CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Rob Simmons remains Dodd's toughest opponent

Rasmussen finds former GOP Congressman Rob Simmons is still Dodd's toughest opponent, leading Dodd by 13% -- 48% to 35%.
 
The newest candidate in the race, Linda McMahon -- the ex-CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, also leads Dodd 44% to 38%. But Dodd is now so unpopular, even "long-shot" candidate Peter Shiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital, leads Dodd -- 40% to 39%.

What is most notable about the Rasmussen poll is McMahon’s high disapproval rating. More voters have a very unfavorable opinion of McMahon. While Simmons is seen very favorably by 12% and very unfavorably by 8%, McMahon's very favorables total 14% and her very unfavorables are 17%. These findings comes on the heels of McMahon’s expensive promotional advertising campaign conducted in the absence of any other candidate advertising. Rasmussen considers the number of people with strong opinions more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers "at this point in a campaign."

This is a big problem for McMahon and evidence that a major block of voters is already predisposed against her. The recent string of negative news stories about her will only feed that sentiment.

Amanda Carpenter reports that under McMahon's tenure, the WWE signed porn actresses, such as Jillian Beyor and Candice Michelle, and featured other "divas" like Torrie Wilson in sexy WWE scenarios. During one match, available on YouTube, Miss Wilson strips off her skimpy bikini to reveal an even skimpier, nude-toned bikini and caresses and kisses another female wrestler.

In addition to its porn star divas, the WWE now targets 6-14 year olds in a youth initiative, which offers youngsters "age-appropriate content." The initiative is so successful it reaches more than 2.6 million young fans each week.

Matt Lewis reports that some Dodd loyalists believe a McMahon nomination may be the key to Dodd's salvation:

Dodd and the Democrats would try to use her involvement in the seedy business of pro-wrestling against her ... In addition, it is likely that some social conservatives who would be turned off by McMahon – and decide stay home in a general election.

According to Erika Lovley at Politico, an angry group of famous pro wrestlers who once worked for McMahon are now attacking her:

The fact that we were out there experiencing trauma and drawing in untold millions for the company [means] we should have at least had some sort of health insurance.

[. . .]

The issue is of no small concern for the former athletes, a number of whom are battling debilitating injuries or ailments related to their careers in the ring. As independent contractors, pro wrestlers are not offered health insurance or pensions from WWE, according to several of the former stars and industry experts.

Lorie Byrd covered the attacks from high profile, successful former members of the WWE, an organization McMahon led but does not mention by name in her campaign ads or brochures:

A week ago, Jesse Ventura spoke out against the WWE calling it "a joke" and "still in the stone age" due to pro wrestlers not having any form of organized union protection.

Last week, in a Miami Herald report about his autobiography, Bruno Sammartino strongly criticized the organization Linda McMahon led on various grounds including the rising use of drugs, vulgarity and scantily clad women.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which landed in hot water for endorsing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for 2010 over former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, and seeming to back Carly Fiorina over Chuck Devore in California, has not endorsed anyone in the Connecticut race.

But, McMahon is meeting with GOP leaders in Washington, D.C., this week. McMahon claims the meetings are not intended to seek endorsements, but after the Crist and Fiorina episodes one has to wonder.

Perhaps some of McMahon's past political behavior and positions will dissuade the NRSC from pulling another Crist or Fiorina with McMahon:

• In 2006, McMahon donated money to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, when it defeated two Connecticut Republican congressmen.

• McMahon told the Washington Post's The Fix, she would have supported the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and didn't have a clear answer on whether she would have voted for the Bush tax cuts.

• Asked about the Obama Administration's decision to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad in a New York federal court rather than a military court in the Gitmo terrorist detention facility, McMahon hedged her bets, noting New York "has certainly tried other terrorists before."

• McMahon would not rule out running as an Independent if she did not get the Republican nomination in remarks before the Connecticut Union of College Republicans, at Fairfield University. McMahon's Spokesperson subsequently said McMahon will stick with the GOP.

On taxcuts, an issue that should be no brainier for any Republican seeking high public office, McMahon failed to even articulate a position. On other important issues, her positions left much to be desired. Hopefully, McMahon's campaign not-ready-for-prime time campaign will be enough to keep the NRSC from endorsing McMahon and let the Connecticut Republican voters pick the nominee to defeat Dodd.

 

Rell Backs McCain

Connecticut's Governor Jodi Rell endorses John McCain, saying he "would be the most effective leader to grapple with national security, the economy, energy, the environment and trade policy."

The Norwalk Plus reports Rell was effusive in her endorsement:

“John McCain is a longtime friend,” Governor Rell said. “I have known him for a number of years and greatly admired and respected him for even longer. He is among the most genuine and down-to-earth people I have met. Yet his record of accomplishment makes him extraordinarily well-qualified for the challenge he seeks.

“Frankly, no words can do justice to Senator McCain’s dedication to public service,” the Governor said. “He served his nation with honor and dignity as a wartime naval aviator, as a brutalized prisoner of war and – after his release – as a liaison between the Navy and Congress. And he has given decades of service to the people of Arizona as a Congressman and Senator.

“Now – especially now – I can think of no one I would rather see leading our nation,” Governor Rell said. “Our nation faces so many trials in the years to come. Economic issues, military issues, energy issues, global politics, global trade and global climate issues – all of these are ahead of us. Our need for strong leadership has seldom been greater. I am firmly convinced that John McCain is the leader we need to meet those challenges, deal with them effectively and remain the world’s beacon of freedom.”

According to the Hartford Courant, Rell's only hesitation was McCain's opposition to abortion rights.

I don't think endorsements matter much, but being Connecticut's most recognized and powerful Republican in a predominantly Democratic state, gives Rell's endorsement a little more improtance.

Democrat Of Hypocrisy Chris Murphy Continues To Break Promises

Last year, when he was running for Congress, Democrat Chris Murphy railed against special interest money in Washington.

Now that Murphy represents Connecticut's 5th Congressional District, he's changed his tune. Radio spots are taking the liberal freshman to task for his hypocrisy:

"In 2006," a stern-voiced announcer says, "Chris Murphy preached against special interest money in Washington."

The ad then runs a clip of Murphy urging voters to "get lobbyists' money and special interest money out of elections."

The announcer returns, saying that "Chris Murphy got to Washington and changed his tune," taking cash "from the same type of special interests he preached against."

You can listen to the radio spot here.

According to the Hartford Courant, Murphy so far this year has received $347,600 from political action committees, the political arms of corporations, labor unions and politicians.

The New Britain Herald reports that Murphy's "total haul from special-interest and lobbyist money is over $450,000."

Ken Spain, press secretary for National Republican Congressional Committee, which sponsored the Murhpy spots, said that "whether Chris Murphy is taking money from Washington lobbyists hand over fist or missing a key vote on ethics and lobbying reform, he continues to break the promises he made to Connecticut voters on the campaign trail every day." Spain stressed that Murphy "promised change, but so far, all he has delivered is business-as-usual in Washington. It's time to hold him to account."

Murphy fancies himself as an ethics and campaign finance reform leader. But, in true hypocritical form, he initially missed the lobbying reform bill vote even though during the 2006 campaign he stated that missing any vote was “inexcusable.”

Murphy continues his hypocrisy offering several tall tales excuses for the “inexcusable” missed vote:

“Inexcusable” Excuse 1:
Murphy had first explained that he “got caught up in conversation off the floor.”

“Inexcusable” Excuse 2:
However, Murphy then told the Hartford Courant “he did not remember where he was.”

“Inexcusable” Excuse 3:
Murphy's latest inexcusable excuse for missing the vote is that he had “no idea how I missed the vote" on the lobbying reform legislation.

There is hope that Murphy's promise breaking hypocrisy can be brought to an end. Republican State Senator David Cappiello is challenging the Democrat of hypocrisy in the 2008 Congressional election.

Himes Raises $352,500

Jim Himes, Greenwich Democratic Town Committee chairman, has raised $352,500 for his effort to unseat New England's last remaining Republican congressman, Christopher Shays.

Congressman Shays raised $194,000 for his reelection during the first quarter and will release his second quarter fundraising totals later this week.

The election is 17 months away, but with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee targeting Shays again, the race for Connecticut's 4th Congressional District should be another squeaker.

Super 7 Opposed Long Enough

State Senator Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, has introduced legislation -- SB 423 --that Requires the state Department of Transportation to develop a timeline for construction completion of the Super 7 Highway from Norwalk to Danbury.

Building the highway has been talked about for decades. Those opposed to building the highway rally to stop the project whenever the proponents get a little traction. Many opponents have deep pockets, which enable them to hire lawyers, engineers and scientists to bolster their arguments against the highway.

Opponents of the highway, mostly residents and elected officials from Wilton, Ridgefield and Redding, are preparing to mount another campaign to again stall the much needed north-south connection between the two Fairfield county Cities.

Victor Demasi, a Redding resident and the 1980's leader of Citizens for a Sensible 7, is confident the opponents that have fought the highway for 50 years can do it again.

Marilyn Gould, executive director of the Wilton Historical Society and a member of Citizens for Balanced Environment and Transportation, which opposed Super 7 during the 1980s says money is already being collected to campaign against the highway again.

Maryanne Guitar, a former Redding first selectwoman and author of a book about how to can legally block construction projects, says it will be easier to stop the highway now with the internet and blogs.

The state-owned right-of-way is a narrow 890-acre open-space corridor that snakes along the Norwalk River through Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton. State Representative Antonietta Boucher, R-Wilton, has proposed the land be preserved as open space.

Senator Duff believes those speaking out against the Super 7 Highway are "a vocal minority."

For Duff the issue is simple -- there's a need for an expanded transportation corridor between Danbury and Norwalk that is not going away and will continue to grow. The current widening of the existing Route 7 he calls "a waste of money" because it's creating a road that will be filled to capacity as soon as it's finished.

The people who don't realize this, he said, have their heads in the sand. Arguments against it, he said, are red herrings.

"You cannot continue to deny the inevitable," he said.

I'm with Senator Duff on this on. Let's build Super 7 and improve our ability to drive between Norwalk and Danbury. Fifty years is long enough to debate building a highway. If anyone has any doubt about whether the highway is needed, well just drive between Danbury and Norwalk on Route 7 sometime.

What do you say? Shall we build the highway or allow traffic to become even more gridlocked.

Also posted at The Norwalk Blog.

Pelosi To Headline State Democrats Dinner

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will headline the Connecticut Democrats' annual Jefferson Jackson Bailey Dinner in April:

Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House, will be the guest speaker at the Jefferson Jackson Bailey Dinner on April 20 at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford. Presidential contender and Illinois Sen.

Must be the Dem's reward for making Chris Shays the only GOP Congressman in the Northeast.

Rell Gives It Up

Last week Connecticut Republican Governor Jodi Rell proposed raising the state income tax by 10 percent and increasing spending beyond the state-mandated spending cap.

Rell, in her 22-year public career as a legislator, lieutenant governor and governor, was known as a fiscal conservative. She campaigned for and was elected as governor in her own right saying she all that stood between the voters and a legislature bent on spending the state into oblivion. I could have voted for Rell's opponent and gotten the same tax and spend budget proposal without the deception.

Connecticut voters should have known better. We were deceived like this once before. Lowell Weicker won election as Governor of Connecticut running as a member of "A Connecticut Party" and campaigning against an income tax. After being sworn in Weicker became an advocate of the income tax that he had campaigned against. The income tax became law.

Rell's proposed spending exceeds the state's constitutional spending cap by $521 million. Connecticut's Constitution [see, Article XXVIII, Section 18, subsection b], permits exceeding the spending cap only when "the Governor declares an emergency or the existence of extraordinary circumstances." I don't see how Rell can do that with a straight face. The state has a projected budget surplus of $600 million and a rainy day fund of $1 billion.

Governor Rell says she wants to spend the tax increase on education. That's hard to accept. Only three
states spend more money per student on public schools than Connecticut, and the state's teachers are among the highest paid in the nation. The problem obviously isn't money. Public charter schools in Connecticut spend thousands of dollars less per-pupil than surrounding traditional public schools, but produce better results than tradional public schools. The problem is the failure to hold officials responsible for their failure to achieve adequate results with taxpayer money.

The Party Of One

John Orman, a political science professor at Fairfield University, and critic of Senator Lieberman, is the new chairman and the only member of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party.

Lieberman formed the political party after he lost the Democratic primary to Lamont.

After Lieberman won the November election, Orman contacted the secretary of the state, learned the Connecticut for Lieberman Party had no registered members, switched his registered affiliation from Democrat to Connecticut for Lieberman:

"Then I went home and called a meeting of all registered Connecticut for Lieberman members to reflect on our party's victory in the U.S. Senate race (and) organize and submit rules to the secretary of the state," Orman said.

He nominated himself chairman, seconded the nomination, cast his vote for himself and proceeded to establish party rules.

Orman said the "party" is upset that Lieberman has abandoned it and says he is an "Independent Democrat."

"I want to organize it as a group that will keep (Lieberman) accountable," Orman said. "It will be dedicated to critics, opponents, bloggers. . . . I'm just trying to carry it to the next step."

There is a serious side to this. Orman is continuing to challenge the legitimacy of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party. Perhaps the professor has made his point. Still, it is a good thing that anyone who can get enough valid signatures is able to get on the ballot in Connecticut.

Challenging Murphy In '08

Chris Murphy hasn't even been sworn in as Connecticut's new 5th Congressional District Representative and already Republicans are lining up to challenge him in 2008.

The possible Republican challengers to Murphy include: state Senator David Cappiello, just elected without opposition to a fifth term; state Senator Andrew Roraback, just re-elected by a comfortable margin to a fourth term; state Senator-elect Sam Caligiuri, a former Waterbury mayor; New Britain Mayor Tim Stewart; and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who served two terms as a state representative, before being elected Danbury mayor in 2001.

Connecticut’s 5th District Up For Grabs

The New York Times reports Connecticut’s 5th District race between 12-term incumbent Republican Nancy L. Johnson and Democratic state Senator Chris Murphy is now rated No Clear Favorite from Leans Republican by CQPolitics.com.

The most recent poll, conducted for the Hartford Courant by the University of Connecticut survey unit this week, found Johnson trailing Murphy 42 to 46 percent among likely voters, within the poll's "3.6" percent margin of error.

There is a lot of money being thrown at this race. The American Medical Association (AMA) Political Action Committee has spent $307,000 Connecticut’s 5th District Up For Grabs

The New York Times reports Connecticut’s 5th District race between 12-term incumbent Republican Nancy L. Johnson and Democratic state Senator Chris Murphy is now rated No Clear Favorite from Leans Republican by CQPolitics.com:

The most recent poll, conducted for the Hartford Courant by the University of Connecticut survey unit this week, found Johnson trailing Murphy 42 to 46 percent among likely voters, within the poll's "3.6" percent margin of error.

There is a lot of money being thrown at this race. The American Medical Association (AMA) Political Action Committee has spent $307,000 ins upport of Johnson, and the National Republican Congressional Committee also has invested $46,000. The extreme left wing advocacy group MoveOn.org spent $444,000 against Johnson from March to June, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent $325,000 against the incumbent in late September.

Johnson raised $3.6 million as of Octtober 18, spent with $4.4 million, and had $406,000 left on hand.
Murphy raised $2.2 million, with $351,000 on hand as of that date.

A week ago I predicted the Republicans would hold the House 219 to 216. Johnson was the one Connecticut Republican incumbent I thought would be defeated. I'm not alone in that assessment, the Evans-Novak Political Report has it leaning Democratic.
of Johnson, and the National Republican Congressional Committee also has invested $46,000. The extreme left wing advocacy group MoveOn.org spent $444,000 against Johnson from March to June, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $325,000 against the incumbent in late September.

Johnson raised $3.6 million as of October 18, spent with $4.4 million, and had $406,000 left on hand.
Murphy raised $2.2 million, with $351,000 on hand as of that date.

A week ago I predicted the Republicans would hold the House 219 to 216. Johnson was the one Connecticut Republican incumbent I thought would be defeated. I'm not alone in that assessment, the Evans-Novak Political Report has it leaning Democratic.