2010 senate election

The sign is now indisputably true

Of course, if one of the most durable Democratic politicians of our generation can't defend the Obama Administration's policies on the economy and health care, how can we expect lesser politicos to do so?

Evidently we can't, as in the past 24 hours we've seen a pillage of Democratic candidates in Michigan, North Dakota and Colorado akin to the final scene of The Godfather.

We'll see how the CT musical chairs play out. But anyone who is pencilling in Dick Blumenthal's name ought to watch what happens to MA AG Martha Coakley very closely. I suspect the risk averse Blumenthal will as well..

Anyway, now the bittersweet feeling of a task accomplished.   

While American businesses try desperately to get into the black, and the nation's government sinks deeper into the red, we have found that for many Democrats (and girlie men)  there's no way you can be too Green.

So Scott Brown raised the political temperature of chilly Massachusetts this week by coming our against John Kerry's pet cause, the Cap & Trade global warming bill.  

He called on his opponent, Democrat Martha Coakley, to join in opposition.

U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown today called on his opponent Martha Coakley to drop her support for a national cap and trade bill, which will raise energy costs on businesses and consumers and kill jobs at a time when the economy is on the brink.

Yesterday, at an event with environmental groups, Coakley reaffirmed her support for cap and trade, which President Obama admitted in a 2008 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle will cause energy prices to skyrocket. See video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNSZ62xiD4M&feature=related

In classic Tip O'Neill "all politics is local" style, Brown pointed out that MA's high energy costs had already cost the state 400 high tech jobs which computer firm EMC was moving to the Carolinas.

Needless to say, Ms. Coakley is a true believer in the global warming crusade, as are her Democrat allies in MA.

I wonder if an even better argument against Cap & Trade isn't that the folks it will benefit are Wall Street commodities and deriviative barons like the wife of Senator Chris Dodd? Do we really need to give Goldman Sachs another government sponsored profit center?

Anyway, I wonder how well the whole global warming schtick is going to sell between now and the January 19 special election, considering much of the Commonwealth is going to be buried under a blizzard tomorrow afternoon.  

Nonetheless, less than 30 minutes after the NWS in Taunton announced the blizzard watch, John Kerry was sending a blast e-mail around complaining that Jim Imhofe snowed on his parade in Copenhagen by telling the folks cap & trade would never pass the Senate.

Kerry said  "Attempts to twist reality and spread distortions won't work if you won't let them"

Could the "reality-based community" please tell us how tomorrow's blizzard is some sort of twisted reality and distortion? It would sure beat running the snowblower.

I think Scott Brown did well this week, since I think many voters in MA may be tired of the snow job the greeniacs have been promoting against the average consumer. 

Back on April 2 I posted this .....

 Dodd Man Walking

Now the Cook Political Report has come around to my way of thinking

These numbers jibe with our view that Dodd is about as unelectable as unindicted incumbents get. And now that Democratic leaders have reached a similar conclusion, the question is how public they have to get before Dodd takes the hint that it is time to exit the race, and how messy the situation becomes. .......

As a general policy, the Cook Political Report does not rate unindicted incumbents worse than "Toss Up," at least until Labor Day of the election year since some endangered incumbents have a tendency to make comebacks despite appearing hopeless early in the cycle. There have been some rare exceptions to this policy over the years, and Dodd now joins that small group. The race moves from Toss Up to Lean Republican.

Guess that Presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008 wasn't such a good idea, was it , Chris?

Yep, Ms. Duffy's article can be summed up in one picture

But, have faith Chris! Joe Biden is coming to Hartford to raise cash for you, and we all know. No one messes with Joe!

Maybe the Vice President can explain how the economic "recovery" is going.  Just yesterday GMAC announced it's closing their West Hartford office, puting 84 workers out on the street. 

At least they'll get a head start sending out resumes ahead of Chris Dodd, who is about to get his own pink slip, either from Rahm Emanuel or the voters of CT.  

Yesterday I saw a list of "Ten Brands likely to disappear in 2010"

It made me think there's one they missed.

They think Blockbuster is done for.  Perhaps the brilliant leadership of board member Jackie Clegg Dodd will be remembered fondly when they file for liquidation. She's been well compensated for what she hasn't done to keep this firm afloat.

And the experts think Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cease the fiction of private ownership in 2010. Jeez, how could that happen?  Weren't they sound? Weren't  they great friends of Senator Dodd?  

Yep, there is one brand they missed. Rasmussen tonight found that Rob Simmons is leading Chris Dodd by 13 points! 

Chris, there's a phone call for you.

Something about where to put the fork

Chris Dodd is desperate. And he had yet another bad day in CT yesterday.

Evidnetly , having wasted 2009 on the health care reform quagmire, some pollsters and focus groups must have screamed at him that what CT residents care about is the tsunami of pink slips.  So he proposes a "jobs program"

EAST HARTFORD - U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd said Monday that he will urge Congress and the Obama Administration to direct as much as $125 billion in unused and repaid federal bailout money to projects that benefit small businesses and entrepreneurs, to foster a "21st-century boom." 

I'm not sure given the snowballing national debt that there isn't an absolute necessity to use TARP repayments to pay back federal borrowing. Still, this has to be a better idea than what Dodd originally wanted to do with TARP repayments, which was to subsidize "affordable housing " advocates, aka ACORN.  

No wonder things are in the mess they are in. We have the economic agenda of "The Producers" at work!

And Dodd's press op backfired when one of the success story small businessmen promptly announced that notwithstanding Dodd's shower of love, he was a strong supporter of Rob Simmons,

When Dodd assumed control of the Senate Banking Committee total American payroll employment was about 136-137 million. After four years at the helm of this key economic policy organ Dodd has succeeded in causing the net loss of over 6 million jobs.

America started losing jobs in January 2008, shortly after Dodd abandoned his Senate duties to relocate to Iowa for a disasterous Presidential campaign.  We have lost jobs for 23 consecutive months.  And during much of this time Dodd was vacationing in Ireland or ignoring his Banking committee to run the Health Care Committee.

Now Dodd notices unemployment is a problem? Please.

There is no doubt Dodd is the worst Senate Banking Committee chairman since Peter Norbeck in 1930. None.

Can Chris Dodd climb out of his hole?

Note to Dodd's sleazy campaign manager Jay Howser, who was last seen in the muck of the Louisiana bayou smearing Bobby Jindal and getting DC Harlot Mary "Louisiana Purchase" Landrieu re-elected.

When asked for examples of comebacks comparable to the one Dodd would have to pull off, Howser cited two: Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone’s 2002 surge, cut short by his death in a plane crash, and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy’s 1994 comeback against Mitt Romney.

Chris Dodd thinks he's Ted Kennedy. We all know Ted Kennedy. Chris Dodd, however, is no Ted Kennedy.

And no hired gun oozing out of the swamp is going to convince Connecticut voters to give him another chance after the reign of error he's engaged in over the last five years.

Hey, Jay, remember the million dollar ad blitz you ran telling us how Chris Dodd fixed the credit card industry.

Doesn't look very fixed to the ordinary consumer, now does it.

Don't worry, in another 13 months Chris wll be off in Connemara where he can do no more harm to our nation and its economy.

Chris Dodd has a polling profile reminscent of NJ Governor Jon Corzine. He's behind, he's been behind for a long while, and the poll internals indicate he's likely to stay behind.

Given that the election is less than a year away, how could Dodd eke out a victory?

Have an opponent with high negatives. Thankfully for him, one is already in the race.

Five Republicans are in the race now. Former Congressman Rob Simmons has yet to run TV ads, but has residual name ID in central and eastern CT from his days in Congress. He is leading  Dodd by 11 points.

Former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley has run TV ads . He is leading Dodd by 7 points.

The other three candidates--Linda McMahon, Sam Caligiuri and Peter Schiff--all are in effective dead heats with Dodd in the 43-41% range.  So they are equal, right?

No. McMahon is the weakest of the lot.  Neither Caligiuri or Schiff have spent dime one on TV ads, while McMahon has blanketed the state--even running ads on NYC TV. Yet she fares no better than the more frugal candidates in the race.

The secret here is while McMahon is buying name recognition, much of it is already negative. 

According to Quinnipiac Simmons's image is now 40% favorable , 10% unfavorable. His rating with unaffiliated voters is 42% favorable- 7% unfavorable.

Linda McMahon did not make such a good first impression.    She rates at 20% favorable to 13% unfavorable.  14% of unaffiliates and 15% of men already have a negative impression of the wrestling mogul.

Amazingly, more people in CT dislike Linda McMahon after a few weeks in elective politics than dislike Rob Simmons after nearly 20 years at  the trade.

The rule of thumb is that a challenger's early numbers usually have to run 2 to 1 favorable to have a shot at an incumbent. McMahon's slick campaign ain't getting the split she needs. And Lord knows what's going to happen if and when Dodd unloads some negatives on her. Sure she'll have plenty of cash to respond, but methinks Chris Dodd will enjoy the mudfest. It's not like his numbers can go much further down.

Now one would think Dodd's dream---a rookie opponent with high and rising negatives--couldn't come true. But it might due to the quirks of the CT GOP and our geography.

Rob Simmons is very well known in eastern CT, which does not have many registered Republicans.  But he is not well known in heavily Republican Fairfield County, which is served by NYC TV.    McMahon's been on those stations; Simmons never has.

I suspect the reason the ballot test for the CT primary is now 28% Simmons - 17% McMahon is heavily due to Simmons having low visibility in the southwestern part of CT.

So all of McMahon's millions got her the same ballot test as the candidates not spending money, and the highest negative ratings in the Republican field.

I suggest CT Republicans take a long hard look at these poll internals. When a candidate makes a tepid first impression, it usually doesn;t improve by just pouring resources into the same suboptimal message.

And if Linda McMahon isn't ahead of the weakened Dodd now after spending millions, why would she be when her negatives inevitably rise?

Let's not do Chris Dodd any favors, please

It's Mischief Night tonight, and I hear the "Wild RINO". Linda McMahon has picked out her Halloween costume for tomorrow evening.

(Try not to scare Rahm Emanuel!, Linda)

One thing that Ms. McMahon is eager to portray is being the self-reliant hardscrabble businesswoman who rose to billions solely through single minded hard work and perseverance.

And just like the sport: Wrestling's fake. And so is the WWE's true committment to free enterprise.

That is, unless your definition of "free enterprise" includes sinking one's snout deep, deep into the public trough guzzling corporate welfare.

From the Journal-Inquirer.

A top aide to Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Linda E. McMahon today defended her company’s acceptance of millions of dollars in state tax credits, as both Republican and Democratic opponents pilloried her for what they called McMahon’s “stimulus package” and “taxpayer-funded bailout.”The attacks by former 2nd District Congressman Robert R. Simmons, the leading Republican seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, and by a Dodd surrogate, state Democratic Party spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan, came after the state subsidies to World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. were reported Thursday by the Journal Inquirer. 

The newspaper cited state records that show WWE has collected nearly $3 million in digital and media tax credits, most of which were issued just eight weeks before McMahon resigned her position as its chief executive officer to run for office.

Yep, Linda McMahon's immensely profitable wrestling empire gets subsidized by the Connecticut taxpayer, who are watching the income tax raised on the top bracket, public services reduced, and the state try and borrow its way through the recession. Indeed, unionized state employees even agreed to concessions, which is more than can be said about the state's would-be entertainment titans.

The apologists for the state's highly subsidized entertainment industry accuse McMahon critics of "jumping the shark" .  You see, it was other politicians who wrote these lucrative credits into the law.

Sorry, none of them are spending millions denouncing bailouts when they run a profitable corporation that takes them themselves.  It's "Happy Days" alright for the McMahon family, but the average CT taxpayers feels like they are in remake of "Jaws" 

So the news media has concluded that Ms. McMahon, whose family controls the vast percentage of the WWE's stock, converted tax credits from the state into funds available for her campaign. Maybe this is a form of "public campaign finance"

But it gets worse.

Despite the fact that the WWE was very profitable notwithstanding the recession, shortly before she left her CEO post  at the WWE Linda McMahon went on a frenzy of layoffs and cost-cutting intended to raise profit margins.

Jan. 9, 2009, 9:38 a.m. ESTMcMahon & Co. has announced that it is cutting 10% of its staff, which should result in annual cost savings of approximately $8 million. In exchange for that, the company will take a one-time charge of $3 million. WWE also noted that the company has completed an evaluation of its operating and capital expenditures and has identified "additional efficiencies." In short, more cost cuts are on the way. The company's ultimate goal is to trim $20 million from its expense structure in 2009. 

I'm the last person to lambaste a business that cuts costs to stave off competition, or to stockpile cash, or to pay off lenders and creditors.  And we are going to see a lot of very necessary cuts like that in Corporate America. But the WWE is essentially a monopoly in pro wrestling, they have consistently earned a profit and have $200 million in cash with virtually no long term debt..     So why the urgency to cut costs?  Well, as I noted the McMahon family owns 70% of the WWE  Let's apply 70% of the $20 million in cut costs; well that means $14 million inures to the McMahon family..

So,does the Wild RINO gets to finance most of her U.S. Senate campaign with "new money" without having to dip into the family fortune? Sure looks it.

McMahon's campaign has run a TV ad telling folks how tough it was for her and Vince starting out, even having to declare bankruptcy and losing their house starting their business.

Hey Linda, like that's special. Please.

What really sickens me is it appears she is paying for this ad using the extra profits she earned after firing over 60 Connecticut employees.  

How many of those 60 WWE's employees are going to lose their house so their old boss can finance her U.S. Senate bid without dipping into the accumulated family fortune?  In 2006 Joe Lieberman eviscerated the campaign of Ned Lamont after running this ad.    

It's tough wearing a costume as a free market Republican and expecting people to believe you; Linda.

Especially when you destroy jobs, not create them . And collect subsidies. Not cut them.

We're onto the trick, Linda. You already got the treat.

Can a U.S. Senate campaign double as a reality show?

The befuddled Republicans in Connecticut are asking this question tonight?

First, this morning, the Wild RINO, Linda McMahon is called out by the Hartford Courant for "an extreme makeover"

Her "outsider" campaign will soon have 16 paid staff and has spent more than $2 million, just in the first weeks. She has hired top political operatives, including the consummate insider lobbyist in Hartford, Patrick Sullivan. There is a "new media" director. The wife of the state GOP chair will be her press secretary and David Cappiello, a prominent former state senator, will run the campaign.McMahon tells us that Dodd has been "right in the middle" of the bailouts, trillion-dollar debt, government-run health care and the "banks and special interests." Yet this former CEO is no stranger to ethically challenged situations.She presided over a business where, according to investigators from the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, " steroid use is pervasive" and the "organizations involved have not taken adequate steps to address this problem." 

Sadly, I know one of the new McMahon staffers. I can only presume she is in dire financial straits, as signing up for this lounge act was like when members of the Blues Brothers fronted as "Murph and the Magic Tones" at the Armada Lounge.

I'm not going to belabor the point, but back in 1776 the good guys were the volunteer citizen soldiers; the bad guys were the Hessian mercenaries. I note America's renaissance in the late 20th century coincided with the all-volunteer military...hmmm..   a political lesson herein?

In any case, by the time she starts she's going to be fully engulfed. First, in late morning the McMahon family did what they do so well, mix family melodrama and business; as McMahon's son quit the WWE management. A British tabloid said dad Vince was "saddened"

But methinks this is a lot like the various plotlines where Linda's been cheated on , sent to a santorium, been slapped by her daughter, kicked Vince in the groin, yadda, yadda and yadda. I strongly suspect that Shane will return to the WWE in very theatrical fashion soon enough, probably battling the Undertaker to resume his executive post or something in that vein.    

Of course, by midafternoon the CT Democrats had made like the Supreme Court under Justice Potter Stewart and examined WWE footage for obscenity. Sure enough, they claim to have found it.

Colleen Flanagan, spokeswoman for Connecticut’s Democratic Party, said as CEO of the WWE, McMahon “presided over programming that showed simulated rape, public sex and necrophilia.”

“People across this state, not to mention the millions of women who are the victims of sexual violence every year, would be horrified and embarrassed to know that the person who seeks to represent them condones this kind of behavior,” she added

The Politico is having some run with the hypocrisy of the DC Democrats, who are basically libertines "Bible Belting" McMahon over these turgid videos

Guess this was all before the PG-13 version of the show.

By day's end the WWE made the offensive videos disappear from YouTube.

I dunno about the necrophilia; maybe that's some kind of twisted commentary on the death tax.

But what the Wild RINO can't put in the cybernetic round file is the cold hard truth that at a time when we desperately need a strong voice to challenge the excesses of the Obama Administration, she is Rahm Emanuel's  favorite Republican.  

Yep, that might be even more skeevy than shlupping a stiff.

We've learned more this week about liberal Republican wrestling promoter Linda McMahon, a/k/a "the Wild RINO"

For one thing, we've ascertained that she must be the Pinch Sulzberger approved Republican in the field of candidates in Connecticut. On Sunday, the New York Times decided to put its candidate profile of Mrs. McMahon on page A1 

A Senate Candidate Accustomed to Being Thrown in the Ring

“I don’t think anyone should ever question Linda’s resolve or tenacity,” said Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Universal Sports, who has collaborated on projects with the McMahons. “If anybody thinks she is the little woman, they are out of their minds. She put the business together.”

OK, any question who the MSM is in the tank for in this race, folks?

Jeez, you wonder what's going through Rob Simmons's head about now. All he did was spend a career in the CIA and on Capitol Hill, a decade in the CT Legislature, won a Democrat congressional district three times, and he's been obscured by someone who produced a soap opera on steroids.   

What is not going through Republican minds in Connecticut is much respect for this stuff. Just this week, a legislator from McMahon's  home town endorsed the thoughtful conservative in the field,  State Senator Sam Caligiuri

 “Representative Camillo’s endorsement is very humbling. As a relative newcomer to the political scene, Fred brings the fresh perspective of an outsider who is very much in touch with the people he represents. The Greenwich community is fortunate to have such a bright, rising star representing them in the General Assembly, and I am honored to have his support,” said Caligiuri.

And McMahon's trouble extend to the stump. Here's what a Hartford Courant political reporter said of her appearance this week in Windsor. "her delivery is about as interesting as listening to an assistant principal read the morning announcements"

On the other hand, Caligiuri's performance won praise

 I'd give Caligiuri a B+ for his engaging, lively stump speech, which told us about how he snatched Waterbury from the jaws of corruption and reminded us of his immigrant roots. He's a proud Reagan Republican and he earns points for at least mentioning the achievement gap.

One of the reasons that McMahon is having problems on the stump is she keeps having to explain why she claims to be a Republican today despite having done little in the past to demonstrate a modicum of interest in the party's agenda or principles.

Here's another story about McMahon's painful performance in Windsor.  

The tens of thousands of dollars given to the Democratic party and Emanuel is simply the cost of doing business, McMahon said Thursday night following a meeting of the candidates at a Windsor restaurant.

“I’ve been the CEO of a publicly traded company, which has given money to both Democrats and Republicans,” McMahon said.

McMahon said it had nothing to do with politics or personal beliefs. She said she has known Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Ari Emanuel, for years.

Ari Emanuel runs a talent agency in Hollywood, California, which does business with WWE, she said. She said he called up and let her know his brother would be in Stamford and “may do a little arm twisting.” She said when she gave money to Emanuel, he was still a Congressman from Illinois, not the current president’s chief of staff.

OK, a billionaire who thinks throwing cash at liberal Democrats (Emanuel was getting Pelosi elected House Speaker at the time) is just a "cost of doing business" Now THERE'S a committed principled conservative if I ever heard one. Or perhaps she's a plant by her good friends the Emanuel family sent to muck up the Connecticut primary and save Chris Dodd's sorry keester.   

While we are on the topic of Rahm Emanuel and his brothers, maybe we could elicit an opinion from the Wild RINO on the topic of "death panels"....then again, she might think it's a new form of steel cage bout 

Maybe subsidizing leftists makes friends for Linda in Hollywood, the White House and with the New York Times, but it most certaintly is not endearing her to her opponents,

"For me it’s not just business,” former U.S. Congressman Rob Simmons said.

Simmons said McMahon’s donations undermined his efforts in 2006 and allowed his opponents, who are now expanding government to win elected office.

Simmons wasn't done

“If donating tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats was ‘the cost of doing business’ for Linda McMahon and her professional wrestling empire, one wonders what she aimed to get in return for her generosity. This sort of influence peddling would not make her ‘a different kind of Senator.’ It would make her exactly the same as the one we have.”

Sam Caligiuri wasn't very pleased with this lame effort to defend the indefensible, either. His spokeswomen issued this statement.

“What we’re hearing from Republicans as we travel around the state is that they are insulted by Ms. McMahon working against their efforts to elect Republicans, then trying to sweep these personal contributions under the rug as if no one would ever notice.  Pro wrestling might be fake, but this practice of choosing expediency over principle is the very real way in which Washington currently works, and is exactly what Sam is fighting to fix.  If McMahon is already a part of the problem, it is hard to believe she can ever become part of the solution,” said Grossman

Linda McMahon says she'll be a "different kind of Senator", but if that means she'll be a liberal glad-handing gazillionaire there's quite enough already, don'tcha think?  We need someone who cares more about folks in Hamden than Hollywood.

There's nothing "different" about hypocrisy in politicians, Linda

====UPDATE====

In this morning's' New London Day, a columnist suggests that McMahon will run a third party bid for the Senate similar to that of her political mentor, former liberal Connecticut Governor and WWE Board member Lowell Weicker

If this wouldn't be a premeditated sabotage of the effort to oust Chris Dodd, I don't know what else would be