I'm responding because I'm bothered by postings on blogs that imply that I am somehow disrespecting John Orman (the original, sole member of the CFL) by running for U.S. Senate. I worked closely with John, and I have nothing but the highest respect for him and his memory. Last night I was able to dig up this email exchange with John, that shows he supported me running for U.S. Senate in 2010 (see below).
I also respectfully submit that I have accomplished more in regards to Joe Lieberman with my hard work as chair of the CFL for the last two years than any of the original members of the party could have hoped for.
I welcome civil engagement with anyone who wishes to communicate with me. I am not running for U.S. Senate for selfish reasons. I'm trying to bring calm, intelligent, non-partisan problem-solving to government. If people go to my website, www.Mertens2010.com, they will see the hard work I am putting in, and they can read my 30 position statements and solutions to long term problems. Instead of calling me names, people should read my positions and give me their opinions about them. Let's educate people about the huge, long-term problems that none of the Republicans or Democrats even talk about.
I wrote real party rules, created the CFL website, and held a statewide party caucus in March 2008. (An invitation was mailed to every registered member of the party, and more than 50% attended. Note: the members voted to endorse Barack Obama for President, NOT Sen. Dodd, as claimed by Sue Henshaw in a recent Hartford Courant article.)
Yes, we did endorse Obama, but only after it became clear that Dodd was no longer in the running.
The CFL Party was started by Sen. Lieberman after he lost the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont. The Senator neglected to join his party, and the wiley Prof. John Orman took it over. I was elected Secretary, and with our other members, we used the party as a vehicle to hold Joe accountable.
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