Bush Visit: Rell, Schlesinger Won't be Attending

President George W. Bush will be in Greenwich Monday. Gov. Jodi Rell and U.S. Senate candidate Alan Schlesinger won't be.

Rell, who makes a habit out of avoiding the president whenever she can get away with it, will be nearby:

Gov. M. Jodi Rell had a scheduling conflict and is expected to be in western Connecticut to announce progress on the long-running problems on the heavily traveled Route 7 corridor, her aides said. (Keating)

Lame! But I can't blame her. Bush is not a popular guy around here, and a fundraiser with Bush would just provide fodder for John DeStefano. Rell doesn't need the money, the Greenwich connections, or the President of the United States.

There is someone who does, though, and his story is much sadder.

Bush will be spared any awkward encounters with sad sack Republican Senate nominee Alan Schlesinger, who continues to draw just 2 to 6 percent in polls. Unless the flailing candidate, badly damaged by summer reports of a history of gambling under the assumed name of “Alan Gold”, buys his own ticket, he’ll have to read about the Bush visit in the newspapers. The usual courtesy of including even doomed Republican candidates will not be extended to Schlesinger. (Rennie)

Ouch. To make things worse, Schlesinger once said that he would welcome the chance to campaign with Bush, and that he would be "one Republican who does not run away from the president."

Sadly, the president is running away from him.

President's Host Supported Lamont in 1990

Interestingly, the host of the party, investment banker L. Scott Frantz, was a supporter of Ned Lamont during his failed 1990 state senate bid:

As the staunchest of staunch Republicans, Frantz did something unusual in 1990; he contributed to the state Senate campaign of a Democrat. The fiscally conservative Democrat was little known outside of Greenwich then, but he had the same type of entrepreneurial background and Ivy League pedigree as Frantz.

His name? Ned Lamont.

"Frankly, we've been pretty good friends," Lamont said. "I respect him. I like him. But I've still got to work on him on the political front. Maybe he'll do a fundraiser for me and show his true bipartisanship - reaching across the aisle."
...
"I know plenty of Republicans. I'm from Greenwich," Lamont said. "There's no irony." (Keating)

None at all.

Sources
Keating, Christopher. "Bush Enters On Cat Feet." Hartford Courant 24 September, 2006.

Rennie, Kevin. "Bush's Connecticut Fundraiser Exceeds Expectations." Taegan Goddard's Political Wire (blog) 21 September, 2006.