The Connecticut Campaign Trail - UGLY
I can't answer my phone anymore. The charities have been displaced by PAC's disguised as surveys and automated attack ads. Normally mild-mannered Republicans (I'm talking about the ones from my state) are spewing party line drivel while Democrats, sensing blood in the water, launch wave after wave of attacks.
Down in the 4th Congressional District, Connecticut's "Gold Coast" where the state's wealthy citizens live (along with some of the poorest), Christopher Shays (R) has been under attack by Democratic challenger Diane Farrell. In 2004, he defeated her but ran a clean campaign, no negative attack ads. He won by 5 percentage points. This time, he eschewed the high road.
When Senator Ted Kennedy stopped by to support Diane Farrell, he was miffed. So he retaliated by defending House Speaker Dennis Hastert over the Foley scandal. "Dennis Hastert didn't kill anybody." Obviously a jab at Kennedy over his infamous Chappaquiddick incident back in 1969. I've been to that bridge. It's a narrow creaky thing, with no guardrails or lights. I'm not going to make excuses for Kennedy, but it's not something that I'd attempt unless I was completely sober. Anyway, I digress.
Farrell, who was the First Selectman of Westport, had portrayed Shays as being a Bush patsy. Shays recent reference to Abu Ghraib as "more about pornography than torture" hasn't helped his cause. Shays' supporters have pointed out that Westport's debt increased 600% during her administration.
In Shays defense, he's pro-environment, pro-choice, and supports stem cell research.
But here in the 5th, it's become really ugly.
Nancy Johnson (R) hold CT's record for longest tenured representative. She's been in DC for 24 years. When CT lost a congressional district due to the latest census, her district was merged with another and she had to fight that incumbent (James Maloney) for the seat. Needless to say, she won. At 71, you might think that she's a little old lady, but that would be a mistake. She's feisty.
Johnson's challenger is Chris Murphy, a former state senator. Johnson has all but called him a "tax and spend liberal." He voted to raise taxes 27 times and stands accused of wanting to pass a $70 billion tax increase that would affect the middle class and small businesses. He's soft on terrorism because he's against the Domestic Surveillance program (He wants the gov't to utilize the FISA court system). He wants amnesty for illegal aliens (a claim that I haven't found evidence for yet). He was apparently fined by the Election Commission for improper campaign contributions. And his ad claiming that a woman seeking facial reconstructive surgery for her child was ignored by Johnson is false (the woman in the ad says its true).
On the other side, Johnson supports the Domestic (spying) Surveillance program. She co-authored the gross Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). She's received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, who are the real benefactors from MMA. She voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act which grants the President the power to deem anyone he wants an enemy combatant and thus they lose the right of habeus corpus, one of the oldest rights in Western civilization. Her support of Bush over his Iraq policy has also been subject to attack.
In Johnson's defense, there are issues where she splits from party line. She's been a chief opponent to drilling in ANWR (the Sierra Club loves her), pro-choice, helped to get uninsured children healthcare, and brought home plenty of lean pork (actually useful stuff like money for firehouse repairs instead of bridges to nowhere).
Unfortunately, I can't find any 3rd party candidates running in the 5th district. The 4th is lucky. They've got Libertarian candidate, Phil Maynim. At least he got to join in the debate, unlike the minor party gubernatorial candidates. Even the Green Party has a candidate running in the 4th as well as for senator (could steal my Lamont vote). But I can't find any minor party candidates for the 5th. That's going to make for a tough choice.
For the record, my sources for the above material about the candidates comes from their own websites, Wikipedia, various flyers that come in the mail, and annoying phone calls that I get all day. I think that the only ones that truly win in election season are those who get paid to print up all this junk, call you on the phone, and create the TV & Web ads. 2008 should be brutal.
\_/
DED
Down in the 4th Congressional District, Connecticut's "Gold Coast" where the state's wealthy citizens live (along with some of the poorest), Christopher Shays (R) has been under attack by Democratic challenger Diane Farrell. In 2004, he defeated her but ran a clean campaign, no negative attack ads. He won by 5 percentage points. This time, he eschewed the high road.
When Senator Ted Kennedy stopped by to support Diane Farrell, he was miffed. So he retaliated by defending House Speaker Dennis Hastert over the Foley scandal. "Dennis Hastert didn't kill anybody." Obviously a jab at Kennedy over his infamous Chappaquiddick incident back in 1969. I've been to that bridge. It's a narrow creaky thing, with no guardrails or lights. I'm not going to make excuses for Kennedy, but it's not something that I'd attempt unless I was completely sober. Anyway, I digress.
Farrell, who was the First Selectman of Westport, had portrayed Shays as being a Bush patsy. Shays recent reference to Abu Ghraib as "more about pornography than torture" hasn't helped his cause. Shays' supporters have pointed out that Westport's debt increased 600% during her administration.
In Shays defense, he's pro-environment, pro-choice, and supports stem cell research.
But here in the 5th, it's become really ugly.
Nancy Johnson (R) hold CT's record for longest tenured representative. She's been in DC for 24 years. When CT lost a congressional district due to the latest census, her district was merged with another and she had to fight that incumbent (James Maloney) for the seat. Needless to say, she won. At 71, you might think that she's a little old lady, but that would be a mistake. She's feisty.
Johnson's challenger is Chris Murphy, a former state senator. Johnson has all but called him a "tax and spend liberal." He voted to raise taxes 27 times and stands accused of wanting to pass a $70 billion tax increase that would affect the middle class and small businesses. He's soft on terrorism because he's against the Domestic Surveillance program (He wants the gov't to utilize the FISA court system). He wants amnesty for illegal aliens (a claim that I haven't found evidence for yet). He was apparently fined by the Election Commission for improper campaign contributions. And his ad claiming that a woman seeking facial reconstructive surgery for her child was ignored by Johnson is false (the woman in the ad says its true).
On the other side, Johnson supports the Domestic (spying) Surveillance program. She co-authored the gross Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). She's received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, who are the real benefactors from MMA. She voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act which grants the President the power to deem anyone he wants an enemy combatant and thus they lose the right of habeus corpus, one of the oldest rights in Western civilization. Her support of Bush over his Iraq policy has also been subject to attack.
In Johnson's defense, there are issues where she splits from party line. She's been a chief opponent to drilling in ANWR (the Sierra Club loves her), pro-choice, helped to get uninsured children healthcare, and brought home plenty of lean pork (actually useful stuff like money for firehouse repairs instead of bridges to nowhere).
Unfortunately, I can't find any 3rd party candidates running in the 5th district. The 4th is lucky. They've got Libertarian candidate, Phil Maynim. At least he got to join in the debate, unlike the minor party gubernatorial candidates. Even the Green Party has a candidate running in the 4th as well as for senator (could steal my Lamont vote). But I can't find any minor party candidates for the 5th. That's going to make for a tough choice.
For the record, my sources for the above material about the candidates comes from their own websites, Wikipedia, various flyers that come in the mail, and annoying phone calls that I get all day. I think that the only ones that truly win in election season are those who get paid to print up all this junk, call you on the phone, and create the TV & Web ads. 2008 should be brutal.
\_/
DED
Labels: politics
posted by DED at 5:17 PM
5 Comments:
At least you don't have this guy representing you:
Climate Change Update
Senate Floor Statement by
U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe(R-Okla)
January 4, 2005
As I said on the Senate floor on July 28, 2003, "much of the debate over global warming is predicated on fear, rather than science." I called the threat of catastrophic global warming the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,"...
Oh I know that guy. He's on my Congressional Assholes list.
Mine too.;-)
I'm sure you have issues with Murphy and his tax policies, but Johnson sounds awful. Yet another GOP mainliner, handing power to Bush on a platter every day.
Yes, Mike I do have major issues with Johnson over her granting Bush everything he wants with regards to "national security" and Iraq. I was going to vote for her until she voted for the Military Commissions Act and I found out about her support for the Domestic Surveillance program. Taxes be damned. It looks like I've got to vote for Murphy now
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