house and the senate passed Universal care for everyone and the governor vetoed it. The public option in this state polls overwhelmingly well, but in Washington, Joe Lieberman, not only is he not here tonite, but he's against the public option.
7:17 minutes: I could look Joe Lieberman in the eye, and Senator, I don't care if it costs me my job, I don't care, you are a coward.
As you watch Gov. Rell's 2010 State of the State address, please join in the live blog and offer your comments.
UPDATE: Post has been updated and now includes video footage of Rell's address. Although the live blog is over, feel free to express your thoughts regarding the governor's remarks.
UPDATE 2: Responses to Gov. Rell's final State of the State address are coming in. Read what people are saying about the governor's speech below the fold.
In an effort to keep what I consider a great Connecticut institution going, at least in spirit, I have invited the front-pagers and regular commenters on CTLP to join my blog, Connecticut Political Reporter, as front-pagers. Two have accepted the invitation so far. I hope some MLN readers who also participate in CTLP will do do as well.
If your a medical professional who has some free time tomorrow, PLEASE volunteer at the free health care clinic in Hartford tomorrow.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal ruled on Susan Bysiewicz's request...and it's not good.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that the state law requiring 10 years' "active practice" as a lawyer before running for attorney general is constitutional, and that it takes more than merely being licensed as a lawyer to be considered as actively practicing law.
I'm still trying to gather my thoughts regarding the closing of Connecticut Local Politics (lets just say that I'm very upset over the whole matter). I'll post my thoughts on the closing of one of the most influential blogs in the state later today.
Chris "Both Ways" Shays is back from Maryland and on the verge of running for governor of Connecticut. If you had forgotten just what sort of character Shays really is, here are some more nonsensical comments from him.
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