Sunday, July 30, 2006

Open Forum

If anyone is taking pictures of the last week of the primary campaign, and wants to see them published on this site, send them in! You'll get as much or as little credit as you want. Click on "about" for my email address.

What else is happening today?

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm getting concerned that Malloy is starting to get the momentum back. His direct mail from the last week has been terrific and he looks like he's getting ready to take on the Governor.

JDS is definitely the better candidate. Universal health care is a right for everyone. His support from labor unions and particularly public employee unions shows that he knows what is important. A JDS governorship will result in health care for all, and for public employees, it will be health care covered in full by employers, even in retirement.

JDS is married to a teacher who enjoys lifetime tenure. JDS no doubt knows the value of tenure and the security it provides to working families. I'm hopeful that he will see merit in extending tenure to all employees, but particularly public employees.

A tax on millionaires should also be part of his agenda. Shifting wealth from the haves to the struggling middle-class is an ideal of liberal Democrats like JDS.

An important component of any wealth-shifting proposal should include a state estate tax which would place limits on legacies. JDS is the only candidate out there who could be persuaded to endorse such a plan.

In short, JDS will prove to be the favorite son of labor unions and workers and it would be a mistake to support Malloy's vision of a business-friendly government which seeks to make the state stronger for business, at the expense of workers.

Anonymous said...

No matter is DeStefano or Malloy win...

The rift is deep... the campaign has been rough. I can't see hard core supporters of either (and being close to 50-50, even more important) supporting the other.

Labor will not support Malloy. DLC-types won't support JDS.

And factor in that whoever wins the primary will have fumes left in the bank account...

Anonymous said...

Ewl.

Anon 7/30 4:50 shows exactly why DeStefano will NEVER be governor. The sense of entitlement in the e-mail is over-the-top.

Universal health care is a RIGHT? Where does it say that in the constitution?

Labor unions take from everyone else and take for themselves. They are the monopolists of today.

Tenure allows mediocrity to flourish in the public sector, while those who succeed in the private sector do so on merit.

Honestly, I don't think JDS is quite the communist this post makes him out to be. But Malloy is definitely the more business-friendly candidate, and more credible to take on Rell.

Not that it matters-- Rell beats either of them.

Anonymous said...

gung ho public employee union support sure helped Governor Curry, now didn;t it

Anonymous said...

Lieberman people were out in forec at Danbury Mall today collecting signatures.. guess getting people beating the heat.

The young lady I spoke to, at about 3pm -- said they had collected alot -- and said they were at Stamford Town Center, too.

Anonymous said...

I love how Connecticut Local Politics has become a place where progressive ideas gets a ritual bashing. Is this a conservative political site now? Maybe we should call this "Connecticut Republican Politics?"

Universal healthcare IS a right, and if you think that labor unions are as corrupt as they once were during the 1960's then you've been sleeping for a while. No matter how you feel towards them, they're the only political entity that actually seeks to protect workers. If they weren't there, Let's see how many more Wal-Mart workers go on HUSKY.

"Malloy is more business-friendly" is Courant code for "he's more Republican and DLC so we trust him on backing corporations rather than working people."

Please remember, The Courant endorsed Bush in 2000 and 2004, and now they show their true colors again by endorsing DLC hacks like Lieberman and Malloy.

Anonymous said...

If progressive ideas are so good you shouldn't mind defending them on a blog.

This is "Connecticut" politics, if you want the liberal only playground stick to My Left Nutmeg

Authentic Connecticut Republican said...

Anonymous said...
Universal healthcare IS a right,


Yes let's run those pesky insurance company employers out of town on a rail.

.. if you think that labor unions are as corrupt as they once were during the 1960's then you've been sleeping for a while.

If you think otherwise you're smoking something other than tobacco.


Let's see how many more Wal-Mart workers go on HUSKY.


Seeing as a slew of primarly self-employed utilize Walmart as a part time employer soley to avail themselves their insurance...who do you think you're kidding with that nonsense?

Maybe Walmart should just fire everyone who's on the Husky plan and that way you folks (always out to help the poor aren't we?) will finally shut up.

Liberal - hypocrisy is your name.

GMR said...

"Universal healthcare IS a right"

Well, then, I guess we need to understand what your definition of a "right" is. The

Healthcare isn't free. Therefore, in order to provide healthcare to everyone, we are going to have to take from someone (via taxes) to pay the doctor so you can have your right.

So you now have the "right" to take from others to provide you with your right.

I'm not arguing the merits of universal health care, but instead am arguing solely on your view of what a right might be. If universal health care, or food, or education, or housing, is a right, then that means that the government has to take from someone else to give to you.

There may many valid reasons to provide education, housing, food or medical care to some or all of the populace, but I strongly disagree that these things can ever be construed as rights, since I do not believe that a right for you can impose a burden on someone else.

Genghis Conn said...

GMR,

And yet, I think a lot of people would agree that a basic education is, in fact, a right. It doesn't seem out of the question to me to think that basic health care should be a right, as well.

Anonymous said...

It seems like all the liberals have already left and become My Left Nutmeggers.

It's pretty obvious nowadays, since Lamont and DeStefano get torn apart here on CLP whereas they are treated favorably on MLN.

I think maybe CLP and MLN have taken two different approaches to the blogosphere. CLP is taking the "open forum, virtual town hall" format. MLN has tapped into the netroots as defined by Kos. Most of the bloggers over at MLN are not shy about their progressive persuasions for either Lamont or DeStefano. Whereas here, the admins have tried very hard to be more journalistic - more neutral.

I don't know which format will win out in the future. But here's my thinking (and this isn't knocking anyone): isn't the CLP format already adopted by newspapers? And now I hear that you guys are doing endorsements??

I don't know, but that's not how I envision the blogosphere. We want to be recognized, but doing endorsements to me is...an attempt to project a sense of influence that is most typical of establishment types. Maybe CLP is shooting for that? I don't know.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:19 bloviated

Universal healthcare IS a right

Funny, I just did a quick lexis search and I found that in the U.S. Constitution and the Connnecticut Constitution there is no right to "universal" health care, chocolate ice cream or cable TV. One could argue that there should be for all three, but saying so doesn't make it so. (Maybe I was using the wrong search terms.)

I'm not sure what universal health care really means anymore- managed care is awful, but it is care. The malpractice premiums are getting out of sight- any of you trial lawyers out there, I don't blame ya, but would you buy me a drink sometime?

and if you think that labor unions are as corrupt as they once were during the 1960's then you've been sleeping for a while. No matter how you feel towards them, they're the only political entity that actually seeks to protect workers.

Union leadership lines their pockets with the dues of those of who sweat. I'm glad that you concede that they are not as corrupt as the 1960s- but we were sending union bosses to jail through the 1980s in this state. They were spending so much time protecting their cadillacs that they wound up driving much of the heavy industry out of Connecticut at an egregiously accelerated pace. (Even if it was inevitable.) Some protection of workers, indeed.

Labor unions never create jobs- except for jobs in their own leadership with your money. Employers create them. I have no problem with unions as watchdogs, but unions that protect deadwood public employees- whose interest does that serve?

Genghis Conn said...

A10:45,

No doubt, in the short term, tapping into the netroots' activism and energy will be very successful.

But in the long run... I believe that CLP will endure. This place isn't tied to or based on any one thing. There's a wide range of opinion here--perhaps wider than any political space on the web today. Conservative Republicans post in the same threads as liberal Democrats and everyone in between and all are welcome.

We want to turn away from one another, but it's better to engage and defend our positions. I learn something new every day.

I think it's a format with a lot of promise. Blogs that are only one thing miss half of America.

Anonymous said...

Maybe the left wingers are just in the pupa stage, getting ready to emerge in a terrifying swarm.

Gabe said...

A10:45 - Did you call me nuetral? I'm not sure it is true, but my mom would be proud...

Anonymous said...

Yeah but Gabe you're not always here ranting for us liberals! Genghis stays neutral most of the time, and I think him and Turfgrrl have somewhat come to define the tone of this blog.

Just look at this thread - people are here killing universal healthcare, an idea that I'm sure they'll be so welcoming of when Gov. Rell announces her universal healthcare plan.

Rant away liberally man! Hopefully that'll get some Nutmeggers back.

Gabe said...

I rant when I can, but the next one is for you... ;)

Gabe said...

Also, scroll up...

Anonymous said...

Genghis,

I think your approach makes sense. This site for opinion-testing and information sharing. And entertainment.

Let CLP be CLP.

Anonymous said...

Ironically, I can ask my doctor today, but the 300 or so cases "filed" in CT may not reflect claims made that did not make it to trial but were settled.

I'm not in a physical position to throw research back at you- but yes, the bad doctors drive up premiums- just as sick people drive up health insurance costs.

Nonetheless, the fact that 33% + costs of the total benefit paid out go to a lawyer is often unconscionable. Not always. Often.