Groups in Eastern CT are pushing for better transportation. Route 11, anyone? How about Route 6?
John Bolton's resignation was a big boost for Sen. Chris Dodd. Will it help him on the presidential campaign trail? If being a key figure in Bolton's ouster doesn't help, nothing will.
The New Haven Independent reports that some activists are gearing up to fight for universal health care. Neither Jim Amman nor Jodi Rell seem interested, however.
Update by Gabe - NH Register: Ranks of uninsured grow.
An estimated 6.4 percent of Connecticut’s population — 222,600 residents — lacked health insurance when they were surveyed over the summer, up from 5.8 percent in 2004, according to a study released Monday by the state Office of Health Care Access.
...
Working adults, most of whom have full-time employment, accounted for 61 percent of the state’s uninsured. Nearly two-thirds of those working adults are employed by firms that don’t offer health care benefits, and another 13 percent are not eligible for their employers’ coverage.
The state is looking at proposals for the Hartford Civic Center's next operator. Here's an idea: how about not Madison Square Garden again? They've run the place into the ground. Howard Baldwin's idea of renaming the AHL team the Whalers is weirdly compelling--although they'd be guaranteed never to win the Calder Cup again.
A Quick Poll: With all the talk about Obama, I'm curious:
What else is happening today?
43 comments:
One of the best known Democrats in the nation (thanks to Ned) who can appeal to both D's-R's & U's will have the best chance of becoming President. Sorry Chris Dodd, you're not even close to being on the radar screen.
There has been great deal of speculation on this site regarding possible Republican challengers to representative elect- Murphy. The following is the text of a letter sent to elected Republican officials which suggests a name that has not been discussed (I capitalized the last sentence for emphasis):
I want you to know how deeply I appreciated your support and help into this election. It wasn’t easy to be on my front line, and I know you felt it early. The strength of the impersonal wave of change, since that way, they seemed to crest and receipt almost weekly. However, we still managed to work hard as a team to overcome it-and periodically we seemed to have succeeded. In the end it wasn’t about record, service or independence, but about the President, Iraq and change.
It was a great privilege to have served as your representative in Congress, being there and getting to know your community, and having enjoyed your friendship and support. We are blessed to be able to participate in the election process and stand up for beliefs and commonsense solutions.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your service as a Republican Elected Official. Because of your commitment to the ideals of the Republican Party you ensure our party has a strong voice in each community. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING ME SPEAK AT ANY UPCOMING EVENTS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL ME OR KEN HISCOE AT (860) 693 - 2238
Very truly yours,
Nancy L. Johnson
Member of Congress
RedHand, Ken Hiscoe is Nancy Johnson's District Director, not some super secret candidate-in-waiting.... LOL.
Could Johnson be crazy enough to think she could run again and take back her seat in 08?
Anon,
She has made it very clear that she is not interested in running for anything again. She is only offering her services as a speaker to Republicans, as many former Congressmen do after they are out of office. She is still going to be a draw at RTC fundraisers, etc. It cracks me up how people twist things or read into them way more than they should.
Edwards.
Is Connecticut actually "in play" with any of the Republican candidates?
I have to imagine it will be a safe Democratic state with any of the religious right candidates (including Romney, even though he is from right next door).
Do Gulianni or McCain make CT a competitive state in 2008? Does it make a difference if Hillary is the nominee or not?
Random speculation is fun...
We did vote for Reagan in 1980 and '84, and for Bush I in 1988. That wasn't so long ago. Someone like McCain or Rudy could make a serious play for CT, I think.
Romney won't even win MA.
What about this Hockey stuff? MSG only wants it so they can keep NHL out of Hartford! They have no interest in bringing in an NHL team. Baldwin, who has major ties to Hartford and was the original owner, seems to have some good ideas about the next steps that aren't just delusions of granduer (READ: Northland).
As long as we are engaging in idle speculation, I think GC has a better chance of winning the Republican nomination than Guliani does. When he and his wife split up, he moved in with his best friend who was part of a committed gay relationship. How do you think that will play in the South Carolina primary?
A proper noun preceeding another proper noun is not english.
If CT is going to look to bring a major sports team back, it should look to an NBA/NHL combo playing in the same arena. We are in the largest media market in the US that doesn't currently have a team, in a basketball crazy state, the strong allegiances that people have for NY/BOS baseball and football teams do not exist for hockey and basketball. Plus, if you started off right, you would always have a few fan-friendly former Huskies on the basketball roster. Recipe for success.
It appears the real question is who will be his running-mate.
How about a female northeastern governor who just crushed her Democratic opponent by a ridiculous margin?
While we're speculating idly.
Why did Glassman crush Slifka?
McCain may very well want Jodi on his ticket. It's really not that far-fetched.
Congressman Ken Hiscoe, I like the sound of that.
I think he could do a lot worse. She has (almost) no baggage, would be a hit with moderates and has an adorable grandchild. What's not to like?
She might actually have to leave the state to run for VP though.
A very good point. She'd also actually have to campaign.
Well she would win Colorado for him.
This morning we found out the real reason Lynch, the State Police commanding officer announced his retirement last week. The Conn Internal Affairs investigation by out of state investigators found massive dereliction by the cop's cops. This type of corruption has significant effect on the entire organization as the good guys soon realize being honest does not pay and the bad guys take over. Corrupt politicans and developers learn they can obtain what they want by more corruption and the entire state suffers. Rowland's string of ethical lapses had state police connections and his appointment of "public safety " commissioners followed a pattern of mediocrity, at best. It is important to remember this is not a isolated event. In the late eightes, the state police were caught taping public phones in the barracks, exposing an amazing arrogance and dismissal of basic rights in this country. The real question now is not how they are going to remake the internal affairs unit but how they are going to purge the "state police" of their inbred fascist and corrupt culture that this incident reveals.
We are far into fantasy land here, but can she be nasty enough to be the VP candidate?
cgg, she wouldnt need to take a position on anything, she would need to take Mcain's position on the issues. She could continue to not have her own oppinion on anything
If Jodi got asked by McCain, I bet she would do it. She would need to campaign, but I think any lack of campaigning she did this fall was more because of her reading the polls… why bother campaigning? And being VP would not require her to be negative. Edwards & Lieberman were positive. They let Bush/Gore/Kerry bash each other.
Anon, my tounge is mostly in my cheek but... How did that work out for the Goreand Kerry campaigns?
Jodi is not liked in DC,
she is way to liberal for middle america,
if she gets picked the National GOP should pack up and quit, She brings only 7 electoral votes, asked Al Gore if he would pick Joe again, it would be smarter to pick someone out of a big state for a VP to try and deliver a swing state.....
If Hillary gets the nomination, assume that Jodi makes the VP shortlist of any R nominee. Who are the other female Republican Govs & Sens?
Snowe and Collins and ?
Bluecoat - did I just wake up from a Rumplestilskin-esq nap? When did she make it official?
Gabe, I know, but Gore didn't exactly lose.
Good point.
I heard that Rob Simmons is being considered for UN Ambassador - anyone hear that?
Makes sense - he is pretty well liked both here (despite losing) and in D.C. and would give him a pretty big stage if he decides to run again.
What if Jodi becomes VP, and then McCain gets impeached because of a contractor scandal...
I just worry if she has to go up against Obama in the debate.
I heard that Rob Simmons is being considered for UN Ambassador - anyone hear that?
I haven't heard that, and I can't imagine the Bush administration doing much better... so I'd be down with a Simmons nomination.
However, I don't think it's a high-profile position that would help Simmons' profile, because he'd actually want to exercise diplomacy, which would put him at odds with the stated aims of the administration.
I can already picture Lisa Moody farting in Scooter Libby's chair.
NJ has no plans to run again. She is trying to help build the party, at least in her district, something the AWOL leaders in CT GOP Central know nothing about.
Bluecoat - go read that article and tell me what you think - I'm of the opinion that an unsourced article from the NY Post about anything Clinton should be taken with a healthy grain of salt.
I still read it because its what my parents read when I was growing up in the pre-Murdoch era. Also, it had the best sports section in New York. I switched that evaluation to Newsday (in the pre-BK, Q, and LI only era) when I was in high school because they carried high school sports.
If it was the DN then maybe, but I don't think the Clintons place stories in the Post
Don't worry about the spelling, unless you spell it as a curse word, the censors don't care...
"Edwards Obama has a nice ring to it."
Just what we need, two lightwieghts.
The slogan could be "McCain-Graham: An America Without Civil Liberties"
gabe:
McCain and Lindsey Graham -- boy that would really be a winning combination -- NOT!
I think NJ should relax and help the CT GOP rebuild (of course, some of CT's GOP people are now residing in LOW TAX states.) however, I think CT is not as blue as the media is trying to say it is. Simmons lost by 82 votes -- here a Democrat (who lost by 400 votes -- mostly because the GOP candidate is lousy) wants to sue to get her as the house member. (Of course, a liberal will always protest an elect if they lose. A GOP will accept their loss.)
Now, a comment on Hockey/basketball and a new arena. I'd love to see Howard Baldwin/Spectrum/Larry Gottsodder (sp)/SMC combine to bid against MSG. (and get MSG out of the RENT management, too!) I would like to see an independent AHL Whalers team and then when the NHL Whalers gets back - move the AHL team to Danbury! (Revive the TRASHERS!!)
Now, how can help the Connecticut Republican Party?? I don't think it is healthy, however it isn't dead, but we need to fix it!
FloridaYankee
Florida -
I agree with out about Nancy Johnson (and I would add Rob Simmons too) - they could do good work in helping to rebuild the CT GOP (not that I spend alot of time thinking of ways to help the GOP).
I also agree that no state is as red or as blue the media makes it out to be. That said, the perception of the national Republicans makes it difficult for NE Republicans to win even though they are fairly moderate (see the one remaining NE Republican in the house).
I disagree with your assertation about the Jennings/Buchannan election for two reasons - 1. There is a very good reason why Jennings is challanging the results (which will be the topic of a later post on election problems so stay tuned); and 2. Republicans don't just accept their losses (see Munster CT-2, 1994)
Why has every commenter simply ignored what I said about an NBA team being a big selling point? Am I totally out in left field?
Angelina - Dumicrats, thats really clever.
Gabe:
I think I said it best -- 'The NBA should expand to Hartford -- after the NHL comes back.'
I forgot Munster complained in 1994, but I think Connecicut should rebuild and I wish the RNC would realize that northeastern Republicans are fiscal conservative -- not social. (Here in FL, I'm not as conservative as I was in Connecticut.) I think Connecticut Republicans are ready to be revised.
Now you going to blog about Jennings and Buchannan? I few people didn't vote for congress, I know that Sarasota County (the most Republican County) Jennings won the county. Buchannan won the other counties.
I voted for all of the GOP candidates -- but Charlie Crist is not my first choice - a little moderate that Tom Gallagher.
Florida Yankee
I'm not really blogging about the race or the candidates, but about the machinery of voting (and the voting machinery)!
> "Edwards Obama has a nice ring to it."
>
> Just what we need, two lightwieghts.
They're the two most intelligent men running, if that counts for anything in your analysis. At the very least, they can correctly spell the word lightweight.
I agree with dr on Obama's mass appeal, it really is something, however I disagree with the person who says Obama hasn't had to take any position on tough issues yet; I posted a quote on this blog last week with his position on gay marriage, and it's an outstanding position on an issue where politicans nowadays are inevitably seen as too much in one direction or the other. The guy is incredibly articulate, and more importantly, is able to use that as a tool to convey his position genuinely, not to stifle his delivery.
I think Obama and Edwards would be an outstanding head to head match up in the Democratic primary; they are both polite, articulate, intelligent, and charismatic. Every day would benefit not only each of them, but the party and the country's political dialogue as a whole.
If Republicans really wanted to win, they'd nominate Guiliani; he is almost impossible to beat in a general in the way McCain would have been in 2000 had he been nominated. Last time passing up the best choice nearly cost Republicans the White House; this time they may not be so lucky.
Nancy Johnson has no chance to make a comeback Dream on. That would be about as possible as DFA taking off in Litchfield County and Keith or Petey Crane running for Public Office.
Zero, Zilch, Nada, not happening!!!!!
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