Thursday, March 23, 2006

Open Forum

Looks like an internal feud among Hartford Democrats may lead to Hartford having no delegates at the convention this May. Oops.

Seriously, though, that could be big, big trouble for Dan Malloy. He needs all the delegates that Eddie Perez can send his way.

Colin McEnroe blogs about his interview with Lieberman yesterday, which is generating a lot of buzz on the sorts of sites that don't like Lieberman much.

Speaking of Lieberman, he met with workers at Electric Boat yesterday and says that he'll try to get more money for sub production.

What else is going on?

67 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those Sikorsky guys (and gals) are screwed, huh. The company holds all the cards; they have no reason to sweeten their offer. Didn’t the union see this coming?

It’s been over a month, and the company hasn’t budged.

Looks like the union led over 3000 workers to unemployment.

Anonymous said...

DF84--

My bet would be "D", 300-500K/yr. Hadassah made $300,000/yr in speaking fees alone following the 2000 election. (Some one can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe she was getting paid $15-20,000 an appearance.)

So I can't imagine she would settle for anything less than that, particularly when taking such an unseemly job with a shadowy outfit like H & K.

Anonymous said...

"king Perez" really screwed the pooch, didn't he?

Anonymous said...

So let me get this straight;

1) Hadassah works for Hill and Knowlton,the firm that was responsible for the phoney story about Iraqi soldiers throwing babies out of incubators in gulf war one,as a lobbiest for big Pharma companies.

2)
a coupler of weeks after Haddassah takes this job Senator Lieberman sponsors a bill that would extend all major patents for these same Big Pharma Companies and give them other breaks to the tune of 7 BILLION DOLLARS if they make and store drugs for a biological attack and this guy has the nerve to say he has integrity?

I think the people of CT deserve to know how much MRS. SENATOR was paid to get MR. SENATOR to do her clients bidding.Don't You?

Genghis Conn said...

Disgruntled_Republican,

Looks that way, although this disgruntled 3rd District slate seems mostly to blame.

Dan Malloy shouldn't worry too much, since all of Waterbury (Jarjura, Vance and a bunch of others) just endorsed him. That's guaranteed to be a big chunk of delegates.

Anonymous said...

ANON3:30--

You aren't talking about this editorial as published in the New Haven Register on 4/28/05:

"Lieberman Crafts Drug Company Perk".

I'd link to Hill & Knowlton's March 2005 announcement of Hadassah's hiring, but their website has been scrubbed of any Lieberman references. However, you can still read about it here, at the Washington Post.

Have you no shame Senator Lieberman, have you no shame?

Anonymous said...

With Hartford on balance, Meriden, West Haven, now Waterbury and Bridgeport (my guess) favoring Malloy - DeStefano's delegate countdown for the nomination is on hold in a big way.

Anonymous said...

Screw all those Sikorsky workers. They have basically killed the ability for unionized workers at any other UTC company to threaten a strike.

They were offered exactly the same package that every other salaried employee (and most of us laborers) at UTC has. But no, they didn't want to pay ANYTHING into their coverage. I hope they do get squeezed the hell out. Their leadership totally f-ed them.

Anonymous said...

^

I would have to say less "holding", and more "skrinking".

Great to hear the campaign is retaining the support of CT's big city leaders.

They are the places with the real "red meat" when it comes to delegate count, which bodes well for the nomination.

And they are the location of pre-established campaign networks and systems, which bodes well for the general election.

Go Dan!

Anonymous said...

Why are helicopter builders represented by truckers?

UTC/Sikosky played them like fools, and now over 3000 blue-collar workers are out of jobs. But hey, that anti-Walmart bill is still alive. Go union!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Lieberman's FEC filings are incredible.

Purdue Pharmacueticals' Sackler family gave Joe over $15,000. (NYC)

Palm Beach's Edward & Judith Steinberg gave $8400! ($4200 each, which would be maxing out with $2100 to the primary, and $2100 to the general.)

William Sterling of UBS chipped in $4200. Claire & Meir Stampfer of Brookline MA gave $7600. Cameron Sisser of Miami gave $4000. (pretty good for a student.) And his dad Eric gave another $4000!

What's up with Larry Silverstein? (the guy who owned the Twin Towers) He only had two $1000 contributions for Joe. Heck the Seligs from Atlanta more than tripled Mr. Silverstein, with $7200 given to our CT Senator!

Laguna Beach's Schulman coughed up $12,600. The Schiffrins of Wynnewood PA tossed in $8400. The Samuels of Newport Beach, CA $10,500.

Guys, this is just the "S"'s. Utterly amazing. And I wonder how many of these country clubbers are also Bush donors.

Anonymous said...

Your link didn't work.

Try this link.

Everyone should take a quick look at where Senator Lieberman's money is coming from. Three-fourths of it is from out-of-state. Maybe that is why Joe so often seems to be representing people other than us nutmeggers.

Hopefully the media will call Joe out on this.

Anonymous said...

I bet those out of state contributors get better constituent service than we do! Dodd is pretty good about answering both calls and mail. Lieberman's office could seemingly care less. I guess if you're just a lowly CT voter, you don't count for much in Joe's scheme of things.

Anonymous said...

who cares if Joe gets his money from out of state? How many CT legislators get their money from out of their districts...are they all bad people? All that matters is if he is doing a good job or not.

Anonymous said...

how much local money did Tom Dashcle take in?

yep, now it's an issue. I suppose libs in Westport and Greenwich ought to stop holding wine soirees for broke red state liberals since if it's wrong to have out-of state contributions to CT pols, we ought not give money to pols elsewhere in the country

Unless these folks are hypocrites

Anonymous said...

If you work(ed) for Sikorsky, start boning up on Atlanta sports trivia

Anonymous said...

On Lieberman's presence at Sikorsky: Interesting to see that he has received $8,500 from Sikorsky executives in the last three years.

On Vance: Let's see - he raised a whopping $20,000, disappeared for weeks at a time, and dropped out. That'll show Nancy!

The cookie bill has crumbled. New Britain State Rep. Tim O'Brien announces on Tuesday. The Green Party has filed to run candidates for statewide office, including Atty General, Secy of State, Treasurer, and Senate. Don't ask me why.

Anonymous said...

Can't get to the full article without paying, but saw this clip from the March 16 Republican American:

Rep. John Mazurek, D-Wolcott, is no longer the Democratic frontrunner to challenge Republican Sam Caligiuri in the 16th District Senate race. David Zoni, a first-term Southington Town Councilor, appears to have the necessary votes to be the Democrats' choice for the state Senate seat, which Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Cheshire, will vacate in November.

Anonymous said...

Blessing in diguise for Mazurek. That seat will go Caligiuri. Zoni wins by losing, being a councilman running for the Legislature, whereas Mazurek gives up a safe seat to take a shot against a tough opponent.

What is funny is how Cheshire has rolled over for Southington thanks to Murphy moving into town. Liberals. They never learn.

Anonymous said...

Diane Farrell's Web site gets slightly less boring with a new podcast and sort of a blog - no comments allowed. Unlike every other campaign, she doesn't list any events on her site (??).

Anonymous said...

"Unlike any other website", Diane doesn't list any events online?

You're kidding me, right? Unlike Joe Lieberman, Diane isn't scared to come out openly and in public. God knows why she, Malloy, and Lieberman all share the Roy O team.

Anyway, Joe is the only "Democrat" running scared, in the entire state. Must be because of Bush's love of Joe, for which Lieberman takes no responsibility.

Anonymous said...

OK, Joe's site is worse, but we shouldn't set the bar that low. Isn't it weird that she is the only Democrat (besides Joe) who doesn't even publicly promote her own fundraisers and public appearances? You have to call to find out? I don't think she's hiding - I think her campaign is just stupid.

Anonymous said...

Although some people don't like the Cappiello post, I am hearing that many in the Senate are asking him to step up to minority leader.

Dave probably doesn't want to disrespect Lou Deluca and start a war over it. If lou was any kind of a guy, he would step aside for the good of the party the way Ward did for Cafero and give the much younger Cappiello a shot to revamp the Senate. The party does need some new leadership and Dave would do a good job.

Anonymous said...

Mike CT: thank you for the state cookie link, more importanly from the story was this The bill also included a provision allowing the state Department of Mental Retardation to study changing its name, which advocates have pushed for, to the Department of Developmental Disabilities.
The name change has been pushed back to July 2007, giving the department time to look at the issue and report back to the legislature.
It is step one to modernaization since even the Keenedy's Special Olympics have dropped the "retardation' label, which has little basis in the modern understanding of mental health challenges. Our Natioanl Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health at HHS found
still uses the retardation word but less and less. What I'd really like to see happen is for DMR to be absorbed in to DSS and for DMHAS get its policy from DPH and have its programs put in DSS as well but who wants to consolidate CT government to make it perform better and cost less?
And who ever asked the question about the truckers (Teamsters) rep helicopter workers, if I am not mistaken they also either represent govt. workers in stamford or at least tried to,

Anonymous said...

Joe's tirade against Colin McEnroe backfires in the Courant today and gets Lamont thousands more in contributions.

Mayor Perez's need for total control continues to embarrass him.

Aldon Hynes said...

For a follow-up on the feud in Hartford, please read today's story.

It looks like Perez has succeeded in disenfranchising voters from the third district.

This may have resulted in a few more delegates for Malloy, however, it also enforces the image of Perez and his supporters as disregarding the will of the voters, particularly in the third district where Perez’s slate lost to the people he is excluding from the delegation.

Yes, it may turn out that this is perfectly legal, just as people maintain that Bush’s efforts to avoid counting of ballots in Florida was perfectly legal, but it doesn’t make it right.

Most of you know of my friendship with Dan and my role within the DeStefano campaign. I will also note that I consider Nick Carbone a good friend and I’ve never met Eddie Perez.

I don’t know what happened in Hartford, but I do believe that Dan has to be very careful about this. He could stand with Eddie Perez and give his opponents more material to claim that Dan is more interested in the old party politics that excludes grassroots participation. This will help people who like the DLC Dan story.

He could pretend this just didn’t happen and be compared to Jodi “I know nothing” Rell. Or he could take a principled stand and condemn Eddie Perez’s actions. This is a chance for Dan to show if he is really a leader.

Anonymous said...

Ned Lamont live on Thomas Hartmann radio show (10:06).

Anonymous said...

Joe Lieberman is being set up by the radical left. You liberals will be crying hard if Lamont wins the primary and them runs against Joe Lieberman as a Republican and cleans Ned Lamonts clock. Think your so smart? What will you say then?

Anonymous said...

Libs don't think -

I can assure you Joe will not be on the Republican ballot. I do however think if Ned wins there is a good chance that we will have a Republican Senator come November. Where Libs don't think is when it comes to voter makeup. CT has a large amount of U's and if Ned wins and Joe backs the R it could happen. They say history repeats itself...ask former Senator Weicker!

Anonymous said...

Jesus Christ, just when I thought you were coming around, Aldon! Can you say with a straight face that you would have the same things to say about the Hartford situation if Perez had endorsed your boss? And if Minnie Gonzalez was an endorser of Malloy and not DeStefano? Of course not.

So keep spinning, buddy. Calling for Malloy to condemn the actions of a very influential mayor (and one of the largest endorsers of the race so far), is just ridiculous, and it shows just how little your opinions and comments are driven by anything but campaign spin.

Anonymous said...

"Jesus Christ": nice that he makes an appearance on the blog, especially after all of the Catholic bashing of yesterday.

Anonymous said...

Amen.

Anonymous said...

The chief Donkeys and Elephants had breakfast with the Fairfield County business leaders yesterday and here is the Stamford Advocate with its take and the CT Post with theirs

There is also an excellent letter to the editor in the CT Post from a Wilton resident about why it is foolish to bank totaly on mass transit to mitigate highway congestion but the Post does not put its letters anywhere on line that I can find.

Anonymous said...

It is agood thing I check my work, here is the CT post link. I hate technology!! It always proves me to be human.

Anonymous said...

Ned Lamont overwhelmingly got the Greenwich DTC endorsement.

Aldon Hynes said...

Anon(10:30) You ask, Can you say with a straight face that you would have the same things to say about the Hartford situation if Perez had endorsed your boss? And if Minnie Gonzalez was an endorser of Malloy and not DeStefano?

Yes, I can say that, and I sure wish other people would say the same thing.

I have disagreed with many candidates that I have supported and have criticized them for their actions, especially when their actions discourage grassroots participation.

I would hope that people who have been reading me here for a while will see the underlying theme. I want to support grassroots participation. It is why I love blogs. It has been an important factor in my support of many different candidates.

If you read my comments, you will see that this isn't about John or Dan. I actually have a suggestion that can have Dan come out of this looking good.

If he were to make a statement deploring Perez's actions and encouraging grassroots participation, I believe even his critics would have to admit that Dan is more of a leader than they thought.

On the other hand, if he doesn't it will serve to further alienate grassroots activists and I don't think that is what Dan, or any candidate should be doing.

I think what Perez did really stinks. It seems as if the Courant doesn't think very highly of it either and my guess is that grassroots activists also thinks it stinks.

Dan can look good or look bad. It is his choice.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of looking good, Diane Farrell does look good and she is at it again about the war here. Snore. The only thing the Congrees can really do other than apply pressure on Bush, such as the Senate did late last year, is cut off funding as they did with 'Nam. No way

Anonymous said...

"Americans should hold U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, and others in Congress who supported the war accountable, Farrell said during a meeting with the editorial board of The Advocate and Greenwich Time."

And yet she's endorsed Joe Lieberman for the United States Senate. Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Where are the Lamont people on this issue? Not that it matters, she's going to lose anyway, but it's typical that she gets a pass because she's a democrat.

Anonymous said...

According to the NHR here the mayors and first seectman stormed the capital to ask for more aid to their budgets.
No comment.

Anonymous said...

I know anon. 12:08, Joe didn't even vote with the 77 US Senators on John Warner's resolution, non-binding on Bush, that we need significant change this year. I don't like what shays often has to say on this and I've alwasy beleived we went in far to soon and the American people beleived it was for WMD's and WMD's that we went but Farrell is howling in the wind.

Try some other issuees for a change, how 'bout it. She has no idea where we will be in Iraq come November - but it looks like it will be better progress in what I acknowledge to be Bush's War.

Anonymous said...

Aldon- Explain how an feud in the Hartford Democratic Town Committee- the Party establishment in Hartford- the Party establishment that completely dominates politics in Hartford- has anything to do with grass roots participation.

If anything it would probably encourage grass roots participation.


Though, while I disagree with your assesment, I'm glad that you don't hide your campaign affiliation like many others on this site do.

Anonymous said...

to clarify my point-

Why condemn something that is totally unrealted.

"I condemn the eating of candy by the Hartford DTC. Let us hope this encourages the eating of steak"

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:23- are you talking about Senators or staff people? If you're talking about Senators, name them, your anonymous. My guess is that only Cappiello, his aide and his press person thinks he should be leader. No one on this blog cares about him, he's going no where.

Aldon Hynes said...

mod.dem.like.jfk, I think you hit on a very important point. From what I can see, the Hartford DTC, with the exception of the members that defeated Perez’s slate in the third district has very little to do with grassroots participation, and in my humble opinion, that is what is wrong with that DTC, as well as with many other Democratic organizations around the state and around the country.

We need a government of, by and for the people. Clearly, the Bush administration is not that. One of the big complaints about much of the mainstream Democratic Party machinery is that it isn’t either. I believe that if we, as Democrats, are going to win back the Governorship, if we are going to win back congressional seats in Connecticut, if we are going to win back the White House in 2008, then candidates need to reconnect with their constituents. I believe that this needs to be on a grassroots level.

Eddie Perez’s actions send a clear message. Even thought his slate was defeated in the third district of Hartford, he made sure that no one from the third district is a delegate. It sure looks like the old corrupt political party cronyism that is hard to distinguish from the Bush administration’s cronyism.

Does Dan want to appear to be just another political crony, the sort that Grandma Rell can easily defeat? Or will he be the sort of candidate that will inspire voters to get out and vote for him? Will he stand up for a government of, by and for the people, or government, of, by and for political insiders?

Someone asked if I would say the same thing to Mayor DeStefano, and I absolutely would. We need a Democratic Gubernatorial candidate who will be of, for and by the people and I would like to see both Malloy and DeStefano be much stronger on these points.

Unfortunately, any closeness between Malloy and Perez at this point may help with the old guard machinery, but in the larger picture is likely to hurt more than it helps.

My two cents.

Anonymous said...

the Perez affair is a non issue.

Anonymous said...

Aldon- I appreciate that point but the thing is both the Gov's primary and the Senate Primary is entirely about insider party politics at this point. Grass roots politics can heavily influence the inside game in many respects (and I think the Courant article today touches upon the Net-roots aspect of it as well) but ultimatly when it comes to the convention, your average run of the mill Democrat doesn't have much to do with it. Its the party insiders,loyalists and activists that got themselves elected to their DTC that make the call.

I don't think what Perez did was wrong at all, what Perez did was play good inside politics. Mayor Destephano has done it before (he works with an Alderman form of Government- He has had too) so has Malloy. That is the game, and if you play you play to win.

Perez won in this case, it just didn't go your guys way.

This is happening at DTC's all over the State where their are contentious disputes over which way to go with these primarys...and thats ok. Its inside politics because these things aren't necessarily meant to be news stories.

I'm suprised Hartford allowed press to be honest. my DTC lists the Delegate selection Caucus as open only to registered Dems in town, and the discussion was pretty heated and I think we were all glad that there wasn't any press there.

I've worked on campaigns before, and I know stuff like this can easily be used against another campaign. But let's call a spade a spade this is party politics this isn't about the will of the people...

that's why we have primaries and ways to get on the ballot outside of Party Conventions. (Thank God!)

Aldon Hynes said...

mod.dem.like.jfk: I truly appreciate your comments, even though I strongly disagree with parts of them. We need to have more discussions like this out in public.

That said, let me pick apart a couple things that you said.

"Delegate selection Caucus as open only to registered Dems in town" How many registered Dems are there in your town? There are a lot in Stamford. Enough so that delegate selection is a news worthy item. I think we would be better off if there was more press coverage of DTC meetings, caucuses, etc.

However, what I find more troubling is your comment, "this is party politics this isn't about the will of the people."

That gets to the crux of my objection. If we want a strong and vibrant Democratic Party in our state and in our country, and I certainly do, then it is about time that we start making party politics a little bit more about the will of the people.

Anonymous said...

aldon, i am wondering why you are bashing a democratic process. its a democratic process to become a member of your local dtc and a further democratic process to get named a delegate. just because it didnt go your way, there was no part of this process that did not have its roots in a fair and open democratic process.

Anonymous said...

Aldon says ... Will he stand up for a government of, by and for the people, or government, of, by and for political insiders?

That's awfully rich, coming from the blogmaster for the candidate of Frank Aiello, big labor and such noted populists as Kevin Sullivan!

Aldon Hynes said...

PMD: At least the way I read the Courant article, they seem to question the process as well. I question whether the rules are designed to make the process more or less democratic. If you have any experience in politics, you should know how rules can be used to make a process less democratic. It seems as if a lot of people think that it has made things less democratic.

Personally, I think an important part of the democratic process is questioning the rules and procedures that political organizations have in place. One of the problems with Bush is that he simply says, just trust me too often. It really worries me when I hear Democrats starting to sound more like Bush.

You may believe that what happened was fair and open. Personally, from what I've read in the Courant, it sure doesn't sound like it was fair and open.

As to anon(2:19), please go back and re-read what I've written. I am not defending Frank Aiello or Kevin Sullivan. I am actually saying that to the extent they promote activities that discourage grassroots participation, they should be criticized too.

Anonymous said...

aldon, at its root it was the most democratic of processes. DTC members are elected at an advertised caucus. if you are not selected, you can primary in an advertised election. once the dtc is formed, majority voting power rests with those who were selected. please show me where this is not a democratic process.

Aldon Hynes said...

PMD: At its root, you are right, and if we were being truly Democratic, you would think that Eddie Perez would not have blocked the people that defeated his slate in a primary from becoming delegates.

Go back and read what happend. Perez's slate lost to Gonzales' slate. Perez then used every trick in the book to keep the people that defeated his slate off out of the delegation, including having the meeting scheduled at a time that members of the slate that defeated his slate could not attend.

All within the rules, just like Bush did everything he could to prevent counting of votes in Florida. Yes, you can use the rules to thwart democracy. It sure looks like that is what Perez is doing, and people who care about democracy should be calling him on it.

Anonymous said...

aldon, it was not eddie perez who did this. it was the majority of the people elected to the Hartford DTC. thats democracy. if the majority of the DTC wanted Minnie's group represented, they would have voted in such a way. its called majority rules which is the guiding principle of democracy.

Anonymous said...

Political parties have nothing to do with democracy, they are based on concentration of power and their powers are granted by laws passed by the political parties and numerous traditions.

Anonymous said...

I heard today from a reliable source that Bob Farr will not be seeking re-election to his state rep seat.

Will be actively pursuing judgeship.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:29

Since you've got sources, Mmaybe you can tell me what republican senators want Cappiello to be leader since apparently anon 9:23 shoots his mouth and doesn't have the guts to say who.

Anonymous said...

I think Capiello wants to be the leader... not sure if anyone is supporting that move....

I would thing, IF Deluca were to step aside, Mckinney would be next in line.

Frankly,I think Fasano would be a capable leader.

Anonymous said...

From The Journal Inquirer.....

Jack Orchulli is back????

Jack, please GO AWAY.....

There may be two candidates for the Republican nomination for state treasurer, including a former Democrat who once appeared to win that party's endorsement for the post but later lost the nod in a bitter dispute over racial diversity.

Frank A. Lecce, a retired investment banker from West Hartford, and John C. "Jack" Orchulli, a former fashion company executive from Darien who ran against U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd two years ago, may square off before challenging state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier, a two-term Democrat, Republican State Chairman George Gallo said Wednesday.

Advertisement


Lecce, whom Gallo said had become a Republican about a year ago, was the first Democrat to enter the 1998 race for treasurer, in which invested at least $150,000 of his own money.

At the Democrats' nominating convention that year, Lecce, who is white, initially appeared to best Nappier, who is black, by two votes, only to watch his narrow margin disappear as delegates dramatically switched their votes in a ticket-balancing bid that gave the former Hartford city treasurer a 34-vote victory.

The Democrats had faced the prospect of having no black or Hispanic candidate on their statewide ballot for the first time in more than two decades after Americo Santiago withdrew from the contest for secretary of the state.

Lecce later complained bitterly that Dodd, the Democrat's 1998 gubernatorial candidate, former U.S. Rep Barbara B. Kennelly, and "union bosses" had conspired to steal his all-but-certain victory over Nappier.

He lost the subsequent primary election to Nappier by 15,000 votes, a margin Nappier attributed to Fairfield County voters who worked in the securities and finance industries.

Nappier in the 1998 election pulled off a narrow upset over former state Treasurer Paul J. Silvester, who was subsequently convicted on federal racketeering and money laundering charges.

Lecce struggled as a salesman for Phoenix Mutual Life and as a bond trader at Advest Inc. before founding his own brokerage, Connecticut Securities, which Nappier once hired to underwrite Hartford's bonds. The firm later became U.S. Securities and was gobbled up by a larger firm, earning him a reported $1 million buyout.

He took heat during the primary contest with Nappier from Democrats upset that he had contributed $250 to former Gov. John G. Rowland in 1994. He responded that he also had contributed the same amount to Rowland's then Democratic opponent, former state Comptroller William E. Curry Jr.

Lecce, who has formally established a campaign committee in Glastonbury, could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Orchulli, who was a political novice when he challenged Dodd, said Thursday that he would decide soon whether to seek the Republican nomination for treasurer or another state constitutional office.

Orchulli said he believed he had achieved some critical name recognition with his Senate bid and that he was determined to make another statewide race. He said he would have no problem with first matching up against Lecce.

Orchulli, who reportedly made millions when he sold his two-thirds stake in the Michael Kors fashion line, lent his Senate campaign committee $1.3 million in 2004.

Aldon Hynes said...

PMD: Keep singing your song, it was not eddie perez who did this. Maybe someone will believe you. Anon(9:51) points to the Courant article saying, Mayor Perez's need for total control continues to embarrass him.

The Courant describes the situation as the delegates chosen Thursday - with the blessing and choreography of Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez.

The article goes on to describe events with comments like,
Carbone's protests were often drowned out by McGregor's attempts to cut him off, which were prompted by frantic hand signals that Perez, the evening's silent conductor...By this time, Perez's hand motions to McGregor were in overdrive.


Yes, it was all 'democratically' done. It was done in a way that illustrates, as bluecoat says, Political parties have nothing to do with democracy, they are based on concentration of power or as mod.dem.like.jfk says, this is party politics this isn't about the will of the people.

So, yes, go out and defend Eddie Perez's actions. Defend party politics that isn't about the will of the people. If you think it will help Mayor Malloy, encourage him to take a stand against the will of the people as well. Personally, I think he, and most political leaders would do much better to try and get back in touch with the will of the people.

Anonymous said...

Southington Town Councillor David Zoni is now the Democratic candidate for the State Senate seat being vacated by Chris Murphy. Mazurek has dropped out.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Corky can have a long talk with Paul Hackett, looks like they both got treated the same way

Anonymous said...

Corky was going to lose anyway so its not like it matters. Zoni will now be the sacraficial lamb. Caliguiri is the next state Senator and now sits and waits until NJ retires.

Anonymous said...

Aldon,

why don't you tell mayor destefano to do the same thing-- take a stand on all the DTCs that are purposely excluding Malloy supporters from being delegates. How about you have him take a stand on Monday's New Haven DTC meeting being held right before his own fundraiser at SportsHaven and is when officers and delegates are chosen. Have him take a stand on the fact that Susie Voigt announced that she will not allow anyone who supports Malloy on her DTC to be a delegate. Have him take a stand on all the armtwisting and DTC stacking he's been doing all throughout the state. He and his campaign has been doing it. And if you are not aware of any of this, then perhaps you need to learn a bit more about your candidate. It is just shocking to me that you call on Malloy to take a stand on something that he did not engineer, but yet, your candidate has done some nasty things and you turn a blind eye to it. But then again, perhaps you're not aware of it and need to learn more about the person with whom you associate yourself.

Aldon Hynes said...

Tony,

If Susie Voigt pulls the same sort of antics that Eddie Perez pulled I will call her on it.

I hope the New Haven Register covers the New Haven the way the Hartford Courant has been covering the events at the Hartford DTC.

I hope that you and other bloggers expose heavy handedness the way the Hartford Courant has covered Perez's antic.

I think we need much better coverage of what goes on with all the DTCs and I've fought for that in various places.

Your point about Malloy not being involved in Perez's antics is a fair point. I hope he wasn't and that is part of the reason I suggested he should comment about it, to clarify that he wasn't.

The reason I brought up Malloy was primarily because of the rumors that he would be chosing Perez as a running mate. It may be that those rumors are false. I hope they are.

I think both candidates would do well to stand up for more grassroots participation. That includes bringing more scrutiny on what goes on with DTCs and caucuses.

It includes distancing themselves from heavy handed party insiders and reaching out to people who have fought hard for grassroots participation.

This isn't about a few delegates here or there, it is about trying to make the system work better for everyone. I certainly hope both Malloy and DeStefano will work to make the system work better.

Anonymous said...

Uh, no Aldon, it is about a few delegates here and there. At election time is about a few votes here and there. You just sound silly, because by now you don't get to be naive.

DeStefano and his allies are leaning on people everywhere they can. It has been pointedly said more than once in my presence that Mayor DeStefano is a "very vindictive man" when it comes to loyalty.

Your holier-than-thou protestations are pathetic and tedious, and worse because you are in the employ of Malloy's opponent.

And your dear friend Mr. Carbone literally makes a career out of manipulating party (and other) rules to suit his ends. Grassroots my ass. Carbone plays hardball and looks out for number one. Get a clue already.

Anonymous said...

Aldon isn't working for DeStefano any longer?/ I believe he is now the Internet guy for Lamont.

I also think he is wearing a few more hats, but maybe Mr. Hynes could help us out and let us know who he officially works for, and who he unofficially represents.

Aldon Hynes said...

You can get a more complete view of the various roles that I am taking on my personal blog.

Some anonymous people may find calls for more openness and inclusiveness tedious. Some anonymous people may repeat other anonymous hearsay about political people.

I am sure they will continue to find me as tedious as I find them.

John and Nick may also play hardball and be vindictive. I've not seen them wildly gesticulating from the sidelines, trying to cut off debate, or arranging meetings at a time when their opponents can't attend.

If you have, I encourage you to document it. That sort of behaivor shouldn't be condoned in any leader.