Connecticut Local Politics

Moving Day

2007-01-17T10:22:00.000-05:00

Connecticut Local Politics is officially moving to its new site, located at www.ctlocalpolitics.net, as of today, Wednesday, January 17th, 2007. This is the final new post that will be made on the current Blogger-powered site, as we are moving on to a new host and to new blogging software (WordPress).

The site you are reading now will continue to exist as an archive, but all new posts will be made at the new site. Please update your bookmarks to:

www.ctlocalpolitics.net

Please update RSS feeds to:

ATOM: http://ctlocalpolitics.net/feed/atom/
RSS .92: http://ctlocalpolitics.net/feed/rss/
RSS 2.0: http://ctlocalpolitics.net/feed/
Comment Feed: http://ctlocalpolitics.net/comments/feed/

Thanks to everyone for their participation in this site, and I hope you will join us at our new URL for more of the same quality content you've come to expect from Connecticut Local Politics.

Thanks especially to the Sunlight Foundation for providing the grant that made this move possible.

Second Anniversary

2007-01-17T07:19:00.000-05:00

(Cross posted at the new site--comment here or there)

Hard to believe, but it's been exactly two years since I put up the first post on this site.

It's fitting, then, that we migrate to our new site today.

Thank you everyone who has stuck by this site over the past two years. I've gone places and done things I never imagined, and I've met many, many incredible people. Thanks especially to those who have contributed to the site, either here on the front page or in the comments. I'd just be talking to myself without you.

I can't wait to see where the next year takes us.

Goodbye Blogger Open Forum

2007-01-16T16:51:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow the move to our new site becomes official. If you haven't already done so now is a good time to register at our new site and forum.

Use this thread to reminisce about your favorite posts, comments, and characters.

May Elections: Nominating Conventions This Week

2007-01-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

Political parties in towns that have elections this May are holding nominating conventions this week and next to determine their slates. All endorsements must be certified by town or city clerks by 4:00pm on Tuesday, January 23rd.

Towns with elections on May 7th, 2007:

Andover
Bolton
Bethany
Naugatuck
Woodbridge
Union

There are also May 7th elections in the following boroughs (parent town in parentheses):

Bantam (Litchfield)
Danielson (Killingly)
Fenwick (Old Saybrook)
Groton City (Groton)
Jewett City (Griswold)
Litchfield (Litchfield)
Newtown (Newtown)
Stonington (Stonington)
Woodmont (Milford)

Primaries, if there are to be any, will be held on Monday, March 12th.

(more information can be found on the Secretary of the State's website)

Chris Dodd

2007-01-16T11:02:00.000-05:00

The Courant suggests that Chris Dodd may be a long shot candidate.

The Connecticut senator will need all of that effortless charm, that eagerness to engage people and that passion for Democratic causes as he launches his campaign for the nation's highest office.

Conventional wisdom says the 62-year-old senator is a second-tier candidate for the presidency. He barely registers 1 percent in most polls, when he registers at all.

Many political observers have deep doubts about Dodd's candidacy. They say he may not be able to raise the enormous amount of money he'll need. They say that he's a New England liberal and that he can't distinguish himself and his views from better-known candidates. But others warn he should not be counted out.

"This race is pretty wide open," said Joseph F. Keefe, a former New Hampshire Democratic chairman. Keefe supports Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry, but his sister, Maura, is a key Dodd strategist.

Dodd could have traction, Joe Keefe said, because "there are concerns about each of the major candidates." Is New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton electable? Is Illinois Sen. Barack Obama ready for prime time? Can people see John Edwards as a wartime president?

Chris Dodd, the former general chairman of the National Democratic Party and a 32-year congressional veteran, is bilingual and has international experience. In short, he has a golden resume. It's "a big positive," Keefe said.

Dodd knows where he stands and is happy to roar about it. "One succeeds when one learns to be oneself in politics," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who is running Dodd's Connecticut campaign. "That's what Chris Dodd is able to do."

Before Dodd's announcement last week I took some time to research his positions and voting record. Democrats could do a lot worse. But he's also got to show us something. Announcing on Imus didn't help, nor did his appearance on Meet the Press this weekend.

Is anyone here excited about Dodd yet? What would he have to do/say to catch your interest?

Source
Lightman, David. "Dodd's Quest: A Long Haul". Hartford Courant. 1/17/07

Krayeske Open Forum

2007-01-15T16:22:00.000-05:00

We're a few days behind on developments on the Krayeske affair. Forgive me in advance for a link heavy post.

This video shows Rep. Mike Lawlor and Ken Krayeske's attorney Norm Pattis speaking about the case. Hat Tip to Scarce and TrueblueCT for this one.

Also, in case you missed it, last week Lawlor live blogged over at MLN about Krayeske and other issues.

According to the Courant there will be a hearing. It's being held by the Public Safety Committee and will also include testimony about the recent Internal Affairs report about trooper misconduct.

Feel free to include any links that I may have missed in the comments section.

Another "Power Grab"

2007-01-15T12:10:00.000-05:00

Well, state Democrats are at it again. State Representative Tim O'Brien (D-24) has introduced a bill to strip the governor of her executive powers to appoint Connecticut's Senator in Congress in the event of a vacancy. Following proposals last week to strip Governor Rell of her agenda setting authority on the bonding commission is the second attempt to by the Democrat controlled legislature to take away the governor's authority as the state's chief executive.

Senate Republican Leader Louis C. DeLuca had this to say:

"This is another power grab by the Democrats that threatens to weaken Connecticut's system of checks and balances." said Senator DeLuca. "This trend of partisan and careless legislative proposals is evidence of the arrogance of this majority which seeks to control not only the branch of government to which they've been elected, but the executive and judicial branches as well.

"Connecticut Democrats campaigned against this kind of heavy handedness in the fall. Now just two weeks into this new legislative session they are governing quite differently."

I happen to agree. The Republicans in Congress attempted actions in the Senate just a few short years ago and I was just as disgusted with them. Governing is not a matter on convenience but is about fairness and compromise. They call it balance of power for a reason. It appears that many Democrats no longer think this balance matters. I guess that's what a veto-proof majority will do to them.

This post is also up on our new website, ctlocalpolitics.net

Sources:

Press Release, Connecticut Senate Republicans, January 12, 2007

Proposed Bill No. 5034

Open Forum

2007-01-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

I've been busy over at the new site. Go check out the updates, or chat on the forum.

What else is happening this weekend?

Possible Downtime Saturday, Sunday

2007-01-13T02:46:00.000-05:00

I'll be moving files over to the new site (http://www.ctlocalpolitics.net) on Saturday and Sunday. I will try to do this during low-traffic periods, but be aware that there may be some downtime.

If this site goes down, come on over to the new site or to the new forum for news and chatter.

Pay Raise Possible for Legislative Leaders

2007-01-13T02:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a sure-to-be-popular idea:

The independent Commission on Compensation of Elected State Officials and State Judges is studying the possibility of better compensation for legislative leaders.

The board's chairman, Lewis. B. Rome, said that while the legislature is a part-time entity, the top leaders essentially hold full-time jobs, the Republican-American of Waterbury reported.

Rome said there is a big discrepancy between the workload of leaders and other lawmakers. (AP)

At least one leader, Speaker Amann, seems opposed to the idea, although Amann's spokesman did say he might be interested in "a modest, across-the-board increase for all legislators."

Senate Minority Leader Louis DeLuca disagreed:

"I don't think there should be a pay increase for anybody," Senate Minority Leader Louis C. DeLuca, R-Woodbury, said. "If we are going to have a part-time legislature, we have to keep the pay commensurate with a part-time legislature." (AP)

I think all legislators, including the leaders, should have a raise in their pay. Here's why:

The legislature is becoming less and less part time. There have been special sessions almost every year for a long time, and the legislature is certainly more than a full-time pursuit when it's in session.
Find me a job, other than lawyer, which allows its employees to be gone for half of the year, not to mention extras like hearings, special sessions and campaigning. There are very few--and almost none of them are jobs that most middle-class people have.
$28,000 is not enough to live on if being a legislator is one's only career.
Therefore, it's no wonder the General Assembly is thick with lawyers and members of the upper class. I couldn't afford to be a member, and neither could a lot of others.

There's something to be said for the ideal of the citizen-legislator, who works a regular job and has a life outside the Capitol. This model made sense a century ago., but I don't believe it does now.

Public financing of campaigns will help to open the General Assembly to people who wouldn't otherwise consider running. A better wage for legislators would help to open it even further.

What do you think?

Source
"A Collection of Briefs From the State Capitol." Associated Press 12 January, 2007.

SOTS Agenda: Election Security

2007-01-13T02:20:00.000-05:00

The Secretary of the State's office has released its legislative agenda:

Hoping to make Connecticut a national model for safe elections, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz unveiled a proposal this week calling for mandatory annual audits of one-fifth of all polling places.

Other pieces of Bysiewicz's 2007 legislative agenda include:

* Requiring all cities and towns to adopt a municipal code of ethics.

* Creating a new "do-not-call" list for households that don't want to receive automated telephone calls containing political messages. The bill would make it illegal to place calls to such households, a system already in place in Connecticut to restrict commercial marketing calls.

* Returning the deadline for candidates looking to petition onto the state ballot without major-party affiliation to one month before the primaries. (Phaneuf)

That last one matters. Joe Lieberman could file to run as an independent the day after the primary--the new rule would move the filing deadline back to a month before the primary, which is where it was before the primary was moved to August.

The audits are a good idea, as is the code of ethics.

And sign me up for a political "do not call" list! I swear, if I never hear Bill Clinton coming out of my answering machine again, I'll be very happy.

Source
Phaneuf, Keith. "Secretary of the state would make Conn. national model for election security." Journal-Inquirer 12 January, 2007.

Medicare Drug Negotiation Act Passes House

2007-01-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

Connecticut Congressman Chris Murphy co-sponsors and supports bill.

This afternoon the House passed H.R. 4, a bill requiring the government to negotiate for lower Medicare drug prices. One of the bill's Co-sponsors was Connecticut's own Rep. Chris Murphy. Earlier today Murphy spoke with reporters (and bloggers) via a conference call about the importance of HR4's passage.

The Bill before us today, H.R.4, which I'm co-sponsor of and I'll be one of the first people to speak on the house floor on, will give the power, in fact will mandate that the federal government through the Secretary of Health and Human Services negotiate lower prices with the drug industry.

Today's vote is an important first step forward and I'm going to be incredibly proud to stand on the house floor this morning and speak on it's behalf, and then to vote for it later this afternoon.

Next the bill heads to the Senate, and if it passes it heads to the President's desk where it faces a possible veto. While emphasizing the bill's bi-partisan support Murphy did talk about the possibility.

I think there will be bi-partisan support for it, in fact one of the primary co-sponsors of the bill in the Senate is a Republican Senator from Maine. I think you'll see Republicans supporting this bill today and though I don't know whether there will be enough votes to override a potential presidential veto, I think there will be certainly a willingness to take that up... If the President wants to veto this I think it's a signal that he's still captivated by the same special interests that we have broken free from.

The Congressman spoke with pride about what the 110th Congress has achieved so far, and well as what he expects to pass next.

I think this has been just a monumental first week and a half for this Congress. Not only have we passed landmark ethics reform legislation but we've already moved forward on stem cell research, on securing the nation through implementing the 9/11 recommendations, and then today on Medicare prescription drug reform. And we're not done yet. Next week we'll pass legislation cutting the interest rates for student loans which will help families and students throughout the country. We'll also pass legislation that will start to build an energy policy based on renewable and alternative energy by removing some of the massive royalties that we've allowed to go to oil companies and turning that around into renewable energy sources.

On an unrelated, but interesting note, Murphy expressed support for Chris Dodd's recently announced Presidential run.

I'm enthusiastically supporting Chris Dodd for president. I think in very trying times like this we'd be lucky to have someone with the domestic and foreign policy experience that Chris Dodd has, sitting in the White House. I think he has a very realistic shot, and anyone who has ever listened to Chris Dodd out on the stump or listened to him expound on important issues of the day know that he is a very powerful communicator. And that's what the Democratic party needs right now and I think that's what the country needs right now.

For those who are interested in reading the bill in it's entirety Spazeboy has it up on his blog. Thanks also go to Spazeboy for reminding me about the conference call this morning.

CT Republicans - Let The Transformation Begin

2007-01-12T00:18:00.000-05:00

The much anticipated and certainly most definitely needed transformation of the leadership at the CTGOP has begun. With openings all across the board, and no where for the party to go but up, the next few weeks should define the next 5 to 10 years of the Republican party as we know it in Connecticut.

From today's Hartford Courant:

With the resignation of "Mama Jo" McKenzie and two other GOP stalwarts, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has the chance to place her stamp directly on the state Republican Party by filling the organization's most important positions.
...
McKenzie's departure comes at the same time Connecticut's other Republican National Committee member - Charles Glazer of Greenwich - is stepping down after being nominated by President Bush as ambassador to El Salvador.
...
[George] Gallo, too, will be leaving soon as the party's chairman, and he has already accepted a position as chief of staff for the state House Republicans. But Rell has asked him to remain in the position until a new leader is selected, which could occur in the coming weeks. He said it is historic that the three leaders will be replaced virtually simultaneously.

"These positions are coveted by a lot of our Republican base," Gallo said. "To have all three of these open at the same time is a unique situation. It's a unique opportunity for our governor to put a stamp on Connecticut Republican politics."
...
Longtime party insider Patricia Longo of Wilton is already campaigning for McKenzie's seat, which must be filled by a woman under the national committee rules calling for one man and one woman from each state. Longo now serves as the state party's vice chairwoman, and her elevation would open up another leadership post to replace her.

Longo should get one of the RNC spots. She has earned it. The article mentions State Rep. John Frey as a potential successor to Glazier. I have also heard Chris Healey, who ran Rob Simmons' campaign and is State Central Committee member, as a possibility for Glazier's seat but there may be other plans for him.

As for the Chairmanship; I would personally like to see Simmons get it. As I have posted on more than one occasion before, his work ethic and likeablity (amongst many other qualities) would certainly help the state GOP who despite Gallo's best efforts are in need of a big boost of energy and make-over. Simmons would provide just that.

Another possibility is a Simmons/Healey team at the top. If Longo gets the RNC spot the Vice-Chairman position would open up and Healey could slide right in. Makes sense as they worked well together on the campaign trail and share a similar Republican philosophy. I think either option would be the right medicine for a deathly sick elephant. Only time will tell.

Source:
Hartford Courant, January 12, 2007; Rell To Fill GOP Posts, Christopher Keating

Legislative Updates

2007-01-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

Some legislative ideas published recently by the Associated Press:

A penalty for not reporting lost or stolen guns, paired with a one-gun-per-month limit. These kind of seem like things you would charge someone with after they'd shot someone else.
A bill that would allow "any member of the State Bond Commission to put funding requests on the agenda for action", which may seem dull. However, the governor currently controls the agenda, causing Republicans to accuse Democrats of a power grab. This is the type of bill that Jodi Rell will veto--and the Democrats will not override.

You may also be interested in a discussion held with Rep. Mike Lawlor, who is head of the Judiciary Committee, on My Left Nutmeg yesterday. A lot of the conversation is about the Krayeske situation, but Lawlor also talked about the search for the next Chief Justice and other issues.

Open Forum

2007-01-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

A Reader Note on Interfering with an Officer

2007-01-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

The following comment came in via email from reader CG (edit for format only):

All this talk about Ken Krayeske’s recent arrest for interfering with a police officer and breach of peace got me thinking about what, exactly, it means to interfere with the police.

In a Hartford Courant article that you may have missed right before the holidays, Lynne Tuouhy wrote about a recent unanimous Connecticut Supreme Court decision that allows any person who peacefully refuses to show identification to a police officer to be arrested for interfering with an officer. The law, which is Connecticut Statute 53a-167a states that Interfering with an officer is a Class A Misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in prison). A person is guilty of interfering with an officer when, “such person obstructs, resists, hinders or endangers any peace officer, special policeman appointed under section 29-18b or firefighter in the performance of such peace officer’s, special policeman’s or firefighter’s duties.”

The Connecticut Supreme Court last week reversed a unanimous Appellate Court decision and declared that peacefully existing on public property and simply refusing to show identification is either obstruction, resistance or hindrance punishable by up to a year in prison. I’m not sure which colorful verb they believe it falls under! The case, State v. Aloi, centered around a man who was suspiciously standing near a fire truck on public property near his home. Granted, he had been in legal trouble before for messing with the fire truck, which created loud noise and was a nuisance near his home, yet the precedent set by this case is somewhat startling.

I’m not sure exactly what this information adds to the conversation over Mr. Krayeske’s arrest, but I thought it might be interesting for your readers to know just exactly how easy it is to be arrested for interfering with an officer. I know that many “known protestors” visit your site regularly, so they may want to know that apparently doing anything contrary to exactly what you are told to do by a police officer anywhere in Connecticut is able to land you in jail, if not just until the last glass of champagne is poured at the Governor’s ball, then possibly for up to one year.

The statute in question, Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-167a, is available here.

The decision in State v. Aloi is available here.

So, what do you think?

Dodd on the Run

2007-01-11T07:49:00.000-05:00

So it's official.

Sen. Dodd announced his candidacy for president this morning on Imus in the Morning, which seems a strange place to launch a campaign from. Why, for example, didn't he do this in Connecticut?

He'll be heading to Iowa and South Carolina soon, there to tout his experience, his opposition to the Iraq War, and the fact that he's a nice guy who isn't Hillary Clinton. He will be relying on his affable, personable nature and strong talents as an orator to rise above the crowd there.

There's a website: ChrisDodd.com, with plenty of multimedia, plays on the word "Dodd" (for example, the Dodd Pod seems to be a collection of podcasts) and the obligatory campaign blog. There are already some issues posted, although a quick glance shows little that separates him from the rest of what is becoming a crowded field.

There's also money: about $5 million in the bank. That may be the only plus so far.

What there isn't, at least yet, is any kind of buzz about the campaign. Kevin Rennie called Dodd's bid a "busman's holiday of a campaign" and suggested that state Democrats were less than thrilled with it.

This will be the most difficult campaign Dodd has ever run. His chances, let's admit, are not good. Even Joe Lieberman began the last cycle in better position, and he ended up in a three way tie for third in New Hampshire. There's no evidence Dodd will fare much better than that.

Which begs the question: why is Dodd actually running? Is it, as Rennie suggests, simple vanity? Is he really running for Vice President, or for a Cabinet post in President Obama, Edwards or Clinton's administration? Or it could just be a nice way to cap a long and generally distinguished career.

Then again, maybe he actually believes that he can win.

In any event, our senior senator is now officially running for president. What's your reaction?

You can also go post about it in the forum.

McCain Claims Lieberman's Victory Means America is Anti-Withdrawal

2007-01-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

On MSNBC today, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain claimed that Senator Lieberman's defeat of Ned Lamont meant that the American people were against withdrawal:

Joe Lieberman would never have been re-elected — a strong proponent of the war — against an opponent who was for pullout, if that was the American people's attitude.

TPM Election Central's Eric Kleefeld neatly rips this absurd argument to shreds (click through to read the whole thing and see the video of McCain making the claim):

First, let's take a look at Connecticut's exit polls. They show that sending more troops had the support of — get this — 15% of voters! Meanwhile, 63% of voters said some or even all troops should be withdrawn, in complete opposition to Lieberman's real position.

Second, given the total number of people who cast their vote for Lieberman, it's nothing short of absurd to say that it's in any way indicative of anything national. According to the final results, a total of 563,725 people voted for Lieberman — in other words, just over half a million in a nation of 300 million people.

Finally, Lieberman won because he was able to misrepresent his views on Iraq, not because voters agreed with his actual views on the subject. Back in July, Lieberman actually said he thought we'd be able to draw down "significant" numbers of troops by now. What's more, Lieberman worked hard to blur the line between himself and Ned Lamont on the Iraq issue. In one ad, for instance, he spoke of wanting to "bring our troops home from Iraq."

What he said.

Dodd To Announce 2008 Bid Tomorrow

2007-01-10T17:26:00.001-05:00

Via the AP.

Source
Associated Press. "Dodd to enter 2008 presidential race". MSNBC.com 1/10/07

Forum Stuff

2007-01-10T16:09:00.000-05:00

Our new forum is off to a great start. In addition to the four of us, twelve people have registered and 39 threads have been started.

So far our most active forums are those devoted to state and national politics. We also have a forum dedicated to suggestions for the site, and are very eager to hear you sound off about what we're doing right, what we can improve, and what else you'd like to see from CTLP. For those of you who just want to chat, check out our OT Forum for any and all nonpolitical discussions.

The forum is part of our much anticipated move to our new home on January 17.

Monstrous Concessions

2007-01-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

Stan Simpson’s column today is already provoking a lot of outrage and talk around here today, and for good reason. Here’s the most relevant excerpt:

Inviting as it may be, I'm not joining the piling-on party. When it comes to securing the safety of the state's highest elected official, you err on the side of caution. No, Krayeske should not have been arrested, and yes, the charges should be dropped. But please don't suggest that the guy should not have been detained for a while, at least until the point police were assured he had no bad intentions. Certainly, they had a right to inspect the nylon bag he carried while running along the parade route to make certain there was nothing more dangerous than a digital camera.
[...]
I don't think Krayeske was considered a "threat" in the physical sense, but someone who may be inclined to try to publicly embarrass the governor on her big day.

His incident got a mention in Tuesday's New York Times. Just imagine the news coverage if someone really did slip by security and harm the 60-year-old grandma in her first elected term.

The headline: "Where Was Rell's Security?" (Simpson)

Security and safety are gods in America today--and they have been for a long time, even since before 9/11. We want safer cars, safer schools, safer food, safer air, safer everything, and we're willing to make monstrous concessions in order to get them. This is another.

What Stan is suggesting seems so reasonable. Yes, detain him. Search him. He could have been a threat. He might have embarrassed or hurt the governor. The security of the state's chief executive is paramount. He was a known activist, he didn't like the governor. His bag should have been searched, at the very least. It would have been okay to hold him until the police were "reassured."

We can rationalize this, and smother it with the numbing and comforting "what ifs" that Simpson provides, but a cold truth remains: Ken Krayeske was arrested because he said the wrong things to the wrong people, and in the wrong way.

Hartford Det. Jeff Antuna wrote in his report that Krayeske drew his attention by rapidly riding up to the parade route near Bushnell Park, dumping his bike and running to a position in front of Rell.

"I immediately recognized the accused as Kenneth Krayeske from the photograph provided by the state police," Antuna wrote. (Pazniokas)

The state police had his photo because of verbal confrontations between himself and the governor's staff, regarding his candidate's exclusion from the gubernatorial debates. This, in Simpson's words, "unsettled" the state police, and so they provided his photograph to Hartford's police, and the chain of events was set in motion.

A man was arrested and detained for hours because of what he said and what he wrote. He was made known to police because his tone of voice "unsettled" the state police. He never threatened the governor.

This is not okay.

People can rationalize just about anything, from strangers rifling through a woman's purse at the entrance to a ball game to "free speech zones" for protesters at political events to the arrest and detention of innocent men if they believe it will make things safer. If you find that fog clouding your judgement, if you start to think that giving up a little freedom for security now and then is fine, if you begin to forget that our entire country is one great big free speech zone, remember what happened to Ken.

Then imagine it happening to you.

Sources
Pazniokas, Mark. "Activist Arrested At Inauguration Parade." Hartford Courant 6 January, 2007.

Simpson, Stan. "Protecting Rell Serves Public, Too." Hartford Courant 10 January, 2007.

Early Morning Open Forum

2007-01-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

Judiciary Chairman Mike Lawlor will be liveblogging tonight on My Left Nutmeg. SpazeBoy has his press conference from yesterday in four parts.

CT Bob has an interview with Rosa DeLauro.

Opponents of Broadwater speak out - and it looks like the New York Department of State has misgivings.

An interesting challenge to the constitutionality of the Death Penalty is brewing in Hartford.

Rabid Raccoons? Yes, rabid raccoons.

State Dems look to change bonding rules to end Governor's monopoly.

An economics Professor takes George Will's latest Courant column to task.

What else is going on?

Hartford: Matthews Expected to Announce Today

2007-01-10T07:34:00.000-05:00

From the Courant:

I. Charles Mathews, a blast from Hartford's political past, is expected today to announce his candidacy to run against Mayor Eddie A. Perez in the 2007 election.

Mathews, a former deputy mayor in Hartford, joined a growing list of candidates seeking to oust Perez, who on Tuesday made official his bid for re-election by registering as a candidate with the city clerk.
[...]
Mathews said his candidacy will concentrate on a revision of the city's strong-mayor charter, fine-tuning the document to provide enhanced checks and balances against the mayor.

Mathews wants to focus city dollars on a handful of issues - jobs for city residents, improved education for its children, economic development downtown and in local neighborhoods and revitalizing some of the city's most downtrodden areas. (Goren)

Others currently in the race are former State Rep. Frank Barrows and current State Rep. Art Feltman, both Democrats.

The consensus this year is that Perez has made a lot of enemies in Hartford, and he is seen, among other things, as power-hungry and out-of-touch with the residents of the city. He still remains a powerful force in Hartford, however, so it remains to be seen whether any of the current crop of challengers can take him down.

Above all of this is the quiet but persistent rumor that Denise Nappier might join the fray, although she hasn't said anything either way.

Source
Goren, Daniel. "Another Mayoral Candidate." Hartford Courant 10 January, 2007.

Ken Krayeske Arrest: The Police Report and Provable Reality are at Odds

2007-01-09T17:40:00.000-05:00

Much of the online coverage of the arrest of Ken Krayeske has, rightfully, focused on the existence of a "Threat List" kept by law enforcement officials (see here, here, and here).

I want to take a moment to talk for a second about a tangential issue: the arrest itself. According to the police report:

At approximately 13:20 I was in an unmarked Police vehicle at the corner of Ford Street and Pear Street when I observed the accused suddenly ride a mountain bike at a high rate of speed directly up to the parade route, dump the bicycle, jumping off it, and then running up to the parade procession directly in front of where the Governor was passing by in the procession.
...
As I exited my vehicle and ran towards the accused I observed State Police Detective Pedro Rosado approach the accused just as the accused was stepping off the curb into the parade route, toward the Governor. Detective Rosado had placed himself between the accused and the Governor's path, I then grabbed the accused by his right arm and escorted him away from the Governor, and the parade route, which he resisted by attempting to pull away from me.

When I spoke with Nancy Mulroy, spokesperson for the Hartford Police, she indicated that the arrest was made as a reaction to "aggressive behavior." And the behavior, according to the police report, certainly sounds aggressive.

But the police report omits a glaring object: the camera in the hands of the accused. We know for a fact that a camera was present, because the photographs that Ken Krayeske took that day have been published on his website:

In fact, according to his website (which, given the potential for litigation, I am taking for accurate as he will have to produce the time stamped photographs in court), he had time to take 23 photographs at that location before he was arrested. This does not line up with the timeline provided in the police report.

It does, however, fit perfectly with a witness statement in the Courant that directly contradicts the police report:

But one witness to the arrest, Eliot Streim, contradicted the police account.

Streim, a Hartford lawyer who was watching the parade with a colleague, said police did not intercept Krayeske as he ran into the parade route. On the contrary, Krayeske photographed the governor without incident and was detained by police only after Rell had passed by, Streim said.

When I asked Nancy Mulroy where the camera was when the arrest was made she indicated, based on the listing of "Nylon bag... containing photographic equipment" in the property section of the police report, that the camera was in the nylon bag. Again, the photographic evidence makes this difficult to believe, and it is equally hard to believe that Ken Krayeske's behavior could be perceived as "aggressive" if he had a camera up to his eye.

Finally, Ms. Mulroy conveyed to me that the arrest, setting of bail, resetting of bail, and release timeline was not based on the end of the inaugural ball, but on the logistics of arrests in Hartford. The Hartford Police Department has holding cells, but not a jail, so the original bail was set ($75,000) at the police department by a Marshall and the delay was caused by the wait for a regularly scheduled shuttle to the jail. The bail was changed to a promise to appear at the jail and the further delay was caused by the wait for another regularly scheduled shuttle back to the Hartford Police Department for processing for release.

Assuming this is accurate, and I have no reason to believe that it is not, its fine as far as it goes, but it is not an adequate justification for the extremely high original bail. Ms. Mulroy indicated that the original bail was set with an eye toward Mr. Krayeske's previous criminal record. But his criminal record contains only three arrests for non-violent civil disobedience - hardly the stuff that makes for high bail.

Taking all this together, and in the prism of the existence of a "Threat List," the question that emerges is Was Ken Krayeske arrested because of his actions or for some other reason? More information than the police report will be necessary to adequately answer the question and it is encouraging that Governor Rell and Judiciary Chairman Mike Lawlor are interested in investigating further.

Update: I should add that, given the police department's knowledge of its own procedure and of how long Mr. Krayeske would be in custody if he made the trip to the jail, the high setting of the bail could have been undertaken with the knowledge that it would ensure him remaining in jail until midnight or one in the morning.

I am not arguing that this was some nefarious plot; I am just arguing that the simple fact that the regular procedure caused him to remain in jail for so long doesn't let HPD off the hook - they could have been using the procedure as a tool.

Sources:
MARK PAZNIOKAS, "State Called Man `Threat'", Hartford Courant, January 6, 2007.
Ken Krayeske Arrest Report, Hartford Courant, January 6, 2007.

More Site Trouble

2007-01-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

Blogger was down for much of the late morning and early afternoon. This, if anyone is wondering, is why we are switching soon to our beautiful new site at:

http://www.ctlocalpolitics.net

Bookmark it now! Whenever Blogger is down over the next week or so, go and check this site. You can also check the forum for all the latest chatter at:

http://forum.ctlocalpolitics.net

In honor of the site's second anniversary, we will be leaving Blogger and going live exclusively on the new site by January 17th.

Go bookmark both sites now!

Another Update on the Arrest of Ken Krayeske

2007-01-09T15:16:00.000-05:00

Cross posted at the new site

From the Courant:

Several lawmakers said they were outraged, calling for legislative hearings and saying the incident reeks of a secret police force and should not be tolerated in Connecticut.

[Commissioner Leonard] Boyle Monday denied the state police keep a list of political enemies, saying that the notion is "completely incorrect."

"We do not maintain such lists," he said.
[...]
Krayeske's lawyer, Norman Pattis, said police had no reason to detain Krayeske on a high bail, and then release him without bail once the governor's inaugural ball had ended.

"The courts say bond is intended only to ensure appearance at trial. They don't say you can use it to ice someone out of the governor's ball," Pattis said. "That to me is far more troubling than the arrest itself." (Keating)

Obviously there should be a probe. Why was Ken on that list, or why did he meet "federal guidelines," as is stated here? Are blogs and other sites actually being monitored by law enforcement?

And Pattis is correct--the high bail, then the release after the ball was done, are both highly suspicious.

More light, please.

Source
Keating, Christopher. "Probe Urged After Arrest Of Activist At Rell Parade." Hartford Courant 9 January, 2007.

Did Lieberman Mislead Voters?

2007-01-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

Let's see. This is from an article in the Stamford Advocate, but there's lots more in many other places:

Lieberman and U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., co-authored a letter to President Bush "strongly encouraging" him to send more troops "to improve the security situation on the ground."

However:

In a July 6 debate with Lamont, Lieberman said he was "confident that the situation is improving enough on the ground that by the end of this year, we will begin to draw down significant numbers of American troops."
[...]
After losing the Democratic primary to Lamont and forming his own party running as an independent Democrat, Lieberman outlined a 10-point plan for Iraq in which he called for increasing the number of U.S. troops embedded in Iraqi units two- or three-fold. But he said this should be done by redeploying existing troops "not adding new troops to the region." (Lockhart)

Lieberman's Iraq policy was never all that clear during the campaign, so this, which appears to be more of a modification of his earlier pro-war stance and not an about face, probably won't either surprise or alarm most voters.

Still, Lieberman hasn't been entirely consistent as he claims, and he certainly never suggested a troop "surge" like what he is proposing now. The campaign may have gone differently if he had. Lieberman effectively neutralized his nebulous stand on Iraq as an issue, instead focusing on partisanship, but if he had expressed support for the "surge," which is turning out to be an unpopular position, he probably would have had a tougher time of it.

Lieberman needs to explain why and how his thinking on Iraq has shifted. To claim that this has always been his position, and that he has always been consistent on Iraq, is to rewrite history.

Source
Lockhart, Brian. "Critics rap Lieberman position on troops." Stamford Advocate 9 January, 2007.

Updated Rell Questions Arrest of Krayeske

2007-01-08T14:09:00.000-05:00

According to News Day (via AP), Governor Rell is on the case.

She [Governor Rell] called on Commissioner Leonard Boyle to review the circumstances of Krayeske's arrest and determine how he came to the attention of state police and how his name and photograph were provided to the Hartford Police Department.

"In this environment of heightened security, the use of information must be balanced with the individual rights of our citizens," Rell said in the letter. "In providing security and protection, we cannot permit the rights of individuals to be trampled."

It's a step in the right direction.

*Update*
Colin McEnroe has the text of the letter that Rell sent to Department of Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle.

*Update #2
House Judiciary Chairman Mike Lawlor was just on Colin McEnroe's show and indicated that web sites and blogs were being monitored to look for potential threats.

Lawlor Quote: "Apparently state police employees were trolling the internet, blog sites prior to the inauguration seeing if anyone was talking about any type of interference of the Inauguration. And they encountered Ken Krayeske's one post that to me is not at all threatening..."

Source
Haigh, Susan. "Rell questions arrest of political activist at inaugural parade". NewsDay. 1/08/07

New Forum At ctlocalpolitics.net

2007-01-08T12:19:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not remember, Connecticut Local Politics is going to be moving off of Blogger's free server space (and away from Blogger's platform altogether) and onto another host. This means a few changes, such as a change in URL (our new URL is the much shorter and simpler http://www.ctlocalpolitics.net), better reliability (meaning less downtime and slowdowns), more organization and functionality for the blog itself and some new features that we hope you'll like.

The first of these new features is a bulletin board/forum, which is now located at http://forum.ctlocalpolitics.net. Think of it as a perpetual open forum, where members of this community can talk to one another about all kinds of issues. One area is for comments about what sorts of things you'd like to see out of this site in the future--and I hope you'll put your two cents in!

You can also check out the blog site, but there's very little there right now. I'll be importing files to the new site over the next few weeks.

FYI - You will need to register to post on both the blog site AND the forum. Sorry about that--I'm working on creating a single login for both, but haven't yet figured it out.

Local Politics Roundup

2007-01-08T08:05:00.000-05:00

I've been sorely neglecting the town weeklies over the last year, and I'm going to start to remedy that now with a look at some of the political stories out there in our towns.

Wethersfield

Wethersfield has a new mayor after Mayor Russell Morin became a state representative. The new mayor is lifelong Wethersfield resident Andrew Adil, a Democratic town councilman.

Adil said he feels "an obligation to pay the town back for all it has done for me." He also thanked ex-mayor Morin for all he had done as mayor, but especially for his dedication to cleaning up the Wethersfield Cove. Adil added that he hopes to continue to work on what services the town offers residents, and to work with the Economic Development Improvement Commission (EDIC) and the newly formed redevelopment agency.

Democrat Paul Montinieri was also appointed to the council.

Gould, G.C. "Town council appoints new mayor and councilor." Wethersfield Post 4 January, 2007.

Darien

Charter changes may be coming as a charter review commission begins to meet. One of the major issues seems to be the fate of the RTM:

"...[W]e (Darien) haven't had enough people over the years to run for the RTM, which is directly attributed to people not understanding the board's role in town," [Commission member] Tallis said. "The RTM is extremely critical to how this town functions, and it will be our goal as a commission to communicate that, and other such pertinent information, to the public."

The RTM structure is somewhat common in southwestern Connecticut, but almost nonexistent elsewhere in the state.

Foster, Brian. "Charter Review to Begin." Darien News-Review 4 January, 2007.

Fairfield

First Selectman Ken Flatto is getting a head start on this year's election:

Democratic First Selectman Ken Flatto and Selectman Denise Dougiello have filed paperwork in the town clerk's office as a first step in testing the re-election waters.
[...]
Although Flatto acknowledged that the filing was "a little early," he said the decision was based on a large number of supporters who expressed "desires of setting up a committee."

There is no Republican candidate as yet.

Lynch, Erin. "Exploring Re-Election." Fairfield Citizen-News 5 January, 2007.

Greenwich

A town panel has ruled that a member of the RTM can't vote because his house is not in Greenwich--although his property partly is:

The Board for Admission of Electors voted 3-1 to adopt a 10-page decision denying Jerry and Marianne Porricelli voting and residency status, noting that even though their property straddles the Greenwich-Stamford border, their house is entirely in Stamford.
[...]
The Porricellis have argued that before they moved to the 9 Hillcrest Road home, the town's registrars assured them in writing repeatedly that they would remain Greenwich voters.

Greenwich is a weird place. Enough said.

Cassidy, Martin. "RTM member can't vote." Greenwich Time 8 January, 2007.

What other local stories are out there that I'm missing?

Panel Calls for Tolls

2007-01-08T07:45:00.000-05:00

It seems that every couple of months the idea of reinstating tolls returns:

A panel has recommended that Connecticut should consider returning tolls to its highways to raise revenue and better manage congestion.

The Transportation Strategy Board issued its report on Friday and calls for legislation to pay for a comprehensive review and analysis of electronic tolls and congestion pricing.
[...]
The board said that without some new source of revenue, Connecticut will be unable to pay for numerous highway projects on the drawing board.

So! How many legislators out there are willing to vote for a bill putting up toll booths on I-95, I-84 and I-91?

Anyone?

Source
"Panel Recommends Reinstating Highway Tolls." Associated Press 7 January, 2007.

Sunday Open Forum

2007-01-07T00:15:00.000-05:00

Bridgeport Mayor John M. Fabrizi filed for re-election. Also it was unusually warm yesterday. I hope you had a chance to enjoy it.

What else is going on?

Commentary

2007-01-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

On Thursday I crashed a party and had the experience of being physically blocked from a politician by a quick footed aid. I thought the incident was really funny, and I knew that a few blogs would link to Gabe's account of the incident, but the speed and distance at which the story spread surprised me. By now I'm so used to Joe Lieberman's open contempt for those who disagree with him that it's what I've come to expect. The biggest surprise for me, was that the people at the door didn't have the standard enemies list in hand.

Looking at the story through the filter of Ken Krayeske's arrest I have a better understanding of why our experience caught so many people's attention. Elected officials are voted in to represent us, even those of us who don't agree with them politically. The lengths which Joe Lieberman went through to avoid an encounter with bloggers was comical. The lengths which Governor Rell, or at the very least people acting on her behalf, went to avoid an encounter with one of her political opponents is frightening.

Many of you probably know Ken Krayeske from his comments on CTLP. He frequently contributed to threads, especially those pertaining to the Governor's race where he served as Cliff Thorton's campaign manager. I've never met Ken, but I am fairly familiar with his political views and affiliations. There is no reason for him to be on a watch list. The idea that he would attempt to harm Jodi Rell or anyone else is just crazy.

The most disturbing aspect of the story is that Krayeske was held on a $75,000 bail until Rell's ball was over, and then released with a promise to appear. Was there a concern that he might attempt to crash? And then do what exactly? The Courant article does mention a comment Krayeske made on CTLP about the ball, but he certainly didn't make any threats here or anywhere else that I can tell. That our tax dollars would be spent on keeping Ken Krayeske in jail for the duration of a party is also crazy.

Both Joe Lieberman and Jodi Rell have built their political brand on the idea of working across the aisle with those who don't necessarily share their views. This week we saw two more examples to counter that popular image. Lieberman's behavior was smooth but comical. In the end his actions didn't cause anyone harm, and we got a great post out of it. The same cannot be said about the arrest of Ken Krayeske.

Sources
Paziniokas, Mark. "State Called Man `Threat'". Hartford Courant. 1/06/07

Boy, Spaze. "Rell's World". Spazeboy. 1/06/07

More on Activist Arrest at Inaugural

2007-01-05T21:50:00.000-05:00

This story is finally making its way into the mainstream media. The Courant website has a Mark Pazniokas story about the incident on their front page, and has obtained the arrest report (pdf). Colin McEnroe has been following this very closely, you can see two posts on the subject on his blog here and here. Colin is right--the one who should be acting to shed some light on this very, very ugly and disturbing incident should be the governor herself.

Here's what I'd like to know: Why was Krayeske on CTIC's list? Who else is on that list? How much did the Rell Administration know about that list? Why was bond set so high?

Also, I noticed that the Courant article references statements Ken made on two websites, one of which is a comment on this CLP post, as proof of his "hostility" towards Rell.

I have a feeling we'll see this story on the front page of some state newspapers tomorrow.

My Day in DC

2007-01-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

It wouldn't be a party without C-Span

Yesterday afternoon MattW of MLN, Gabe, and myself were attending newly sworn in Congressman Murphy's open house when he received his first call to the floor for a vote. As he walked out the door an excited Murphy explained to his well wishers: "I've got to go vote!" His enthusiasm for the moment was actually quite touching.

We attended a total of six events yesterday, mostly for the CT Delegation. There was a viewing party for CT Democrats to view the opening session, both Murphy and Congressman Courtney had open houses in their new office space, and the CT Democrats Delegation reception at Union Pub. After a brief visit to The Lieberman party we topped off the night at the Netroots celebration.

It was a beautiful day in DC, warm enough that I kept forgetting it was January. Most of the afternoon was spent inside the various House office buildings, which I'd never visited before. As we traveled from office to office it was difficult not to get distracted by the many names I recognized on the plaques.

Below are my best recollections of the various events we attended.

Swearing In Viewing Reception
Our first stop was at the joint reception/viewing party for supporters of Murphy and Courtney. The Courtney campaign had organized a bus trip for supporters and many if not most in the room were wearing their Courtney for Congress campaign buttons. A television set was set to C-Span where the opening session of Congress was being broadcast.

Open Houses
I'm pleased to report that Rep. Murphy's office is not, as had been previously reported, that difficult to find. It's also a fairly large space and most of the time guests were able to move from place to place easily. Courtney's office is smaller, or at least it felt that way. I saw mostly the same faces at both parties.

As I mentioned in my introduction, it was a working day. In addition to hosting guests both offices were dealing with media inquiries and keeping a close eye to what was happening on the House floor via C-Span

CT Delegation Party
Union Pub is a large bar, but it was packed with people and had a healthy overflow outside. In addition to the now familiar faces from the other events I also saw our four Democratic Reps, Diane Farrell, and Nancy DiNardo. Gabe and I also met Senator Chris Dodd and State Rep. John Geragosian.

This is the first bar I've ever been in where C-Span played on multiple TV screens. I was even more amused by how closely people were paying attention, especially staffers of the Congressman who would at some point need leave the party to cast another vote.

My one pet peeve were the amount of people who showed up proudly wearing their Lieberman buttons. But since I crashed Lieberman's party later on in the evening I can't be to upset by that. Lamont supporters were well represented in the crowd though, and we ran into several people from the campaign including Tim Tagaris.

Joe's Party
The only thing missing from Gabe's post about this was the number of Democrats who also attended Joe's bash. I'm not sure who were actual supporters, who (like myself) were just curious to see which big names were in attendance, and who was just hungry (Joe had more food). I spotted both Nancy DiNardo and Chris Shays in the crowd.

Netroots
Our final stop of the evening was the Netroots gathering. It was also quite crowded, but we were able to say hello to a few friends, and meet MyDD's Chris Bowers. Freshman Congressmen Patrick Murphy and Tim Walz attended the festivities. We left not long after the Champagne toast.
********
As I look through my notes on the parties, one emerges:dominance of C-span. It was playing in almost every room we were in, and functioned like a sort of clock for staffers. If a vote was about to be called C-span gave staffers a good idea of when they'd need to get to get their boss on the floor. It also gave them a good idea of when the Congressperson might return.

Second, while we were there to have a good time, the 110th Congress was getting down to work. We were celebrating our victories while Joe Courtney, Chris Murphy, and a host of other Freshman were getting sworn in and casting their very first votes.

Rep. Murphy Writes from Washington

2007-01-05T15:03:00.000-05:00

The following is a quick post written exclusively for Connecticut Local Politics by U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-5th District) describing his first day on the job. Thanks to Rep. Murphy for staying in touch despite a very busy schedule! -G.C.

Rep. Murphy is sworn in by Speaker Nancy Pelosi

This week has been nothing short of an awe-inspiring experience, and I wanted to use my first post as a new Member of Congress to share the excitement. The night before I drove down to Washington, we hosted a send-off party at Zabarra’s in New Britain. The event gave me a chance to catch up with many of the people I hadn’t seen since the election, and hearing from supporters who played such a huge role in the campaign really added to the excitement.

After driving to Washington in a car packed with Ikea boxes and a few suits, I arrived just in time to catch a glimpse of my office for the first time before rushing off to a meeting with the Democratic caucus. Meanwhile, my staff rushed to get the office ready for the swearing in on Thursday, as we were expecting more than 100 supporters who were traveling from Connecticut to stop by to see the office.

As Thursday dawned, it had all the makings of a day I wouldn’t soon forget. With all my family in town for the ceremonies and celebration, I couldn’t believe I was finally on the verge of joining the 110th Congress. I walked up the steps of the Capitol with my fiancée, Cathy, to go to the floor of the House of Representatives for the swearing in activities. At the top of the steps, I surveyed the mess in front of the Capitol where construction of the Capitol Visitors Center is in progress, and I said, “What a mess.” Of course, the mess here is little more than a few holes in the ground and construction cranes scattered about -- the real mess to clean up is Congress itself.

Before the swearing in ceremonies began, I sought out Congressman Shays on the floor of the House to tell him that I was looking forward to working with him over the course of the next two years. We spent a little too much time chatting, as when I returned to the Democratic side of the chamber, there were no seats left, so I stood in the aisle along with several other Members to take the oath.

The atmosphere in the House chamber was electric, and when Speaker Pelosi walked in, the crowd on both sides of the aisle erupted in thunderous applause. The next few hours flew by as members of the leadership spoke and I was sworn in before rushing down to the second floor of the Capitol for a private swearing in ceremony with the Speaker. The ceremony was “private” indeed: my family and I, Pelosi and the 50 or so television cameras set up from stations across the country there to catch their local Member being sworn in. What a rush!

My family and I then spent a few minutes in Statuary Hall to take some photos. I was eager to get up to the office see some of the supporters who were in town for the day, but I was only there for a few minutes before I had to go the floor for our first round of votes on the ethics reform measures that are a part of the Democrats’ ambitious “100 Hours Agenda”. I am so proud to be a part of a Congress that, on the first day of business, passed legislation that will hopefully begin to restore the public’s trust in their Congress.

Thanks for letting me share my experiences with you, and I’ll see you back in Connecticut in the coming weeks!

Congressman Chris Murphy
January 5, 2007

Open Forum

2007-01-05T14:51:00.000-05:00

There will be more content about what's going on in D.C. later on today. Here in Connecticut, State Rep. Patricia Dillion (D-New Haven) was arrested for driving drunk, and has issued an apology. Dillon defeated her Republican opponent by a margin of 90%-10% in November. Also, business leaders are pushing for more pro-business legislation, which is no surprise.

CT News Junkie has a report on the arrest of reporter and Thornton campaign manager Ken Krayeske for, apparently, taking pictures of the inaugural parade. This is very, very ugly, and I would hope the charges would be dropped.

What else is happening?

A Connecticut Blogger in King Joe's Court

2007-01-05T10:16:00.000-05:00

CGG contributed to the creation of this post. All pictures were taken by CGG, except for the Party Shot which was taken by Chris Bowers.

CGG and I spent yesterday in DC enjoying the pageantry of the celebrations surrounding the incoming 110th Congress (which CGG will post on extensively later). We were sitting in the Union Pub at the Connecticut Democratic Delegation's Welcome Party for their new members when we were informed that we were just across the street from Senator Lieberman's party. What's an intrepid Connecticut blogger to do? Crash, of course (especially since we had seen every Connecticut Democrat at the party, but didn't see anyone elected on the Connecticut for Lieberman line)!

So we walked across the street to Union Station and thought that we could walk right in if we looked confident. No dice, the doormen informed us that we would have to check in to enter. Anticipating the need to perform a song and dance about why we were not on the list, I launched into a story about why we had not RSVP'd only to be cut off about two words in by a "we don't care who you are" look and the handwriting of our names on name tags. We were in.

Upon entering, there was a sign welcoming us to the ~~Stuck with Joe~~ Sticking with Joe Victory Celebration honoring supporters of the Senator for sticking with Joe, followed by a list of corporate sponsors (Aetna was the only one I saw) and what I can only assume was either nuclear secrets or damaging photographs - I suggested that CGG take a picture of the sign so people would believe that we actually got inside, when an aide, overhearing me, whisked the sign away! So here is our picture - use your imagination to see the sign:

With the sign gone we felt silly standing by the empty stand, so we went in search of someone we knew to talk to and immediately happened upon Dan Gerstein. After introducing ourselves (I had spoken with him in the past but only via phone), Dan gave us a nice compliment regarding Connecticut Local Politics (but managed to also take some shots at Connecticut's other blogs - not everyone who disagrees with you is crazy), gave me some helpful tips on how to snag a future debate for the Law School, and just generally proved that, when no one is paying him to do otherwise, he can be a really nice guy.

He even consented to having a picture taken (bookmark this if you anticipate being in a scavenger hunt where one of the items is a picture of Dan Gerstein and a blogger smiling together - this is probably one of a kind):

If you look really closely over our shoulders you can see a ~~sunrise~~ sunset.

Finally, we had to go in search of the Senator. We found him, surrounded by well wishers and waited our turn to say hi. While we were waiting, we witnessed the following exchange:

Town DTC Chair: Hi Senator, I'm Town DTC Chair from Town and -

Joe Lieberman: [sour look] We got killed in Town. All is forgiven.

DTC: [semi-sarcastically] I forgive you too, Senator.

The sight of Senator Lieberman forgiving a town chair for working to elect the Democratic nominee (you know, doing his job) warmed my heart, so I was glad to see the town chair give it back to him a little and "forgive" him for running as a petitioning candidate.

We also witnessed the Senator visibly recognizing CGG, motioning an aide over, and the aide trying to stay between us and the handshakes. While the aide was a lovely dance partner (call me!), after a few persistent minutes of the handshake soft-shoe, I was finally face to face with the Senator.

I greeted him with "Hi Senator, my name is Gabe and I am with the Law School Democrats. I just wanted to let you know that, while we don't agree on everything, I really appreciate your decision to continue to caucus with the Democrats." The moment the words "Law School Democrats" was out of my mouth (or was it the word "Gabe"?), he gave me a withering look and turned his back to me to greet other well wishers (we hosted an event for a certain Mr. Lamont of Greenwich), pausing only to turn back around for more dagger looks when I said that I didn't agree with him on everything.

Deciding to go for broke, I reminded him of the letter that the Law School sent him inviting him to speak, and asked him if we could host him next semester. Half smirk solidly in place he shook his head no, turned his back again and maneuvered an aide between us. Senator Lieberman (D ID PCotCfLl - CT), gracious in victory.

With no one else to talk to and 15 minutes late to the netroots celebration, CGG and I took that opportunity to leave for more welcoming environs:

When we walked in, we were greeted by Lamont Internet Guru Tim Tagris who let us know that he had already had a call asking him if he was one of the bloggers who crashed the Lieberman Celebration!

Update: Sorry about the formatting, but it should be fixed!

Update II: Here is a scanned invitation to the event. The sign mentioned above was substantially similar - The only differences that I remember from my brief glimpse before it was hermetically sealed away in an undisclosed location are that the sign had the corporate sponsors listed one on top of the other and that there were more sponsors on the sign.

Update III: tparty over at MLN points out the lobbying/sponsorship connection.

Shays Adapts to Dem Control

2007-01-05T08:22:00.000-05:00

An interesting article about Shays in the Courant this morning. Here's what Shays will be doing for the next two years (boldface mine):

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.

New Congress Sworn In

2007-01-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

Read about it here. Now we'll see if they can deliver.

New Congressmen Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney were sworn in this morning. Democrats are proclaiming a new beginning for the legislative branch. What do you think?

Open Forum

2007-01-04T08:04:00.000-05:00

So what's worth talking about today?

The lieutenant governor? He really needs to get a cable access show like Rell had. The rejection of rules changes by the Democratic majority? Inclusion of special ed kids into regular classrooms? People actually seeming to like RellCare?

Our newest House members have their webpages up: http://courtney.house.gov/ and http://chrismurphy.house.gov/. Not much there yet besides the basic template.

What else is happening around the state?

Escalation in Iraq: Lieberman v. Collins

2007-01-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

In July 2006, during the Democratic Primary debate, Senator Lieberman had this to say about troop levels in Iraq:

The situation in Iraq is a lot better, different than it was a year ago. The Iraqis held three elections. They formed a unity government. They are on the way to building a free and independent Iraq. Their military -- two-thirds of their military is now ready, on their own, to lead the fight with some logistical backing from the U.S. or stand up on their own totally.
...
So I am confident that the situation is improving enough on the ground that by the end of this year, we will begin to draw down significant numbers of American troops, and by the end of the next year more than half of the troops who are there now will be home.

In case you don't have access to a calendar or have been under a rock for the last week and a half, the end of that year has passed and Senator Lieberman now has this to say about troop levels in Iraq:

"After speaking with our military commanders on the ground," he said Wednesday in an e-mail, "I strongly believe that additional U.S. troops must be deployed to Baghdad."

Lieberman, D-Conn., visited Iraq last week with a Senate delegation.

And this:

I've just spent 10 days traveling in the Middle East and speaking to leaders there...
...
After speaking with our military commanders and soldiers there, I strongly believe that additional U.S. troops must be deployed to Baghdad and Anbar province...

[Aside: Check out the comments to the Wa-Po Editorial, here.]

Greg Sargent, at The Horse's Mouth, wondered who the commanders were, noting that Gen. John P. Abizaid, the senior commander in the Middle East, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American commander in Iraq, and Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the second-highest-ranking American officer in Iraq have all resisted a troop increase.

Senator Collins (R-ME), who was part of the same delegation of Senators in Iraq, wrote an Op-Ed for the Maine newspapers (not yet available online except on the Senator's webpage, here) and she apparently met with different commanders:

Needless to say, there was much discussion in all of our meetings - whether with Iraqi leaders, American or British commanders, or rank-and-file troops - about whether or not more American troops are needed. My conclusion is that it would be a mistake to send more troops to Baghdad. Prime Minister Maliki did not welcome the prospect of more American troops and indeed seemed frustrated that he did not have more control over his own troops. One American general told me that a jobs program in Baghdad would do more good than additional troops. And it seems to me that the Iraqis themselves need to step up to deal with the sectarian violence plaguing the Baghdad region. Ultimately, resolving the sectarian violence requires a political, not a military, solution in which the Sunni minority is more fully integrated into the government.

The one region where an American commander, General Kilmer, did specifically express the need for more troops was in Anbar province. General Kilmer told us that he could use another brigade (about 3,000 troops) or even two to build on the positive developments in the region. I agree with his assessment, but think that a reallocation of troops, rather than an overall increase, could meet his need.

So who did Senator Lieberman speak with, leading him to believe that the answer in Iraq is more troops? And was Senator Collins not included in those discussions or did she just draw radically different conclusions based on the same available evidence?

Or is someone not being entirely truthful?

Sources:
Transcript, Lieberman, Lamont Spar in Conn. Primary Debate, Washington Post, July 7, 2006.
David Lightman, Lieberman Presses Case For More Troops In Iraq, Hartford Courant, December 21, 2006.
Joseph Lieberman, Why We Need More Troops in Iraq, Washington Post, December 29, 2006.
Greg Sargent, WHICH "COMMANDERS ON THE GROUND" PERSUADED JOE LIEBERMAN THAT MORE TROOPS SHOULD GO TO IRAQ?, The Horse's Mouth, December 21, 2006.
Susan Collins, Iraq and Afghanistan: An Update from the Field, Webpage, December 29, 2006 (released to Maine newspapers for publication as an Op-Ed)

CFL Party Officially in Business

2007-01-03T19:22:00.000-05:00

Fairfield University Professor John Orman's takeover of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party became official today. The Secretary of the State's office has recognized Orman's takeover, and will keep a copy of the CFL rules on file. Members are required to be either critics of the Senator, or have the last name Lieberman.

According to the Courant Orman was surprised by his success at overtaking the party. Currently he is the only registered member, but hopes that will soon change.

Orman, who had considered running before Lamont entered the race, unsuccessfully petitioned Bysiewicz to prevent the creation of a party for one man. He said he was surprised his takeover bid succeeded.

"I thought Susan (Bysiewicz) would write a letter saying 'You cannot have a party of one person. It's ridiculous. You're mocking the system and Connecticut for Lieberman does not exist because Senator Lieberman doesn't want it to exist,' " Orman said.

Since Lieberman remained a member of the Democratic Party, Orman is the Connecticut for Lieberman Party's sole member. But, he hopes to change that soon.

Orman plans to hold a meeting later this month to bolster the party's ranks.

"I'll send an e-mail to critics, bloggers, opponents (of the senator's) and maybe anyone named Lieberman," Orman said.

I'm surprised that Orman was able to get recognition so quickly, but then I was also surprised that Lieberman was able to create a new party right after losing the primary.

Source
Lockhart, Brian. "Party Crasher: Professor's Takeover Of Lieberman Group Succeeds". Hartford Courant. 1/03/06

Second Thoughts on Rell's Speech

2007-01-03T15:36:00.000-05:00

You know, I've been thinking about that speech, and now that I've actually read it instead of listening to it, I have to say, it really isn't all that good.

In fact, while it's not the worst speech I've ever read by far, it's pretty bland. But when I was watching it, I kind of liked it. I thought it was a nice speech given by a nice lady.

That makes me wonder--am I some sort of gullible sap when it comes to Rell? Are my expectations for the executive branch so low or so altered in some way that I'm ready to stand up and cheer whenever she gives a mediocre speech without tripping over her lines? Am I so desperate for our leader to, well, lead that I think every half-baked, incomplete plan is a great idea?

Does she emanate some sort of mind-control ray? Or is it that she's just very likable, very unpretentious and very human? She seems like one of us. Maybe that's why so many people root for her.

I believe Rell is capable of so much, if only she would realize it. There's great potential in an apparently unpretentious, sensible, selfless and decent politician, and the landmark 2005 session of the General Assembly suggests that she, along with the other leaders of our state, can accomplish an awful lot of good together when pressed.

I want her to realize that potential. Maybe that's why I'm willing to give her a pass from time to time. But I think my patience is starting to wear a little thin. If she is to accomplish great things, now, in the first year of her own term, is the time to do it.

I will be watching. So will a lot of others who placed their faith and trust in Jodi Rell.

Inauguration Open Forum

2007-01-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

You can watch the inaugural festivities, which will involve marching, weapons being discharged, silly costumes, vague speeches and the interior of the Legislative Office Building, on CT-N.

Post your thoughts here.

Update: 3:00pm

Rell was sworn in for a full four-year term as governor, and delivered a short, hopeful speech. As the Rell team has been saying, it didn't provide specifics for the future, but instead was much more general. It was a decent speech, however: well-written and well-delivered (for Rell, anyway--she is a very restrained speaker).

So that's that.

Fedele Sworn In

2007-01-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

Connecticut has a new Lieutenant Governor. The House and Senate have both begun the new session.

House Dems Assign Committee Leaders

2007-01-03T09:22:00.000-05:00

See CT News Junkie for the complete list, but maybe the biggest news here is that newly-minted Democrat Diana Urban will be vice-chair of the General Administration and Elections Committee.

Inauguration 2007

2007-01-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

Gov. Jodi Rell will be inaugurated for her first full term today. The Courant has more details about the festivities (PDF), including the parade route and more. The governor will also forego the traditional speech to a joint session of the General Assembly, preferring to give a single speech (her inaugural address) instead:

From John Dempsey to Ella Grasso to John Rowland, all governors have spoken to a joint session of the legislature in the Hall of the House at the state Capitol in a tradition that covers Democrats and Republicans.
[...]
Rell, however, decided that she wants to make "one speech that is very general - mostly tone, direction," said Christopher Cooper, Rell's spokesman. "She wanted to wait until the budget address [in February] to lay out more details. This opening day speech is much more thematic than specific." (Keating)

So why not give two general speeches? This is either very sneaky and clever or sort of lazy.

Colin McEnroe reports that Rell is promising some "surprise guests." I'm hoping for Gary Coleman.

Also, don't forget the very expensive inaugural ball, to be held at the CT Expo Center. ...Wait, the Expo Center? Don't we have the John G. Rowland Memorial Convention Center for this sort of thing? I suppose the theme for the evening will be Drafty Concrete Wonderland, or perhaps Magical Night in a Storage Shed.

You can watch all the festivities on CT-N today. That's what I'm going to do.

Source
Keating, Christopher. "One Speech Only." Hartford Courant 3 January, 2007.

110th Congress Open Thread

2007-01-02T20:08:00.000-05:00

Congresspedia's page on the 110th Congress can be found here.

The Connecticut Post has an article on the agenda of the 110th Congress, and what roles the the CT delegation will have.

An AP News poll finds strong support for three of Democrats' key issues.

Tim Tagaris has posted a Diary with information about CT Inaugural events in DC on Thursday. Gabe and I plan to attend some of these events for CTLP. If you're going to be in DC too, let me know.

Post any articles and posts I've missed, as well as your thoughts on the 110th Congress here.

Waterbury: Mayoral Race Kicks Off Early

2007-01-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

Vance Expected to Enter Race Today

Everyone's getting a head start on the mayoral race in Waterbury, this year. From the Republican-American:

The dawn of the new year finds city Republicans pushing themselves to have a mayoral candidate in hand within the next several weeks.

That decision, combined with the expected entrance of Democratic Alderman J. Paul Vance Jr. into the race today, kicks off one of the earliest campaigns for the office in years. (Gambini)

On the Democratic side, there's Mayor Mike Jarjura, whose improbable victory as a write-in candidate made national news in 2005, who may or may not be seeking a fourth term. Alderman Paul Vance, a top vote-getter in Waterbury, is (according to the Rep-Am) going to announce his candidacy today. Former Alderman Richard Scappini and 2005 primary winner Karen Mulcahy are also mentioned as possibilities--even if Jarjura runs.

Republicans have several possible candidates, including Rep. Anthony J. D'Amelio (R-71st), Rep. Selim Noujaim (R-74th), Alderman Dennis Odle and Alderman Paul V. Ciochetti.

Waterbury is absolutely worth keeping an eye on--this could be, as I've said, the most interesting race we see in 2007.

Source
Gambini, Steve. "WATERBURY: GOP aims to get jump start on mayor's race." Waterbury Republican-American 2 January, 2007.

The Debate Over Health Care

2007-01-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

Politics is the art of the possible - Otto von Bismarck

Health care is an issue that provokes passionate debate, and that debate is certain to intensify as the legislative session gets underway. Gov. Rell fired the first shot with a proposal that would encourage insurers to provide a low-cost plan to those who need it--but that idea has been attacked as being too expensive for the very poor at a proposed $250/month, and too reliant on the will of insurance companies.

Yet the will to pass real universal health care seems thin. Take these comments from Speaker James Amman, for example:

Although many Democrats have talked about adopting universal health care, Amann cautions that this is a lofty goal for such a complicated issue. Since solving the entire problem is unlikely, the legislature should instead focus on solving one part of the problem, he said.

"If you think we're going to conquer the world next year and get everybody covered, it would be a miracle," Amann said before Rell announced her plan. "I'm sure the governor would love to sign that bill. I think if we concentrate on the kids with a program we have called HUSKY, which is one of the best in the nation, improving that and creating more access and more prevention, we can at least conquer that [this] year." (Keating)

Amann may simply be keeping expectations down, but proponents of universal health care should take this as a signal that they may not, in fact, see any type of universal coverage this year.

Yet I believe it can be done. I've suggested in the past that a single-payer system might be good for Connecticut and for the country (although I have concerns about what the collapse of the insurance industry would do to Hartford, and single-payer systems have problems of their own), but realistically, American governments are not going to pass such a plan any time soon. Such a system was a dramatic failure in 1993, and only 39% of Americans support replacing the current system with a new, government-run health care system (see the Nov. 9-12, 2006, poll on this page). So we're not there, yet.

Therefore, let's deal with what's possible. Amann wants to expand HUSKY to include all children, and I think this is a laudable goal. But I believe we can do better than that. I propose implementing a hybrid plan which would help the poorest afford basic, state-subsidized health insurance, while working with insurance companies to provide a better and more affordable range of options for everyone else. We can cover many people by expanding Medicaid, and the rest can be dealt with through new state programs. We can base our plan on that of Massachusetts, which now requires health insurance for all residents, and provides a subsidy to low-income residents to help them pay for it. One of the options available could be Rell's $250/month plan.

Therefore, Connecticut residents could choose either a state-backed (and possibly partly state-funded) plan, or go with the health plans provided by their employers. As for funding, I suggest that we revisit some of the plans proposed during the gubernatorial race, especially those of Dan Malloy.

We can debate whether actually requiring people to have health insurance is the way to go. But I believe that this sort of hybrid plan, which combines subsidized health care for the truly needy with a wider range of private health insurance choices would extend access to health care to everyone who needs it and help to keep costs level or bring them down for many Connecticut residents.

Better yet, it's actually possible to do. We can create a plan that would make sure all of Connecticut's residents have access to health care. It's complex, but not such a monumental task as scrapping the current system and replacing it with a new one would be. I urge the Speaker and the legislature to create and passing such a plan this year. Connecticut deserves it.

Sources
Keating, Christopher. "State Faces Daunting Issues In Legislature." Hartford Courant 1 January, 2007.

Gallup Poll. Nov. 9-12, 2006. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults). (http://www.pollingreport.com/health3.htm)

New Year Open Forum

2007-01-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

The Courant argues that Justice Borden should be made Chief Justice. I agree. Borden deserves the honor, and would do a good job--even if he would be forced to retire in August.

The Courant also lists some of the problems facing the legislature, including health care, energy costs and the state police.

New laws, including a minimum wage hike, go into effect today.

More reactions to Rell's health care plan, which I still believe is a positive first step (if not a final and full solution to the problem).

What else is going on?

Hope for a New Year

2006-12-31T14:12:00.000-05:00

I end every year exhausted, it seems, and lately I’ve found myself always hoping for a better year than the one that’s gone by.

I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me this year. I got a new job with the college I’ve grown to love over the past two years, and I find that my career as a librarian is starting, slowly, to take off. My wonderful wife and I are happier together then we’ve ever been.

This site has opened doors for me, too. I’ve been lucky. I’ve met with all kinds of fascinating people, from candidates to newspaper and television reporters to the (magnificent) other bloggers in this state, and I’ve been present for history several times.

And yet, I saw so much hate, division and blindness. I still see it, every day, and sometimes I feel like it’s pulling me apart. It seems that what divides us grows deeper and deeper with every year that passes, while the things that unite us lie forgotten. I worry for my country: are we so lost that we’ll never find our way back again?

But, since I sometimes tend to get carried away with my own melancholy, this is a note to myself, and to all of you, to have faith. Yes, we are lost. But we still blunder forward, blind and stupid, and some day we’ll emerge on the other side of whatever this is. History is neither an endless loop, where we pass by ourselves over and over again while going nowhere, nor a straight line from one point to another, but a spiral. There are cycles and patterns that can be discerned, and we do seem to travel in circles, but on each pass we are at a different point than we were before.

Maybe it’s easier to say that nothing is forever. 2006 is over and done—we won’t see it again. So let’s begin 2007 with hope—hope that this year will be better than the last, and faith that we are still moving ever higher, into the unknown.

Happy New Year, everyone. May we all know peace, understanding and joy.

Predictions for 2007

2006-12-30T13:04:00.000-05:00

The new year is almost upon us. So what do you think is going to happen over the next twelve months?

Here are a couple of my own predictions, for what it's worth:

Gov. Rell will end 2007 with significantly lower popularity than she currently enjoys.
The legislature will pass some sort of universal health care plan in the waning hours of the 2007 session. It will be nothing like Rell's proposal.
Rob Simmons will announce that he's running again for Congress.
A primary between two no-name Republicans will start shaping up in the 5th District.
The most interesting mayoral race will be in Waterbury, again.
Republicans will make small but significant gains in municipal elections.
The legislature will not override a single veto of Rell's.
Joe Lieberman will make himself as big a pain in the ass as possible for everyone.
American troops will begin leaving Iraq by next December.
Chris Dodd will withdraw from the presidential race late in the year.
The race for the Democratic nomination will shape up as a battle between Obama and Edwards. Hillary Clinton will be a distant third.
The Republican field will be a contest between McCain and someone who is acting as the anti-McCain: maybe Gingrich or possibly Romney.
Michael Bloomberg will run for president as an independent candidate. Joe Lieberman will publicly support him, and probably end up as his running mate.

I remind you, my predictions are usually terrible. I think I was wrong on every single one last year!

So what are your predictions?

Year in Review: 2006 (part two)

2006-12-29T14:10:00.000-05:00

A continuation of part one of the year in review.

July

7/3 - Joe Lieberman, sensing doom, starts collecting signatures for an independent run.

7/6 - The first debate between Lieberman and Lamont. Lieberman comes off as grouchy and combative. Lamont looks like a deer in the headlights. Lamont, however, scores enough points for a win, although he fails to knock Lieberman out. The debate is broadcast live on national news networks. National and international interest in the primary swells.

7/10 - Lieberman comes up with a new party name. It is silly.

7/11 - Then-Republican Diana Urban thinks about jumping into the Senate race. She doesn't collect enough signatures.

7/12 - Questions about gambling nearly force Alan Schlesinger from the race. A lot of the "outrage" seems to be driven by either the governor or Kevin Rennie. Schlesinger hangs in there, but his candidacy is permanently crippled.

7/18 - Malloy and DeStefano debate in New London. Few watch. Malloy does a little better, but the real star of the debate is a refreshingly crusty Mark Davis, who needs to moderate more debates.

7/20 - Lamont pulls ahead with two weeks to go.

7/24 - Bill Clinton comes to Waterbury. Spazeboy has trouble getting in to see him.

7/27 - Nancy Johnson releases an attack ad against Chris Murphy. In July. No wonder she lost.

7/27 - Joe Lieberman announces a bus tour of diners. It doesn't go well.

August

The conventional wisdom entering August was that Lamont was going to crush Lieberman. Polls showed him ahead by ten points or more. The Malloy campaign claimed to be inching closer and closer to DeStefano. What really mattered, however, came on August 8th:

8/8 - Primary Day. The world comes to Connecticut. I've never seen anything like it.

The day begins with an attack on the Lieberman website. Well, it's called an attack. Lamont's campaign and supporters slowly debunk it throughout the day, but the Lieberman campaign keeps claiming an attack and blames pro-Lamont forces.

Turnout is very high--43% of Dems vote. That's the highest turnout ever for a statewide primary.

Lamont does win by 52%-48%, but Joe Lieberman vows to run as an independent. He promptly fires his staff, and hires old hands.

John DeStefano wins against Dan Malloy in a squeaker--only a few thousand votes separate them.

Oddly, Malloy's running mate Mary Glassman absolutely wrecks Scott Slifka, as Democratic voters send a clear message about having a woman on the ticket. DeStefano orders new lawn signs.

8/13 - Lamont's campaign begins the general election campaign on the wrong foot. Never say bad things about Waterbury. It's not worth it.

8/14 - Jim Amann backs Joe Lieberman, earning him the enmity of pro-Lamont bloggers and others.

8/16 - Garfield's off the hook in Moodygate. Which is still going on.

8/17 - A Quinnipiac Poll shows Lieberman leading Lamont by about 10%, and Rell crushing DeStefano. Which, despite a few wavers here and there, is exactly where it all ends up.

8/25 - Chris Shays endorses a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, neatly stealing Diane Farrell's thunder. A decisive moment for Shays.

September

I spent September waiting for things to get interesting. They didn't.

9/1 - Three major House races in Connecticut are among those nationally targeted.

9/5 - It's revealed that the White House is funneling money to Lieberman. Surprise.

9/13 - The SOTS releases the list of towns which will use optical scan machines.

9/15 - Lieberman remembers why people liked him in the first place.

9/18 - Nancy Johnson suggests that a vote for Murphy is a vote for terrorists killing adorable children. Whew!

9/19 - Courtney and Simmons debate.

9/22 - Rell and DeStefano agree to two one-on-one debates, infuriating Cliff Thornton of the Green Party.

9/25 - Remember this guy?

9/28 - The House passes the so-called "torture bill." Shays, Simmons and Johnson vote yes. Later, my wife and I will listen to Simmons defend that vote... but he's lost ours because of it.

October

Yard sign month! I love October--usually. This October, however, seemed like one, long, ceaseless slog through the mud. By the end of the month, I just wanted it all to stop.

10/1 - 1-84 problems.

10/2 - Tax attacks!

10/3 - Lamont donates a ton of money.

10/4 - General Assembly commercials.

10/5 - Farrell/Shays debate.

10/6 - Rell dips into slush funds, Ruth Fahrbach benefits.

10/8 - People notice that Lamont is stuck in neutral.

10/9 - Gubernatorial debate #1. DeStefano does well, but Rell stays on her feet.

10/10 - Simmons and Courtney in Enfield. Other local candidates, too.

10/11 - Foley follies. Ew.

10/13 - Shays loses his mind on Abu Graib. A "sex ring"? Kinky.

10/16 - Let's have a debate in the middle of the afternoon. Lamont/Lieberman/Schlesinger. Schlesinger makes a great showing.

10/18 - A stealth senate debate, then a live gubernatorial one.

10/21 - The Courant endorses all the Democrats in Congressional races.

10/22 - Petty cash.

10/23 - Final U.S. Senate debate. I spend the afternoon talking to foreign journalists, then watch the debate live. Schlesinger impresses again--especially his response to hecklers sent by LaRouche to bug Lieberman.

10/26 - Johnson releases the drug dealer ad, which shows Chris Murphy being welcomed into the home of a drug dealer. Ouch!

10/27 - Glassman and Fedele debate on the radio. Nice.

10/28 - Lieberman and Bloomberg are friends.

The Courant endorses Lieberman, DeStefano. The New York Times endorses Lamont.

10/30 - NOW endorses DeStefano-Glassman.

November

At last! Election month.

11/1 - A ton of new voters this year. People are interested.

11/3 - Enfield. Center of the political universe.

11/7 - Election Day!

Rell, Lieberman, Murphy win by a lot. Shays wins by a little. Courtney wins by a very small number, the recount begins.

And that's that.

Democrats gain a supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly.

11/15 - Simmons concedes after the recount upholds Courtney's win.

11/16 - Larson elected vice caucus chair.

11/21 - Diana Urban leaves the GOP.

11/26 - George Gallo makes ready to step down as head of the state GOP.

December

It's been quiet around here this month. Expect things to pick up again in January.

12/4 - Newton sentence under review.

12/5 - Simmons thinks about running again.

12/7 - Squabbles over rate hikes.

12/12 - Courtney and Murphy get their committee assignments.

12/14 - More Moodygate. Just what I always wanted!

12/16 - Rell appoints a panel to investigate the State Police after a damning report is released.

12/20 - An investigation finds that Lamont supporters had nothing to do with Lieberman's website troubles.

12/21 - Rell fires people.

12/28 - Rell proposes a health care plan. As usual, I like it but everyone else thinks I'm nuts. Oh, well.

Happy New Year, everyone!!! Here's to another crazy year in Connecticut.

More on Rell's Healthcare Plan

2006-12-29T11:57:00.000-05:00

The Courant points out some of the flaws in Rell's healthcare proposal. Many of the flaws pointed out in the article mirror our own discussion on this topic.

Long Quote:

A key issue is that the plan would require relatively high deductibles, some high co-pays, and other cost-sharing by consumers. As a result, people with serious health problems could spend more than $2,000 a year on medical bills - on top of the premiums they would pay.

"It doesn't appear to be providing any sort of universal health care coverage," said Beverly Brakeman, director of the labor and community coalition called Citizens for Economic Opportunity. She's glad Rell is "belatedly entering the debate," but she says not everyone can afford $250 monthly premiums.

Michael Starkowski, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Social Services, said the state is striving to keep premiums "reasonable" while protecting benefits, in hopes of attracting enough healthy consumers to make the program viable.

If only sick people bought the Charter Oak policies, claims would be higher than expected and premiums wouldn't be as affordable, he said.

The other out-of-pocket costs for buyers, such as a $1,000 annual per-person deductible, would help keep the premiums down, state officials say.

But the plan is expensive and "as it's presented, doesn't get us where we need to go because there's no investment by the state," said Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, adding he's glad Rell is talking about health care.

Also, the $1,000 deductible and high co-pays "are not going to encourage people to seek medical treatment unless they're experiencing severe problems," Williams said.

I still don't trust any plan that doesn't involve legislation.

Source
Levick, Diane "Flaws Seen in Healthcare Plan". Hartford Courant. 12/30/06

Year in Review: 2006 (part one)

2006-12-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

This was a hectic, wild and unpredictable year in many ways. Much of the excitement this year centered around Ned Lamont's insurgent campaign against Sen. Joe Lieberman, but there were a lot of other stories that made living in Connecticut interesting. This is a very basic chronology of some of the major stories in Connecticut during 2006.

If you're looking for a more complete timeline of the Lieberman-Lamont primary, check here.

I'll provide links to CTLP stories about these topics, as newspaper stories disappear from the web quickly. As you have no doubt noticed, most CTLP posts cite sources, making it easy for the researcher to find the news articles we originally linked to.

January

1/6 - News of Ned Lamont's possible candidacy leaks out. The media starts getting very excited.

1/11 - Lieberman first suggests he will run as an independent should he lose a primary.

1/23 - Dan Malloy capitalizes on discontent with John DeStefano in New Haven.

February

2/2 - Ernest Newton gets five years for accepting a bribe and other charges. An immediate comparison between Newton's five years and John Rowland's one is drawn.

2/6 - It was learned that Lisa Moody wouldn't be charged with any crimes for her role in a campaign finance scandal. Moodygate itself dragged on for months after--and still continues.

2/8 - Gov. Rell delivers the State of the State speech, and proposes eliminating the property tax on cars.

2/10 - Rowland goes free.

2/17 - Several polls show Joe Lieberman with a huge lead over Ned Lamont among Democrats. That would change.

2/21 - Paul Vance of Waterbury withdraws from the 5th District congressional race, clearing the field for Chris Murphy.

2/28 - Chris Shays lets slip that the GOP is considering endorsing Lieberman. Republicans deny it, but a massive storm is kicked up.

March

3/2 - Minority Leader Robert Ward announces his retirement after long service in the legislature. He will later be reincarnated as head of the DMV.

3/8 - The elections enforcement commission fines sixteen commissioners for their role in the Marco Polo fundraising scandal. Lisa Moody is not fined.

3/13 - Ned Lamont announces his candidacy. I suggest it's going to get ugly, which is does.

3/16 - Alan Schlesinger expresses interest in the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. I'm less than impressed, but I end up voting for the guy. How did that happen? Strange year.

3/17 - It's revealed that Rell's campaign manager was kept in the know about what elections enforcement commissioner Jeffrey Garfield was going to do about Moodygate. Both Moody and Garfield still have the jobs. Amazing.

3/20 - Immigration foe and local nut Paul Streitz announces his intention to challenge Lieberman. His campaign raises little money and ends in utter defeat.

3/30 - Joe Lieberman gets booed at the Jefferson-Jackson-Bailey dinner.

April

4/3 - Striking teamsters at Sikorsky go back to work, although they don't really get what they want.

4/3 - John DeStefano names a new campaign manager as panic about the upcoming convention sets in.

4/4 - Sen. Dodd says he has an "itch" to run for president in 2008, leading to all sorts of "itch" jokes.

4/15 - Challengers outraise incumbents.

4/25 - Peter Zarella withdraws his nomination after it's learned that former Chief Justice William Sullivan delayed the release of a controversial case to help him.

4/26 - Compromise is reached on a major transportation bill.

4/29 - Rell gets slammed as her tax repeals are scrapped by Democrats.

May

5/1 - Kristine Regaglia gets put out to pasture.

5/4 - A quick fix for campaign finance reform is passed. At the last minute.

5/7 - It's learned that Kos of Daily Kos will briefly appear in a Lamont commercial. A very stupid firestorm ensues, which no one who isn't an online political junkie notices.

5/15 - Jodi Rell picks Michael Fedele, who is unknown outside of Fairfield County, as her running mate.

5/18 - Pony up, czarina. John DeStefano never got to use that one.

5/19 - Mary Glassman is selected as Dan Malloy's running mate. Be on the lookout for weirdness involving her later on!

5/19 - Lamont wins an impressive 34% of the vote at the Democratic convention. I see Wolf Blitzer in the convention hall. Excitement!

5/20 - Dan Malloy is endorsed after a long, nasty process. DeStefano names Scott Slifka as his running mate after the vote is done.

5/23 - There's a fistfight at a nominating convention in Bristol. Politics is fun!

5/26 - The judicial openness task force gets underway.

June

6/1 - Someone siccs the FBI on us. I poop my pants, but all turns out well. What the heck happened to Bruce, anyway? I miss the guy.

Most of June - Primary rancor is the order of the day. I'm shocked by how negative and, well, petty the Lieberman campaign is. I felt dirty whenever I read one of their press releases. Hey, I still have 'em all saved--just ask and I'll send you one!

6/16 - Lieberman drags out the bear ad again. Everyone groans and covers their eyes. The pain!

6/18 - Lieberman has a bad week. Or a bad month. Or a bad couple of months. The disintegration of the Lieberman campaign is a marvel.

6/19 - Trouble for Fabrizi in Bridgeport as it's learned he used cocaine while in office.

6/21 - It turns out Moodygate wasn't done. Jeffrey Garfield apparently "forgot" to include some material in his report to the General Assembly. Why does he still have a job? Someone tell me.

6/22 - The Judiciary Committee subpoenas former Chief Justice Sullivan.

6/30 - The last two holdouts in Fort Trumbull pack it in. Still no eminent domain reform.

Look for more in the coming days

Rell Proposes Health Care Plan

2006-12-28T00:14:00.000-05:00

The vision thing is on the move. Gov. Rell has proposed a health care plan for uninsured adults called the Charter Oak Health Care Plan. From the Courant:

The initiative, called the Charter Oak Health Plan, would be open to adults of all incomes and cost each participant about $250 a month in premiums.
[...]
The Charter Oak Health Plan would offer a full prescription drug package with copays ranging from $10 to $15. Enrollees with pre-existing medical conditions would not be restricted from coverage.

There would be no maximum annual benefits, but there would be a lifetime maximum of $1 million of coverage. Laboratory and X-ray services would require a 20 percent copay while copays for prenatal, postnatal and preventive care would be lower than regular office visits to encourage people to receive that care.

The plan also would discourage costly visits to emergency rooms by requiring customers to pay for a portion of the visit if it's a non-emergency situation.
[...]
Rell said her proposal is not a "big government program." Rather, it encourages insurance companies to offer The Charter Oak Health Plan as an affordable choice in their offering of health care plans to reach people who otherwise can't afford coverage.

Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, said he's pleased Rell offered the proposal, but said the state will have to spend more money on health care.

Long quote, I know. But there's a lot to talk about, here. The idea is that the state wouldn't actually pay for the plan, but promote it. Insurance companies (and subscribers) would pay for it. Apparently, insurance companies are interested in offering it.

If it works, and it's affordable (although $250/month might be a bit steep for some), it's definitely worth considering over more traditional universal health care schemes.

I'm very interested to see what people have to say.

Source
"Rell Unveils Health Care Plan For Uninsured Adults." Associated Press 27 December, 2006.

Open Forum

2006-12-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

What's happening this week that we haven't talked about?

Larson Becoming More Powerful

2006-12-27T21:32:00.000-05:00

Apologies for light posting during the holiday week

A piece about the increasing influence of Rep. John Larson ran in the Courant today:

The man has friends. A lot of them, and it's why, as Democrats take control of the House next week, Larson begins 2007 as a major power broker.
[...]
Larson is a Pelosi loyalist.

"We're not joined at the hip," he says, "but I'm one of the top 10 she calls for advice, and that's a good thing."

Let's face it--unless Larson runs for governor (he tried in 1994), U.S. Senator or some other office, he'll be a Congressman for as long as he wants. He has plenty of time to amass power and influence. We may see him rise farther up in the ranks if the Democrats are successful this term--or even if they aren't.

Source
Lightman, David. "Larson Powers Up His Career." Hartford Courant 27 December, 2006.

President Gerald Ford Dies

2006-12-27T01:15:00.000-05:00

CNN (and many others) are reporting that President Gerald Ford has died at the age of 93.

I have a lot of admiration for Ford. Despite the heat he took over his pardon of President Nixon, I believe that history will recall Ford fondly, as a straightforward man who steered America out of a dark time. The nation is less for losing him.

2007 Poll #1

2006-12-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

I think we may have done this one before, but here it is again.

Once again, if I've left something important out, leave it in the comments. Remember that these are issues you would like to see explored in some way, not necessarily specific bills you'd like passed.

Ward to head DMV

2006-12-26T20:09:00.000-05:00

Anne Gnazzo Picked for Administrative Services

Retiring Minority Leader Robert Ward has been tapped to lead the DMV, according to the Associated Press:

Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Tuesday tapped veteran Republican lawmaker Robert Ward to run the state's motor vehicle department.

Rell, a Republican, appointed the outgoing House minority leader as her new commissioner.
[...]
Rell also announced she is appointing Anne Gnazzo as the next commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services, which handles state purchasing and human resource management.

Gnazzo is deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. Rell seems to be making as many moves as she can before her inauguration--and the start of the session--on January 3rd.

Source
"Rell appoints Ward to head Department of Motor Vehicles." Associated Press 26 December, 2006.

Holidays

2006-12-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

It's been a peaceful couple of days. It's been nice to have a breather from work, and from politics, and to spend time at home with my wife. The only thing missing is the snow--which hasn't fallen at all this year.

2006--a tumultuous year, to be sure--is coming to a close. The coming week will be a good time to reflect on the year that is ending, and the new year to come. We'll do lots of that, don't worry.

For now, though, enjoy the holidays, and forget about politics for a little while.

...

Or, if like me, you just can't forget about politics, read an interview with Rell by Associated Press writer Susan Haigh. Rell is promising to bring back the elimination of the car tax, and to be a "voice of reason." She and the legislature are promising action on energy issues, including letting NU and UI back into the generating business. An interesting read.

Weekend Open Forum

2006-12-22T23:32:00.000-05:00

I'm in Kentucky visiting family for the holidays. I haven't even looked at a newspaper in 24 hours. We did discuss the upcoming presidential race during dinner tonight. My mother likes Hillary, while my younger brother prefers Obama. Other than me and my husband no one has even heard of Chris Dodd.

What's going on in Connecticut?

Long Island: Blumenthal a Pain

2006-12-22T09:19:00.000-05:00

There is little love for AG Richard Blumenthal on Long Island these days:

Be careful about getting Steve Levy started on Blumenthal. The Suffolk County executive blasted the AG as a politician who, rather than fostering cooperation between the Island and Connecticut, prefers to muddy pools with an “’us vs. them’ mentality.”

He’s not done – Levy just paused to reload on his fellow Democrat. Blumenthal, at the expense of middle-class Long Islanders, is “out to make cheap political points for some rich folks who live on the coast of Connecticut,” Levy said. And don’t forget, Blumenthal is “parochial” and his actions “lack common sense.”
[...]
Republican Brookhaven Town Board member Kevin McCarrick piled on – he champions the idea of “appealing to U.S and state senators to get Blumenthal to behave” – and even Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton, joined in. According to Bishop, by blocking the proposed Islander East natural gas pipeline from Connecticut to Long Island, Blumenthal is providing aid and ammunition to Broadwater Energy’s plans for a floating natural gas plant in the Sound.

In his protracted legal fight against the pipeline, Blumenthal is allowing Broadwater – which, publicly, the AG passionately opposes – to ride to the rescue by convincing ratepayers it’s the only natural gas alternative, Bishop said. (Clancy)

We tend to forget that Long Island Sound isn't entirely ours, and I think we tend to dismiss their take on things. However, suggesting that the Connecticut coast is filled with nothing but the idle rich is inaccurate, at best. And why would Blumenthal need to curry that much favor with the super-rich? They probably all voted for Bob Farr anyway.

It's sometimes difficult to figure out whether Blumenthal is making a principled stand or going for media attention. Maybe the real issues here are whether the environmental concerns are actually justified, and whether Connecticut is appropriately compensated for a project that will not benefit us in the slightest.

Source
Clancy, Ambrose. "Why does this man hate us?" Long Island Business Journal 22 December, 2006.

Dodd Signs Sought After Kerry Aide

2006-12-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

Senator Dodd signed former Kerry campaign manager Jim Jordan as a top advisor. Jordan was formerly working with Mark Warner until he decided not to run.

Dodd plans to decide next month on a White House bid, but by adding Jordan to his team, sends a strong signal he is seriously leaning toward a bid.

Jordan said he is joining the Dodd team because "He's easily, of all the potential candidates, the one who's most qualified to do the job. He's also one of the most interesting and charming people in politics."

While Jordan was fired when Kerry floundered in November 2003, the article points out that he was largely thought to be a scapegoat and still had many of the 2008 Democratic contenders drooling after his services.

Contrary to the CW on this blog and elsewhere, Jordan believes that Dodd is viable.

Jordan insisted Dodd has a good shot. "I'm very optimistic about his chances," he said. Asked why, in such a crowded field, Jordan said, "Because of his qualifications and political skills--he's what voters will be looking for."
...
Dodd has been making all the types of moves a potential candidate would make. He visited key early primary and caucus states this fall, donated more than $1 million to Democratic candidates around the country this election cycle, and has about $2 million on hand. And he is seen as able to raise plenty of money, particularly since he was the Democratic party's general chairman in the mid-1990s and is slated to become Senate Banking Committee chairman next month.

Also in Dodd's favor is the goodwill that he has built up over 20 years or so of raising money and campaigning for candidates all over the country.

I'm not ready to jump on the viability bandwagon yet, but Dodd has just posted a big win in the all-important talent primary (the one that comes before the all-important money primary, which comes before the all-important, you know, actual primaries).

H/T to CTBob.

Update: The Journal Inquirer weighs in on the money Dodd has spent to support other candidates, coincidently I'm sure, in New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, South Carolina, and Missouri:

The latest FEC filing from Citizens for Hope Responsibility Independence and Service PAC, also known as ChrisPAC, reveals that between Oct. 19 and Nov. 27 it sent $89,500 in contributions to Democratic Party committees and candidates in Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

The single-biggest contribution - $13,000 - was dispatched on Nov 2 to the New Hampshire Democratic State Committee, which got another $5,000 four days later.

Another $20,000 was split evenly between four party panels in three states: the Iowa House Truman Fund, Iowa Senate Majority Fund, Missouri Democratic State Committee, and the Democratic Party of South Carolina.

ChrisPAC had made $65,000 in similar contributions over the previous three months, bringing its total investment in the venues at the top of the list of 2008's early presidential showdowns to $154,500.

Seven Commissioners Out

2006-12-21T21:16:00.000-05:00

From the Courant:

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she has accepted the resignations of the following six state agency commissioners:

• Commissioner Darlene Dunbar of the Department of Children and Families;
• Commissioner James Abromaitis of the Department of Economic and Community Development;
• Commissioner Susan Cogswell of the Department of Insurance.
• Commissioner (Acting) William Ramirez of the Department of Motor Vehicles;
• Commissioner Patricia Wilson-Coker of the Department of Social Services;
• Jennifer Aniskovich, Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on Arts and Tourism.

Consumer protection commissioner Edwin Rodriguez announced his resignation yesterday.

Housecleaning. Way, way overdue.

House Republicans Plan for Session

2006-12-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

From the AP wire:

There may only be 44 of them, but members of the state's House Republican caucus said Thursday that they'll make their presence known when the legislature meets in January.
[...]
The group plans to push for a bill to create a new first-time home buyers fund. The state income taxes of recent college graduates who remain in Connecticut would be put in investment accounts that could be tapped to buy homes.

House Republicans also hope to exempt senior citizens' pensions from the state income tax and create new portable health care plans that workers can take from job to job.

The idea of a first-time home buyers fund for college grads who stay in Connecticut is intriguing.

Source
"Small House GOP caucus vows to be heard next session." Associated Press 21 December, 2006.

Lieberman Leaves Centrist Coalition

2006-12-21T13:56:00.000-05:00

Founds Social Club

From Political Wire:

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) "has relinquished his position as co-chairman of the Senate Centrist Coalition, halting talks with co-chairwoman Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) over the future of the organization in favor of creating his own bipartisan group with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)," according to Roll Call."

Lieberman's group will be bringing senators together in social settings, according to a letter published in a Tennessee newspaper.

The purpose of the group is to create an opportunity for Senators to know one another better across party lines so that we can identify common interests and work on issues that are important to our country.

Snowe and Landrieu will be working on reaching out to "non-ideological" centrists, according to the Roll Call article. I assume that Lieberman is not one of these?

Sources
Centrist Split in the Senate. Political Wire. http://politicalwire.com/archives/2006/12/21/centrist_split_in_the_senate.html

Lieberman, Alexander Organize Bipartisan Members Group." The Chattanoogan 20 December, 2006.

Dodd Seeks Call-Back Exemptions For Unfit Soldiers

2006-12-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

H/T to Rose over at The Nutmeg Grater for this. She's been following issues that our local soldiers face for awhile on her blog, and deserves major credit for that.

From the Courant:

U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd is asking newly appointed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to ensure that soldiers debilitated by post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses are not sent back into combat.

"If experienced VA doctors diagnose military personnel with incapacitating disabilities, such as severe PTSD, it would seem counter to our national security interests for the military services to somehow disregard these evaluations for less thorough assessments performed by military officials," Dodd wrote in a letter Tuesday to Gates. "It seems unacceptable and perhaps even reckless to ask our servicemen and women to entrust their lives to soldiers deemed mentally unfit by medical professionals."

This is part of the problem with sending in even more troops. We're already sending people who are unfit for duty back into combat. I shudder to think about what lengths they'll go to when the call for more troops becomes official.

Source
Chedekel, Lisa. "Dodd Seeks Call-Back Exemptions For Unfit Soldiers". Hartford Courant. 12/20/06.

Hartford Mayoral Race in the Works

2006-12-21T08:04:00.000-05:00

I wanted to point out this Stan Simpson column on the upcoming Hartford mayoral race. Simpson mentions a few potentials, but suggests that none of them are quite up to challenging Eddie Perez:

But the cast of early potential rivals - former state Sen. Frank Barrows, state Rep. Art Feltman; onetime Deputy Mayor I. Charles Mathews and state Rep. Minnie Gonzalez - may be more distraction than real challenge to the mayor.

The next mayor, after Perez, must be one who can raise significant cash and connect with corporate Hartford while still having the credibility to mingle in its multi-ethnic neighborhoods.(Simpson)

Simpson mentions possibilities like Kevin Henry, State Rep. Kevin Roldan and Republican Corey Brinson as possibilities for 2007. One person Simpson leaves off his list is state Treasurer Denise Nappier, who has been rumored to be interested in Perez's job for a while, now. Is she no longer a potential candidate?

I suspect that there will be some sort of meaningful challenge to Perez regardless. He's made a lot of enemies, and Hartford has not made much in the way of tangible progress during his term. A lot of the hope people felt about Perez when he first took office has since disappeared.

Source
Simpson, Stan. "Political Change Is Brewing." Hartford Courant 20 December, 2006.

Republicans to Introduce Bill to Ban Trans Fats

2006-12-20T23:54:00.000-05:00

From the AP wire:

Two weeks after the New York City Board of Health voted to make the Big Apple the first city in the nation to ban artificial trans fats in restaurant food, two Republican state senators in Connecticut proposed similar legislation Wednesday.
[...]
"By forcing some of the world's largest food chains and restaurateurs to use healthier alternatives in their food preparation, New York City has paved the way for what I hope will be a national movement to improve the health quality of the food we eat in restaurants," said Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield.

Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-Goshen, ranking Republican on the legislature's Public Health Committee, co-sponsored the bill. (AP)

Source
"Connecticut lawmakers hope to ban trans fats in restaurants." Associated Press 20 December, 2006.

Lieberman Makes Call for More Troops Official

2006-12-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

The Courant reports that after a visit to Iraq, Senator Joe Lieberman is calling for us to send in more troops.

"After speaking with our military commanders on the ground," he said Wednesday in an email, "I strongly believe that additional U.S. troops must be deployed to Baghdad."

Lieberman, D-Conn., visited Iraq last week with a Senate delegation. He also traveled to Kuwait and Israel.

Bush has been considering a "troop surge" to help secure the Iraqi capital, but told a news conference Wednesday he had made no decision on how to proceed.

Senator Dodd, has a different take.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., Sunday gave qualified support to a troop surge but only under very limited conditions. Reid suggested a two- to three-month surge; Dodd said he would go along only after "demonstrable evidence that (Sunnis and Shiites) are coming together as a people."

Otherwise, Dodd said, talk of a troop surge is "a phony argument, in my view … just delaying the inevitable." Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who was traveling with Lieberman, also said he backed more troops only if they helped expedite a faster U.S. exit.

I am not a military strategist, but I just don't see the value of sending more troops in at this point. I also don't trust Bush, and Lieberman to get us out of the mess they helped create. The problem is that there are no good answers. It doesn't seem right to leave Iraq in it's current state, but I don't think any workable solution is going to come from our continued involvement.

Source
Lightman, David. "Lieberman Calls For More Troops". Hartford Courant. 12-20-06

Lamont, Supporters Cleared in Lieberman Web Fiasco

2006-12-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

Remember when Joe Lieberman's website went down on Primary Day, and his campaign basically dumped responsibility on the Lamont campaign's evil blog-ish supporters? Guess what:

The U.S. attorney's office and state attorney general have cleared former U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont and his supporters of any role in the crash of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman's campaign Web site hours before last summer's Democratic primary.

"The investigation has revealed no evidence the problems the Web site experienced were the result of criminal conduct," said Tom Carson, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal confirmed the joint investigation "found no evidence of tampering or sabotage warranting civil action by my office." Both men declined to provide additional information, such as what might have happened to the site. (Lockhart)

So I wonder what actually did happen to Lieberman's website? As you might remember, it was down for weeks thereafter. I do remember the Lieberman campaign being very, very outraged about the whole thing, and it was clear that they blamed overzealous Lamont supporters.

Source
Lockhart, Brian. "Lamont camp cleared in hacking of Lieberman Web site." Stamford Advocate 20 December, 2006.

Rell Not Ruling Out Running in 2010

2006-12-20T07:33:00.000-05:00

From the New Haven Register (subscription):

As she prepares to be sworn in for her first full term as governor, Republican M. Jodi Rell said Tuesday that she isn’t ruling out running again four years from now.

"I’m not going to discount that at all," said Rell. "I know some people have said right away, ‘Oh, she’ll never run again.’ Well, you never say never." (Hladky)

The rest of the interview is basically puff, but that idea is interesting. The conventional wisdom has always been that Rell would not be running in 2010--indeed, that she might be planning to leave office before then.

Puts a damper on plans for Fedele '10... if only for a little while.

Source
Hladky, Gregory. "Rell eyes inauguration, running for 2nd full term." New Haven Register 20 December, 2006.

Open Forum

2006-12-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

A Connecticut soldier from Eastford was killed in Afghanistan last week.

A judge is reviewing Ernie Newton's sentence.

Dodd and Kerry go to Damascus.

Rate hikes have UI customers worried.

What else is going on?

Courtney, Murphy to Outline First 100 Hours of New Congress

2006-12-19T12:01:00.001-05:00

According to a press release, here's what the new Congress will be working on during its first 100 hours:

* Reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels, and begin by rolling back the multi-billion dollar subsidies for Big Oil.
* Improving accessibility to college by significantly cutting interest rates for student loans.
* Adopting the recommendations of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission to make our nation safer.
* Fixing the Medicare prescription drug program, including negotiating lower drug prices and closing the gap in prescription drug coverage. Stem cell research will receive greater attention and support from the new Congress.
* Guaranteeing a meaningful retirement income, and blocking any attempt to privatize Social Security.
* Reforming Congress by implementing meaningful lobbying reform legislation and restoring fiscal responsibility by restoring pay-as-you-go.
* Treating the American worker with respect by refusing any new Congressional salary increase until the American public gets a minimum wage increase.

Murphy and Courtney will detail more at a press conference this afternoon.

I have to wonder why Rosa DeLauro and John Larson aren't doing similar press conferences?

Minimum Age for Candidates?

2006-12-18T20:42:00.000-05:00

Seen on Dean Pagani's blog, Media Attache:

The Mayor of Torrington is twenty-three. The congressman-elect from the fifth district is thirty-three. Barack Obama is forty-five.

Without speaking to the qualifications of any specific political leader, it is time to consider increasing the minimum age for those we elect to serve in public office. It’s time for all of us, as employers, to demand some experience before we elect to give the most important jobs in our state and in this country to young men and women with limited life experience.

Huh. And yet, by all accounts, Ryan Bingham is doing very well in Torrington. We don't know whether Obama will be a good president, but one of the things I like about him is his age. He doesn't see the world through the warping lens of the 1960s, like our last two presidents and a majority of the members of Congress.

Frankly, I'd rather voters make the call about whether a candidate is experienced enough. But then again, what do I know? Apparently, I haven't had enough experience yet to make a call either way. Curse my damned youth!

Connecticut Political Person of the Year

2006-12-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

Time Magazine has named "You" as the Person of the Year, which seems like an incredible cop-out to me. That said...

If I had to choose, I'd pick Lamont--and perhaps, more importantly for the future, his supporters both online and off--for sheer impact on state politics, and for getting a lot of people involved in and excited about politics statewide. Close runners-up would be Murphy and Courtney, followed by Rell.

Is there anyone I should have put on this list that I didn't?

Dodd May Back Troop Increase, With Conditions

2006-12-18T07:42:00.000-05:00

From the Courant:

Two key Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, said Sunday they could back a temporary increase in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq - but only if that surge was for a very short period and specifically helped end American involvement.

At least three other Democrats, as well as former Secretary of State Colin Powell, saw little help from such a surge.

And on the other side of the Iraq debate, Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., and John McCain, R-Ariz., are saying additional troops are not only needed, but should not be subject to any withdrawal timeline.
[...]
...Dodd told reporters in a conference call, "Show me some demonstrable evidence that they're coming together as a people - Shias and Sunnis, sitting down and recognizing that they have an obligation to come together as a people - then I'd be willing to support some additional people if we needed it in order to get the job done." (Lightman)

Dodd also said that he believes that more troops could just delay Iraq's government from "making the decision about their political future."

Dodd's view is similar to incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid's, and at odds with many other Democrats'. The idea of Shi'ite and Sunni coming together as a people does seem a little farfetched, however, so Dodd's position is basically that, if things get a whole lot better in Iraq, in which case extra troops probably wouldn't be needed, then he's support sending extra troops.

Source
Lightman, David. "Dodd Could Back Buildup." Hartford Courant 18 December, 2006.

Because Rumors are Fun

2006-12-17T23:21:00.000-05:00

From the Raw Story:

While much of Washington kept rapt attention on the health of Democratic Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota, an article in Salon today speculated that President George W. Bush could tip the Senate to a Republican majority via other means -- namely, appointing Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut to be America's next Ambassador to the UN.
****
Conason acknowledges that Lieberman, having fought so hard to keep his seat, is unlikely to give it up. But he points out that Lieberman was a candidate for the job of UN Ambassador at an earlier time. And, he also suggests that the move could be used to put Lieberman on course to be the Vice Presidential candidate on a ticket with John McCain in 2008.

I don't put much stock in this story, but it would make sense. It would be a rare win-win for Bush. Lieberman is a popular political figure, and probably wouldn't have much trouble being confirmed. Republicans could then retake control of the Senate, at least for the next year.

But I agree with Conason that Lieberman isn't likely to sacrifice the seat that he just fought so hard to win back. Bolton's old job doesn't have nearly as much power or influence as Joe's current gig. There's little to nothing for Lieberman to gain as UN Ambassador.

Lieutenant Governors of the 1960s

2006-12-17T17:12:00.000-05:00

Another in a series of profiles of historical figures you’ve probably never heard of

Lt. Governor John Dempsey succeeded Gov. Abraham Ribicoff when the latter departed Connecticut to become John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. Dempsey would serve just shy of ten consecutive years as governor, a feat of longevity exceeded by only a select few, including Jonathan Trumbull (1769-1784), Samuel Huntington (1786-1796) and William A. O’Neill (1981-1991). John Rowland (1995-2004) comes close.

Dempsey had four Lieutenant Governors during his time in office.

-------

Anthony J. Armentano (D) of Hartford (1961-1963)

Anthony Armentano (1916-1987), like many Lt. Governors, would be better known for his work in other areas. Armentano was a lawyer from Hartford who had entered private practice shortly before World War II. He joined the Army during the war and served in the Pacific, attaining the rank of Captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps before his discharge at war’s end. He returned to Hartford to resume his law practice. He entered politics in 1956, when he mounted a successful run for the State Senate. Armentano became president pro tem of the Senate in 1959, which set him up to take over as Lieutenant Governor when then-Lt. Gov. Dempsey succeeded Ribicoff in early 1961.

There was a lot of confusion over the official status of both Dempsey and Armentano, owing to the vague language the 1818 Constitution, then still in effect, used to describe the succession. From Article Four, Section 14:

“In case of the death, resignation ... of the governor, or of his impeachment, or absence from the state, the Lieutenant Governor shall exercise the powers and authority appertaining to the office of Governor...”

Unfortunately, it states nowhere that the Lt. Governor would actually become governor. Succession was just as murky for the Lt. Governor’s position. According to the constitution, the Senate President Pro Tem was to, if both higher offices became vacant, “in like manner administer the government.” The problem had come up in 1948, when Gov. James McConaughy died and Lt. Gov. James Shannon took over (he was often referred to as “Acting Governor”), when Wilbert Snow took over for Raymond Baldwin in late 1946, and at two earlier points in 1925 (the resignation, after one day, of Gov. Hiram Bingham) and 1909, when Gov. Lilley died in office. Each time, rumblings about an amendment to the constitution were made, but nothing was done until the current constitution was approved in 1965. Armentano was often referred to as “Acting Lt. Gov.” throughout his tenure.

Armentano’s succession led to a strange opinion from Attorney General Albert L. Coles which stated, essentially, that Armentano was required to be both president pro tem of the Senate and Lt. Governor:

Artmentano, said Coles, is the lieutenant governor, but only by virtue of being president pro tem of the Senate. And he is president pro tem of the Senate because he is a senator. Therefore, Coles reasoned, to be lieutenant governor, Armentano has also to be the other two. (Zaiman)

Convoluted? Absolutely. Actually, Armentano didn’t seem to care much for the office of Lt. Governor. He didn’t even bring his family to his swearing in. His was an uneventful tenure (although in 1962 he was present for the opening of Hartford’s first fallout shelter), and he did not seek re-election to the Senate or re-nomination as Lt. Governor in 1962.

Armentano went on to have a much more interesting career on the bench. He was nominated by Dempsey to the Court of Common Pleas in 1963, and in 1965 became a Superior Court judge. He served from 1981-1983 on the state Supreme Court.

-------

Sources
“Display Ad 51 -- No Title.” The Hartford Courant Sep 20, 1956.
Schonrock, Keith. “Doubt Cast on Parson’s Right to Title.” The Hartford Courant Mar. 31, 1948.
“The Honorable Anthony J. Armentano.” Memorials of Connecticut Judges and Attorneys As Printed in the Connecticut Reports. v.205, p. 815.http://www.cslib.org/memorials/armena.htm
Zaiman, Jack. “At 12:30 ‘Twas Official; Lieut. Gov Armentano.” The Hartford Courant Jan 25, 1961.

-------

Samuel J. Tedesco (D) of Bridgeport (1963-66)

Samuel Tedesco (1915-2003) was, for a brief period, Mayor of Bridgeport, chair of the Bridgeport DTC, and Lieutenant Governor at the same time.

Tedesco, a Bridgeport native, had earlier served as a state representative from 1940-1942. He served as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II from 1943-1946. He was elected to the State Senate in 1948, and served as Minority Leader from 1952-3. He returned to Bridgeport as a City Court judge, and defeated longtime Socialist Mayor Jasper McLevy by a mere 169 votes in 1957.

Tedesco won re-election in Bridgeport several times, and continued to serve as mayor of that city despite his election as John Dempsey’s second Lt. Governor in 1962. Tedesco had also been elected as chairman of the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee in May of 1962. The fact that he held these three posts simultaneously drew cries of protest from Tedesco’s enemies on the all-Democrat Bridgeport City Council, who accused him of “bossism.” Tedesco eventually resigned as head of the DTC in late 1963, but ran for Mayor again in 1963 and won. He continued to hold both jobs until 1965, when he declined to run for re-election as mayor.

Tedesco continued the tradition of the lieutenant governor’s office as being a highway to other, more interesting jobs by resigning to become a Superior Court judge in 1966. Tedesco made headlines later in his career by being convicted of a felony (falsely certifying an oath on a liquor license application for a country club owned by members of his family) and disbarred in 1976, only to have his conviction overturned in 1978. Despite the conviction and subsequent removal from the bench for two years, Tedesco had continued to draw a salary.

Tedesco returned to private law practice in 1980.

-------

Sources
“Tedesco Asked to Resign by Council Head.” The Hartford Courant 11 August, 1963.
“Former Bridgeport Mayor Tedesco dies in California.” Connecticut Post 12 August, 2003.
“Judge Tedesco Back on Bench.” The Hartford Courant: Jun 28, 1978.

-------

Fred J. Doocy (D) of South Windsor (1966-67)

Fred Doocy (1914 - ) seems to have been a much quieter lieutenant governor than either of his predecessors. Doocy was a banker with the Hartford National Bank & Trust Company. Doocy, a World War II veteran, was active in South Windsor town politics for many years, including three terms as town treasurer, before his election to the State Senate in 1958 (he continued to hold the position of town treasurer until 1959). He was elected president pro tem of the Senate in 1963. Doocy was also chairman of the Roads and Bridges Committee, which oversaw the expansion of Connecticut’s highway system during Doocy’s time in office.

Doocy took Samuel Tedesco’s place as Lt. Governor in 1966 when the latter resigned. There was some speculation that Doocy’s succession was something of a reward for loyal service—in any event, the move effectively ended Doocy’s career. He was not the nominee for Lt. Governor in the 1966 election—in fact, he was never expected to get the nomination. Democrats, wanting an ethnic balance to the ticket, nominated Attillio Frassinelli of Stafford Springs instead.

After leaving office in January of 1967, Doocy served on various commissions (including the Connecticut Development Commission in 1969), but by the 1980s and 1990s had largely disappeared from public view. I believe he is still alive and possibly living in Manchester.

-------

Sources
“Doocy Appointed to State Position.” The Hartford Courant 10 December, 1969.
Kravsow, Irving. “Democrats Name Doocy President Pro Tempore.” The Hartford Courant 8 January, 1963.
Morse, Charles F. J. “It’s Lt. Gov. Doocy on Monday.” The Hartford Courant 13 January 1966.
Zaiman, Jack. “Resignation News Soon From Tedesco, Driscoll?” The Hartford Courant 10 September, 1965.

-------

Attilio R. “Pop” Frassinelli (D) of Stafford (1967-1971)

Attilio Frassinelli (1908-1976) had a long career in state and local politics before becoming Gov. John Dempsey’s fourth and final lieutenant governor.

Frassinelli started his career in 1932 by serving on the Stafford Board of Education. He later became First Selectman of Stafford, a post he kept from 1946-1958. He was also a three-term state representative, a longtime member of the Democratic state central committee and the state’s first Commissioner of Consumer Protection. His name was being floated for lt. governor long before his predecessor, Fred Doocy, had even taken office. Great care was taken in selecting a lieutenant governor nominee in 1966, as this would be the first time the governor and lt. governor would appear on the same ballot line. Frassinelli was chosen not only because of his long service to the state and the party, but because he brought ethnic and geographic balance to the ticket. Dempsey and Frassinelli won handily.

Frassinelli’s candidacy was marred by allegations of not paying about $17,000 in taxes—which Frassinelli then paid near the end of the campaign. Perhaps the most interesting thing to happen, politically speaking, during Frassinelli’s term as lieutenant governor was his tie-breaking vote in the State Senate against a bill sponsored by the governor which would have allowed wire-tapping in several new types of cases.

Frassinelli left office when his term expired in 1971. He died in 1976.

-------

Sources
“Attilio Frassinelli Dead: Ex-Official.” The Hartford Courant 10 February, 1976.
Zaiman, Jack. “Frassinelli’s Vote Kills Dempsey’s Bill.” The Hartford Courant 4 June, 1969.
Zaiman, Jack. “Frassinelli Leads for 2nd Spot.” The Hartford Courant 17 December, 1965.

Want more history? See Lieutenant Governors of the 1950s or the Connecticut History main page.

Sunday Open Forum

2006-12-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

Friday night I saw Blog Wars, a movie about bloggers during the CT Senate primary. The movie will air on the Sundance Channel December 28, but if you simply can't wait that long Connecticut Bob is hosting a screening in Milford on *Tuesday Night*. Email him at Blogwars@yahoo.com if you'd like to attend.

If you do watch the film, see if you can spot Gabe and me for the three seconds we're on screen.

In other news...

The Courant has a lengthy article about the electricity rate increase.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro wants to consolidate all Federal agencies that deal with food safety.

What else is going on?

Rell Appoints Panel to Probe State Police

2006-12-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

From the CT Post:

Eight people have been appointed to a special commission to oversee reforms in the Connecticut State Police's problem-plagued internal affairs unit, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Friday.

Rell named outgoing state Rep. Robert Farr, R-West Hartford, to chair the commission, which was formed after a 13 month investigation by Connecticut and New York officials found a slew of lapses in the internal affairs unit. The report found incomplete, inadequate investigations of complaints accusing state police personnel of bribery, drug use, drunken driving, association with drug dealers and prostitutes, sexual assault, falsified overtime, assault of a motorist and improper drunken-driving arrests.

The new commission will evaluate dozens of recommendations in the 207-page report. Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle will act as an exofficio member of the new commission.

Other members include state Rep. Stephen Dargan, DWest Haven, co- chairman of the General Assembly s public safety committee; Superior Court Judge Maureen Keegan; Glastonbury Town Council Chairwoman Susan Karp, who will serve as a member of the public; State s Attorney Walter Flanagan; Milford Police Chief Thomas Flaherty; and former U. S. Marshal John O Connor.

Do you think this will do any good?

Source
Associated Press. "Rell panel to probe State Police". Connecticut Post. 12/16/06

Power Failure

2006-12-15T22:57:00.000-05:00

Regulators have approved a 52% rate increase for United Illuminating. The governor and others had asked for more time to enact reforms (although a special session on energy issues was nixed by Democrats just a few weeks ago).

Here's the problem, for those who are wondering:

Because of deregulation, Northeast Utilities - which owns CL&P - and United Illuminating have sold off their power generating businesses and focused only on distributing electricity.

That means they must buy electricity for their customers from power generators and middlemen, and have told regulators that they already are bound to contracts that must be met. (AP)

There you go. The failure of deregulation. Consumers haven't benefited one bit.

Let's see if we get anything beyond a windfall profits tax out of the General Assembly next year, though.

Source
"Regulators grant tentative approval to UI rate increase." Associated Press 15 December, 2006.

Courtney Sees "Fiscal Mess" Left by GOP

2006-12-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

Congressman-Elect Also Names Staff

Joe Courtney is blaming the outgoing GOP-controlled Congress for the fiscal problems the new Congress will have to deal with:

"Nine out of the 11 budgets have not been enacted," U.S. Rep-elect Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said Wednesday in a meeting with the Norwich Bulletin Editorial Board. "What that means is that the new Congress will, in effect, have to deal with two budgets -- finishing the '07 budget and then working on the '08 budget."

The Republican-controlled Congress adjourned last week after adopting continuing resolutions that allowed the government to operate, but without fully funding government agencies for the full fiscal year. Those continuing resolutions will expire in February, just as the president presents his budget proposal for the new fiscal year that will begin next October. (Hackett)

Nice of them. Courtney is pledging that Democrats will act responsibly:

"We're going to be responsible," he said. "One of the remarkable things in our lifetime is that the Democratic Party has become the party of fiscal responsibility." (Hackett)

I have to hope that the Democrats will, in fact, act responsibly in fiscal matters. The out-of-control spending of the past six years simply can't continue. Perhaps divided government will help: President Bush will almost certainly veto more bills during the next two years than the single one he's vetoed so far. It's worth remembering that divided government during the 1990s led to budget surpluses.

Also, according to the Norwich Bulletin, Courtney has named Colchester First Selectwoman Jenny Contois as his district director, and Jason Gross, who is the director of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, as his chief of staff.

Source

Hackett, Ray. "Courtney blames GOP for leaving 'fiscal mess'." Norwich Bulletin 14 December, 2006.

Chief Justice Hunt Still Open

2006-12-15T11:10:00.000-05:00

An article in the Connecticut Law Tribune reveals that the search for a Chief Justice is still open (registration required):

In a surprise development, the state Judicial Selection Commission has scheduled an extraordinary meeting for Monday, Dec. 18, presumably to allow an additional candidate or candidates to qualify for appointment by Gov. M. Jodi Rell to the position of chief justice.

At its Dec. 13 meeting, the commission gave final interviews to three candidates, sources familiar with the proceedings said afterward. If approved, those candidates would join two Superior Court judges who previously gained JSC clearance.

The article also has a short review of each (known) candidate. If I was a bettor, I would bet on former Appellate Judge Dranginis - she seemed to have been encouraged to get certification and she has a record both as a solid jurist and as a supporter of judicial openness.

Also in CLT is an editorial that asks not to close the book on Justice Zarella (no registration required):

There are those who believe she will not submit the name of her original nominee, Justice Peter Zarella, to avoid any criticism by naming him since his nomination gave rise to Sullivan's inappropriate conduct.

Gov. Rell, however, should treat Justice Zarella fairly and resubmit his name since there is no evidence that he engaged in any wrongdoing or even knew what Justice Sullivan had done until after Justice Richard Palmer reported Sullivan's decision to place a hold on a Supreme Court ruling in which he and Zarella were in the majority. Both Justices Zarella and Sullivan have so testified, but Justice Zarella asked the governor to withdraw his nomination because of the uproar.

First of all, given that it was Justice Zarella himself who asked for his name to be withdrawn, its unlikely that this is even an option for Governor Rell. Justice Zarella would have to indicate that he is willing to go through the confirmation process under a real or perceivied suspicion of some wrongdoing.

Second, even if Justice Zarella was willing, Governor Rell would have to be willing to dredge up the Sullivan scandal - something that everyone seems to be willing to put behind them.

A better option is mentioned at the end of the editorial:

Gov. Rell also has an opportunity to recognize Justice David Borden, who could serve as chief justice until August 2007, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.
...
Justice Borden certainly has earned this act of recognition for his years of public service as a judge in the courts, his service as chairman of the Rules Committee and his shouldering of the burden, if not the mantle, of chief justice in recent months. In this context it should be noted that this Advisory Board published its opinion on the front page of this publication six years ago recommending Justice Borden's appointment as chief justice.

Again, by way of disclosure, I took Justice Borden's class and enjoyed it. Following this path would reward a Justice who stepped up in difficult times, would sail through the legislature, and would allow Governor Rell ample time to decide on a Chief Justice appointment without the pressure of the Sullivan scandal and failed Zarella nomination in her rear-view mirror.

Sources:
Thomas B. Scheffey, Rell Keeps Door Open For CJ Post, Connecticut Law Tribune, December 14, 2006.
Law Tribune Advisory Board, Give Zarella Another Shot, Connecticut Law Tribune, December 14, 2006.

Open Forum

2006-12-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

The White House is saying that a visit to Syria by Sen. Dodd and Sen. Ben Nelson, Sen. Arlen Specter and Sen. John Kerry is "inappropriate" and gives Syria a "public relations victory." Could help a Dodd presidential bid, however, if progress is made.

There's trouble at Yale-New Haven Hospital involving the possible organizing of a union there. The union organizers are accusing the hospital of threatening employees, and are delaying the vote. [Update by Gabe] The article points out that an agreed-upon arbitrator found that the hospital had "serious violations" of federal labor law and that the President of Yale University, historically a position that is no friend to organized labor (JSTOR), is "dismayed by the recent actions of the hospital that violated the letter and spirit" of the agreement the hospital and the union signed last spring. "I have consistently urged hospital management to abide by its terms," he said in a statement.

In Massachusetts news, Mitt Romney will be announcing his run for president on January 8th. Maybe.

What else is happening?

Lieberman Joins Call for More Troops

2006-12-14T11:02:00.000-05:00

From the AP:

Sen. John McCain said Thursday that America should deploy 15,000 to 30,000 more troops to Iraq to control its sectarian violence, and give moderate Iraqi politicians the stability they need to take the country in the right direction.

McCain made the remarks to reporters in Baghdad, where he and five other members of Congress were meeting with U.S. and Iraqi officials.
[...]
Lieberman said the U.S. delegation left its meetings with al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani and other Iraqi officials believing "there is a force of moderates within the context of Iraqi politics coming together to strengthen the center here against the extremists."

"We need more, not less, U.S. troops here" to improve Iraq's security, he said. (AP)

Lieberman actually has been moving in this direction for a while, now, so it isn't surprising to see him embrace it at last.

Unpalatable as it may be to a lot of Americans, a brief but substantial increase in the number of troops may, in fact, be the best way to achieve at least some of our aims there. We may also be able to get all of our troops home sooner if we do this. But will people support McCain (and Lieberman) in this? Or are Americans ready to throw their hands up and walk away?

What do you think we should do?

Source
"McCain says U.S. needs thousands more troops to stabilize Iraq." Associated Press 14 December, 2006.

Moodygate Back from the Dead

2006-12-14T07:57:00.000-05:00

From the Courant:

Gov. M. Jodi Rell's chief of staff, M. Lisa Moody, "misled" a legislative committee by giving sworn testimony that was "not credible" regarding a Rell fundraiser last year, according to a draft copy of a new legislative report.

The report, obtained Wednesday by The Courant, also says that state elections enforcement chief Jeffrey Garfield should face "some form of reprimand or censure" because he deleted important information from an investigative report and released the unedited version only after hearings were completed last spring. (Keating)

The report, which was prepared by Democrats on the government administration and elections committee, comes out some six months after Moody's testimony to that committee this spring.

The report, which is signed by Rep. Chris Caruso and Sen. Ed Meyer, tells us nothing that we don't already know, but does make several recommendations, including prohibiting chiefs of staff from soliciting campaign donations and prohibiting the state elections enforcement chief from settling cases.

I'm just not sure where they can go from here. Moody is obviously going to stay for as long as she wants. Nothing much will happen to Garfield, although he should face some sort of penalty. The public didn't care six months ago, they certainly don't care now. Rell herself will remain untouched by the scandal. The end result will be a few stricter rules about ethics. I guess that's nice.

The report will be considered by the Democrats today.

Source
Keating, Christopher and Jon Lender. "Report: Top Rell Aide `Misled' Committee." Hartford Courant 14 December, 2006.

Metro North Satisfaction Survey Released

2006-12-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

According to Metro North's annual satisfaction survey, Connecticut customers are somewhat more satisfied this year, but not nearly as satisfied as those on the Harlem and Hudson lines.

From the CT Post:

Satisfaction among New Haven Line riders has been slipping over the last couple of years, but the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council noted that the railroad won better marks for on-time performance and communications with riders this year.

But New Haven Line riders are still far less pleased with the condition of the trains and availability of seats than their New York counterparts who use the Hudson and Harlem lines.

Only 68 percent of Connecticut customers said they were satisfied with the condition of the trains compared to 95 percent of Hudson and Harlem line riders.

I'm surprised that satisfaction is that high. There's no denying that when it comes to commuter rails out of NYC Connecticut gets the least bang for our buck. Half the time I don't even have to figure out which side of the platform my train is on. 99.9% of the time the older of the two trains is the one heading to New Haven.

I've always wondered what would happen if we could pull out of the MTA and put all commuter rails in CT under one authority. The New Haven line could connect with the Shoreline East, and the new commuter rail to Springfield, MA. Whatever our DOT came up with would almost have to be better than the system currently in place.

Source
Varnon, Rob. "Metro-North riders more satisfied". Connecticut Post. 12/12/06

CT Legislature Open Forum

2006-12-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

Senate Democrats Committee Assignments

Senate Republicans Committee Assignments (some committees seem to only list ranking members and not the whole Republican contingent)

Neither House Democrats nor House Republicans have announced their committee assignments.

Feel free to use this as an open forum.

Teacher Supply Tax Deduction to End

2006-12-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

Disclosure: My wife is a teacher who spends her own money on supplies.

From the Waterbury Republican-American:

Since 2002, teachers such as [kindergarten teacher Carol] Fitzgerald have gotten a bit of relief on their taxes for purchasing classroom supplies out of their own pockets. But the code that allowed educators to take up to a $250 deduction on their income taxes is set to expire at the end of this year.

"That $250 is a drop in the bucket. You can see just looking around how much money we're spending on supplies," Fitzgerald said. "But at least they're recognizing the fact that we're spending money on our own."

The National Education Association is working with Congress to get a two-year extension on the tax deduction, said Al Campos, a lobbyist for the organization.

The number of teachers using the deduction has grown since 2002, according to Internal Revenue Service spokeswoman Dianne Besunder. In 2002, 2.9 million teachers claimed some or all of the deduction, increasing to 3.2 million in 2003 and 3.4 million in 2004. Numbers for 2005 are not yet available.

Those 3.4 million teachers each taking their $250 deduction represents a total of $850 million in tax deductions - 0.039% of the 2004 federal budget of $2.2 trillion.

That $850 million, as the article notes, also only represents a fraction of what teachers actually spend out of their own pockets on school supplies:

In this veteran teacher's classroom, she has purchased most everything out of her own pocket: the sand in the sand table, books on her overstuffed shelves, colorful posters, arts and crafts supplies, supplementary workbooks and more.
...
Patrick Ospalek, president of the Waterbury Teachers Association and an English teacher at Waterbury Arts Magnet School, said the tax deduction has been popular among teachers despite many spending more than $250 on supplies each year.

"From personal experience, the $250 deduction is welcome, but I know that I spent probably four times that on supplies over the course of last year," Ospalek said. "It can't be seen as representative of what's actually" spent.
...
"At the elementary level, the enrichment stuff that the teachers find so useful is the stuff that the district isn't buying," he said. "The district is buying the necessities. Some might say the bare necessities."

Click on the link and read the whole article. This tax deduction has been scheduled to end before and survived; hopefully, it will survive again.

Update: Anon, in the comments, has alerted us to Susan Collins' announcement, dated 12/11/06, that an extension of the tax deduction has passed the Senate. For some reason, neither Thomas nor GovTrack has updated the status of either the House or the Senate version of the bill. It is unclear whether the extension has passed the House. Senator Collins' website alludes to a bill that extends the existing deduction and makes no mention of how long the extension is for - her bill as originally introduced (and its House companion) increased the deduction to $400 and made it permanent. I will try to figure out what has happened with this bill as information becomes available.

Sources:
Megan Broderick, Teachers who buy own supplies hope IRS extends tax deduction, Waterbury Republican-American, December 12, 2006.

Fiscal Year 2004 Budget, Summary Tables, Government Printing Office.

Dodd to have a "Conversation With the Mirror"

2006-12-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

From the AP:

Sen. Chris Dodd said Tuesday he plans to have "a conversation with the mirror" over the Christmas holidays to decide whether he'll join a growing field of Democratic presidential contenders.

But Dodd, a 25-year Senate veteran, added, "If I had to make a decision in the next thirty seconds, I'd say, 'Let's go."'

That should be an outstanding conversation. I wonder what the mirror will have to say?

Source
"AP Interview: Dodd set to join growing Democratic presidential field." Associated Press 12 December, 2006.

Courtney and Murphy get Committee Assignments

2006-12-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

From Matt Browner Hamlin via MLN:

Congressmen-elect Joe Courtney and Chris Murphy have now been given their first committee assignments. Courtney is on the Armed Services Committee, alongside Fighting Dems Joe Sestak and Patrick Murphy. Chris Murphy is on the Government Reform Committee alongside the New Hampshire Miracle, Paul Hodes.

All Democratic freshmen were appointed to at least one committee. See the full list here.

Alas, no one in the CT House delegation will be on the Transportation Committee.

The Vision Thing

2006-12-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

Gov. Rell previewed the 2007 legislative session before the Metro Hartford Alliance, a business group. She revealed little:

In a speech to the Metro Hartford Alliance, Rell delivered only a broad call for fiscal responsibility and statesmanship when the General Assembly convenes Jan. 3, the same day she begins her first full term as governor.

"We don't have the time for politicians. What we need right now are statesmen," Rell said. "We do not have time for people with an agenda. What we need right now is people with a vision."

That would be great! So, um, about that vision...

Rell acknowledged after the speech that she offered her business audience few specifics about her own vision, saying those details will have to wait until her budget proposal in February.

"There are some ideas we have on the table," Rell said. "I need to know if I can afford to do them." (Pazniokas)

I keep waiting for Jodi Rell's vision. I believe, somehow, that she has to have one. I waited throughout the 2005 session, and then through the 2006 campaign season. All she has provided, apart from an apparently waning dedication to ethics and campaign finance reform, are a few halfhearted feints in the direction of a vision.

Rell was overwhelmingly elected in November. She received an enormous mandate. If ever there was a time to unveil her vision, now would be it (Actually, that time would have been two months ago, during the election).

Meanwhile, it's obvious in the article that business leaders, at least, are getting a little impatient:

The governor was introduced by James C. Smith, the chairman and chief executive of Webster Bank. He complimented her for her easy election victory, then pointedly reminded her of an October 2005 economic report that found Connecticut lagging in job creation.
[...]
Smith left little doubt Monday that he and other business executives still are waiting for Rell to act on the report. (Pazniokas)

But don't worry. Vision is on the way. In February. Promise.

Source
Pazniokas, Mark. "Rell's 2007 Preview Gives Nothing Away." Hartford Courant 12 December, 2006.

Lieberman Switches Party Affiliation

2006-12-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

So says Tony Snow in the White House Daily Press Briefing:

Q Okay. Republican Senator Gordon Smith, last week, said, "Our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day, it's absurd. It may even be criminal," and that he can no longer support this. What is your reaction to a Republican senator saying that what's going on right now in Iraq is criminal?

MR. SNOW: Well, we dispute the "criminal" part, obviously, and at the same time, understand the senator's concern. We share the concern about not doing well enough fast enough. But do not assume that people are simply being blown up. They are on missions. And as General Chiarelli said last week, "There's not an engagement our people have lost, but it is still important to continue the work of building greater capability and capacity on the part of the Iraqi government and helping them out."

People on both sides are going to have disagreements, much as Joe Lieberman, formerly a Democrat, apparently run out of his party for disagreeing with what was seen as orthodoxy at that time, but Gordon --

[emphasis mine]

Um, Tony? I think you were supposed to let him announce it before you allude to it in your briefings...

Also, I know we have done this a few times before, but Senator Lieberman wasn't "run out" of the party for "disagreeing" with "orthodoxy."

He made some "constituents" unhappy with his position on an issue important to them, an "opponent" ran against him in a "primary election" and won. Here in Connecticut, we call it "democracy." You can look it up.

Hat tip to BarbinMD.

Amann: Millionaire's Tax off the Table for Now

2006-12-12T09:55:00.001-05:00

Surplus May Turn to Deficit by 2008

Those expecting the new supermajority in the General Assembly to raise taxes on the rich, as they've been threatening to do for years, may be in for a disappointment:

Raising taxes is not on House Speaker James A. Amann's (D-118) radar screen, and Gov. M. Jodi Rell has been warning the legislature not to spend the state's ballooning surplus.

"I don't know why anybody would be talking about raising taxes now," Amann says. "The economy is doing well and we're in surplus. The gross 2005 receipts bill on diesel products to pay for highway improvements generated way over our estimates. The trucking industry supported the bill, but nobody could have foreseen the increase in the price of petroleum products."
[...]
"If somebody brings it up, I'll listen," he says. "But it would have to be a heck of a good reason."(Singer)

Some good news is that, according to Rep. Cameron C. Staples (D-96), House chairman of the state Finance Committee, property tax reform will be a priority for the upcoming session. Whether this means some sort of great and complicated tax reshuffling or something more permanent remains to be seen (I'm betting on the former, by the way).

There is some bad news, however. The situation which is leading Amann to dismiss the Millionaire's Tax now won't last long:

Between October and November the state budget surplus almost doubled to $486.5 million, according to the state Office of Policy & Management (OPM).

Budget shortfalls, however, are forecast as soon as fiscal 2008 by OPM and the legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis. (Singer)

Expect the Millionaire's Tax to make its glorious return when we arrive in Budget Shortfall Land.

Source
Singer, Karen. " The Rich Get Poorer?." Business New Haven 11 December, 2006.

Dodd Could be Squeezed Out of Race by Obama

2006-12-12T07:39:00.000-05:00

If Sen. Barack Obama gets into the presidential race, which is looking more and more likely, he may wind up dashing the chances of lesser-known candidates like Sen. Chris Dodd. From the Courant:

"If Dodd is counting on black support, and Sen. Obama as well as Hillary Clinton are in the race, Dodd is in trouble," said David A. Bositis, senior research associate at Washington's Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which studies African American voter trends.
[...]
Dodd's troops say that whatever moves Obama or anyone else makes will not influence the Connecticut senator's possible entry into the White House race, a decision he hopes to make next month. (Lightman)

Obama could be the perfect candidate for the Democrats. He's relatively young, he's neither too liberal nor too conservative, and he has star power that even Hillary Clinton can't hope to match. Dodd will probably try to tout his own long, long, long record in Washington--but I have a feeling that voters aren't going to be looking for experience. George W. Bush had served exactly six years in government when he became president--Obama will have served eight. Dodd will have served thirty-five.

Best of all, he's a new face. He wasn't there to vote on authorizing the Iraq War, he wasn't around for Bill Clinton's scandals or for the fall of the Democrats in 1994. Better yet, he was born in 1961--which by some measures puts him out of the baby boom and into Generation X. Regardless of where he falls on the generational map, he isn't carrying around the kind of cultural baggage that makes so many of our leaders paint Iraq and today's issues with the broad brush of the 1960s and Vietnam. The question of what a candidate did during that time has often come back to haunt them. Ask George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and John Kerry.

Then again, it's very, very early and Obama's relative youth and inexperience could wind up costing him. He could be a flash in the pan, starting strong and fading away as the summer of 2007 wears on, leaving the field to Hillary. The media could turn on him, like they turned on Dean. We'll see.

The only thing that's certain right now is that Dodd still has about zero chance.

Source
Lightman, David. "Obama Fever: Dodd At Risk." Hartford Courant 12 December, 2006.

Dodd is running for president!
	Oh, boy!
	Should be a fun ride
	Eh, it's sort of exciting
	Call me when he gets above 1% in the polls
	Zzzzzz
	Someone really needs to chain our senators down
	Who?

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	They'll do fine
	They'll be okay, I guess
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	Worst Congress ever
	We're doomed
	I have no idea

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	Other tax issues
	Education
	Transportation and infrastructure
	The economy
	Environmental issues
	Urban renewal/development
	Campaign finance reform
	Something not listed here

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So, is this:
	A sensible bill that will protect our health
	Nanny state-ism
	Some sort of ploy
	All of the above

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What should we do about troop levels in Iraq?
	Stay the course/change nothing
	Send more troops
	Slowly withdraw troops - no timeline
	Slowly withdraw troops with a set timeline
	Immediate or quick withdrawal
	Something else

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Should our legislators be given a pay raise?
	Yes
	No
	I'm not sure

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Who was Connecticut's Political Person of the Year?
	Jodi Rell
	Ned Lamont
	Joe Lieberman
	Chris Shays
	Chris Dodd
	Joe Courtney
	Chris Murphy
	James Amann
	Someone Else

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Connecticut Local Politics

Moving Day

Second Anniversary

Goodbye Blogger Open Forum

May Elections: Nominating Conventions This Week

Chris Dodd

Krayeske Open Forum

Another "Power Grab"

Open Forum

Possible Downtime Saturday, Sunday

Pay Raise Possible for Legislative Leaders

SOTS Agenda: Election Security

Medicare Drug Negotiation Act Passes House

CT Republicans - Let The Transformation Begin

Legislative Updates

Open Forum

A Reader Note on Interfering with an Officer

Dodd on the Run

McCain Claims Lieberman's Victory Means America is Anti-Withdrawal

Dodd To Announce 2008 Bid Tomorrow

Forum Stuff

Monstrous Concessions

Early Morning Open Forum

Hartford: Matthews Expected to Announce Today

Ken Krayeske Arrest: The Police Report and Provable Reality are at Odds

More Site Trouble

Another Update on the Arrest of Ken Krayeske

Did Lieberman Mislead Voters?

*Updated* Rell Questions Arrest of Krayeske

New Forum At ctlocalpolitics.net

Local Politics Roundup

Panel Calls for Tolls

Sunday Open Forum

Commentary

More on Activist Arrest at Inaugural

My Day in DC

Rep. Murphy Writes from Washington

Open Forum

A Connecticut Blogger in King Joe's Court

Shays Adapts to Dem Control

New Congress Sworn In

Open Forum

Escalation in Iraq: Lieberman v. Collins

CFL Party Officially in Business

Second Thoughts on Rell's Speech

Inauguration Open Forum

Fedele Sworn In

House Dems Assign Committee Leaders

Inauguration 2007

110th Congress Open Thread

Waterbury: Mayoral Race Kicks Off Early

The Debate Over Health Care

New Year Open Forum

Hope for a New Year

Predictions for 2007

Year in Review: 2006 (part two)

More on Rell's Healthcare Plan

Year in Review: 2006 (part one)

Rell Proposes Health Care Plan

Open Forum

Larson Becoming More Powerful

President Gerald Ford Dies

2007 Poll #1

Ward to head DMV

Holidays

Weekend Open Forum

Long Island: Blumenthal a Pain

Dodd Signs Sought After Kerry Aide

Seven Commissioners Out

House Republicans Plan for Session

Lieberman Leaves Centrist Coalition

Dodd Seeks Call-Back Exemptions For Unfit Soldiers

Hartford Mayoral Race in the Works

Republicans to Introduce Bill to Ban Trans Fats

Lieberman Makes Call for More Troops Official

Lamont, Supporters Cleared in Lieberman Web Fiasco

Rell Not Ruling Out Running in 2010

Open Forum

Courtney, Murphy to Outline First 100 Hours of New Congress

Minimum Age for Candidates?

Updated Rell Questions Arrest of Krayeske