Under the spotlight of a high profile campaign, "Blumenthal For Senate" continues its meltdown. What is ironic about this latest development, is how much the defendant sounds like the many businesses and people he targets.
At issue is Blumenthal's military service and his comments, apparently on numerous occasions, that he served in Vietnam. According to Fox 61 News, the "McMahon For Senate" campaign fed the New York Times the story. Whoever was the source, it was a bombshell, embellished by a video clearly showing Blumenthal, claiming he served in Vietnam.
What's even more disturbing, are the numerous deferments Blumenthal received, before enrolling in the Marine Reserves. While American teenagers were losing their lives, serving their country, Blumenthal was leading the life of the priviledged, obviously using his friendship with the politically well connected, including eventual U.S. Senator Daniel P. Moynihan, in order to avoid service, until he couldn't pull off the ruse anymore. But even then, he managed to land a cushy encampment in Washington, D.C., after his Parris Island training.
Blumenthal's credibility has become so fractured, not even his days at Harvard can be trusted. According the NYT expose, numerous Blumenthal biographys stated he was captain of the Harvard swim team. In reality, he was never a member of the swim team.
Now he sounds like so many other politicians, who have wilted under the spotlight, from Nixon to Spitzer. "I may have misspoken," he said. "My intention was to be always clear and straightforward."
Nonsense. This is a man, whose huge staff has scrutinized his every word and appearance, to insure a carefully crafted image that casts Blumenthal in the best possible light. Of this, I can attest. His staff recently contacted my radio producer, on a story I was doing about the attorney general, before it even aired. Blumenthal, as he did with the MSNBC video about not accepting PAC money, intentionally allows ambigious statements to stand, if it casts him in the best possible light, despite the lack of credibility the story may have.
Now the Blumenthal defenders are out slandering the NYT, claiming the piece is a hatchet job. Laughable. The Blumenthal Democrats are sounding like Republicans, now that they face similar NYT scrutiny.
Sadly, the candidate who gets shutout here, is his opponent for the Democratic Party U.S. Senate nomination, Merrick Alpert. Denied from speaking about his candidacy, before half of the Democratic Town committees manipulated by the Blumenthal machine, Alpert goes into this weekend's convention a long shot. Articulate, with firmly entrenched convictions, Alpert served his country, nobly, in Bosnia. In light of this latest Blumenthal fiasco, Alpert deserves the first look he was never given by his party, this weekend in Hartford.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
DOES HE WANT OUT?
Before all is said and done, Waterbury Mayor Michael Jarjura may be running for dog catcher in Podunk. First, he was flirting with seeking the Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination. Last week, at a sparsely attended news conference, he announced his candidacy for Lt. Governor. Now than Dannel Malloy has picked State Comptroller Nancy Wyman as his running mate, crowding the race for Lt. Governor candidates, word is Jarjura will seek to be the party's nominee for state comptroller.
What is becoming patently obvious is Jarjura wants out as Waterbury mayor, for whatever reason. His openly public search for a job, underwritten by the taxpayers, while currently being paid by taxpayers in the Brass City - try searching for a job in the private sector in this manner - leads one to conclude something is up in the center of the universe.
The Mayor has come under increasing criticism for advocating a major property tax hike to balance Waterbury's precarious finances. Furthermore, controversy seems to be swirling around his administration, from "Captain Blight," an obvious patronage job, to the mess enveloping school custodians. Combine this with the ever critical editorials about him, appearing in the Republican-American, and Jarjura may figure it's time to get out, while the going is good.
If the mayor gets shutout at this month's party convention, one must wonder if the self described wealthy entrepreneur might resign. One thing is for certain, Jarjura apparently doesn't want to be Mayor of Waterbury, by his continuous efforts to shop around for other employment.
What is becoming patently obvious is Jarjura wants out as Waterbury mayor, for whatever reason. His openly public search for a job, underwritten by the taxpayers, while currently being paid by taxpayers in the Brass City - try searching for a job in the private sector in this manner - leads one to conclude something is up in the center of the universe.
The Mayor has come under increasing criticism for advocating a major property tax hike to balance Waterbury's precarious finances. Furthermore, controversy seems to be swirling around his administration, from "Captain Blight," an obvious patronage job, to the mess enveloping school custodians. Combine this with the ever critical editorials about him, appearing in the Republican-American, and Jarjura may figure it's time to get out, while the going is good.
If the mayor gets shutout at this month's party convention, one must wonder if the self described wealthy entrepreneur might resign. One thing is for certain, Jarjura apparently doesn't want to be Mayor of Waterbury, by his continuous efforts to shop around for other employment.
Friday, May 7, 2010
DEMS WILL USE RELL FOR COVER
Make no mistake; Democrats in the state legislature are upset the Republicans walked away from any budget deal. They needed bipartisanship for the fall elections. So as they slap themselves on the back, offering congratulations for a balanced budget, that uses every gimmick in the book - some which would land the private sector in jail - they are drawing battle lines for the November elections.
"It doesn't play into a partisan narrative, that they (GOP) have been trying to portray that Hartford is broken, that there would be gridlock, that there would be no resolution of the deficits, that nothing would get done. That narrative has been blown out of the water. They have to find a new narrative because Democrats in the legislature worked with a Republican governor..." said Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr., who apparently is in love with taxes and narratives.
In reality, there is no gridlock in Hartford, but there is partisanship. That's why the Democrats need Gov. Rell to sell the public that the Republicans are a part of this catastrophe. The Democrats dominate the legislature and have increased spending and added hidden taxes in this latest bill, all to balance a budget, which will fall under its own weight in due course, while handing a new governor massive deficits. But the Democrats' strategy is obvious; unable to find the bipartisan support they needed in the General Assembly, they will use Gov. Rell, a Republican In Name Only, as their cover.
The real story is how upset Republicans in the legislature are with Gov. Rell. In public and in private, they have expressed annoyance at her dismissal of GOP budgetary objectives in her negotiations with Democrats. That's why House and Senate Republicans walked out of the talks. Leadership believed Rell, not seeking reelection, had the perfect chance to take a stand against the tax and spend Democrats, especially in an election year. Instead, she has once again left her own party in the lurch. As Connecticut sinks under its unsustainable spending policies, legislative Republicans will be happy to say good riddance to a governor from their own party.
"It doesn't play into a partisan narrative, that they (GOP) have been trying to portray that Hartford is broken, that there would be gridlock, that there would be no resolution of the deficits, that nothing would get done. That narrative has been blown out of the water. They have to find a new narrative because Democrats in the legislature worked with a Republican governor..." said Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr., who apparently is in love with taxes and narratives.
In reality, there is no gridlock in Hartford, but there is partisanship. That's why the Democrats need Gov. Rell to sell the public that the Republicans are a part of this catastrophe. The Democrats dominate the legislature and have increased spending and added hidden taxes in this latest bill, all to balance a budget, which will fall under its own weight in due course, while handing a new governor massive deficits. But the Democrats' strategy is obvious; unable to find the bipartisan support they needed in the General Assembly, they will use Gov. Rell, a Republican In Name Only, as their cover.
The real story is how upset Republicans in the legislature are with Gov. Rell. In public and in private, they have expressed annoyance at her dismissal of GOP budgetary objectives in her negotiations with Democrats. That's why House and Senate Republicans walked out of the talks. Leadership believed Rell, not seeking reelection, had the perfect chance to take a stand against the tax and spend Democrats, especially in an election year. Instead, she has once again left her own party in the lurch. As Connecticut sinks under its unsustainable spending policies, legislative Republicans will be happy to say good riddance to a governor from their own party.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
RATES WILL RISE
Less than an hour ago, the Connecticut House of Representatives passed SB 493, "An act reducing electricity costs and promoting renewable energy. The vote was 81-40, with 30 absent. Presumably, the absent ran for cover, for fear they could pay a political price in November. Late last night, the Senate voted 20-14 in favor of the bill.
Under repeated questioning from Rep. Sean Williams, R-Watertown, the co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, Rep. Vicki Nardello, D-Prospect, failed to answer pointed questions about the bill. And she is the one pushing hard for it. She could not even guarantee that electricity rates would drop, which is a promise of the bill. What the bill would do is crimp the electricity supplier market, just as the concept is beginning to resonate with the public.
The debate at 5:30 this morning was emblematic of how the General Assembly does business. under the liberal Democrats: pass a massive overhaul bill, friendly to the extreme left, without major public hearings, in the early morning hours, in the hope it might work, all the while raising our rates. Our only hope is Gov. Rell will veto the bill.
Under repeated questioning from Rep. Sean Williams, R-Watertown, the co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, Rep. Vicki Nardello, D-Prospect, failed to answer pointed questions about the bill. And she is the one pushing hard for it. She could not even guarantee that electricity rates would drop, which is a promise of the bill. What the bill would do is crimp the electricity supplier market, just as the concept is beginning to resonate with the public.
The debate at 5:30 this morning was emblematic of how the General Assembly does business. under the liberal Democrats: pass a massive overhaul bill, friendly to the extreme left, without major public hearings, in the early morning hours, in the hope it might work, all the while raising our rates. Our only hope is Gov. Rell will veto the bill.
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