Ted Mann at The Day reports that Gov. Rell's decision to sign the Senate Vacancy Bill is touching off something of a firestorm within a party that increasingly seems to think they've been sold out and hung up to dry on this issue:
House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, learned from reporters that Rell had signed the bill, and said he had received no indication why the governor changed her position.
"Maybe she completely changed her mind," Cafero said sarcastically, rattling off a list of potential explanations....
"It was clearly a political move," Cafero said of the Senate vacancy bill. "She said it was. For her to today sign that was a complete about face of which we had no prior notice, so I guess you'd have to ask her why."
After an initial "no comment" on the matter, Cafero is now voicing his displeasure widely, including to the AP:
"It came as a complete surprise to me and without any previous notice whatsoever that the governor signed this bill," said House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., miffed by Rell's decision....
Cafero said the previous system, with the governor filling a vacant seat, "had served us well."
"In defense of our governor, 48 out of 49 Republican legislators stood up in this chamber for over five hours - five hours - and defended the status quo system," Cafero said.
And it's not just Cafero - other Republican lawmakers and aides are going to the press with their complaints as well:
"This law is consistent with my long-held belief that we should take every action possible to involve our citizens in their government," [said Rell].
That language further infuriated some Republican lawmakers, who had fought hard to argue that leaving appointment powers to the governor was consistent with good government
All this open discontent within the GOP with their own governor - and over giving Connecticut voters more power to democratically elect Senators of all things - makes one wonder what Explore Cafero might actually be "exploring" these days. |
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