And one foot in his mouth...
Despite "supposedly" putting his own foot in his mouth last week, Dick Blumenthal still manages to put a good old fashioned WWE Smackdown on Linda McMahon, where Blumenthal keeps a formidable lead, 56-31, over McMahon in the most recent Quinnipiac polling.
Proving that this was the non-story that it really should have been from the start, regardless of the GOP's McMahon planting it, the NY Times doing a bang up job of corporatist stenography for the GOP and right wing Bloggers desperately trying to make more of it than was ever going to be worth.
When McMahon tries to float one we will flush it...
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Rob Simmons Drops Out of the Race
Ω
That's Too Bad - I'm Going To Miss His Attacks On Linda
Only one is still up on his site - here.
That's Too Bad - I'm Going To Miss His Attacks On Linda
Only one is still up on his site - here.
But here are some more classic Simmons attacks - well worth reading, viewing (great videos!) and saving:
Simmons Campaign Attacks McMahon
Another Beautiful Rob Simmons Ad
More Simmons McMahon dirt - I'm loving it
It's interesting that he did not endorse Linda and is leaving his name on the ballot.
Ω
Monday, May 24, 2010
Mike Jarjura "I'm no Al Capone."
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Reminds me of Richard Nixon "I am not a thief."
Here's the story about his good friend, Joseph Davino:
Reminds me of Richard Nixon "I am not a thief."
Here's the story about his good friend, Joseph Davino:
Davino, 65, was arrested earlier this month on a felony charge of second-degree larceny after police concluded that he ordered his crew of city workers to stock private vending machines located in halfway houses in the city... (H)e was handpicked by Jarjura to lead the city's blight team, a position where police say he abused his authority by directing his workers to perform his private bidding.
As the investigation into Davino widened, Jarjura defended his friend and political appointee, calling him a "tremendous asset" to the city. He also suggested that the Republican-American was giving too much space to coverage of the Davino investigation...
Jarjura said: "To think I was involved in this, to give it the kind of ink that the newspaper is giving it, above the fold on the front page and everything, what do we got here, Al Capone? Joe Davino is no Al Capone. I know I'm certainly not."
To read the complete story see Monday's Republican-American or our electronic edition at http://republicanamerican.ct.newsmemory.com.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Eddie, Dick And The Etiquette Of Misspeak
On June 27, 2007, Inspector Michael Sullivan received a report that Mayor Eddie Perez had some work done in his house by a contractor appointed to do a major job for the city of Hartford. The information supplied to him tickled his worry wart, and Sullivan arranged a meeting with Perez the following day.
A record of the meeting was made. Sullivan asked Perez whether people who were doing work for the city also had done work on his house.
Perez answered yes.
Did the mayor pay for the work, and did he receive a cost reduction?
Perez said he paid the market price for the housework done by Carlos Costa in the amount of $20,000 a year and a half earlier. There was no contract involved; the work was done by verbal agreement. Sullivan asked for a copy of Perez’s cancelled check. Perez said he would be happy to furnish a copy of the check. There was no check. Payment on the work – minus a 50% discount, according to the contractor -- was made a year and a half after the work had been completed.
After this stressful meeting, Perez suddenly felt the need of a lawyer and betook himself to Huber Santos, who requested and was permitted a meeting with Perez’s prosecutor, Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane.
Santos corrected the record, telling Kane that the mayor had earlier “misspoke.” In fact, he had not paid the bill. However, an invoice existed, and the mayor would be paying the bill shortly. According to Santos, he told Kane that Perez “misspoke” because John Rose, the city’s lawyer, was present at the meeting and Rose was unaware of the home renovation work.
Following the second day of the Perez corruption trial, a Hartford paper summarized these events under a blaring first page caption -- “PEREZ OFFERS REASON HE LIED.” It was a pull no punches title, forthright and unsubtle, that quickly brushed aside any notion of misspeaking.
Below three paragraphs of the front page story, the paper printed a useful index of single line teasers under the title – “CAUGHT ON TAPE.”
Hope springing eternal, one may hope in the near future to read in a Connecticut paper some such caption as this – “BLUMENTHAL OFFERS REASON HE LIED.
Before Blumenthal had been chosen by acclamation at the Democratic Party’s nominating convention for U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd’s seat, the attorney general had been exposed to an unremitting barrage of criticism from all quarters by people, not all of then reliable Democrats, who did not hesitate to use the “L” word in connection with Blumenthal’s serpentine evasions concerning his non-service in Vietnam.
The joke most often told by Blumenthal’s Republican opponents following a press conference in the course of which Blumenthal claimed to have misspoken was that Hanoi Jane Fonda had spent more time in Vietnam than the attorney general, now the choice of his party as U.S. Senator.
At the convention, his harshest Democratic critic, Merrick Alpert, was rolled over by reality and endorsed Blumenthal’s nomination as inevitable, after which he disappeared into the political woodwork. But before the convention, the “L” word was almost as ubiquitous in print as the attorney general himself, possibly the most often quoted Connecticut politician in the last twenty years.
The forbidding Chris Mathews, host of “Hardball” and certainly not a reflexive Republican kept pet, called Blumenthal a liar several times in two separate broadcasts. Democratic operative Paul Begala nuzzled up to the word in one interview and was dismayed by the attorney general’s inability to offer an honest apology to Vietnam vets Blumenthal dishonored by flitching their glory. Having attacked the initial New York Times story probing Blumenthal’s misspeakings, Colin McEnroe, a leftist columnist for the Hartford Courant and the host of his own program on Connecticut Public Broadcasting appeared, in a subsequent posting on his blog site “To Wit,” to slip-slide away from the possibility that Blumenthal was not lying about his non-service in Vietnam; this after the Hearst newspapers in Connecticut, scouring their archives, produced other fatal Blumenthal quotes falsely proclaiming that he had served in Vietnam.
Blumenthal has not fully and frankly apologized for his LIES. His method when faced with searing public criticism, both as attorney general and now as the nominee of his party of the U.S. Congress, has been to hunker down and wait for the war to pass over his placid head, barely denting his halo.
After Blumenthal’s coronation, his supporters were regaled by theTom Petty song “I won’t back down:”
The convention itself seemed to be unaware that the song, in the Johnny Cash version below, is a tribute to men who have seen action in battle, an unexpectedly ironic commentary on Blumenthal’s several LIES.
With the indispensable righteous wind of Connecticut politics at his back, an adulatory media, Blumenthal may not have to worry overmuch about the kind of headlines bearing the “L” word that are rasping Perez, who will quietly – very quietly, one may be sure – support Blumenthal’s candidacy. Ned Lamont, who wants to govern both the state and its national guard, is already on board.
A record of the meeting was made. Sullivan asked Perez whether people who were doing work for the city also had done work on his house.
Perez answered yes.
Did the mayor pay for the work, and did he receive a cost reduction?
Perez said he paid the market price for the housework done by Carlos Costa in the amount of $20,000 a year and a half earlier. There was no contract involved; the work was done by verbal agreement. Sullivan asked for a copy of Perez’s cancelled check. Perez said he would be happy to furnish a copy of the check. There was no check. Payment on the work – minus a 50% discount, according to the contractor -- was made a year and a half after the work had been completed.
After this stressful meeting, Perez suddenly felt the need of a lawyer and betook himself to Huber Santos, who requested and was permitted a meeting with Perez’s prosecutor, Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane.
Santos corrected the record, telling Kane that the mayor had earlier “misspoke.” In fact, he had not paid the bill. However, an invoice existed, and the mayor would be paying the bill shortly. According to Santos, he told Kane that Perez “misspoke” because John Rose, the city’s lawyer, was present at the meeting and Rose was unaware of the home renovation work.
Following the second day of the Perez corruption trial, a Hartford paper summarized these events under a blaring first page caption -- “PEREZ OFFERS REASON HE LIED.” It was a pull no punches title, forthright and unsubtle, that quickly brushed aside any notion of misspeaking.
Below three paragraphs of the front page story, the paper printed a useful index of single line teasers under the title – “CAUGHT ON TAPE.”
Hope springing eternal, one may hope in the near future to read in a Connecticut paper some such caption as this – “BLUMENTHAL OFFERS REASON HE LIED.
Before Blumenthal had been chosen by acclamation at the Democratic Party’s nominating convention for U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd’s seat, the attorney general had been exposed to an unremitting barrage of criticism from all quarters by people, not all of then reliable Democrats, who did not hesitate to use the “L” word in connection with Blumenthal’s serpentine evasions concerning his non-service in Vietnam.
The joke most often told by Blumenthal’s Republican opponents following a press conference in the course of which Blumenthal claimed to have misspoken was that Hanoi Jane Fonda had spent more time in Vietnam than the attorney general, now the choice of his party as U.S. Senator.
At the convention, his harshest Democratic critic, Merrick Alpert, was rolled over by reality and endorsed Blumenthal’s nomination as inevitable, after which he disappeared into the political woodwork. But before the convention, the “L” word was almost as ubiquitous in print as the attorney general himself, possibly the most often quoted Connecticut politician in the last twenty years.
The forbidding Chris Mathews, host of “Hardball” and certainly not a reflexive Republican kept pet, called Blumenthal a liar several times in two separate broadcasts. Democratic operative Paul Begala nuzzled up to the word in one interview and was dismayed by the attorney general’s inability to offer an honest apology to Vietnam vets Blumenthal dishonored by flitching their glory. Having attacked the initial New York Times story probing Blumenthal’s misspeakings, Colin McEnroe, a leftist columnist for the Hartford Courant and the host of his own program on Connecticut Public Broadcasting appeared, in a subsequent posting on his blog site “To Wit,” to slip-slide away from the possibility that Blumenthal was not lying about his non-service in Vietnam; this after the Hearst newspapers in Connecticut, scouring their archives, produced other fatal Blumenthal quotes falsely proclaiming that he had served in Vietnam.
Blumenthal has not fully and frankly apologized for his LIES. His method when faced with searing public criticism, both as attorney general and now as the nominee of his party of the U.S. Congress, has been to hunker down and wait for the war to pass over his placid head, barely denting his halo.
After Blumenthal’s coronation, his supporters were regaled by theTom Petty song “I won’t back down:”
“Well, I won’t back down. No, I won’t back down
You could stand me up at the Gates of Hell
And I won’t back down.”
The convention itself seemed to be unaware that the song, in the Johnny Cash version below, is a tribute to men who have seen action in battle, an unexpectedly ironic commentary on Blumenthal’s several LIES.
With the indispensable righteous wind of Connecticut politics at his back, an adulatory media, Blumenthal may not have to worry overmuch about the kind of headlines bearing the “L” word that are rasping Perez, who will quietly – very quietly, one may be sure – support Blumenthal’s candidacy. Ned Lamont, who wants to govern both the state and its national guard, is already on board.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Dump Dick?
Managing Editor of the Journal Inquirer and columnist Chris Powell says the provenance of the story in the New York Time concerning Attorney General Richard Blumenthal’s non-service in Vietnam is unimportant:
And then he drops the 800 pound gorilla on Blumenthal:
“Blumenthal's defenders also argue that the Times' reporting about his misrepresentations is compromised because it originated with information provided by the campaign of a Republican candidate for senator, wrestling entrepreneur Linda McMahon. But of course everyone in public life feeds and tries to spin the press, the attorney general himself most of all -- which may explain some of the excuses being made for him in the press.
“McMahon's campaign and that of her rival for the Republican Senate nomination, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, long have been feeding the press uncomplimentary information about the other, and now that Blumenthal has lost his big lead and no longer can ignore the opposition, his campaign soon will be doing the same to whoever runs closest to him. A good story will remain a good story no matter where it came from.”
And then he drops the 800 pound gorilla on Blumenthal:
“But the big issue on the eve of the Democratic state convention is not whether the Times story was perfectly fair or whether the enormous damage it has done to Blumenthal's candidacy can be mitigated but rather whether Blumenthal and his party will put at grave risk what ordinarily would be a safe Democratic seat in the Senate by continuing with his candidacy.”
Another Embarrasing Video
A clip, courtesy of News Channel 8, shows a mano e mano between Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo and Merrick Alpert, who met unarmed in a Hallway to discuss democracy.
Himes, Finch Endorse Flatto For Comptroller
Congressman Jim Himes has endorsed Fairfield First Selectman Ken Flatto for State Comptroller.
Jim Himes with President Obama
Congressman Himes said, "Facing tough economic times and the urgent need to restore fiscal responsibility in all levels of government, we need someone like Ken Flatto to keep the books balanced in Hartford. Ken has the experience making tough budget decisions and the strong accounting background necessary to serve us well as Comptroller."
Ken Flatto stated, “I am very proud and honored to receive this endorsement from Congressman Himes. I greatly admire all the good work he is doing for our State.”
Ken Flatto
Ken Flatto has also received endorsements from a number of officials, including Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff, former Trumbull First Selectman Ray Baldwin, former Newtown First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and former Monroe First Selectman Andrew Nunn.
Ken Flatto is the only candidate with a career CPA. He has a Comptroller and CFO/CEO background. Ken stands out among challengers in his career breadth of having over 20 years of financial experience in the private and public sectors and governmental accounting knowledge. As a five term First Selectman, Ken Flatto has served Fairfield as the second longest serving town chief executive officer in its history, overseeing one of the State’s larger municipal budgets of approximately one-quarter billion dollars. Ken has managed Fairfield's triple AAA financial rating and was co-featured as a model municipal executive with fiscally strong management skills in a GASB magazine article in 2007.
In addition to his service to Fairfield, Flatto served as Comptroller and CFO for Orangetown, New York, and Deputy Controller and interim Controller for Yonkers, New York in the 1990's, as well as staff for a State Financial Control Board. Flatto also served as the Controller for the renowned Natural Resources Defense Council in the 1980's, a national environmental organization. Flatto began his career at Touche Ross & Company CPAs.
Jim Himes with President Obama
Congressman Himes said, "Facing tough economic times and the urgent need to restore fiscal responsibility in all levels of government, we need someone like Ken Flatto to keep the books balanced in Hartford. Ken has the experience making tough budget decisions and the strong accounting background necessary to serve us well as Comptroller."
Ken Flatto stated, “I am very proud and honored to receive this endorsement from Congressman Himes. I greatly admire all the good work he is doing for our State.”
Ken Flatto
Ken Flatto has also received endorsements from a number of officials, including Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff, former Trumbull First Selectman Ray Baldwin, former Newtown First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and former Monroe First Selectman Andrew Nunn.
Ken Flatto is the only candidate with a career CPA. He has a Comptroller and CFO/CEO background. Ken stands out among challengers in his career breadth of having over 20 years of financial experience in the private and public sectors and governmental accounting knowledge. As a five term First Selectman, Ken Flatto has served Fairfield as the second longest serving town chief executive officer in its history, overseeing one of the State’s larger municipal budgets of approximately one-quarter billion dollars. Ken has managed Fairfield's triple AAA financial rating and was co-featured as a model municipal executive with fiscally strong management skills in a GASB magazine article in 2007.
In addition to his service to Fairfield, Flatto served as Comptroller and CFO for Orangetown, New York, and Deputy Controller and interim Controller for Yonkers, New York in the 1990's, as well as staff for a State Financial Control Board. Flatto also served as the Controller for the renowned Natural Resources Defense Council in the 1980's, a national environmental organization. Flatto began his career at Touche Ross & Company CPAs.
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