He had not only come through the political hurricane that felled four other incumbent House Republicans from New England, but now his opponents need his vote and his vocal support in order to give their ideas the image of bipartisanship. (Lightman)
Shays will spend his time supporting the Democratic majority on issues he cares about, like ethics reform. Weirdly, he may actually have more power and influence now than he did when his own party controlled the House--not only is the Northeast in general more influential, but Shays, who is sort of playing the role Joe Lieberman played in the Senate for a long time, can make a very effective go of it by being the token Republican to support various Democratic measures, and by being a moderating influence.
Which means that unless Democrats in the 4th District can field a stellar candidate in 2008, Shays might be around for a long while to come. The major points against him last time were Iraq and his party affiliation. He moderated his position on the former and the latter may turn out to be a strength in 2008.
For now, however, I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot about Rep. Shays in the months to come.
Source
Lightman, David. "For Shays, New Term With No Old Faces." Hartford Courant 5 January, 2006.
8 comments:
Wonder if Shays takes a run at Governor in 2010.
He's got to win on '08. And he can't beat Blumenthal.
Nobody beats Shays in '08. And you mean Blumenthal for Governor?? After being seduced and jilted over and over for a decade, I find it hard to believe that CT Democrats are going to fall for his "I'm really doing it this time" routine. Senate would be a different story, since that's what he really wants.
Shays Adapts to Dem Control, because that's how chameleons survive. Just ask Lieberman.
I agree with anon 11:20. Blumenthal is not running for governor, but is waiting patiently for Dodd's senate seat to become available (or to be appointed a fed judge, whichever comes first).
the battle for the Dem gubernatorial nod will probably come down to Bysciewicz (sic) v. Malloy. On the GOP side Shays, Simmons and Fedele all look like possibilities. However those contests shake out, Dems should have an excellent shot of taking the mansion in 2010.
So much for Diane Farrell's claim that Shays would be rendered irrelevant if he won and the Democrats won the majority. Speaking of irrelevant, where is Diane these days?
The reality is that Dems will certainly need his support to put a bi-partisan face on their bills as Lightman points out and Republican's need him more than ever since they will never want to hear the phrase "New England, the region of the country without a single Republican"
If you think national Republicans care very much about New England -- a complete write off -- there's this bridge in New York ...
Diane Farrell was at the CT Delegation Party at the Union Pub in Washington on Thursday night.
She is living here in DC. Her husband works down here
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