Who the heck is Barry Cafero?

Via ctblogger:

I know it's early to be making this call but I'm almost certain no one topping this comment today:

It's ok that Larry Cafero doesn't know my name. Over the course of the next year, he'll quickly realize that Connecticut voters don't know his, either.

-Connecticut Democratic Party Communications Director Colleen Flanagan

This comment from Flanagan was made in light of a cheap shot from House Minority Leader Larry Cafero's in which he purposely mispronounced her name "Kathleen" (even after being corrected by a reporter.

After being told that the Democratic Party's spokeswoman's first name was Colleen, Cafero said, "I wouldn't know Kathleen Flanagan if she bumped into me on the street."

State Rep. Cafero's latest hissy-hit has to do with the disclosure Thursday that he used his staff to set-up a meeting with The Norwalk Hour to announce that he's running for governor and that the newspaper would embargo the announcement.

Here's the email sent by Cafero's press secretary Patrick O'Neil.

"Larry, we're all set with The Hour," O'Neil's message said. "They'll have the editorial board and a writer waiting for you at 10 a.m. They've agreed to the embargo and were much appreciative of the advance notice and exclusive interview. Jared Ferrari, the managing editor, will be coordinating the deal."

All I know for sure is that if his name is Barry we should be demanding to see his birth certificate - teabaging rules dictate that he can't be 'Murikan - and the rest of the emails in his government account to see if he has been using it for other nefarious reasons because that would be the only sane reaction to this news.

We might want to see his psychological evaluation scores, as well, regardless of whom he thinks he is.

KWIN-uh-pe-ack Poll is up - And so am I...

It is way too early in the morning but I figured I'd check for the latest Quinnipiac poll results for the Connecticut Governor's race:

In an early look at the 2010 election for Connecticut Governor, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz runs best among possible Democratic challengers, trailing Republican incumbent Jodi Rell 46 - 40 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Gov. Rell leads 91 - 5 percent among Republicans and 56 - 26 percent among independent voters, while Bysiewicz leads 74 - 12 percent among Democrats.

Businessman Ned Lamont trails Rell 53 - 33 percent and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy loses 52 - 33 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

In a Democratic primary matchup, Bysiewicz gets 26 percent to 23 percent for Lamont, with 9 percent for Malloy. No other contender tops 3 percent.

With no candidate on the right to compare, all I can say is that it looks like Susan Bysiewicz is the early front runner in the race for the Democratic party nomination.

And it looks like Rell may still be able to squeak out on a bit of a high note barring anymore news of the scandal involving Dautrich - AKA: Rell's Brain - and Quinnipiac leaking out. Of course, this poll was, I believe, taken before the news of subpoenas going out in that scandal.

Voters are starting to trend towards a lower opinion of Connecticut political ethics during the Rell years... Quite punch to the gut when you consider Rowland was the previous Governor.

Why this trend? Might just be because of information:

The more information they have, the lower their opinion goes.

Lamont In - Rell Out There Somewhere?

Still waiting on word from Rell on whether or not she will be running - presumably she is having trouble forming an opinion on whether or not to run without Dautrich first poll testing the ideas - but, via Paul Bass, it looks like Lamont is getting ready to run for Governor:

Ned Lamont, who took on U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman three years ago, has formed an “exploratory committee” for a challenge to Gov. M. Jodi Rell in 2010. He plans to talk about Moody’s, not Moody.

Lamont planned to start informing past supporters of his move Wednesday morning, a day after the polls closed on the 2009 municipal elections and attention officially turns to the already crowded 2010 campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate.

h/t to TPMDC for the full press release from Ned Lamont:

NED LAMONT ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE

Norwalk, CT - Ned Lamont, successful businessman, co-founder of the state policy center at Central Connecticut State University, and Democratic nominee for US Senate in 2006, announced that he will be filing papers today with the State Elections Enforcement Commission establishing an Exploratory Committee for statewide office:

"As I have continued to meet with citizens across our state over the last three years, as co-chairman of President Obama's Connecticut campaign and on behalf of health care reform, I have been constantly reminded that Connecticut is not living up to its potential and that too many of our families are being left behind," said Lamont.

"Like businesses, states thrive with strong executive leadership, and they fall behind with weak leadership. As measured by the loss of jobs, young people leaving our state, and the never-ending budget crisis, Connecticut's Chief Executive is simply not getting the job done."

Since the 2006 campaign, Lamont has continued to serve as Chairman of the Board of Campus Televideo, a Connecticut company he founded twenty-five years ago. He is also a distinguished professor of political science at Central Connecticut State University, where he co-founded a policy center which has brought together leading business, labor, and non-profit leaders to formulate a strategic plan for the state of Connecticut. In addition, he serves on the boards of Conservation Services Group, a leading provider of energy efficiency programs, Teach for America/CT, and Mercy Corps, an international non-profit organization that focuses on job training and small business start-ups around the world.

An Interview With Senator Chris Dodd

An exclusive interview with Senator Dodd on healthcare, single payer, the public option and a bit about Senator Jeff Merkley's recent statements. Sorry if it is just a wee bit shaky... I am just an amateur. Thanks to the Connecticut State Democratic Party for sneaking me into this event.

I still have a bit over an hour of video from the meeting in Hartford that I wrote about earlier to edit and process. And Yes. The first few seconds of the video is pretty darn emblematic of my skills as an interviewer... BLACKOUT!

Who are they kidding here?

From the NY Times - 7th paragraph of the article:

The bill also would increase the borrowing authority for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to $100 billion from $30 billion, a move that will save banks billions of dollars by reducing the extra premiums that they would have had to pay to shore up the deposit insurance fund.

Title of the article:

Senate Approves Measure to Reduce Home Foreclosures

And the relief for home foreclosures?

The new Senate bill does not include additional money to aid mortgage borrowers, but it does draw $2.3 billion from the Treasury’s $700 billion financial bailout fund for various provisions.

This is a joke:

Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut and chairman of the banking committee, said at a news conference after the vote. “The bill does other things, but certainly, a major target is to deal with peoples’ housing issues and try to stem the tide.”

Another $70,000,000,000.00 giveaway to the banks and measly 2.3 Billion dollars taken from the already pissed away 700 billion is about helping homeowners? And no cramdown either.

Note to the NY Times and Sen. Chris Dodd:
A fine fuck you to you two, too!

Dems Dumping Joe Neocon Lieberman?

They are talking about kicking Connecticut Junior Senator Joe neocon Lieberman to the curb tonight:

Connecticut Democrats are considering a bid to force Sen. Joe Lieberman out of the party for speaking at the Republicans' convention and backing GOP presidential nominee John McCain.

The party scheduled a debate Wednesday night on a resolution that would censure Lieberman and ask the veteran politician to resign from the Democratic Party.

Lieberman was re-elected to the Senate as an independent after losing the Democratic primary in 2006 to businessman Ned Lamont, but while he calls himself an "independent Democrat" in the Senate he remains a registered Democrat and has said he has no plans to change his affiliation.

According to the AP:

The state Democratic party has scheduled a debate tonight on a resolution that would censure Lieberman and ask him to resign from the Democratic Party.

One supporter of the resolution says Lieberman's GOP convention speech, in which he praised McCain and criticized Barack Obama, convinced her that state Democrats need to take a stand.

It is unclear if there is enough support to finally oust the neoconservative bush boot licker but at least they are finally talking about straightening out the Connecticut Democratic party.

John McCain, his stepping stone wife
and Chris Shays with their pet neocon and
foreign policy poodle Joe Lieberman

[update] CT News Junkie has more on this... And CT Local Politics has nothing to say. (JK Genghis)

[update deux] Via the hard working CT News Junkie, it appears they left it at a "Censure" for now. Wasted opportunity to do the right thing.

“Good politics is not about me, it’s about we,” Blondin said explaining her decision to table the resolution.

Robocall Watch CT-05 Edition

Apparently a Republican attack dog, Freedom Watch, is planning on running a robocall campaign against House Rep. Chris Murphy:

Freedom’s Watch, the conservative advocacy group that has vowed to spend millions against Democratic congressional candidates this fall, will be running robocalls this week in 16 congressional districts where Democratic incumbents seem vulnerable or where an open seat has given rise to a competitive election.

The robocalls will focus on the issue of high gas prices.

No Nutmeggers... It's not the Enron-esque practices of the oil industry, where the oil industry owns leases on millions of acres of undeveloped oil and refuse to develop them, or unregulated market speculation, nor the lack of refineries needed to actually meet today's demand. And it's certainly not the result of illegal invasions and occupations.

It's that pesky 5% to 10% in taxes (depending on your state) that are the direct result of gas more than doubling in price at the pumps.

And Freedom Watch is out to piss you off with those insane Republican robocalls full of complete and total BS.

Previously brewed in New Milford:

Republican Lies About Offshore Drilling

environmentalist from dKos cuts through the GOP's BS concerning offshore drilling:

First of all, there is no "ban".

"Ban" is just more GOPer-speak. In reality, there is a moratorium on drilling in certain coastal areas. Other areas are not only open to drilling but leases and drilling permits have already been issued.

And they are not being drilled.

In fact, only 17% of the leased areas [are] in production. So, with about 33 million acres of offshore areas already available to drill and not being drilled, why does the oil and gas industry need to have access to still more? The fact is that nearly 25 BILLION barrels of oil off the coast of the United States is currently available for drilling...and industry is not drilling it.

Not to mention natural gas. Most of the natural gas occurring offshore (over 328 TRILLION cubic feet – an eleven year supply at current consumption rates) is currently available for leasing and development.

And they’re not going after it.

This is the story throughout the country, more than 44 million acres of onshore public lands are leased for oil and gas development and yet most of it is not being drilled. All told (onshore and offshore), 68 million acres are leased and sitting idle. Over 10,000 permits are currently 'stockpiled' by industry. But still they want more.

Between 1999 and 2007, the number of drilling permits issued for development of public lands increased by more than 361%. And did you see your gasoline costs drop? How about your electricity costs? Propane? natural gas? Uh...no. There is absolutely no correlation between the industrialization of public lands and the price of fossil fuels.

It has been estimated that if all of those currently inactive leases were drilled, the USA would produce an additional 4.8 million barrels of oil and 44.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas EVERY DAY, accounting for a doubling of US oil production and a 75% increase in US natural gas production. The Minerals Management Service tells us that about 80% of fossil fuels available in offshore are currently available for development.

What's going on here is yet another cynical attempt by the GOP and the oil and gas robber barons to increase and assure huge industry profits at the expense of the American people. These companies don’t want to drill these areas. They want to hold them as [assets] to limit the amount of oil and gas on the market so that prices rise still further - and they make more money.

Republicans and the oil industry are lying to America out the ying yang on this. Surprised? I didn't think so...

Where will you be in 2009? Honestly?

BooMan asks an Honest Question:

Let's say hypothetically that Barack Obama secures the nomination and wins the presidential election in the fall. And let's say that the Democrats substantially increase their majorities in both the House and the Senate. What do you see happening to the progressive blogosphere in 2009? What's our role? What's our significance?

To start off: I don't - and never have - considered myself as a progressive. Nor do have any ties to the Democratic party. I have aligned myself closer to them in the past few years for the simple reason that tend to deal more with reality and less with spin and lies.

The simple fact that Connecticut's progressives were responsibly spearheading the efforts to deal with one of the worst Democratic party abusers of lies and propaganda in the nation - a true neocon through and through - Joe Lieberman (R- Idiot), speaks volumes on how they have chosen to tackle the Democratic party in the past... And, I truly hope, is a telling sign of their future treatment of the worst of the worst politicians that can, and do, come from any and all political parties.

Like most Americans, I believe that most of the worst that American politics has to offer is still rooted deeply in the heart of the Republican party. But that time will likely soon come to pass as they lose more and more power.

I am curious as to what many of my progressive allies, those that I have come to look at as trustworthy friends, in the Democratic party look at as their future goals and objectives?

I already understand that many of them will view "More and Better Democrats" as an obvious part of their agenda if they should clear the hurdles of obstructionism by Republicans in Congress through the likely victories that this election cycle is paving the way for. The shear number of Republican incumbents dropping out coupled with a lack of "top notch" candidates to fill those campaign holes and adding in their lack of grassroots funding at almost every level of national politics is creating the very real likelihood of a tsunami of change with very little the GOP can do to stop this beyond wishful thinking.

I am truly curious as to whether it will be hard for the many on the left that are attached to and/or operating within the Democratic party structure, and have lived off "reality" for so long, to ever find it possible to continue a posture of "cheer leading" for their team while ignoring the failures of some of their own candidates?

If the Democratic party does achieve a complete, or near complete, domination of national politics, what do you Democratic Bloggers view as your goals and objectives?

Like I said: I believe that most of you have more interest in truth. I even believe that the most partisan of you Democrats that I know do honestly have what you think is in the best interests of not just your party at heart but the nations' best interests as well.

My goals will always be to seek out truth. And will always include kicking any dishonest politician regardless of party affiliation. So, I can honestly say that my objectives would never change regardless of who has their hands on the levers of power. Truth and honesty, in a perfect world, would have no political bias. But this world ain't near a perfect world.

Have you considered what your goals and objectives will be, or continue to be, beyond the 2008 election cycle? I am certain that many of your allies, both within and without the Democratic party, would be interested in knowing.

Given the political tides, NOW is probably the time for you to begin contemplating and assessing your future within the blogosphere, and as an activist as well...

Chris Dodd Definitely Endorsing Obama

From My Email inbox and confirming Scarce's diary concerning rumors of an impending endorsement of Barack Obama by Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd:

Dear Stephen,

We have been through a lot in this past year and your friendship and support have meant so much to me. That is why I wanted to let you know of my decision to endorse a Democratic candidate for President - and that I have decided to support Barack Obama.

We all understand how much is at stake in this election and that it is more important than ever that we put a Democrat in the White House.

And while both of our Party's remaining candidates are extremely talented and would make excellent commanders-in-chief, I am throwing my support to the candidate who I believe will open the most eyes to our shared Democratic vision.

I'm deeply proud to be the first 2008 Democratic presidential candidate to endorse Barack Obama. He is ready to be President. And I am ready to support him - to work with him and for him and help elect him our 44th President.

Put simply, I believe Barack Obama is uniquely qualified to help us face this housing crisis, create good jobs, strengthen America's families in this 21st century global economy, unite the world against terrorism and end the war in Iraq - and perhaps most importantly, call the American people to shared service and sacrifice. In this campaign, he has drawn millions of voters into politics for the first time in their lives and shown us that we are united by so much more than that which divides us.

That is why I believe the time has come for Democrats to come together as a Party and focus on winning the general election. The stakes are too high not to.

The last seven years have been as difficult as any I can remember. More than ever, we need a President who will inspire us to take part in the political process and change our country's path.

Today, when we need it most, we are hearing a new call from Barack Obama. And I hope you, like me, will answer it in the affirmative.

Please get involved in Barack Obama's campaign now: http://action.barackobama.com/doddsupporters


Sincerely,

Chris Dodd

CT State Rep. Comes Out of the Closet

Via the Danbury NewsTimes:

State Rep. Jason Bartlett put rumors to rest Tuesday when he announced publicly that he's gay.

Bartlett, a Democrat who represents portions of Bethel, Redding and Danbury, said he has been open about his sexual orientation with relatives and decided now was the time to speak publicly.

Video: Click here to watch Bartlett talk about his decision.

"For me the decision came down to why not now," said Bartlett, 41, during a meeting with The News-Times Tuesday. "To me this is about having a conversation with my larger family - the people of Greater Danbury who voted for me."

Via GayPolitics.com:

The announcement makes Bartlett the nation’s first and only openly LGBT African American state legislator.

I am glad for him that he feels comfortable enough to come out. This should be a non-issue but some close minded individuals may try to make it one. It is not likely that he has the hypocrisy baggage of your typical republican on this issue.

[update] Connecticut Bob digs into his extensive video archives:

At last year's JJB Dinner, I spoke with Jason about the important issues. Here's the video of our discussion:

ctblogger has more video of an extensive interview Jason Bartlett here...

[update deux] Via the Hartford Courant:

Bartlett said he never misled voters about his sexual orientation, either
in how he described his domestic life or by positions he has taken on gay
issues. He said he always has supported gay rights, including same-sex civil
unions and gay marriage.

[update trois] Welcome to Buzzflash readers. A cool place that I highly recommend if you want to keep up with progressive/liberal news as it's breaking. If you like their front page news section... You might like some of these places too:

BuzzFlash.Org | BuzzFlash.Net | Last Chance Democracy Cafe | Wings of Justice.Com
GOP Hypocrites.Com | Media PUTZ.Com | BE-ELECTED.com | Libby Defense Fund.Com
BuzzFlash MarketPlace.Com

Joe "Uncle Ernie" Lieberman

Or so Branny Boy thinks...

Is Joe Lieberman An Alcoholic Pedophile?

That's what the eccentric uncle in my family turned out to be. Of course, the internal dynamics of the "family" known as the Democratic Party are no doubt subtly different from those of my own, so perhaps not.

Still, Joe's recent remarks . . .

As he told reporters: "There's no question that at times I think some of the Democrats look at me sort of like the ... eccentric uncle, perhaps even the odd uncle at the family gatherings: 'We like him, but every now and then he says things that make us wonder.'"

. . . have got me thinking.

Fiddle about! Fiddle about!

I'm your wicked Uncle Ernie
I'm glad you won't see or hear me
As I fiddle about!
Fiddle about!
Fiddle about!

Hand Up VS Handout

Hand up VS Handout? This is a mantra that many Americans can understand.

Via Tparty at MLN:

In cased you missed it, Chris Shays was named the Eschaton Wanker of the Day™ on Monday for his asinine comments blaming predatory lending victims for their own predicament in the subprime crisis that is hitting towns in his district to the tune of a 500% increase in foreclosures from last year.

Jim Himes, who has actually dedicated the last few years of his professional life to helping increase affordable housing opportunities for low-income families, took issue with Shays' comments in a press release today:

"As an affordable housing professional, I know that many first-time homeowners, guilty of nothing but reaching for the American dream, found themselves besieged by unregulated mortgage brokers selling highly complex mortgages with low initial rates and other bells and whistles that made them seem irresistible. These brokers rarely bothered to make the disclosures that would have raised concerns and caution among their customers. Some brokers were openly deceptive and predatory.

"That's why I was astounded by Chris Shays' statement early this week regarding the looming housing foreclosure crisis. He told the Connecticut Post, 'I can't imagine helping people who should not have gotten a loan in the first place.'

"Maybe Chris Shays can't imagine it, but all Americans have an interest in assisting those whose best shot at the American dream was ruined by deception. And we have a common interest in avoiding the contagious decay that can plague foreclosure-prone neighborhoods.

"There is much we can do, working with banks, municipalities, and community organizations, to encourage stressed homeowners to talk to their lenders, encourage loan restructuring, and provide temporary relief. In addition, Congress must act now to address this crisis by enacting legislation to stop predatory lending practices, require more clear disclosures on loans, and increase funding for community-based housing advocates to educate consumers about the mortgage market. Doing nothing makes no sense.

"Chris Shays' statement shows that he is far more interested in protecting the financial industry which amply funds his campaigns than he is in stabilizing threatened communities and supporting hardworking homeowners who thought they had a shot at the middle class. As a matter of ethics and plain good business sense, Chris Shays is far, far from home."

Himes' background in this area - and his diligence on the issue - will serve him and his constituents very well come January 2009.

All the politicians say they want to give people a hand up, not a hand out.

But when it comes time to offer that hand up to people that fell into the trap of the "ownership society" Republicans touted, Republicans pushed for, they balk and run away from their responsibilities to hide their heads in the sand.

"...if you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country. The more ownership there is in America, the more vitality there is in America, and the more people have a vital stake in the future of this country."
(The Worst President in the History of America, george bush)

Expanding Homeownership. The President believes that homeownership is the cornerstone of America's vibrant communities and benefits individual families by building stability and long-term financial security. In June 2002, President Bush issued America's Homeownership Challenge to the real estate and mortgage finance industries to encourage them to join the effort to close the gap that exists between the homeownership rates of minorities and non-minorities. The President also announced the goal of increasing the number of minority homeowners by at least 5.5 million families before the end of the decade. Under his leadership, the overall U.S. homeownership rate in the second quarter of 2004 was at an all time high of 69.2 percent. Minority homeownership set a new record of 51 percent in the second quarter, up 0.2 percentage point from the first quarter and up 2.1 percentage points from a year ago. President Bush's initiative to dismantle the barriers to homeownership includes:

• American Dream Downpayment Initiative, which provides down payment assistance to approximately 40,000 low-income families;
• Affordable Housing. The President has proposed the Single-Family Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which would increase the supply of affordable homes;
• Helping Families Help Themselves. The President has proposed increasing support for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunities Program; and
• Simplifying Homebuying and Increasing Education. The President and HUD want to empower homebuyers by simplifying the home buying process so consumers can better understand and benefit from cost savings. The President also wants to expand financial education efforts so that families can understand what they need to do to become homeowners.

Now that the effects of the GOP's ownership society have taken hold and millions of Americans are about to lose their homes, Republicans cut and run. Fixing their costly mistake ain't their problem. They would call that a handout and blame the victims of their republican ideology.

Unfortunately for the average American, when a Republican talks about a "Hand up" what they really mean is single-fingered-salute followed by a generous amount of babbling:

On the Republican side, I am not sure there is any candidate that will ever rise to the top. The election is not a shoo-in for the democrats. Even so the Republicans have one candidate that could out-worsen G. W. Bush. Giulani's rhetoric is beyond comprehention. His speeches only succeed in making Bush's orations sound fresh.

Guiliani's concepts on foreign policy are founded deep in nothing. His platitudes are often well used and tend to bore me:

We are at the dawn of a new era in global affairs, when old ideas have to be rethought and new ideas have to be devised to meet new challenges ...

The United States must not rest until the al Qaeda network is destroyed and its leaders, from Osama bin Laden on down, are killed or captured ...

We must seek common ground without turning a blind eye to our differences with [China and Russia] ...

It is clear that we need to do a better job of explaining America's message and mission to the rest of the world, not by imposing our ideas on others but by appealing to their enlightened self-interest ...

America will win the war of ideas ...

We must learn from our past if we want to win the peace as well as the war ...

It is better to give people a hand up than a handout.

Most of his sayings on international affairs are fresh from a Henry Kissinger "op-ed".

Reading Giuliani and imagining that he might somehow become president chills me with a profound sense of dispair. Fortunately, there is comic relief. At one of many points where he attempts to display his erudition and expertise, he notes the "cultural exchanges" that allegedly brought about the end of the Soviet empire. The example he cites is pianist Van Cliburn's concerts in Moscow, which "hastened change."

Van Cliburn played Moscow in 1958. The Soviet Union fell in 1989. If change were any hastier, the Berlin Wall would still be intact.

As a side note: 1958 to 1989? These idiot republicans are, only now, rejoicing in the glorious efforts of their republican talking-point General Petraeus,if you need an idea on how quickly their dear-leader-wannabes expect things to change in Iraq... I say their typical expectations would be rosy-colored-glasses optimistic, something no republican would ever be accused of, but you can do the math on the dead American soldiers and Iraqi civilians in that time if you are that optimistic too. Just to give you an idea that is closer to reality:

It might take as long as half a century before U.S. troops can leave the volatile Middle East, according to retired Army Gen. John Abizaid.

"Over time, we will have to shift the burden of the military fight from our forces directly to regional forces, and we will have to play an indirect role, but we shouldn't assume for even a minute that in the next 25 to 50 years the American military might be able to come home, relax and take it easy, because the strategic situation in the region doesn't seem to show that as being possible," Abizaid said Wednesday at Carnegie Mellon University.

Got that? 50 years in Iraq... A Half a century of Americans getting killed there. It is long past time to stop giving huge fistfuls of $$$ in handouts to Military Complex, and start giving a hand up to the American soldiers by bringing them home.

Helping Blogs Help the Candidates

Many of the old school candidates in politics have been quick to kick the Blogosphere whenever given the chance. Todays' more savvy candidates are embracing the activism of the Blogosphere, and some are actually picking up their keyboards and becoming a part of the new media themselves.

But then there are other candidates that are taking it in a different direction and are helping the Blogs to help themselves.

I was flipping through the Danbury NewsTimes today and came across a particularly eye-catching quarter page add just below the weather forecast (Page B4, October 31st) for a Danbury candidate. I thought I would share it with you all:

I enlarged that little part at the bottom so you wouldn't have to squint to read it. Anyways, it seems that all of ctbloggers hard work for local Democratic party candidates is paying off in a way that can help him help all of the candidates that he vigorously supports even more in the long run. This little bit of a tack-on add for HatCityBLOG will likely help him reach even more local readers in the long run. Readers that have a tendency to come back again and again after they finally find his place. Readers that ctblogger has generously sent your way, and my way, time and time again over the last couple of years.

The recognition that ctblogger has received over the last couple of years is well deserved and he has been noted by some of the biggest and the best Bloggers for his ambitious efforts to kickstart the local Blogging philosophy:

Now I know how Sally felt.

I'm a big fan of Steve Gilliard's popular national blog The News Blog, so it came to a pleasant surprise that he picked little ol' me as one of his favorite state/local bloggers for 2006.

Juan Melli and CT Blogger-They do the dirty work of local and state politics, which will never lead to glory or riches, but is needed because if you think federal government has problems.....these guys are heroes to me

"blush"

Seriously, thanks to Steve for the recognition. To be placed along side award winners You Tube , Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Matt Stoller, Howard Dean, Sasha Baron Cohen, Morgan Spurlock, Amanda Marcotte, and Ned Lamont is quite a honor.

I really have to give props to all the other Connecticut bloggers as we all worked our tails off trying to stay one step ahead of the mainstream media (PPM baby) as well as keeping people informed on what's happening in the nutmeg state. I wonder what would have happened if I didn't ask Connecticut Bob to help me set the white balance on my camcorder and shoved my digital camera into Spazeboy's hand back during the memorable Lamont event at Naples in New Haven...

Hopefully, political campaigns will take notice of the great reporting we did on the Connecticut races and understand the importance of blogs.

They have noticed. And so have we.

Small gestures like this one from Cotter will only help all of the left Blogosphere in Connecticut and the nation. Kudos to Cotter for recognizing the value of supporting his allies, and kudos to ctblogger for all he has done and will continue to do for Connecticut's thriving and ever growing left presence in and out of the Blogosphere. We can only hope that more candidates will recognize the advantages of helping this new People Powered Media - As ctblogger would say "PPM Baby" - to help themselves.

For more information on Brian Cotter's campaign, here is a snippet to get you pointed in the right direction:

In an attempt to inform the public about the various candidates running for office this year, HatCityBLOG is kicking off a new feature entitled "CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT." Using a combination of text, audio and video, the HatCityBLOG crew are going give readers a different look at the candidates.

For my first interview, I sat down with the Brian Cotter, candidate for Treasurer and talked about his background, why he's running for office, his "Welcome Back Cotter" theme of bringing back fiscal integrity to Danbury, and why he feels he's the best qualified for the job.

You can catch the rest of the interview here, where you will find a lot more information on many of Danbury's other local candidates.

Kucinich getting kicked for what?

We know that Kucinich is popular across the netroots for his his position on Iraq... So? WTF is this crap?

Iraq war veteran and short-time U.S. Senate candidate Paul Hackett tomorrow will announce his support for Rosemary Palmer, who's trying to move Dennis Kucinich out of Congress.

Palmer, running for the 10th Congressional District nomination, has a tough challenge, but if Hackett were to truly get involved, he might draw some attention for Palmer.

Palmer's 23-year-old son, Lance Cpl. Edward "Augie" Schroeder II, was killed in Iraq two years ago. A former teacher, Palmer says that Kucinich seems too preoccupied with his quest to become president to represent the district well.

Kicking Kucinich, one of the few real liberals left in the Democratic party, would be political suicide on the party's part.

I don't live in OH-10, but what the party does across the country reflects on every other candidate. Connecticut Dems and indies didn't work their asses off in an effort to ditch Joe neocon Lieberman in order to drag the Democratic party kicking and screaming that tiny amount to the left for the pleasure of watching the rest of the party in other parts of the country losing their effin' minds on right wing crack.

No offense to Palmer, but the Dems need more Kucinich type candidates. There is nothing controversial about Kucinich's Iraq position. Most Americans agree with it.

If this is the Democratic party's answer to all of the problems in Iraq, then this country is fucked. And so is the Dem party.

The Heart of Corrupticut

ctblogger and tparty at MLN says it all ends with a loving hug:

"I know Lou.... He loves helping people."
- Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield

"This is a very difficult personal family situation. It is my understanding that the senator cooperated fully, that he recognizes it was poor judgment and recognizes that his behavior was unacceptable,"
- Gov. Jodi Rell, R

"I went in and gave him a hug... I've known him a long time. We're not only elected officials, but we all have loved ones and family members who we would protect. All families have issues."
- Rep. Stephen Dargan, D-West Haven

"I can't think of a more honest, upright and straightforward guy than Lou DeLuca... I stand up for him, regardless of party."
- Rep. William R. Dyson, D

“I can't think of a guy who's more straight and honest and above board than Lou DeLuca... I can't help but believe that in the final analysis of whatever has taken place there would be a resolution on it and I think he will be vindicated.”
- Rep. Dyson, again

"I can't think of anybody who is more of a family man.... His grandchildren at one time or another have lived with him as his children have gone through troubles."
- Richard Crane, first selectman of Woodbury, R

"I am so disgusted to hear that [Sen. Prague had called for DeLuca's resignation]... She is a disgrace if she said that."
- Rep. Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk

"We agree on nothing. I used to tell him, `You never met an insurance company you didn't like.' He used to tell me, `You never met a labor union you didn't like.' But he's a good man,"
- Biagio Ciotto, former Democratic senator, after hugging DeLuca on Friday

WTF? Those Democratic party members are in on this shitbag Republican's lovefest?

But where does it all begin:

Okay, lets recap what we know about Minority leader "Loony" Louie DeLuca regarding his association with trashman James Galante (you know, the guy from Danbury with mob connections...)

DeLuca and Galante met in 2001 when Galante made a large contribution to a charitable cause sponsored by DeLuca. DeLuca had Galante named Italian-American of the year by the Italian-American legislative caucus.

Authorities also said DeLuca promised an undercover agent that he would use his influence to discover anything that could hurt Galante, and "blunt it as best I can." However, he rejected the agent's offered $5,000 bribe, according a law enforcement arrest affidavit.

Now that alone should raise the eyebrows of the so called "party of morality" at the Capitol... at least you would think.

It should raise the eyebrows of every citizen. So should the fact that any politician thinks that they can stand up for this kind of BULLSHIT behaviour from any other politician.

Simmons confirms the reason for Cappiello's limp into CT-05

I posted this last week on Cappiello limping into the 5th district:

Hobbled by his connection to the most corrupt group of politicians ever assembled under any political party's history, the GOP's David Cappiello will toss his name into the meat grinder that almost every GOP candidate will have to face in the state of Connecticut because of the meat grinder they have created for the soldiers in Iraq.

Unofficially it began Nov. 7 of last year. Officially the race for the state's 5th District Congressional seat started Wednesday when five-term state Sen. David Cappiello announced - more than 18 months before Election Day - that he's challenging freshman U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy.

"I've accepted that I'm the underdog and that I'm going to have to reach as many voters as I can," Cappiello said in telephone interview during a break from Wednesday's marathon session at the state Capitol. The Danbury senator, a 38-year-old mortgage broker, may be the first Republican to file paperwork for the 5th District contest with the Federal Election Commission, but it's likely he won't be the last.

The state's Republican party took a hit in 2006 when 12-term incumbent Nancy Johnson lost to Murphy and three-term incumbent Rob Simmons lost the 2nd District race to Democrat Joe Courtney.

The GOP... Just call them the hamburger party. No word yet if Joe neocon Lieberman will have any beefs with his fellow Republican David Cappiello, and if he will cross the aisle and support Murphy in the first truly bipartisan move of his recent career.

Yesterday, Connecticut Local Politics points to the fact that even Rob Simmons recognizes that his is the hamburger party and why:

From the LA Times:

Three-term Rep. Rob Simmons of Connecticut, who lost his seat last year by 83 votes, said he turned down an appeal from the GOP to run again in 2008, partly because of the dismal political climate. In a district dominated by Democrats, he said, it has become impossible for even a moderate Republican like himself to win — especially since he voted to authorize the war in Iraq.

The real humour here is that Simmons thinks he is a moderate... Sure he is, and so is his fellow Republicon and RADICAL AMERICAN CENTRIST Joe neocon Lieberman! I like to think of Simmons as a flame broiled member of the hamburger party.

In January I wrote about this mythical "Radical American Centrism" claimed by pure far right wingnuts:

Radical American Centrism: THE BIG LIEberman

The center is such a hard thing to nail down for Joe, at least, as long as it keeps moving EVEN FURTHER to the left of Joe than it was before.

According to C&L:

Military Times: (h/t Hugh)

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?
Approve 35%
Disapprove 42%
No opinion 10%
Decline to answer 12%

A few more stats from Gabe at CLP:

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."

PING... Just using "echo location" to point out how much further to the left the people of Connecticut are compared to Joe "Right-Wingnut" Lieberman.

The same RADICAL label should, deservedly, be applied to any of Connecticut's Republican members of the hamburger party.

GOP's David Cappiello Limps Into 5th District Race

Hobbled by his connection to the most corrupt group of politicians ever assembled under any political party's history, the GOP's David Cappiello will toss his name into the meat grinder that almost every GOP candidate will have to face in the state of Connecticut because of the meat grinder they have created for the soldiers in Iraq.

Unofficially it began Nov. 7 of last year. Officially the race for the state's 5th District Congressional seat started Wednesday when five-term state Sen. David Cappiello announced - more than 18 months before Election Day - that he's challenging freshman U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy.

"I've accepted that I'm the underdog and that I'm going to have to reach as many voters as I can," Cappiello said in telephone interview during a break from Wednesday's marathon session at the state Capitol. The Danbury senator, a 38-year-old mortgage broker, may be the first Republican to file paperwork for the 5th District contest with the Federal Election Commission, but it's likely he won't be the last.

The state's Republican party took a hit in 2006 when 12-term incumbent Nancy Johnson lost to Murphy and three-term incumbent Rob Simmons lost the 2nd District race to Democrat Joe Courtney.

The GOP... Just call them the hamburger party. No word yet if Joe neocon Lieberman will have any beefs with his fellow Republican David Cappiello, and if he will cross the aisle and support Murphy in the first truly bipartisan move of his recent career.

My Left Nutmeg Investigates...

Interesting:

MLN Investigates: Who is "Bridgeport GOTV Blue LLC"?

Very interesting:

MLN Investigates: The Lieberman-Shays Alliance in Numbers

Great work from the MLN frontpagers. Please feel free to keep on investigating. Enquiring minds want to know... At the very least, the Democratic party of Connecticut should know this.

Got another beef with a CT Dem? I do.

Spazeboy pointed this out once and they removed the offensive name from the CT Democratic party list... Now they have put him back on as spazeboy points out again:

Once upon a time, I recommended that Joe Lieberman’s name be removed from the list of Democratic Members of Congress at the CT Dems official website.

Within 2 days, it was.

But after reading this comment from PamB about how her invitation to this year’s JJB Dinner lists Senator Lieberman as a special guest…

WTF ??@!??
Did anyone else just get the Jefferson Jackson Bailey Dinner Invitation today?? Included on the invitation, as Special Guests, no other than Joseph I Lieberman, US Senator, who’s name appears with Chris Dodd, Joe Courtney, John larson, Rosa DeLauro, Murphy, Blumenthal, Bysiewicz, Nappier, etc, etc!!!

My first call shall be to Howard Dean, then one to Pelosi, and then an email to DiNardo telling her how pissed off I am. I really wanted to go this time to hear Nancy Pelosi speak.

Can you believe the GALL of this Ct. party and DiNardo to dare and bring Lieberman into our Dem Dinner????????

…I went poking around the Democratic State Central site, I find that Senator Lieberman’s name has been re-added to the list of Democratic Members of Congress.

It is still there a few weeks later.

Democratic Members of Congress

• Sen. Chris Dodd
• Sen. Joe Lieberman <<<
  
• Rep. John Larson
• Rep. Rosa DeLauro
• Rep. Chris Murphy
• Rep. Joe Courtney

Needless to say, the MAJORITY of Democratic supporters have HUGE beefs with Lieberman... But the CT Democratic party better get their act together if they don't want to get "Liebermanned" (kicked to the curb) in their primaries as well.

Talk about the ultimate in insults to the majority of Democratic voters in this state. Nevermind the grassroots that has proven that they can set the agenda in CT's left politics.