Rell's being criticized for missing yet another National Governor's Association meeting. She really ought to try to go to at least one...
Rob Simmons joins those who are suddenly less sure about Iraq's future--and our future there.
State Democrats have been showing their support for striking Sikorsky workers.
What else is happening this weekend?
25 comments:
Sure, and if Rell goes to an out of state meeting, mostly sponsored by lobbyists and special interests, she'd be criticized for being there when there's work to be done here.
Why can't people just realize that there is nothing anyone can do to bring Rell's numbers down? Go to the meeting, or don't go...it doesn't matter. Her numbers will continue to be astronomical. It sucks, but it's true...this whole thing is boring as hell. Even if you asked JDS or DM what would need to happen for their numbers to improve or Rells to go down, I really don't think they could even say.
I'm as cynical as the next guy, but no one is going to be able to criticize a Governor for lobbying on her state's behalf and make it stick.
The fact is, she SHOULD have gone. Anyone else get a letter from her explaining how jobs are her #1 priority? She isnt exactly walking the walk folks.
Chris Dodd is showing some guts and building unlikely bipartisan alliances with a developing proposal for public financing of federal elections. Unfortunately, provisions in a related House bill, co-sponsored by Rosa DeLauro and others, would reportedly create barriers for third party candidates that are similar to those imposed by CT's flawed law. Another House public financing bill would not create these barriers (HR 3641).
More on the idea from David Sirota. Let Dodd know what you think.
Sistani, the Shiite cleric, is keeping his population in check in Iraq and he's never once met with an American official since the 2003 invasion. This time the Shiites are protesting on the streets but they are still not attacking. Iraq is balck and white.
As for Rell going to a convention where her elected peers might be and find out who she is. Why would she do that? She's not elected, she's got a rich constituency to tax at will as her predecessor did, and she's the least qualified of the other 49 members of the governors' association.
Johnny Rowland played big on the national stage. Jodi is wise to continue to be the anti-Rowland in this regard.
It is of more moment how she is perceived in Washington, CT than Washington, DC...she has her 81% where it matters
National Journal is out with their anlaysis of voting records.
Unfortunately for the lib ideologues who rant here constantly, the more objective out there find Shays, Simmons and Johnson are truly raving off the chart MODERATES
http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/house/lib_cons.htm?o1=con_composite&o2=desc
But why let facts let in the way of a good story
Somebody has created a hysterical video about Ned Lamont and another about the love affair between Joe and Bush.
The National Journal numbers are interesting, but they don't tell the whole story. We all know that GOP politicians in places where Bush is unpopular (read: Connecticut) are working to create an impression of independence (see Courant article). The real question is: Are they independent when it matters.
You'll certainly see Johnson, Shays & Simmons jumping on the opposition bandwagon on the "lost cause" issues, where their support would not be enough to make a difference (read: ports deal). And they'll get a "free pass" from the national Republican leadership to vote against bills on which their vote is not needed for passage (Shays on the pork-laden '05 Energy Policy Act; Simmons on the social-program-slashing '06 Budget Act). But every time they are really needed by Bush, DeLay & Co, they are there.
Take a look at Johnson's early and strong support for conservative arm-twister Roy Blunt to succeed Tom DeLay as Majority Leader. That kind of thing doesn't show up on a roll-call vote. Nor does it burnish her credentials as a "moderate."
There are no "moderates" in the Republican party.
Lowell Weicker Himself,one of the last,will tell you this Himself.
ct keith.....You say there are No Moderates in the Republican party? What's Jodi Rell? Do you consider her a Conservative or is she a Liberal?
Perhaps the usual suspects can explain why there are so many Red State Democrats to Johnson , Shays and Simmons's right?
Oh, I forgot, apart from simply declaring all Republicans hard-line conservatives they also seek to remove any and all elements of moderate thought from their own party.
Their version of politics is sorta like Henry Ford's vision of the Model T. You know , it only came in black.
We can have only one party, and all its candidates must be liberal
No wonder they like Hugo Chavez
Anon,
There are no Concervatves left in the Republican party either.
Explain to me how Exploding Spending,Exploding the federal government,Exploding the national Dept,Exploding entitlements and Exploding the Middle East Through a New Doctrine of Preemptive War is Conservative?
You idiots have been had and you still haven't figured it out.LMAO
Personally, I think the tendency to depend on labels like left and right, liberal and conservative are damaging civic engagement in our country. It is reducing issues to soundbites and discouraging people from really thinking about the issues.
To simplify things in terms of more or less government spending is sloppy. Where is the money being spent? Is it helping our country or hurting our country?
Likewise local versus regional versus statewide versus federal: It is too simple, IMHO, to say that the Federal government should do everything or that the local government should do everything. This is another issue that needs to be grapped with on a case by case basis.
Or, take pro-business versus pro-labor. I always that that companies needed workers and workers needed companies to work at. We need to be looking at whether specific issues are helping out businesses and their employees together or if they are creating damage.
As long as we fall back into the left versus right, Republican versus Democrat, red versus blue, black and white thinking, we will continue to see our towns, our state and our country decline.
My humble opinion.
I agree 100% with Aldon. I think that irresponsible media coverage, partisan behavior, and talk of "culture wars" is only damaging our civic capacity for well functioning democracy.
My quandary is this: IMHO, we currently have controlling all branches of government a group that is highly organized, tightly disciplined, well funded, and extremely partisan. Don't they need to be removed from power before we can move forward with a sense of civic engagement and nonpartisanship? And isn't any activity targeting their removal by definition partisan?
Catch-22.
CTK, what part of what you complain about other than Iraq has the Democratic party ever opposed?
Yes, they are the anti-spending and anti-bureaucracy party.
Riiight
Re; "exploding deficits", jeez, I see lots of support in your camp for Simmons, Shays and Johnson trying to cut the budget.
NOT
CTKeith...Ok so you say the Republican have no moderates and you followed up by saying the have no conservatives. You apparently believe that the Republican party is now a liberal party. If you are making that point, I would hate to admit it but you may be right.
No Ronald Reagan,
They are RADICALS and INCOMPETENT.Even Joe Liebermans Godfather William F Buckley has come to that conclusion.
There is at least one Republican in Congress that suggests that the Bush tax cuts should be postponed while we are spending what-is-it? 14.5 billion a month in Iraq. Spending on the federal level does need to be addressed but Iraq is a large part of the spending even if it is always by special appropriation. You all may remember that Iraqi oil was going to pay for the country's reconstruction and there would be no fighting just Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis waving flags in the street and throwing flowers while making love not war.
Johhny did play big, but you don't really think his colleagues thought much of him. His big deal was UCONN sports. The reason Rell should be going to the governor conventions is that she might pick up a best practice or two from her colleagues. Or is it she's too embrassed about CT being first in the nation on CFR when nobody else sees it that way?
And speaking of the former and current governor Ken Dixon of the CT Post must be trying to get a date Jodi because in this puff piece in today's issue he rails against the President of UCONN, Phillip Austin, and the Board of Trustees who back him for the screwups in the $2.3 billion rebuilding program Johnny and the legislature put in place but leaves out that the govenor is the chairman of the board. Rell's tough on corruption if somebody catches you but soft if you simply screw up!! Austin should have been history months ago but Rell has Morano on the case who will find Austin committed no crime and therefor desrves to stay but maybe with a week or two off without pay - she'll ask Phil how he should be punished just as he asked little Lisa..
Oh my god, that Lamont video is atrocious. Superman??? Please. He's just a rich white guy who has been convinced by a small group of activists that he is the messiah.
I hope after he loses to Lieberman in the primary he will use his millions to support other anti-war candidates.
So you voted for Jack Orchulli in 2004, right?
is that your best response? can you really be so stupid?
I thought Howard Dean said only Republicans were rich and white like his New York Park Avenue family.
Lamont would be superman to me if he worked on beating Rob Simmons the king of iraq.
What Rell is missing are opportunities to be heard. Her lack of involvement at this level is a no risk no loss/gain postion.
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