Connecticut

I don't blog much about CT state politics. Frankly, I doubt the rest of the country cares much, and I also try and give the locals some slack as to trying to do their business.

The Wall Street Journal is a bit less reticent, especially as new Governor Dannel Malloy styles himself the "anti-Christie".  Malloy's idea was that CT should increase revenues in order to limit budget cuts. So, is "shared sacrifice" a political winner?

Hmmm, it may be running into a brick wall at the local gas pump.

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) - Governor Malloy's state budget plan appears to be heading for a crash over the gas tax.

 With gas prices going up by the day, members of Malloy's own political party are balking at voting for a plan that includes a hike in the gas tax. Democratic leaders over at the State Capitol say they intend to vote on the Malloy budget plan by Tuesday, but this is holding things up. At one gas station across from the Capitol Complex regular was $4.36 a gallon today, and one of the reasons it's so high is because of state taxes. The reason the taxes are so high is because, unlike our neighboring states, Connecticut has no highway or bridge tolls of any kind. The entire transportation fund for road and bridges and public transit is generated through the taxes on gasoline. Governor Malloy's budget plan includes another three cent hike in the gas tax starting Jul. 1.

Let's just say it is... hmm. an inauspicious time to raise what are already among the highest gas taxes in the nation.  (Just a few miles into MA gas is 40 cents a gallon cheaper).  And this is not the only tax hike the Malloy budget aims at the working & middle class, as he now plans to tax clothing costing less than $50. 

Perhaps the most bizarre element of this difficult episode is that Malloy's hand-picked energy czar, former Yale academic Dan Esty, is a vociferous cheerleader for massive tax hikes on energy usage.  

According to Commissioner Esty, we need more pain at the pump.

The best way to drive energy innovation would be an emissions charge of $5 per ton of greenhouse gases beginning in 2012, rising to $100 per ton by 2032. The low initial charge, starting next year, would make the short-term burden on consumers and businesses almost negligible. .....

Our proposal would apply to all greenhouse gas emissions, so that everybody, and every fossil-fuel-dependent form of energy, would be included. Coal-burning power plants would pay based on the emissions measured at their smokestacks. Oil companies would pay for every gallon of gas or oil delivered. Yes, these costs would be passed on to consumers, but this is what motivates changes in behavior and technological investments. (Emphasis added-IM)

You see, unless those benighted consumers in their SUV's and their warm homes get hammered even worse, there will be no positive changes in technology to improve energy efficiency, as per Professor Esty. And of course, notwtihstanding the worst job market since the early 1980's, "instituting a carbon charge would have only a minimal impact on American competitiveness".

Two words. Yeah. Right.

Of course, Dan Esty is part of CT's new "power couple"

---his wife Elizabeth is the new wannabe congressperson from Connecticut 5.  

She seeks to be the new Democrat in the district to replace job hopper Chris Murphy.

Esty's political approach was to run as a centrist soccer mom in a suburban district. Never mentioning her Yale Law degree. Or her prior legal work on a highly controversial assisted suicide case.   The 2008 Obama wave and her warm and fuzzy campaign propelled her to the legislature; once there, she promptly alienated her constituents    by demanding an end to capital punishment even though the most heinous murders in CT history occurred in her own district. 

 She was ousted even after she threw her own Democratic colleagues under the bus. 

So, if CT voters are eager to keep mass murderers coddled with 3 hots and a cot, and take out home equity loans to buy gasoline, well we can sacrifice even more than what Dan Malloy wants. We can turn the keys in DC over the the power couple of Dan and Elizabeth Esty.  ...  Blecch

I've never met Christopher Fountain--curmudgeon, cynic, realtor and blogger from Greenwich--but admit I've cribbed off plenty of his stuff over the years, especially as to the dire shape of the real estate bubble.

Therefore, I was nonplussed to find he had taken a hiatus from blogging to go and have a heart attack. My prayers are with him for a full recovery.

Good material is hard to find. Almost as hard to find as a reliable CT Republican.

The DC Conventional wisdom has deemed CT Congressman Chris Murphy the one "serious candidate" the Democrats are fielding for an open U.S. Senate seat.

Well, this seems to be akin what what the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan called "defining deviancy downward". Maybe the MSM is now defining "serious" on a curve when it comes to Congressman Murphy, the Eddie Haskell of the House.

After all, getting "Bieber Fever" is exactly what one associates with the attributes of statesmanship  

Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has contracted, but quickly kicked, a case of Bieber fever. During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, singer Justin Bieber, a native of Ontario, came out in favor of health-care reform. "Canada's the best country in the world. We go to the doctor and we don't need to worry about paying him, but here, your whole life, you're broke because of medical bills," he told the magazine. On Thursday afternoon, Murphy read the quote online and tweeted his approval, posting a link to Bieber's comments. Moments later, Murphy recanted. "Oh wait . . . just heard what Biebs said about abortion," the congressman tweeted, referring to the immaculately coiffed 16-year-old's pro-life stance. "Ugh. #bieberfevercured."

I leave it to Congressman Murphy to justify why he was so quick to attack the child of a single mother for a pro-life attitude.  But maybe the problem here is that this is an example of someone who is simply too shallow and immature to be trusted with the responsibility of being a U.S. Senator. Obviously Congressman Murphy was greatly taken by Justin Bieber's tremendous expertise is the realm of health care finance.

Are we to assume perhaps Chris Murphy will next be taking advice on the issue of nuclear nonproliferation from Miley Cyrus?

The country is facing fiscal ruin, the Chinese are gaining on our economy, the Islamic world is a tinderbox. And a U.S. Senate candidate has "Bieber Fever". What is wrong with this picture?

Frankly, whatever your opinion of Joe Lieberman's record in the Senate you have to admit that Chris Murphy isn't in the same area code as Lieberman when it comes to his stature and abilities.  In 13 years of holding elective office Murphy can cite only one accomplishment, a state stem cell bill the Democratic legislature would have passed with or without him. 

Mind you this isn't the first time Murphy has made a shallow, immature statement on his Twitter feed. Last fall he cited a New York Times story about the number of people arrested wearing Yankee caps, and Murphy chimed in that he was "not surprised"; implying, of course, that Yankee fans were all street criminals.  Thoughtful and responsible. NOT

Murphy has pulled a big scam on the credulous CT media.  If one superimposes the template of Chris Murphy as being the spoiled child of a rich Hartford lawyer, --who legacied his son into his "Little Ivy" alma mater--hmmm..... suddenly this snide superficial attitude comes into clearer focus.

Unfortunately, the CT press gets a fever over any breathing Democrat whether they are a pop star or not.   

Separated at birth?

==Update===

After calling Yankee fans criminals, Chris Murphy's campaign is running web ads on the Yankee fan site, River Ave. Blues.  I mean--- this is a new dimension of shameless!

I give MoveOn.org this much. When it comes to their friends they never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

This weeks's meme is the man who will humble corporate control of government is Connecticut Senate candidate and Nancy Pelosi lackey Chris Murphy

One year ago today, the Supreme Court gave corporations the same First Amendment rights as you and me, in the Citizens United decision. And in the last election, we saw what this corporate takeover of our democracy looks like, with a record-setting $4 billion spent on the elections.1

Connecticut Rep. Chris Murphy has been a leader in the fight to rein in corporate control of our democracy. He was one of the first signers of our Fight Washington Corruption pledge, which included a call to overturn Citizens United, and he organized other congressional candidates to join him and "take back our democracy from the big corporate special interests who have so dominated our political decision making in the last decade."2

A corporate front group targeted Rep. Murphy with over a million dollars in attack ads in retaliation for his bold stand3, but Rep. Murphy fought hard, and with help from local MoveOn members, won in November.

Yesterday, Rep. Murphy announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Joe Lieberman. It's exciting that as a champion in fighting corporate influence in Washington, Chris Murphy can make this a real issue in the race for Senate.

Will you call Rep. Murphy to thank him for his leadership on this issue? Then, ask him to make sure the issue of corporate influence remains front and center in the Senate race over the next two years by encouraging all the candidates to speak out forcefully on the need to rid our political system of corporate influence.

Now, the rest of the story about Chris Murphy and the corporate buyout of the federal treasury.

MoveOn doesn't tell folks Chris Murphy received well over $2 million from special interest PACs  

MoveOn doesn;t tell people Chris Murphy has raised over $1 million from the financial services industry. Which comes as little surprise as Murphy served on the House Banking Committee when it approved the 2008 TARP bailout.   Indeed, Murphy voted for the $700 Billion TARP bailout withing hours of receiving a large contribution from the American Bankers Association.

So, when did Murphy decide it was time to start fighting corporate influence in Washington? Oh. maybe it was during the health care reform fight....umm...no since the Pharma lobby ran a blitz of issue ads praising Murphy.   Did those ads explain Murphy's flip-flop on allowing drug reimportation? Hey, decide for yourself.

No, Chris Murphy suddenly decided corporate money in politics was a bad thing when the corporations that didn't like health care reform paid for ads against him. The contributions from special interests to stuff his 7 figure warchest and the slick issue ads promoting his agenda, well, then it was good government. 

Incumbent politicians don't like Citizens United for the same reason Microsoft doesn't like Macs. When you have a monopoly you want to stifle the means of competition. You want the people whose industries are at risk to come to you on bended knee, checkbook in hand. How dare these people complain directly to the public!  

You see, it's all about protecting your investment. And MoveOn has invested a lot in Chris Murphy.  He was their Number one recipient of campaign cash in 2006. So when a group like AAF  opposed to big government runs the same type of ad MoveOn ran, take MoveOn's umbrage with a grain of salt. And also understand why MoveOn looks the other way when their boy Murphy ladels out trillions to bankers and drug companies. They are going to stand by their man.  Getting him into the Senate will pay a return on their investment.

And this investment may suddenly go sour if the new darling of the hard left, Keith Olbermann  is persuaded to run for the open Connecticut Senate seat.  How could the unctuous Murphy and his corporate liberalism compete with the 200 decibel leftism of Olby? 

The problem with investing millions of dollars in a product is after awhile, a newer brand goes on the market. MoveOn and Murphy may find their base of support has moved on to a guy who only took millions from Corporate America to call conservatives the worst people in the world. Heh   

Ultra liberal Chris Murphy is trying the Big Con for CT voters. We can call him on it. And we need to do it now.

Chris Murphy's closing argument in his flagging bid for re-election is that he represents the "pragmatic center" of American politics. This is a place he visits only after Labor Day on even numbered years.

I call B.S. on this. Let's count the ways Murphy is far to the Left in American politics--even beyond the usual Nancy Pelosi foot soldier.

Terrorism

Chris Murphy thinks our efforts to keep Americans safe should be micromanaged by lawyers and run in a fashion so as to not to offend foreign press.

Murphy is one of the most vocal opponents of the use of warrantless wiretaps to obtain information to thwart terrorist threats. We do not know the precise manner this past week effort to blow up Jewish houses of worship with mail bombs was foiled, but do we want to hamstring the people who keep us safe? Murphy evidently does.

Worse still, he favored letting the telecom firms that assisted the War on Terror face ruinous lawsuits from lefty lawyers 

Erick Erickson at Red State has more on this point.

Murphy is also one of the firmest opponents of keeping the detention facility at Gitmo open. What he suggests we do with the jihadists we do not know.

Health Care

Chris Murphy has a problem with the health care bill. He doesn;t think it went far enough. He is a strong supporter of the public option. And why?  Because last year he told the Meriden Record Journal  "I'm haven't given up on private insurance" while claiming the public sector could provide the same service better.  

There are tens of thousands of private insurance jobs in CT. What a joy to know our Congressman isn't ready "yet" to have the federal government put them all out of business.   Murphy went to some tony college in the UK for awhile; perhaps he became enamored of the NHS and socialized medicine while over there.

Netroots

If you are an ally of Kos, you are not a Blue Dog, a New Democrat, or a fiscal conservative. You have decided to ally yourself with folks who think the Democratic Party has not yet moved far enough to the Left. 

Chris Murphy was a lead speaker at Kos' Netroots Nation convention. He wants to be the "tip of the spear" advancing the liberal agenda through Congress.

He told MSMBC that after he and his colleagues got past the voters in November they would return with "steel in their spine" ready to cast more tough votes against the wishes of their constituents.

So Murphy is following the playbook. talking left outside the district, talking right inside the district, and planning to do whatever he pleases if he is returned to office.

That, by the way, will be to abandon his work as a House member and start his 2012 senate campaign against Joe Lieberman.  Of course, CT observers have noticed that if Murphy loses tomorrow, he's probably all done for 2012.

Conclusion

There are plenty of Democrats who are going to lose. Many are well meaning and misguided. But as for a toxic cocktail of ambition, ideology and insincerity there are none more deserving of defeat than Connecticut's Chris Murphy. 

If you agree go to www.samforcongress.com 

Successful political parties shouldn't have to do a few things right before an election.

For one thing, they shouldn't have to throw cash at people to get them to do campaign work election weekend.

Then again, when you hire the former campaign manager for convicted ex- Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez as your political guru, maybe the only way he can run a campaign is to use street money; although in the 5th District it's more like "cul-de-sac money"

The other thing successful political parties don't do is have incumbents throw the rest of the party under the bus to try and save their own seats.  However, Rep. Elizabeth Esty had no compunctions about trashing the Democratic leadership of the legislature as a bunch of spendthrift morons, calling state government "badly broken". 

Of course, beyond this she also validate the arguments that Reoublican "Cash Cop" Jeff Wright is using to oust incumbent State Treasurer Denise Nappier--that Connecticut's financial house is in shambles. But Liz needs the fi cons to vote for a Democrat, so I'm sure an Ivy League educated lawyer like Esty can expound upon the defense of necessity.   Of course she won't bend on opposing the death penalty--even after a horrific home invasion in her district-- so one must conclude she'd rather throw Chris Donovan under the bus then see a needle stuck in Steven Hayes's arm. 

Funny Esty's 2008 campaign was all about hope and change and green energy. The only energy she has this cycle is directed at her own party. My, how times have changed. 

Much has been said of the impact that the Christine O'Donnell upset of Mike Castle had on the Republican Party. What is not being said, it what the defeat of Mike Castle had on using the environment as a political issue. Much of the grist for the Castle upset was leftover from his Cap & Trade vote in 2009 that never abated.

The impact is now in Connecticut.  Faster than you can say "cooked data" Democrat senate candidate Richard Blumenthal is backpedalling on his agenda of raising energy costs to combat climate change.

Linda McMahon is furiously attacking Blumenthal for having lobbied the Senate for prompt passage of the bill that ended Castle's reign.  Her ads cite Heritage statistics that cap and trade would raise CT's already highest in the nation electric rates by $925 per year per consumer.

Blumenthal is now in denial. He now claims to have opposed cap and trade. Even told someone it was dead.

Eh, Dick, weren't you one of the one's trying to bring it to life?

And the bottom line here is that despite what he mouths on the stump Dick Blumenthal has made abundantly clear that we must drastically decrease the use of fossil fuels.  Perhaps he knows as much about economics as he does about combat, but whether this is accomplished via trading scheme, taxation, lawsuit or regulatory fiat the effect is the same. More expensive forms of energy production will be necessary and it will cost the consumer more. At least the President once was willing to acknowledge that fact.

So how does one square a candidate denying he wants higher utlity rates when he has a pending lawsuit against the nation's largest electric utilities that will cause this to occur.

Let's not look at Blumenthal's sudden campaign time conversion to fiscal awareness. Let's look at his record over the years. From Blumenthal's own press release last year..

 Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today praised a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit reinstating Connecticut vs. AEP, a lawsuit filed by him and other state attorneys general seeking to compel the nation's biggest greenhouse gas polluters to reduce harmful emissions.

 

Blumenthal personally argued the case.

Blumenthal said, "This ruling restoring our legal action breathes new life into our fight against greenhouse gas polluters and changes the legal landscape to impose responsibility where it belongs. Our legal fight is against power companies that emit a huge share of our nation's CO2 contamination, but it will set a precedent for all who threaten our planet with such pernicious pollution. This ruling vindicates our tenacious and tireless battle on behalf of a powerful coalition of states and environmental advocates -- a battle that will now have its day in court.

"Our battle is not against the EPA or the federal government -- which we have won already -- but rather against the polluters themselves under federal nuisance law. Our goal is not money damages, but a change in company practices to stem the pollution and safeguard our environment and economy. This lawsuit is comparable to our fight against Big Tobacco, without the money. In the end, this legal crusade can help save lives and our planet from global warming.

So Cap and Trade is dead but the lawsuit to cause the exact same thing is still going on. In 2009 Blumenthal cried from the rooftops he was saving the planet. Now, he pretends this issue is dead.

Richard Blumenthal is a multimillionaire who can easily pay higher electric bills at his Greenwich mansion. He believes we must save the planet, so costs will go up. And to win an election, he will deceive the voters and deny that's what he's always believed.

And they say wrestling's fake?

This is not an extra from The Sopranos

This is Chris Murphy's campaign manager Kenny Curran.

Who is Kenny Curran? Well he was the highly paid campaign manager for corrupt Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez

Perez, for those unfamiliar with CT politics, was a supposedly reformed street gang leader who climbed the rungs of Hartford Democratic politics and attained the Mayor's office. Along the way he decided white collar crime was more his style and got free home improvements from city contractors; as well as orchestrating shakedown schemes to enrich political allies.

Ken Curran knew those political allies. He managed Perez's re-election campaign. He ran an expensive race ( well over $515,000 in a city of barely over 100,000 residents)  funded by special interests that successfully got a plurality of Hartford residents to decide Perez was honest and effective enough to warrant re-election as Mayor. Perhaps part of this success was due to the massive use of "street money" on election day? Hmmm... But why did the street money work?

Because Kenny Curran set out to smear Perez's opponent with false charges; alleging he was responsible for actions that occurred long after former city official I. Charles Matthews left office.

Here's what Matthews said, pointing out Perez had originally promised to run a clean campaign,   "But these attack ads are not just misleading," he said. "They are outright lies."

So let's see. Chris Murphy hires a guy to run his campaign who re-elected a corrupt politician by specialized in sleazy tactics and lying. Surely Murphy is above that?

Yeah, then why did he accept the nomination of the ACORN front Working Families Party, the alter ego of the SEIU?  One goon likes the others? 

And why is Curran already trashing Republican Sam Caligiuri?

The point is Kenny Curran only knows sleazy goon politics. It's how he got Eddie Perez re-elected. It's how he plans to keep Chris Murphy in office. And Chris Murphy has embraced this by hiring Curran to run his own campaign.

Hey if Kenny Curran could convince Hartford voters Eddie Perez was honest maybe the idea is he can convince 5th District voters Chris Murphy is fiscally responsible.  

Kenny Curran's old mentor gets sentenced this morning on his corruption conviction. Wonder if Kenny has the cojones to be in the courtroom this morning to see if his old boss gets the 55 years he could receive?

Probably not. It's not the way bullies operate.

This morning the NY Times figured out the secret strategy Democrats have to gain re-election in November. They will spend millions pretending not to be politicians and not to be Democrats

There is no better example in place than my Congressman, Chris Murphy. No he isn't some ideological activist going to hard left conferences at swanky Vegas hotels--complaining his fellow congressmen aren't working harder to "change America" but promising after the election they'll have "extra steel in their spine" .

No, he's really some mellow small town guy knocking on doors and feeling our pain.

Hollywood is known for creating fantasylands but Murphy's ad firm has outdone themselves.

The ad is entitled "Neighbors". (like John Belushi's last film?)  Well, who is Chris Murphy's "neighbor"?

Ms. Lauren Korman lives on Spruce Street in Cheshire; 2.2 miles from Murphy's current residence. She does not vote at his precinct and I do not believe she is a member of whatever church Murphy attends or has children the same age as Murphy. So how would she know Murphy well enough to endorse him as a "neighbor"?

She is a member of the Cheshire Democratic Town Committee and a vocal campaigner for President Obama and against Sarah Palin. 

Former Hillary Clinton supporter Lauren Korman of Cheshire said Palin’s lack of experience scares her.“If something should happen to John McCain, she doesn’t have what it takes to lead the country.” Korman now supports Obama and said she thinks he would be an excellent diplomat for the United States around the world. 

But it gets worse. Korman was formerly press secretary to Democratic Congressman and Defense Secretary Les Aspin.  Yeah, nothing says authenticity like hiring a former paid mouthpiece to play neighbor.  She is backing Murphy because he "works with Republicans". Right.

Murphy's ad proclaims that he is a "deficit hawk" based on a single press conference wherein he promised at some unspecified date in the future to vote to cut the budget. Since then of course, he eagerly voted for the teacher's union bailout. Guess this deficit hawk will be a dove when the press isn;t around? Forget the ratings. Believe the "neighbor"

Besides, the "neighbor" supporting Murphy for  alleged budget restraint has actually been active in lobbying Murphy to set up a brand new federal spending program. 

 U.S. Rep. Christopher Murphy, D-5, said he is hopeful that some federal money may become available to help remediate abandoned barite mines in the state like the one the one that caused a 20-foot-wide, 30-foot-deep sinkhole in one Cheshire resident’s backyard in October 2005.Murphy met with Sheridan Drive area residents Monday morning.He said a bill that will be introduced when the 111th Congress convenes in January would provide funding for remediation of hard rock, or non-coal, mines.“It was introduced to this Congress and passed the House but not the Senate,” Murphy said. “So we’re going to introduce it again.”The meeting with Murphy was held at the home of Lauren Korman, who lives next to William Baker, in whose backyard the sinkhole developed. Nearly 20 residents attended the meeting, Korman said

So until the election came around we are to believe Ms. Korman wanted to increase the trillion dollar sinkhole of the federal deficit to fill in holes around her house, but now she supports Murphy because he wants to cut spending? Sure.

So if you are a former DC spokesperson active in Democratic politics who is lobbying for more federal spending programs, Chris Murphy is your kind of neighbor.

For the other 700,000 residents of Connecticut's Fifth District, we just see another poseur trying to pull one over on the rubes so he can go back to dragging America to the left whether we want it or not.  

For a reality based candidate, I suggest Sam Caligiuri is the answer.

The anecdotal signs for liberal Chris Murphy's re-election are not good.

A poll conducted by a firm that works with Republican politicians found that Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and his challenger, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri, R-Waterbury, are in a statistical dead heat in their 5th District race.

The highlights

Today the Caligiuri Campaign released poll results showing that Sam Caligiuri, the Republican Nominee for Congress (CT-5), is a single point behind Chris Murphy. This amounts to a statistical tie. In a head-to-head matchup, 39% of respondents favored Caligiuri while 40% favored Murphy. This represents a huge gain for Caligiuri and a significant loss for Murphy, as Murphy was leading Caligiuri 49% to 28% in an October 2009 poll conducted by the same firm. . . . In the hard re-elect question, only 36% believe Chris Murphy has performed his job in Congress well enough to deserve re-election, while 45% think it’s time for a new person. In an ominous sign for the party in power, only 29% of voters believe the county is heading in the right direction, while 63% believe things are off on the wrong track. This number has gotten worse over the past 10 months: In October, 2009, the right direction/wrong track number was 35%-54%. The generic ballot favors Republicans, 41%-38%. Among unaffiliated voters, the generic Republican leads 38%-32%.

The campaign manager for Murphy, former lead political advisor for convicted Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez, went into a tirade about the poll results. Of course, he failed to release to the media any of the alleged polls he had that supposedly put his candidate way ahead.  Lack of exculpatory evidence got his old boss convicted, hmmm...

In any event, Courant columnist Rick Green, no pushover for spin, seemed satisfied the Caligiuri poll passed the smell test.

In Murphy world the Connecticut economy is recovering nicely and everyone loves a congressman who is a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi.  And jeez, I recall when the Left called itself the "reality-based community". That's a quaint thought now--it reminds me of when there was full employment in this part of Connecticut--27,000 jobs ago.   

Sam Caligiuri has surged into a tie before airing TV ads. It's only gonna get better, my friends.