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
Shays 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) holds 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
5 Comments:
 Alan P.
said...-
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,"...
- 10/19/2006 10:38 AM
- DED said...
-
Oh I know that guy. He's on my Congressional Assholes list.
- 10/19/2006 2:17 PM
- Alan P. said...
Mine too.;-) - 10/20/2006 5:30 PM
 Mike said...-
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.
- 10/21/2006 9:03 AM
- DED said...
-
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.
- 10/23/2006 2:00 PM
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