Saturday, July 29, 2006

Courant Endorses Lieberman, Malloy

The Hartford COurant has made up its mind about which candidates it would like to see win the Democratic primaries, Joe Lieberman and Dan Malloy:

For Lieberman:
In an era of exceptionally corrosive politics, Connecticut has the antacid.

We endorse U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary for his skill in bridging the partisan abyss in Washington -- a valuable asset.
...
Mr. Lieberman's rectitude, though it strikes some as self-righteous, is principled. He led the charge to tone down sex and violence in video games for more than a decade. His denunciation of President Bill Clinton's sexual misconduct helped make him Al Gore's choice as running mate in 2000.

As a champion of conservation and a protector of Long Island Sound and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, he disappointed many when he alone among Northeast Senate Democrats voted for the 2005 energy bill that did nothing to curb the nation's oil addiction or protect the environment.

But he voted with Democrats 90 percent of the time last year on key votes. It's the 10 percent, though, that could cost him the Democratic primary.
...
Mr. Lieberman's history of enthusiasm for military interventions overseas is an anomaly in a man famous for mediating among warring factions in Washington. But to dismiss this moderate -- a vanishing breed in a Congress sundered by extremism on both sides -- for dissenting on a single issue would be a terrible waste. And a mistake.

It would show an intolerance unworthy of any political party. ("For Experience")


For Malloy:
Although this is a tough call, Mr. Malloy, the party's convention-endorsed candidate, appears to us to be the best man to challenge Mrs. Rell. We base our recommendation on Mr. Malloy's innovative thinking, charismatic style and his record of getting things done in Stamford.
...
The Courant has challenged all the gubernatorial candidates to package their ideas into a visionary framework for stopping sprawl development, which empties cities, clogs highways, degrades Connecticut's quality of life and has contributed to the state's dismal performance in job growth. Both Mr. DeStefano and Mr. Malloy have made elements of anti-sprawl strategy a priority, such as improving transportation options, encouraging affordable housing, and speaking out against Connecticut's oppressive property tax system, which forces municipalities to compete for businesses and education funding and crushes homeowners.

But we believe Mr. Malloy would make the more business-friendly leader.

He has a compelling sense of urgency about the need to address looming obstacles to the state's growth. He has a deep understanding, born of paying attention to what works in other states, about what it will take for Connecticut to remain competitive and to grow smartly. He thinks and acts creatively.

Mr. Malloy has demonstrated consistently that he has the drive and know-how to go after his goals, whatever the obstacles. For the primary, he is the better choice. ("Choose Malloy")

Both articles are well worth reading in full. I won't comment on them now--I'll have plenty to say on both races when CTLP endorses candidates later this week.

Sources

"For Experience, Mr. Lieberman." Hartford Courant 30 July, 2006.

"Choose Mayor Dan Malloy." Hartford Courant 30 July, 2006.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Hartford Courant has nailed it with the endorsements of Malloy and Lieberman... It isnt over yet folks.

Anonymous said...

In the Senator lieberman endosement in the Hartford Courant, this last paragraph was right on the Money! Negative Ned is all finished!


"But to dismiss this moderate -- a vanishing breed in a Congress sundered by extremism on both sides -- for dissenting on a single issue would be a terrible waste. And a mistake.

It would show an intolerance unworthy of any political party".

Anonymous said...

The New York Times, Blumenthal, Nappier, Wyman and now the Courant inside a week. Not bad for Malloy at all. They're really turning it on coming up to the big day... starting to feel like the convention all over again. At this point, I think he's going to pull enough undecided Dems his way to take it on the 8th.

Anonymous said...

The Courant sure knows how to pick its Republicans.

Bush 2000
Bush 2004
Lieberman 2006

Anonymous said...

Prediction in from Clement Clarke Moore:

Twas the week before primary, when all through the state
Not a voter remembered, July’s turgid debate.
The mailing were flung in the garbage with glee,
In hopes that those ads would be off the TV.

Nutmeggers were nestled, all snug into bed,
Wondering if Democrats would run this guy Ned.
And Joe with his earmarks and the Bush sloppy kiss,
Would haunt all their dreams like Al Gore’s near miss.

And then “What about Rell?” I heard in the clatter,
But the governors race- it just didn’t matter.
Away down the Merritt, I flew like a flash,
Went straight down to Greenwich- home of Ned’s cash.

Ned told me “enough with that old GI Joe”
“He’s a clone of the Prez- or didn’t you know?”.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Governor Weicker, and the whole blogosphere.

I said to my driver, I feel bit a sick,
Let’s dash up to Westville and let’s do so right quick.
Joe himself raced to the front porch as soon as I came,
”Here’s a petition, will you please sign your name!”

"Now Boxer! now, Biden! now, Chris Dodd, Bill Clinton!
You know that they all would sign this petition!”
By tomorrow Ned will have my back to the wall,
Because in our state indies don’t vote till the fall!"

As the August heat breaks that before the last salvos fly,
The gubernatorial challengers both started to cry
So off to the voting booths the lever-flickers flew,
Asking who’s Dan Malloy and that other guy too?

And then, later that evening, I saw on the tube
That the Ned Lamont crowd starting dropping balloons.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chute the whole Democratic Party came with a bound.

Ned was dressed very poorly, from his head to his foot,
And he thought Joe’s campaign had just gone kaput
But the bundle of votes he had flung on his back,
Were a bunch of old lefties, just guarding his back.

Ned’s eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, ‘cause he bought the primary!
Joe’s droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
But there was something that nobody else seemed to know.

The stumps at the diners began to have teeth,
He hung Ned’s extremism around like a wreath.
He remembered how indies could be shaped just like putty
Even Bubba said that the Ned campaign was just nutty!

I swung down through Derby, some Exit off 8,
To check in on Alan, and he seemed just great!
A wink of his eye and a not an ounce of his spleen,
He bellowed “Guess what! I’ve just cracked 13!”.

On the Big Night, Rell went to her bash
And got really tired and was ready crash
The concession came in and they gave her the phone
She said “But I thought I was unopposed and alone?!.”

On then later that night, WTNH gave a projection,
And soon they announced Rell ran away with the election
But I heard them exclaim just at half past midnight,
"Senate race to close to call, and we won’t know tonight!"

Anonymous said...

FatGuy--
What's really nutty is Joe's blind arrogance. In most circumstances there would never have been a primary to a three-term, former V-P candidate. But what brough about the primary wasn't Ned, it was Joe.

Yes, a 1000 times yes, Joe's behavior since the Kerry loss has been all but incomprehensible. But the way Lieberman has behaved has absolutely begged for a primary challenge.

Clinton's "nutty" remark wasn't about Ned and Tom Swan. Instead it was about Lieberman's ridiculous campaign.

Anonymous said...

The Courant Curse continues....those endorsements are the same as backing JDS and Lamont.

Anonymous said...

Only in the context of the current proliferation of radical neocon thought, can Lieberman be described as a "moderate."

Fortunately for CT, most people ignore newspaper endorsements on either side, and vote their heart.

Anonymous said...

In 2004, the New York Times endorsed John Kerry and the Hartford Courant endorsed George Bush.

Kerry won in Connecticut 54-44.

In 2000, the New York Times endorsed Al Gore and the Hartford Courant endorsed George Bush.

Gore won in Connecticut 59-41.

In 2006, the New York Times endorsed Ned Lamont and the Hartford Courant endorsed George Bush, I mean Joe Lieberman. What do you think the outcome will be this time?

Anonymous said...

So the papers pick Malloy, and the unions pick DeStefano. This is a race about class. We'll see who ends up with the power to move the masses.

Genghis Conn said...

CSD,

Very true. The endorsements are going to work like this: I'll write up an endorsement, and another front-page poster will write up a dissent, or a counter-endorsement.

That way the full spectrum of opinion will be heard. I know I don't speak for everyone.

Anonymous said...

A race about class? I hope so.

The papers are much classier than the unions.

Anonymous said...

The Courant used two pieces of information in endorsing Malloy that if looked closely upon are really negatives.

For one, the jobs numbers that Malloy has been spreading, 5000 new, have been proven to be a lie by the major newspapers of CT, it be nice for the Courant to do their research, those numbers have been discredited.

Two, the Yale Cancer center delay wasn't a setback, it was a great accomplishment. And they're right, that wouldn't have happened in Stamford. Because DeStefano stood up against political pressure because of his conviction to help working people. That if they were to build a cancer center in one of New Haven's poorest district, they they would have to hire some of their workers from there. Now that's creating jobs...

Anonymous said...

I always thought the Hartford Courant was best used for a fire starter, trash liner or pet droppings. They shouldn't be endorsing people that they should be watching over!!! But,they do have a considerable amount of clout and enough people will follow their endorsements. That spells trouble for DeStefano and Lamont.

Anonymous said...

so making major development be delayed years so the developer has to kowtow to union demands is a good thing?

Yale-NH is a fixed operation and eventually wanted the deal bad enough to give in. But there are literally hundreds of possible locations for most businesses to transact business

They will not allow themselves to be held up by JDS and his union puppetmasters and will take their game to a more congenial locale

It's a simple choice; Short term pandering or long term praticality. But evidently most Dems think the reason Curry got beat twice was insufficent liberalism, not excessive liberalism.

Anonymous said...

The job numbers were discredited WoC. . . . it was in the New Haven Register. He over exagerated the claim on the job numbers - then used sketchy numbers from CERC to say that instead of 5,000 jobs - he's created 10,000 jobs!

Dan Malloy has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to job growth - Stamford still has about 1,000 more jobs since he's been mayor. But he shouldn't exagerate those numbers. Same thing goes for affordable housing.

Anonymous said...

Let's face the facts, Malloy's job numbers were exaggerated. The New Haven Register quoted experts as saying Malloy's numbers were completely misleading. But that's the guy's modus operandi. The guy's mayor of Stamford, don't brag about getting to home base when you started at 3rd. I'd like to see Dannel be mayor of New Haven.

That the Courant, a newspaper that has endorsed Bush(I just threw up in my mouth a little) would pick the estate tax cutting, Rovian politics running Dannel Malloy is no suprise to me. If I were the DeStefano campaign I would be proud to of not got the endorsement. The only endorsement that counts, are the people of CT, and will see who gets that one on Aug. 8th.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see DeStefano run New Haven without Yale bailing out his tukkus

Anonymous said...

The Courant is getting more and more conservative in its old age. I predict straight across the board Republican endorsements in November, aside from the constitutional offices where the Republican challengers are not credible.

The paper is losing all credibility on its editorial page by being so one-sided.

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

Anonymous said...
The papers are much classier than the unions.



Damning them with faint praise are we?

Stephen T. Zerio said...

The Washington Post sees it Lieberman's way...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/29/AR2006072900680.html?nav=rss_opinion

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:36 wrote:

Clinton's "nutty" remark wasn't about Ned and Tom Swan. Instead it was about Lieberman's ridiculous campaign.

Well,
Clinton, in a recent speech at the Aspen Institute conference, defended Lieberman and his staunch support for the war in Iraq. He questioned why antiwar Democrats are seeking to oust a fellow Democrat, saying that instead of seeking to retire Republicans they were pursuing "the nuttiest strategy I ever heard in my life." Journal Inquirer, 7/20

Um...ya see. Clinton, the last real WINNER we've had recognizes that this is but one path the will consign the Democrats back to McGovern-land. Ned won't win in the general with Joe there; he'll make the party look extreme, foolish and loserish. Instead of focusing on saving Patty Murray's seat, picking up Frist's seat, Allen's seat, Chafee's seat, saving Mendendez and dumping Santorum- all of the effort and election night drivel will focus on this. Thanks, Ned and Lowell.

Anonymous said...

Chris - READ THE ARTICLE. How many times are you going to defend the discredited job numbers? How many? A journalist did the work, the job numbers are discredited, and you continue to spin.

I can't wait for August 8th either.

Anonymous said...

The Register did run a story discrediting the jobs numbers. Subsequently, the editor of "The CT Economy", UCONN Prof. Fred Carstenson, has defended Malloy's claim. The Register pays too little to attract writers who can assess difficult economic data issues (owing, no doubt, to their anti-union position, ironic enough). I would have thought that a crowd as sophisticated as this one would see the numbers-sniping for what it is: background noise and desperation.

Anonymous said...

GC... you endorsing gov/sen, but what about others? how bout the smaller rep/senate races? Just something to consider.

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many would really care about local Senate or Rep races when Lieberman/Lamont are in the house.

Anonymous said...

malloy's honest campaign? excuse me while i guffaw. in the capital city more than one of the folks associated with his campaign have faced elections fraud charges.

as for the courant's "endorsement," everyone knows the parent company despises unions.

and when i say class, i mean socioeconomic, not etiquette.

Anonymous said...

Do any of you realize that you are essentially going back and forth writing "you're wrong, I'm right." With the insidious reply of "no I'm right, your point makes no sense." Grow a pair, make your opinion vocal, but don't put down others and repeatedly go back and forth with this nonsense. Better yet, get some lives, be active. Join a campaign that you 'pledge allegiance to'. Wanna make a difference in the political process???? Be more active than hitting your fingers on a keyboard. Does anyone realize how counterproductive this whole blog is???? Out of curiousity one day I came on here, and it makes me laugh how childish this is. Don't you feel 10 years old again with the onslaught of bickering? I hope so.

Anonymous said...

My analysis of the Courant endorsement can be acesed here: http://randomfirerocks.blogspot.com/

George Demetrion
East Hartford