The final gubernatorial debate is today, and challengers Cliff Thornton (G) and John DeStefano (D) have taken to the airwaves.
"Let Cliff Debate"
First, the Thornton campaign will run the Green Party's first ever television ad during the debates tonight--an impressive feat considering the small amounts of money raised by the campaign. Here's the commercial:
It's an energetic piece, and the part where Thornton compares being Green to being black is especially compelling. I wish Thornton had chosen to highlight some of the issues that he would bring to the table, such as his plan for free college tuition, but you can only do so much in 30 seconds.
"No Mistakes"
John DeStefano is attacking Gov. Rell over her "no mistakes" comment in the last debate. Here's the ad:
The Rowland endorsement at the end is sort of a cheap shot, but it's effective.
Rell and DeStefano will debate tonight at 7pm on NBC 30. The debate will be carried live.
15 comments:
According to Rich harris, Rell hasn't been out in public for the last couple of days becaese she is preparing for tinight's deabte. My question is: why hasn't she been preparing for that for the last two and a half years? It sounds like she's cramming for an exam after not showing up for class all semester.
It sounds like she's cramming for an exam after not showing up for class all semester.
She's been counting up all the mistakes she made so she can answer the question this time.
Rell is so clueless it's not even funny. Her debate peformances remind me of what it feels like to go into a Midterm having not studied at all. No wonder she dropped out of college twice!
The Rowland endorsement at the end is sort of a cheap shot, but it's effective.
That's no cheap shot. Rell spent a decate as John Rowland's loyal Lieutenant Governor. She hasn't once apologized for failing to speak out against the excesses of Rowland and his cronies. At the time she called him "the greatest Governor Connecticut has ever had," the scandal was months away from breaking and there were already plenty of visible signs that something was rotten in the governor's office.
DeStefano should've been attacking her role in the Rowland administration long before now. If put on the spot, what is she going to say? She spent ten years as the number two person in a corrupt administration and never noticed anything was going on? She did notice, but somehow didn't think it was all that big a deal? Or maybe she was aware of their crimes but didn't have the courage to stand up to Rowland and company?
What makes anyone think that this message is going to resonate? I mean seriously, it hasn't yet after numerous attempts and I just don't see it now.
I'm still voting for DeStefano but his issue oriented message was much better. He touches on issues here but needs to have good, concrete ads outlining his proposals - talk about him, not against her. People like her and it isn't gonna work.
Rell is very sensitive about he public service and she is embarrased that she was cluless during her 9 and 1/2 years as Rowland's ceremonial script reading LG. Everything she has done since Rowland left including running in her own right is to overcome that embarassment. That's why she "doesn't see it" that she's made any mistakes even since taking over as governor.
The Connecticut public is getting cheated. We know so little about Governor Rell and instead of having the long series of debates and forums that the public deserves, instead we get just two scripted hours worth?
Contrast this with the Fourth CD's Shays and Farrell. They are having something like 10-12 debates across the district, events at which people can really get to see and hear the candidates and then make informed decisions.
What is Rell afraid of? That she might have to speak substantively to the issues facing Connecticut?
We all know she's kind and good-spirited. And she's "frugal". And she has a grandkid named Tyler. But do we have any idea where she wants to take Connecticut over the next four years?
Rell shows herself at her best in her latest ad where she is holding her grandkid and says that's whose side she is on. And that's great but doesn't her grandkid live in another state in the Mid-West or something. Welcome to Alice in Wonderland or Dorothy on her first trip away from Kansas anyway.
The Cliff Thornton commercial was good, although I would have done it differently; show Cliff among all the crowds of people supporting him either at the end or the beginning of the commercial, but have the majority it of it be Cliff talking about free college tuition, electoral reform, and criminal justice reform. Even a sentence on each topic would have been better than limiting the commercial only to the open debate issue. Voters will respond more if they realize not only is a candidate being kept out of the debate, but that issues they care about are being left out as well by proxy.
It's all about Jodi Rell. Isn't it great that Connecticut has Tyler, a grand-kid we can all be proud of!
My favorite line of the first debate was in Rell's closing statement. "And then I had breast cancer..." Of course the audience let out a collective "Uggh..." Too bad Jodi still doesn't get it. The feel-good bit after the Rowland scandal was great, but Tyler and Grandma's bout with breast cancer are not at the top of our priority list.
I do not like John DeStefano. He is smarmy. How in the world can he control a whole state if he can barely keep control of his own city.
I also want to make note of this:
John DeStefano DID NOT vote in his own election last year. Granted, he was a shoe-in, but still, it's the principal of the matter. How can you not vote for yourself?! It's preposterous and tells you what kind of a man he is.
Shadow - none of the issues matter unless our candidate has a right to free speech.
And I figured that there were lots of signs in the background for those astute viewers.
I have personally asked John DeStefano if tonite he would challenge Gov. Rell to more debates. I have personally challenged Gov. Rell to host more debates. I'm not holding my breath.
This is nothing short of censorship, and both parties know it. When I hear of Republican elected officials who have brought our exclusion up with Kevin Deneen, and he still does nothing, it makes the deed that much worse for me. Both parties know exactly what they are doing in keeping us out of the debates. I don't understand how any of them can sleep peacefully.
They generate more cynicism in our democracy, and I challenge anyone who values free speech to reconcile their vote for either of the two parties with the callous disregard for civil rights.
The Governor never directly referred to her struggle with breast cancer, but made referrence to her own "health crisis" as only PART of a chain of negative circumstances she has been faced with and has overcome. I do not think ONE vague reference to an uncontestably LIFE CHANGING medical crisis discredits her statements in anyway. For anyone to imply otherwise is not only unreasonable, but gauche.
And we're off!!!
Wow, DeStefano is creeeeeeeepy.
Does he EVER answer a question??
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