Lieberman nervous, angry, dispirited

Good!

Mr. Lieberman's physical posture is more hunched than usual these days, his normally deep and lulling cadences more clipped. "I should probably cut off this line of questioning," he said in a discussion relating to his recent announcement that he would run as an independent if he did not get the Democratic nomination. "I'm focused on the primary."

Mr. Lamont and Mr. Lieberman's critics on the left say he is out of touch with his party, especially but not solely on Iraq, and cannot be trusted to advance what they say are core progressive values.

"It's been just one thing after another with Lieberman," said Mr. Anderson, of New Haven, who went on to offer a litany of Mr. Lieberman's supposed sins against the Democratic Party, including his support for the nomination of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court and his on-air chumminess with Sean Hannity, the conservative co-host of "Hannity & Colmes" on Fox News.

"This has all been in the works for a long time," he said, referring to the intraparty opposition to Mr. Lieberman.

Mr. Anderson nailed it. Joe Lieberman has carried the water for the Republicans and this administration for years. He's publicly embraced the most despicable people on the right (Limbaugh, Hannity, Buckley, every neo-con in Washington) while criticizing his own party (to his delight). Joe would almost trip over wires as he jumped in front of a network camera gleefully chastising Democrats on issue after issue for years (funny how you haven't seen him on FOXNews lately huh).

Now, more than ever, members of the Democratic Party should be working together for the good of The Democratic Party. A united party that works together, has a clear vision for the future, and (most importantly) is in touch with the people they represent, is the party that controls Congress. The Republicans had this mindset when they took over as the majority party and the Democrats must adopt this principle as they have a golden opportunity to become the ruling party for the first time in over 10 years.

Senator Joe Lieberman simply doesn't fit in that equation. In fact, when I think of a loyal Democrat who works for the good of the party, Joe Lieberman is the last person that comes to mind.

Think about it for a second. How many Democrats voted for the war? Hillary Clinton, John Kerry Joe Biden. Do you see any of these people in any sort of political trouble? No. Well, maybe that should tell you something the dissatisfaction people have towards Joe Lieberman...it goes well beyond the war.

Unlike those democrats who voted for the war, Lieberman is out of touch with the people he represents, goes out of his way to chastise any democrat who opposed the administration's handling of the war, and has the audacity to cheerlead for the conservative agenda (thus the term George Bush's favorite democrat). We, the democratic voters of Connecticut, simply can not have anymore of this nonsense from a senator who is suppose to represent our state. This embarrassment needs to come to an end, which is why Lieberman is currently facing the fight of his political life.

Now it seems that all the heat Joe's taking from the blogs and his critics is getting to him.

Mr. Lieberman, who seemed slow to recognize the seriousness of Mr. Lamont's challenge, also appears taken aback by the ferocity of the onslaught, particularly from liberal blogs.

To Mr. Lieberman's camp, the bloggers embody what his longtime friend Lanny Davis calls "the demonizing, hating, virulent, character-assassinating left of the Democratic Party."

Mr. Lieberman began, "Some of the vituperations, some of the extremity of the language and anger," before his voice trailed off. He paused for a second and started again: "They're describing a person who is not me." Colleagues have approached him on the Senate floor to console him, asking how he is holding up, as if he is sick or experiencing some trauma.

Mr. Lieberman's allies discuss him these days with a tinge of sadness, as if mourning a kindly gentleman who has wandered into a bad neighborhood. "He's being subjected to the hate machine like Bill Clinton and George Bush have," said Mr. Davis, a former special counsel to Mr. Clinton. "Joe Lieberman has never been subjected to this before."

Whaa, nobody likes me, whaa, bloggers are picking on me...

Is he serious?!?

Poor Joe? What about the countless democrats in this area he's slapped in the face over the last 6+ years? Since Joe had no problem spitting in the eye of the Democratic Party (with a smirk on his face nonetheless), why should I, or any other democrat, feel sorry for Lieberman as all we're doing is holding him accountable for his history of undermining the party?

Poor Joe? Let's roll the videoclip again...

As you can see from the clip, it's clear why Joe is in his present desperate situation. Now, it's so bad for Lieberman in Connecticut that many of his political friends who support him publicly, are singing a different tune privately. Most democrats in Connecticut have had enough of Lieberman with his close relationship with conservatives and his willingness to undermine the Democratic Party any chance he gets. To further prove my point, I'll refer you again to the following videoclip featuring Bob Tendler, chairman of the Southbury DTC. He shares the view of many in the state regarding George Bush's favorite Democrat.
It seems like the views Mr. Tendler has towards Joe is being echoed across the nation.

Mr. Gore declined to comment for this article. Privately, other leading Democrats have been quick to catalog what they consider to be Mr. Lieberman's slights to the party over the years - including his mild-mannered performance in his vice-presidential debate against Dick Cheney in 2000; his rejection of a filibuster that would have opposed the nomination of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court; and his on-air chumminess with Sean Hannity, the conservative co-host of "Hannity & Colmes" on Fox News. His willingness to run for re-election as an independent is merely the latest offense.

Remember Senator Lieberman, this political freefall that you're in, is all due to your years of undermining the Democratic Party and not listening to the people you swore to represent.

Joe, you've betrayed the party, the party did not betray you. This is not personal, it's about the future of the Democratic Party and how the party would be stronger if you weren't in it.

MAJOR UPDATE: 8:30 P.M. This post has been updated and modified as I had a chance to reflect on what I really wanted to say here (and because the original post was too much of a rant). I think this revision properly represents my true feelings about Lieberman and this race.

Lamont campaign manager pulls off the gloves (and his tie)

Ring the bell...this is ugly, real ugly.

If you need any convincing that Joe's campaign is in free-fall mode, this should do it.

Nice how Sean Smith always finds a way to change the subject and who can blame him. If I was Joe's campaign manager, I wouldn't want to talk about Lieberman's outright betrayal to the party either.

Watching Smith's pathetic attempt to smear Ned is laughable and I'm sure the voters in the state (who are still waiting for Joe to talk about things that are relevent) is getting turned off with Joe's entire campaign. TParty tell s it better than anyone in this quote:

Once again, Lieberman's charges are pure projection. He bolts the party, and accuses Ned of being a Republican. He is the leading recipient of defense-related campaign contributions, and accuses Ned of "profiting from the war." He has spent $5 million and will outspend his opponent by millions, and accuses Ned of trying to buy the campaign. And he is ethically challenged by his campaign contributions and personal finances, and goes after Ned for supposedly the same. Same old, same old.

You know, the hell with it, I'll play Smith's stupid game (for a quick sec). If we're going to get into money, here's two small questions for Smith:

1. How is Joe going to fund his new party (with money he raised as a Democrat)?

2. How does Lieberman's wife makes her money (that's right, I went there). I'm sure the public would LOVE to take a close look at Joe (and his wife's) finances...and while we're at it, let's compare Joe's votes on bills that involved big pharma and compare that to his wife's occupation and see if there is a pattern.

Okay, enough of that (for now).

I mean really, this election is about LIEberman and to this date, you have not talked about the issues that voters care about. Everyone can see that your avoiding the real issues and just making shit up about Ned as you go along (at least your using your talking points from your push-polling). I think Lieberman would do better if you do the right thing and start talking about the REAL issues for a change or else he could kiss his senate seat goodbye.

Finally, someone says what needs to be said

Listen up everyone!

This primary isn't about Dump Joe, ConnecticutBLOG, My Left Nutmeg, Connecticut Bob, Firedoglake, MyDD, Daily Kos, or any other blog that rooting for Ned Lamont to win in August. I could blog until my finger bleed and my eyes fall out and I still wouldn't reach enough people to unseat a 18 year senator.

This challenge to Lieberman is more than a bunch of bloggers who don't like Joe and (believe it or not) it's more the war. This election is primarily about people who are dissatisfied with a senator who has continuously undermines the Democratic Party every chance he gets.

On issue after issue, when the Republicans and conservatives need someone to bat for them against the Democrats, Joe has shown that he has no problem stepping up to the plate. Lieberman is out of touch with the people he swore to represent in Washington (can anyone remember the last time Joe was in town besides during an election).

The people of Connecticut had to deal with this for the last 6-8 years and now, with a credible candidate; the voters are ready for a change. Also, thanks to the worst campaign team since Alan Schlesinger, Lieberman's numerous embarrassing campaign blunders has only helped Lamont's name recognition.

Why am I ranting like this you ask? Well, it seems that finally, someone out there finally gets the point and his name is Mark Schmitt.

The plausibility of the Lamont campaign is attributable to two major things, none of which have anything to do with Markos Moulitsas or his loyal minions:

1. Decades of statewide progressive organizing in the state. Lamont's campaign manager is no blogger, but Tom Swan, who left his job as head of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) to run the campaign. According to one of the Connecticut blogs I mentioned above, much of the CCAG staff has also quit or taken a leave to help Lamont. CCAG got its start before even Al Gore had heard of the Internet, in the same year that Lieberman won his first primary - 1970 - and from the same impulses that created the reformist/anti-war Caucus of Connecticut Democrats in which Lieberman was active.

[...]

2. The fact that Lieberman has run, so far, the second most embarrassingly bad campaign of the year. (The worst campaign's entire staff just quit, so there may be an opening to move up.) The fact is that there's been a lot of latent discontent with Lieberman in the state at least since his speech about Monica Lewinsky, but as recently as a few months ago, his approval rating among Democrats was solidly in the low 70's, indistinguishable from his support among Independents and Republicans. (This is an important point, by the way: A good portion of Republicans and Independents in Connecticut are more liberal than the average registered Democrat, and his support among those groups could prove just as soft as his Democratic support.) Lieberman could easily have restored his bond with Connecticut Democrats, or at least enough to be sure of winning a primary. I could have written that speech or that ad, and I would have done it, too, before he said "we criticize our commander-in-chief at our own peril." It would involve a much stronger condemnation of Bush's conduct of the war, a heartfelt acknowledgement of respect for opponents of the war and for the legitimacy of dissent, and a message that, wherever anyone stood in 2003, now we have a crisis on the ground in Iraq and have to work together - and with Republicans -- to get it right and get out. (If he couldn't in good conscience say those things, then he's got bigger problems.) The war is not the only issue driving opposition to Lieberman, of course, but it is the great question of our time and if he could defuse it somewhat as an issue, the opposition doesn't have that much to work with.

Instead, for whatever reason, he chose to act petulant about the fact that anyone would oppose him at all, which is not the right response for a democrat, much less a Democrat; produce a series of comically inept ads, and shrink himself into a sort of suburban-mensch version of Al D'Amato : "I saved 3,000 jobs at Electric Boat in Groton." "I voted for the energy bill because we got $800 million for energy conservation in Connecticut." (Large forces have been unleashed in our politics, and a national figure like Lieberman should be seen as confronting those questions, not selling out for petty earmarks.) And finally, by taking out the "insurance policy" of running under a party named after himself, he highlighted every one of his own negatives and virtually ensured his defeat in the primary, with a very good chance that the independent candidacy will fizzle as well.

So let's credit the netroots for what they do well - generate enthusiasm, force the big questions onto the agenda, generate a new definition of what it means to be a Democrat. But by themselves they can't create a viable candidacy or bring down a popular three-term incumbent. Only organizing and the incumbent's own mistakes can do that.

I think I can speak for every pro-Lamont blogger in CT when I say, thanks Mark. Hopefully, other people will get the message and stop linking Lamont's campaign to a bunch of "looney left" weirdo bloggers.

...not that there's anything wrong with being a "looney left" blogging weirdo.

A party for One

This blog is now my new homepage.

The stupidity of Alan Schlesinger: the press conference edition

It's Friday so lets have some fun and goof on the Republican nominee for senate, Alan "double-down" Schlesinger.

Here's your lesson for today. Follow these easy steps...

1. Read this article. In fact, I'll help you with by highlighting the key part of the article.

Schlesinger, who alternated between being defiant and dismissive during a Thursday morning press conference, said he'd done nothing wrong by giving a fake name to obtain a wampum card at Foxwoods in 1992, when he was serving as a state legislator from Derby. The cards reward casino patrons with meals, rooms and merchandise.

On Wednesday, Schlesinger said he didn't use his real name because he wanted to preserve his privacy and didn't want to be subjected to marketing from the resort. By Thursday, he had expanded his reasons: He was concerned about identity theft and didn't want people to think he was biased toward the tribal nation that owned the casino because he was gambling there.

Schlesinger said he didn't use a fake license or other form of identification to obtain the card, and that he never made enough winnings at the blackjack table to report them as income to the IRS.

Schlesinger also said he hadn't remembered using a fake name while gambling at Foxwoods in the 1990s until he received a July 5 e-mail from Bradley Beecher, a former state police officer once assigned to the casino unit.

[...]

But Schlesinger had some reason to remember it: A state police source who worked for the casino unit in the early 1990s said Schlesinger was confronted by a casino police officer on the false name.

Schlesinger came to the attention of casino authorities shortly after Foxwoods opened in 1992, the police source said, because he was suspected of counting cards at the blackjack table.

A state trooper went to the high-end blackjack tables and approached a man who identified himself as Alan Gold and handed the trooper a wampum card with that name on it. When the trooper asked the man for more identification, according to the police source, the man refused to give it.

The encounter ended with the man admitting that he was using an alias and that his real name was Alan Schlesinger. He then produced a valid driver's license and told the trooper he "didn't want anyone to know who he really was," according to the source.

Schlesinger was not arrested, but the trooper filed a report of the incident that led to the state police opening a criminal intelligence file on him, the police source said.

Okay, did you absorb all that info? Good, let's proceed.

2. Watch the video. Now, you don't have to watch the entire thing in order to proceed to step 3...you should be all set after watching about five minutes of this political car wreck (the video clip is about 20 min in length. I couldn't bring myself to editing it as watching Schlesinger dodge questions is too damn funny).



3. Take the poll.

What phrase best describes Alan Schlesinger
	Alan Schlesinger is a lousy card counter
	Alan Schlesinger is the worst candidate in the history of Connecticut politics
	Alan Schlesinger is the worst liar in the history of Connecticut politics
	The Republicans want Joe Lieberman to win the election
Free polls from Pollhost.com

I'll have the results for everyone later.

UPDATE: Whoops! So much for the identity theft excuse. You see, as Alan said in at the news conference, the Wampum card is used for marketing purposes BUT what he didn't mention is that those cards are not used for collecting personal data just marketing data. (Hat tip to an old friend and faithful reader).

When it comes to defining data for identity theft bills, the Direct Marketing Association says lawmakers on Capital Hill aren't on the same page. Which is why John Greco, president/CEO of the DMA, says his group needs to help lawmakers understand what is and what isn't data that would cause a security breech.

During the DMA's List & Database Council luncheon in New York on May 25, Greco said that personal, identity-specific data such as social security and credit card numbers is often confused with "marketing data" based on shopping habits and purchase history. It's up to the DMA, Greco said, to make lawmakers aware of the difference.

[...]

"For direct marketers, it's vital that we stop that from happening. It's critical to build awareness that marketing data can't be used to steal identity. So as we hammer that message home on Capitol Hill, direct marketers must be even more responsible than ever in handling their marketing data. We can't afford to become a 'poster child' for data security."

Someone should of gave Alan the heads up on this info before he pulled the "identity theft" claim out of his ass when he "expanded" on his excuse Thursday.

Anything Joes

Too funny!

GOP paving the way for Lieberman?

My God! Jack Orchulli for senate?

Didn't Dodd beat the crap out of him in 2004?

Are the Republicans trying to sway their voters to Liebermam by urging this proven loser to get into the senate race.

Something is fishy here.

John C. "Jack" Orchulli, the former fashion company executive from Darien who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd in 2004, is a "possible" replacement for the Republicans' 2006 Senate nominee, Alan R. Schlesinger, Republican State Chairman George Gallo said Thursday.

Gallo's comment came shortly before Schlesinger told reporters at the Capitol that he wouldn't quit the Senate race despite allegations that he is a blackjack addict who used a phony name to gamble at the state's Indian-owned casinos, including one that banned him for card-counting.

The candidate said at his subsequent news conference that Gallo had asked him before the Republican state convention in May not to run, saying Gov. M. Jodi Rell had another candidate in mind to challenge U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman this fall.

Gallo, who like Rell this week publicly urged Schlesinger to reconsider his candidacy after the allegations raised by a former Connecticut State Police officer, Bradley Beecher, acknowledged that the state Republican Party couldn't just dump Schlesinger and anoint someone like Orchulli.

The endorsed candidate first would have to quit, he said, and then the party's central committee could move to fill the vacancy, an action that still could be done in time to have the replacement listed as the Republican candidate on the general election ballot.

Gallo said after Schlesinger's news conference that it was now "up to the public forum" whether the six-term state representative would stay in the race, the Associated Press reported.

Now only did the GOP party leaders torpedoed Schlesinger's, campaign, they're urging a person who doesn't have a shot in hell beating Lieberman or Lamont to jump into the race.

You can just see the writing on the wall. Did the Lieberman camp and the GOP strike some type of deal? I wouldn't be surprised.

Another true Liebercrat and Democrat steps up

Showing his true colors (and loyality to the Democratic Party), an aide to the State Democratic majority leader is assisting Joe "cut and run" Lieberman with his independent party.

Yes, you heard me right...AN AIDE TO THE STATE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY LEADER is assisting someone who is going to ignore the results of the Democratic primary if it doesn't go in his favor.

Am I living in Connecticut or in some Bizzaro world?

A top aide to the State Senate's Democratic majority leader, Martin Looney of New Haven, is helping U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman form a third-party to possibly defeat a Democrat in November.

The aide is Vincent Mauro, Jr., of New Haven. Mauro's late father was for years the head of New Haven's Democratic Party and a close ally of Joe Lieberman. The elder Mauro was a chief architect of Lieberman's successful 1982 campaign for Connecticut attorney general, a campaign that resuscitated Lieberman's career after a humbling loss in a U.S. Congresional race.

[...]

Mauro, a former alderman for New Haven's Wooster Square neighborhood, was asked if he felt supporting a third-party Lieberman candidacy against a candidate nominated by the Democratic Party presents a conflict with his role in the Democrats' State Senate office.

"No. I'm a Democrat," Mauro said. "I've always been a Democrat. How do I feel about it? I have mixed feelings. I've known the guy my whole life. In this business, you have loyalty to your party because it's what you stand for. And you have loyalty to your friends. My father and Joe were best of friends. This is a family thing for me. I've known the guy my whole life.

"Was it a little weird? Yeah, but in the end this was friendship."

Yeah, just like Joe Lieberman's friendship with the Bush administration and neo-conservatives trumps his relationship he has with the Democratic Party.

Too bad Maruo didn't learn a thing or two about true loyality from his boss...

Mauro's boss, State Sen. Looney, said he has nothing to do with the new Connecticut for Lieberman Party.

"I am supporting Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary. I will be supporting the winner of that Democratic primary," Looney said. "[Lieberman] has a good record over the years, although I disagree with him over the war and other issues. I would not support an independent candidacy."

Now, that's a true Democrat...he could teach his aide a thing or two.

You know times are bad...

when babies don't like you.

Colbert loves Lieberman

Bravo!

Schlesinger answers casino allegations...with b.s.

Man, I wish I could of asked a question at this press conference because something doesn't sound right. In fact, it seems like the Republican nominee for Senate is talking out of his ass and offering up a dose of fresh, all-natural, 100% home grown b.s.

Read Alan Schlesinger's excuse about him carrying around a casino comp card with a fake name.

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Alan Schlesinger said he was simply trying to be left alone while gambling at Foxwoods Resort Casino when he got a Wampum Rewards card with a fake name.

Schlesinger said Thursday that he got the card in the early 1990s when he played blackjack occasionally. He said dealers constantly asked him if he wanted a card and he finally broke down and got one to avoid the questions.

"I used to say 'I don't want one,'" Schlesinger said. "I got tired of every single time them asking me, so I got one."

The card is used by the casino to gain marketing information on players and also rewards them for playing. Players earn points that can be redeemed for hotel stays, food, entertainment, etc.

Schlesinger said he used the fake name Alan Gold to protect his privacy because the casino was controversial in the area. He said he also didn't want to receive marketing promotions from the casino by mail.

Wha, wha, what? Oh man, I don't even know where to begin.

Now, let's think about this for a second. This guy wants to keep his identity secret YET he uses a casino comp card to get free stuff. I'm not buying it and neither should you.

Think about it...

I've been to Foxwoods plenty of times and I can play a mean game of Texas Hold Em as well as Blackjack. I never, EVER, had a person at Foxwoods press me to get a casino comp card. NEVER.

Even if Alan "double down" Schlesinger was spending mega bucks counting cards at the black-jack table, I highly doubt that the people at Foxwoods would be pushing their comp card on him, they would just comp him on the spot.

Second, by using a casino card, Foxwoods would have a record of all your gambling activity and if Schlesinger was trying to keep a low-profile, using a casino comp card wouldn't be the smartest thing.

And then there's that little thing about photo-ID.

Now, lets go back and look at a couple of rules regarding the use of Foxwoods Wampum card (the interesting stuff is in bold).

To obtain your Wampum Rewards Card, you must go to the Wampum Rewards desk and present state and/or federally issued photo identification. This identification must include date of birth and your current address.

* Wampum Rewards points can be redeemed for food, beverages, retail merchandise items, theater, bingo admissions, hotel accommodations, and other approved privileges and rewards. All redemption is based upon point availability and must be supported by valid matching identification. Foxwoods reserves the right to substitute any privileges or rewards at its sole discretion.

* The Wampum Rewards Card may be used only by the Wampum Rewards member whose name appears on the card.

Okay given these rules, these questions remain unanswered:

1.) How did Schlesinger get a card using a fake name.

2.) What photo-ID did Schlesinger use to obtain the card (with a fake name).

3.) How was Schlesinger allowed to use the card to redeem stuff using a fake name.

(bonus question…and the real issue): Are the other allegations Bradley Beecher made about Schlesinger true?

What allegations you ask? Well, let's take a read.

Bradley Beecher, a retired Connecticut State Police officer whose last assignment was as commander of the Casino and Licensing Unit, forwarded to reporters copies of e-mails he had exchanged with Schlesinger and Rell.

Beecher, in his e-mail to the governor, said he was "able to document a long history of improper relationships between Connecticut Republicans and Connecticut casinos" and described Schlesinger's candidacy as "a train wreck in progress."

He said Scheslinger had called him and said he plays blackjack in casinos under phony names because, apart from using the pseudonyms to take advantage of "comped" items like free rooms and meals, "he is a card counter and wants to avoid detection."

Beecher, who after retiring from the state police worked as an investigator for the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Commission before the tribe eliminated his position in 2004, wrote that Schlesinger "is no longer permitted" at Mohegan Sun because of his card counting.

He also said Schlesinger had volunteered that he lost "at least $50,000" at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Beecher not only forwarded copies of his message to Rell but also of a more ominous-sounding e-mail he had sent to Schlesinger last week.

In that missive, Beecher asked Schlesinger whether he remembered "when John Rowland was governor and you were in the state legislature and used to play at Foxwoods under the name 'Alan Gold."'

"Do you remember what happened to the intelligence file that was maintained on you with the Connecticut State Police?" he wrote. "Could Connecticut's U.S. marshal shed some light. Do not assume that the FBI made every file on you disappear. You know as well as I do that you do not deserve to be a United States senator."

Now, did Schlesinger have an answer for any of these allegations made by Beecher?

Is it true that Schlesinger was kicked out of one casino for counting cards?

With all of his shady dealings, I beginning to wonder if Alan is friends with William Bennett? One thing is for certain, he can kiss his dreams of being a senator good-bye. The writing is on the wall and it's only a matter of time till he drops out.

Who will the GOP offer up next? Urbans? Shays, Simmons?

OR what if the GOP offers up no one which would give the Republicans in the state a reason to vote for Lieberman in November...

Lamont "Family Friends and Neighbors" program relaunched

Today, the Ned Lamont campaign unveiled their redesigned "Family Friends and Neighbors" program. Here some info on this innovative and unique program.

Using our Family, Friends and Neighbors tool, you can send a postcard with a personalized message from you to your family, friends and neighbors in Connecticut. Later, follow up with phone calls to your get-out-the-vote list reminding your network to vote for Ned on August 8. It's a time investment of about five minutes yielding a Senator who will truly represent the people of Connecticut.

Head on over to the campaign's website and sign up. It's easy to do and I promise there's no pain involved.

UPDATE: Tim Tagaris, Internet Communications Director for Ned Lamont's U.S. Senate Campaign, comments on the program over at My Left Nutmeg.

How did Schlesinger obtain a Casino card using a fake name?

Okay, this is getting very interesting.

Can someone tell me how Alan Schlesinger obtained a Foxwoods "Wampum" casino card usig a fake name?

Isn't that illegal?

From the Journal Inquirer

The viability of Schlesinger's candidacy was called into question Wednesday when Bradley Beecher, a retired Connecticut State Police officer whose last assignment was as commander of the Casino and Licensing Unit, forwarded to reporters copies of e-mails he had exchanged with Schlesinger and Rell.

Beecher, in his e-mail to the governor, said he was "able to document a long history of improper relationships between Connecticut Republicans and Connecticut casinos" and described Schlesinger's candidacy as "a train wreck in progress."

[...]

Beecher not only forwarded copies of his message to Rell but also of a more ominous-sounding e-mail he had sent to Schlesinger last week.

In that missive, Beecher asked Schlesinger whether he remembered "when John Rowland was governor and you were in the state legislature and used to play at Foxwoods under the name 'Alan Gold."'

"Do you remember what happened to the intelligence file that was maintained on you with the Connecticut State Police?" he wrote. "Could Connecticut's U.S. marshal shed some light. Do not assume that the FBI made every file on you disappear. You know as well as I do that you do not deserve to be a United States senator."

Schlesinger today confirmed that he likes to gamble at casinos and that he had obtained a "wampum" card issued by the Foxwoods casino under a different name.

Now, let's take a look at the rules regarding obtaining a Wampum card at Foxwoods.

Wampum Rewards Rules:

To obtain your Wampum Rewards Card, you must go to the Wampum Rewards desk and present state and/or federally issued photo identification. This identification must include date of birth and your current address.

I think someone has a lot of explaining to do. I hope reporters will question Mr. Gold about this at his press conference.

Schlesinger to hold press conference today

Is our favorite card counter being pushed out of the senate race? We'll find out soon.

UPDATE: More from Hotline. Apparently, there are a few "unflattering" stories about Alan "double-down" Schlesinger. Should make for an interesting press conference indeed.

The Hartford Courant's Kevin F. Rennie has another exclusive dispatch from Connecticut.

Connecticut Republican Senate nominee Alan Schlesinger is expected to try to mount a fightback today as revelations about his gambling under an assumed name caused Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell to call on her Republican ticketmate "to seriously consider whether he should go forward."

Schlesinger, whose memory was refreshed throughout the day on Wednesday, took a shot at Rell by raising the ballooning fundraising and cover-up scandal involving Rell’s chief of staff. Rell has ignored calls to fire her majordomo. Referring to that sensitive issue won't help Schlesinger rally party support.

A Schlesinger press conference ought to be the nearest thing to having the circus in town. The former state Representative has a colorful past which has surfaced in other campaigns. He ran twice unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for congress in the Fifth Congressional district in 1990 and 1998. A bid for the nomination to the state Senate in the Naugatuck Valley was also unsuccessful. At the time, Schlesinger took a battering over questions of his use of a state-issued telephone credit card.

[...]

Nearly everyone who served with Schlesinger in the legislature has a story about him, so today's press conference may veer into areas other than the gambling life of Alan Gold, his casino pseudonym.

Oh man, these Republicans in Connecticut are a piece of work! Bring your popcorn as there's bound to be some drama at the presser today.

Republican candidate for Attorney General steals source code from RI Senator Lincoln Chaffee's site?

Oh man, just when you think things couldn't get any more bizarre...another Drudge light moment lands in my lap.

I don't know how much more of this I can take.

The great Spazeboy discovers an interesting thing about the Republican candidate for Attorney General, Rep. Robert Farr. It seems that the man who is running against Richard Blumenthal isn't very bright...or his campaign is pretty sloppy (take your pick).

Spazeboy shows (in great detail) all the goodies he found when he explored Farr's website. I don't want to steal his thunder so I'll let him give you the rundown.

(Warning: this will make you laugh...you've been warned).

Anyway, to humor myself, I wandered over to BobFarr.com which is Mr. Farr's bare-bones campaign website. Here's what I see at the top:

(click on any of the images to enlarge)

Dignity. Experience. Honesty. Well, those are good things, right? So I keep looking, just scoping things out.

Then, on this page, I discovered a typo, and moved my mouse over the e-mail link to see if the link was broken too:

My mouse cursor is hovering over the e-mail address, but was not captured by the screen shot. Take a look at the status bar in the bottom left:

info@chafeeforsenate.com

I point my trusty Firefox browser to http://www.chafeeforsenate.com and looky what I found!

That looks kind of familiar. Especially the graphical text reading "Dignity. Experience. Honesty." in the green bar.

Spazeboy finds out that the sites are more than familiar, THE HTML CODES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. Spazeboy has both HTML/CSS codes on display so go to his site, take a look at the codes side to side, and decide for yourself.

I think if your running for a high state position such as Attorney General, it would be wise not to steal another person's website...it might be good for your campaign if you get caught.

Spazeboy: Joe Lieberman AND Bob Farr's everlasting nightmare.

Schlesinger vows to stay in senate race

I can't stop shaking my head...

Gov. M. Jodi Rell and GOP State Chairman George Gallo publicly urged fellow Republican Alan Schlesinger to reconsider his candidacy for U.S. Senate after learning Wednesday that he gambled at the Foxwoods Resorts Casino under an assumed name while an elected official in the 1990s.

Schlesinger said Rell and Gallo were overreacting to an innocent act: giving a fake name to obtain a Foxwoods "wampum card" that rewards casino patrons with meals, rooms and merchandise based on how much they gamble.

"I am not going to let this bother me," said Schlesinger, who described himself as a recreational blackjack player. "I am going to continue in the race."

Bradley Beecher, a former state police officer once assigned to the casino enforcement unit, told Rell by letter Wednesday that Schlesinger gambled under the name Alan Gold to avoid detection as a card counter, a player who improves the odds by counting the cards as they are played. Card counting is not cheating, but casinos often ban counters.

[...]

Schlesinger said he did nothing wrong, other than try to keep his name off Foxwoods' marketing list. But Rell and Gallo said his behavior was troubling, signaling that Schlesinger will face pressure to quit the race.

"Gov. Rell is disturbed by this new information and believes that Alan Schlesinger should seriously consider whether he should go forward with his campaign," said Judd Everhart, a spokesman for Rell.

"I share the governor's concern about Alan Schlesinger, and I will be meeting with him within the next day to discuss his U.S. Senate bid," Gallo said.

The Senate nomination has grown increasingly important to Republicans given the strong showing by Democratic challenger Ned Lamont against incumbent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. Lieberman announced last week he will run as a petitioning candidate in November should he lose the Democratic primary, which would force a three-way race with Schlesinger and Lamont.

A three-way race with two Democrats would give the Republicans their best chance at winning a Senate seat in 18 years.

BREAKING NEWS: Schlesinger out as Republican nominee for senate?

Oh, oh! Time to turn on the Drudge light!

From Hotline:

Hartford Courant columnist Kevin F. Rennie sends along this late breaking news:

Connecticut Republicans may soon have a vacancy to fill for their United States Senate nomination.

Former state Representative Alan Schlesinger is being dogged by gambling rumors, and Bradley Beecher, former commanding officer of the state police's casino licensing and operations unit, says he received a call from Schlesinger on Tuesday, July 11th seeking information on who was checking out his gambling habits. Beecher is now a consultant on casino security and law enforcement. He's also a critic of Connecticut gaming policies.

Beecher, who was familiar with Schlesinger, says the Republican nominee told him he is, in gambling parlance, a card counter who has been thrown out of the Mohegan Sun casino. Schlesinger told Beecher and others he plays under an assumed name, Alan Gold. Beecher shared details of his startling conversation with Schlesinger in an email to Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell and others around the state.

Republican state chairman George Gallo has conferred with Schlesinger and is concerned about the implications of the brewing gambling scandal. Schlesinger confirmed to Gallo that he gambled under the name Alan Gold because he wanted to accrue points on his "Wampum card" at the Foxwoods casino operated by the Mahantucket Pequots.

According to Gallo, who sounds like he is ready to force Schlesinger from the ticket and find a replacement, "Our mistake is that we only vetted candidates using their real names, not aliases."

Replacing Schlesinger could open a possibility for a serious Republican candidate to emerge for a three way November brawl should Democratic challenger Ned Lamont defeat incumbent Joseph Lieberman in the state's August 8th primary. Lieberman is committed to running as independent if he loses in August and is counting on broad Republican support to win. If there is a serious Republican nominee, which Schlesinger has not been, Lieberman will lose an important part of the base for his "Plan B."

Schlesinger out; Diana Urban in? (BTW: Urban is a big time anti-war Republican who should be taken very seriously...in other words, so much for Joementum's support among Republicans.)

Urban, 56, will be running as an anti-war candidate and in a brief telephone interview sounded like a Republican version of Cindy Sheehan. The three term state legislator, claiming the Bush administration possesses a "flat learning curve", says America went into Iraq for the wrong reasons. She says she was heavily influenced by recently published account of the war, Cobra II. On a more philosophical level, she cleaves to the Sun-Tzu's Art of War, declaring that her campaign strategy comes from him: "The path will reveal itself to you."

Claiming "a number of women asked me over and over again to do this", Urban is not giving up her race for re-election to the state legislature, for which she is unopposed from her affluent southeastern Connecticut district, previously represented by Iraq war enthusiast, Congressman Rob Simmons.

A Republican anti-war candidate with nothing to lose and everything to gain...Joe, you're screwed.

UPDATE: Quick info on Urban. Also some good stuff here.

UPDATE 2: Urban collecting signatures.

Rep. Diana S. Urban, R-North Stonington, says she's begun collecting 7,500 signatures in a bid to become a petitioning candidate for U.S. Senate in the November election.

The three-term representative, who has taught economics and political science at several colleges, said today that should she be certified as an official candidate, she would campaign against the war in Iraq and advocate government policies that favor "low- and moderate-income people" and small businesses.

She said the Iraq invasion shows that American foreign policy makers have "a flat learning curve" and have repeated mistakes like those made in the Vietnam War.

[...]

Urban said she decided to enter the Senate contest at the urging of constituents with whom she regularly discusses politics and current affairs.

"These are a bunch of women in my district who are from all walks of life," she said, adding they had for months pressured her to put her politics to test in the now crowded race.

"People had come to me about running on another party's line," she said, "but my dad was a Republican leader in New York and I grew up in the Rockefeller era with Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln as my heroes."

"Yet who would have thought that we'd be doing what we're doing in Iraq, or having a sitting senator challenged like this, so I finally said, 'OK."'

Urban said she thinks the three-term incumbent she hopes to unseat, U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, is "out of touch" with the voters in "a very blue state who do not support this war in Iraq."

She said she was "thrilled" with the antiwar stance of Ned Lamont, the Greenwich cable executive battling Lieberman in the Democratic primary election.

But she added that even were Lamont to defeat Lieberman, who also is collecting signatures to be a petitioning candidate, she still would enter the race.

"The only thing I can say about Lamont," she said, "is that I think the experience I've had and the record that I have lets you know more about how I would be on the issues, and we really don't know how he'll do until he's faced with a vote."

Urban interviewed on The Bruce and Colin Show today on WTIC (.mp3 file).

Lieberman to Dems: Shut the fu*k up!

Oh, the guys at Crooks and Liars found a gem of a video which explains why Joe Lieberman is George Bush's favorite Democrat.

Remember these words from Oedipus Lieberman:

It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be Commander-in-Chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war, we undermine Presidential credibility at our nation's peril.

You read the words, NOW watch the video.
This is Lieberman at his anti-Democrat best and exactly why he's in the fight of his life against a true Democrat.

You see Joe, over the last 6+ years, you have gone out of your way to not only undermine the Democratic Party, but also turn a blind eye to the people you were suppose to represent here in Connecticut (just ask the DTC chairman in Southbury).
Trust me, this DTC chairman expressed the frustration many have with Lieberman in Connecticut and Joe would know this if he ever listened to the people he was suppose to represent.

Whether it's was through your numerous shameless appearances on Sean Hannity's radio show (monthly might I add), or anytime someone put a camera in front of your face, you've shown through your actions not only your disdain for the principles of the Democratic Party, but your acceptances of the neo-conservative agenda. You have done nothing but repeatedly undermine the Democratic Party and laughing it up with the likes of William Buckley and Rush Limbaugh.

Is this the type of Democrat you want representing you in Washington?

Joe is now running around the state looking sad and desperate because he see the writing on the wall. He won't hold any public events (nor publicize them) because he's wants (and needs) to control who he talks to (most of whom do not represent the viewpoint of a majority of the people in the state). Now, he's crying like a baby, accusing anyone who challenges him in public of being a Lamont plant.

Is this the type of Democrat you want representing you in Washington?

Now, Lieberman's approval numbers are falling like a brick because Democrats have had enough of him and his closeness to Bush and the conservative agenda. Since people are learning more about Ned Lamont and realizing that he's the real deal, you, in your outright arrogance, choose to ignore the results of the primary (since there is a very good chance it won't go in your favor), and petition to be an independent on the November ballot.

Some Democrat indeed.

Joe, it's just sad to watch you unhinge and your entire campaign fall apart like this. Even those who "support" you publicly, sing a different tune in private and I can't wait for those Democrats that you have in a political chokehold to be finally free of you and proudly embrace Lamont on August 9th.

Remember this one thing Joe, the statements you made in this videoclip was the straw that broke the camel's back. You have no one but yourself to blame.

I, for one, don't want someone like you representing the people of Connecticut in Washington.

Out of Touch

Joe Lieberman last week:

"The situation in Iraq is a lot better that it was a year ago," Lieberman observed. The Iraqis "are on the way to building a free and independent Iraq. Two-thirds of their military is now ready, on their own, to lead the fight with some logistical backing from the U.S. or stand up on their own totally. That's progress. And the question is, are we going to abandon them when they are making that progress?"

Reality:

Blindfolded, hands tied behind them, and most shot in the head, 22 bodies of kidnapped Shiites have been found as US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Iraq to review worsening security in Baghdad.

In another gruesome example of the sectarian bloodshed that has engulfed Iraq, the 22 Shiites were part of a group of upto 80 who were kidnapped earlier Wednesday in the town of Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad.

The fate of the other missing Shiites was not immediately known.

More reality...

Many in Iraq expressed fear that the recent attacks were pushing the country past isolated killings into civil war.

Two car bombs exploded Monday morning on a commercial street in the Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad in apparent retribution for the killings of Sunnis the day before. The two bombs, within 10 minutes of each other, crumbled buildings, killed 11 people and injured 17 others, Col. Sami Jasim of the Interior Ministry said. The second explosion was aimed at a police patrol, a frequent target of attacks in recent months.

Then masked gunmen wearing civilian clothes set up a checkpoint in the violence-plagued Sunni neighborhood of Amiriyah, pulled seven passengers from a Kia minibus and shot them dead in the street, Interior Ministry Brig. Gen Mahmoud Nima said. Nima said that Iraqi army soldiers near the scene failed to intervene. Some Sunni politicians alleged Sunday that the killings in al-Jihad were the work of the Mahdi Army, a powerful Shiite militia, in concert with Iraqi police officers.

Violence also flared in the northern city of Kirkuk, where a suicide truck bomber drove into a Kurdish political party office and killed three people and wounded 20 others, Lt. Col. Shwan Abdullah of the Kirkuk police said. A short time later, a bomb detonated near a rival Kurdish party office in the city, wounding three people, he said.

What world is Lieberman living in?

Everyone is jumping on "the simple question" bandwagon

Seems like the simple question is picking up steam on a national level.
From the Hill.

Democratic senators supporting Lieberman in both the primary and the general (3):
Ben Nelson (Neb.)
Mark Pryor (Ark.)
Ken Salazar (Colo.)

Democratic senators saying they’ll support the winner of the Democratic primary (7):
Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.)
Russ Feingold (Wis.)
Tom Harkin (Iowa)
John Kerry (Mass.)
Frank Lautenberg (N.J.)
Robert Menendez (N.J.)
Barack Obama (Ill.)

Democratic senators who will support Lieberman in the primary but have not endorsed him in the general (9):
Evan Bayh (Ind.)
Barbara Boxer (Calif.)
Tom Carper (Del.)
Chris Dodd (Conn.)
Dick Durbin (Ill.)
Dianne Feinstein (Calif.)
Harry Reid (Nev.)
Charles Schumer (N.Y.)
Ron Wyden (Ore.)

Senators who did not reply (25):
Daniel Akaka (Hawaii)
Max Baucus (Mont.)
Joseph Biden (Del.)
Jeff Bingaman (N.M.)
Robert Byrd (W.Va.)
Maria Cantwell (Wash.)
Kent Conrad (N.D.)
Mark Dayton (Minn.)
Byron Dorgan (N.D.)
Daniel Inouye (Hawaii)
Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.)
Tim Johnson (S.D.)
Edward Kennedy (Mass.)
Herb Kohl (Wis.)
Mary Landrieu (La.)
Patrick Leahy (Vt.)
Carl Levin (Mich.)
Blanche Lincoln (Ark.)
Barbara Mikulski (Md.)
Patty Murray (Wash.)
Bill Nelson (Fla.)
Jack Reed (R.I.)
Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.)
Paul Sarbanes (Md.)
Debbie Stabenow (Mich.)

Now, I'm not adding these people to my list because my survey focuses primarily on Connecticut politicians but it's nice to see where the national dems stand.

Reporter finally exposes Lieberman's BIG FAT LIE about Biden's no-show

Nice.

A reporter finally step up and calls Joe out on his blatant lie about Senator's Biden's no-show to Stamford on Monday. I wonder if he reads my blog...

And speaking of Mr. Biden, he was scheduled to appear with Mr. Lieberman on Monday at the pub, but failed to show. Mr. Lieberman explained that his colleague had just gotten in from Iraq the night before and was too exhausted to make the train up from Delaware.

"He came back late last night, and he said to me, really with great apologies, that he just couldn't make that train from Wilmington," Mr. Lieberman explained.

Bloggers pounced on the absence, saying that Mr. Biden had actually come back a full day earlier and had simply decided to skip the Lieberman event. A spokesman for Mr. Lieberman later acknowledged that Mr. Biden had returned over the weekend, but maintained that Mr. Biden had simply missed his train.

Too funny. Team Joementum was forced to admit the obvious, that they lied. Too bad the reporter didn't mention that the train from D.C. to Stamford runs every 45 minutes but I think the point was made.

All hail the power of blogs!

Note to Republicans: you're too late

Ha, ha.

Connecticut's heated Democratic nomination contests for U.S. Senate and governor are beginning to convince more unaffiliated voters to switch their registration so they can vote in the Aug. 8 primary.

"We are seeing an increased number of unaffiliated voters switching to Democratic to vote in the primary," Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said Tuesday.

Several registrars of voters in the New Haven area agreed, saying they are even getting some calls from Republicans asking if they can still change their registrations in time to vote in the Democratic primary.

The answer to that question is no; the deadline for switching from one party to another was May 8.

Unaffiliated voters, however, have until Aug. 7 to change their registration in person at their town or city hall so they can vote in the primary the following day, Bysiewicz said.

I guess Joe's friends can't swtich from Republican to Democrat for the primary...awww, too bad.

LIEBERMAN DOING MORE PHONE POLLING

Seems like Joe "cut and run" Lieberman is doing some post-debate polling. Here's the play by play from someone who was called recently.

Today, I received my first recognizable Push Poll. The woman, speaking with an unclear accent said she was calling on behalf of Western Research in Orem, Utah. Recognizing the name, from discussions on the blogs about Lieberman push-polling, I decided to follow along closely.

First, they asked about if I was registered, if I was a Democrat, if I voted in previous primaries, and how likely I was to vote in the August primary. I explained that I was a registered Democrat who was very likely to vote in the primary.

They asked what sort of job I thought Lieberman was doing and told them I thought he was doing a very poor job. They then asked,, on a scale of 0 to 100 what I thought of George Bush, Chris Dodd, Ned Lamont, and Joe Lieberman. I gave Bush and Lieberman both 0, Dodd 75 and Ned Lamont 100.

They asked about the Gubernatorial primary and I said I was undecided. They asked which way I was leaning, and I again said undecided.

They went on to the Senatorial primary and I told them I was voting for Lamont. They asked how certain I was and I said I was very certain.

Next they moved on to phrases about the candidates. I was trying to type and answer at the same time, and there was background noise here, so I didn't get all of them. They wanted to know who I associated with the following phrases:

Can't count on him. (Lieberman)
True Democrat (Lamont)
Out of step with ordinary people (Lieberman)
Trustworthy (Lamont)
Too close to Bush (Lieberman)

They went on to talk about the debate. Were you aware of it? Did you watch it? Did you watch all of it? (I watched all of it)

Did it make you feel more or less favorable to Lieberman? (much less favorable)

Did it make you feel more or less favorable to Lamont? (much more favorable)

They asked if it made me more or likely to support one candidate or the other and I responded much more likely to support Lamont.

With all of this out of the way, they went on to their push polling:

Do the following questions make you feel a little less, more much less comfortable with Ned Lamont:

He refuses to release his tax information. At this point, I told the pollster that the statement was incorrect, and that she was acting unethically by repeating it. She asked the question and I told her it made me feel much less comfortable with Joe Lieberman that people would be repeating such false information.

She went on to ask about how Ned Lamont's claim that he would outlaw all earmarks made me feel. I repeated that this was false information and it made me much less comfortable with Joe Lieberman. I urged her to stop repeating false information.

Perhaps shouldn't have been so strident, so I could have heard more of the false information that they are spreading. However, based on this, she moved on to final demographics, college education, age, union membership, religion, ethnicity and income level.

If anyone gets a polling phone call, PLEASE do the following.

1. Don't hang up and don't get upset over the questions.

2. Act like your an undecided voter (leaning to Lieberman).

3. Try your best to remember everything that was said in the conversation OR place the phone call on speakerphone and record the conversation. If you record the call using a tape player, please email me and I'll show you how to transfer the sound from tape to MP3.

Email me your reports or leave a comment here or at My Left Nutmeg.

It's important that you write down what was said as soon as the phone call is over as opposed to writing down your encounter later as you could forget something.

UPDATE: Again, if you get a call from Lieberman polling call, don't hang up the phone! Play along with their game and document anything that was said in the conversation (recording the call is a plus).

UPDATE 2: The people conducting the poll for Leiebrman is probably Mountain West Research Center. They did the last poll for Lieberman before the debate.

UPDATE 3: There is a polling company called Western Research Associates of Utah so either of the two companies could be working for Lieberman. At this point, I'll can't confirm the identity of the polling campany until I get more information from people who were called recently.

UPDATE 4: I little bird told me that the polling company is most likely Western Wats who are from Orem, Utah. Joe used these goons during his pre-debate polling. Also, people are getting confused with terminology. This polling is not push-polling but rather negative polling...it's a type of poll where people look to see what negative themes work and which ones don't with voters.

Olbermann or O'Reilly

Take the poll.

Senator Finch scrubs comments from his site!!

Holy shit, all I ask was a simple question and now this?

Seems like Democratic State Senator Bill Finch has received so much negative feedback regarding his dishonest attack of this site, that he actually started deleting comments from his site. Yes, rather than offering a retraction, the senator has resorted to removing negative comments from his site (from over 25 to 18)...how shameless. To make matters worse, instead of offering a retraction or addressing the concerns of the people who took the time to comment on his site, Senator Finch turns a blind eye to everyone focuses his next post on the World Cup game.

I can't make this stuff up folks...I'm good but I'm not that good.

Please don't let Senator Finch get away with this. It's not fair to the people who elected him into office. Why should a senator be allowed to viciously attack someone with a dishonest lie? In wake of Senator Lieberman's forming his own party, why should any Democratic public official be allowed to dodge a this simple question:

Will you support the Democratic nominee for senate?

Simple questions require simple answers and we should hold all public officials accountable regarding their loyalty to the Democratic Party. PLEASE, go to Senator Finch's site and ask him quit dodging the issue, retract his statement regarding this site and to answer the simple question.

Enough is enough senator. The people who voted you into office expect more out of their senator than someone who deletes comments he doesn't like.

Enough is enough...a simple question deserves a simple answer.

UPDATE: Links fixed. Sorry 'bout that.

UPDATE 2: Oh, the power of Google cache. Here's what Senator Finch's page looked like before he scrubbed it and here's what it looks like now. Hat tip to a smart reader (as well as a pretty damn good blogger :-)

The results are in!

Here's what you had to say about Joe's pathetic photo-op yesterday.
(click on image to enlarge)





Thanks for playing!

7-11-06

In honor of July 11th (a.k.a. 7-11)

Joe's new site

Too funny.
(image courtesy of the amazing Lamontblog)

Lamont rocks Wallingford, tackles net neutrality

Now, this is how you do an event. Unlike dishonest Joe Lieberman, Ned Lamont spoke to a public crowd in Wallingford and spoke on a wide range of issues including new neutrality.

My main man (and Joe Lieberman's nightmare) Spazeboy was on the scene and filed this report.

Ned Lamont spoke before a bookstore full of supporters tonight in Wallingford, and I was on the scene with my video camera. Ned was at the top of his game, talking to the crowd about education, energy, healthcare, literature, the debate, the Puerto Rican Day Parade, Sailfest, the war and even net neutrality. (Spot the "single issue")

Anyway, since Net Neutrality is so important to me (being that I'm an internet user, that I use a lot of bandwidth for video, that I'm a blogger, and that I pay good money for my internet), I want to highlight Ned's position on this issue because tonight was the first time that I specifically remember him speaking about it.

"I think, fundamentally that the internet is going to change everything, and one thing I believe in strongly is net neutrality."
Ned Lamont - July 10, 2006

Here's the video of Ned doing his thing last night. Please go over to Spazeboy's site and thank him for the excellent video! He's by far, the hardest working blogger in CT.

More reports from people at Joe's awful event yesterday

Oh, the reports just keep coming over Joe's absolutely awful event yesterday in Stamford.

I encourage eveyone to go to My Left Nutmeg and read Neal's entire detailed report. Man, I wish I could of made it there...

Here are some highlights (note that Neal verifies Joe's big fat lie about Senator Biden):

The Fun Begins
As we approach Tigin's Irish Pub, we are greeted by Lieberman Political Director, Ken Dagliere. So much for any hopes of sneaking inside. Ken makes small talk and attempts to be cordial. But it was clear he wanted to know our agenda - and to grab a copy of the flyer, which we were happy to share with him.

Although the bulk of the crowd entering the pub seemed to be Lieberman staffers, we did meet some interesting folks. Two people I spoke with said they were there to hear what Biden had to say, but they were planning to vote for Lamont in August. These elderly ladies seemed quite disappointed in Joe's position on the war and his lack of respect for the good Democrats that have supported him for so many years.

The most interesting conversations were with casual passers by that took interest in our signs. Several took the effort to stop and say that they supported Lieberman and wanted to know why we were opposed to him. TrueBlueCT, being far more experienced at this stuff than me, was clever enough to ask the party affiliation of these Lieberman supporters. Well surprise, surprise, every single one of them was a Republican!

Where's the Guest of Honor
A few minutes before the event was scheduled to begin at 11:00, word got out the Biden wasn't going to show. The Lieberman folks explained that Senator Biden returned home from Iraq very late last night and then missed his train from DC to Stamford. Like the Bush Administration that Joe seems to idolize so much, these people just can't tell the truth. According to an interview with Delaware Online, Biden returned on Saturday. This should have been more than enough time for him to catch some zzz's and make it to the train on Monday morning. Perhaps Mr. Biden didn't check the Amtrak schedule, which has a train leaving pretty much every 1/2 hour. Even if he missed his original train, he still could have arrived in Stamford around the same time as Lieberman.

Again, why won't anyone call out Lieberman on his dishonesty?

Seems like Joementum was too chicken to confront two little protestors...so typical, all bark, no bite.

Joe the Chicken
After standing in the sun for about an hour, spreading our gospel, we spot Lieberman's car approaching Tigin's Pub. The car pulls up right in front. Joe takes one look out the window, sees TrueBlueCT and me there with our signs and motions to the driver. The car proceeds to cut-and-run around the block to the back entrance. It's pretty incredible that a three-term US Senator is so afraid of two peaceful bloggers with some signs from Kinkos that he has to sneak in the back door. The man spends more time in Iraq than Connecticut. You would think he'd have developed a bit of courage!

Great report Neal, now that's how bloggers in Connecticut get it done!

I can't wait to hear about your "lovely" encounter with Lieberman's communications director (and last comic standing) Marion Steinfels...I think.

Even people from Biden's state question Lieberman's excuse

I guess even people in Senator Biden's home state aren't buying LIEberman's pathetic excuse about Biden's no-show.

From Delaware liberal:

Given that a train departs Wilmington to to Stamford about every 45 minutes, let this sink in...

Either Biden thinks Lieberman is radioactive or Lieberman thinks Biden is radioactive.... Hilarious.

I guess it is pretty funny when a three-term senator has to lie to his supporters to cover up the fact that Biden blew him off.

What's not funny is the fact that Lieberman proved yet again that you can't trust anything that comes out of his mouth. Whether it's Biden's no-show, or calling Lamont a Republican, Joe Lieberman shows that no only is he out of touch with the issues that matter to people in Connecticut, he's also out of touch with reality and takes people for fools.


Is this three-term lying, dishonest, DINO senator this the type of person you want representing you in Washington? I don't think so.

Two words: Ned Lamont

Local news recap from Joe's awful day in Stamford

Well, you heard all about it, now you can watch it for yourself.
I told you Joe had a bad day...but one question remains unanswered.

Why didn't the media press Joe Lieberman's campaign to explain the outright lie Joe told supporters at the event when he stated Joe Biden was a no-show because he just came back from Iraq on Sunday? Here's what Lieberman said according to someone who was there.

He mentioned that Joe Biden was not able to attend because he got back from Iraq very late last night and was not able to make the train this morning.

Now, we know that's not true because Biden returned from Iraq on Saturday and gave at least two interviews (here and here). Why is Lieberman allowed to get away with lying to the people? Shouldn't we question Lieberman on his honesty? I know I don't want anyone dishonest representing me in Washington...wouldn't Lieberman supporters (and every conservative pro-Lieberman blog) be asking the same question if Ned Lamont was caught in a lie?

Joe's new party is all about Joe

Oh man, I'm serious, I can't make this shit up.

Joe Lieberman's new party name (drumroll please): Connecticut for Lieberman.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman filed paperwork Monday that will allow him to collect signatures to petition his way onto the November ballot if he loses an August primary.

Lieberman's campaign announced the move in an e-mail to reporters.

[...]

Lieberman also filed papers with the secretary of the state's office Monday to create a new party called Connecticut for Lieberman.

Oh, I can see it now Sen. Lieberman (Lieberman-CT).

More like Oedipus Lieberman.

The most vicious Lamont attack ad yet!!!

I've seen some pretty bad, mean-spirited anti-Lamont commercials but this is low...real low.

I know what I'm getting Ned for Christmas...a karaoke machine.

Please donate to Ned's cause.

UPDATE: If you think this ad is bad, wait till you see the vile and disgusting anti-Lamont ad from CTBob. I tell you, since that Bob blogger came back from vacation, he seemed to have lost all sense of shame...keep up the great work!

The person who gave grilled Lieberman today speaks

Oh, this is a good post. I recommend that everyone read the whole thing. Notice the BIG LIE Joe Lieberman told the people about why Joe Biden was unable to attend.

Gotta love those pesky Nutmeg posters.

When I initially heard that Joe Lieberman and Joe Biden would be appearing together in my hometown of Stamford, I had no interest in attending. A friend of mine tried to RSVP for the event, though, and was told that it was open only to "Stamford Irish Democrats".

Since I'm an Irish-American Democrat from Stamford and I'd never heard of this group, I decided to stop by the event to learn more about this organization. Given that Joe Biden is the only high-profile Senate Democrat to be willing to campaign with Joe, I thought it would be a bonus to see what he would say to reporters about Joe threatening to run as an independent if he loses the primary.

I planned just to be a fly on the wall at the event, figuring it would be a huge crowd. But when Joe Lieberman repeated the lie that Ned Lamont is running a "one issue" campaign and then said that Lamont lacked "courage and integrity", it really got my Irish up and I decided I wouldn't stay quiet. The fact that it was a very small crowd meant that, unexpectedly, my question got quite a bit of press attention.

I arrived about 15 minutes before the event was to start, and the place was virtually empty other than about 20 Lieberman staffers roaming around. I was only the second person to sign in. Although other people had been told that the event was closed to the public, I had no problem whatsoever getting in.

[...]

Soon after, Joe Lieberman himself arrived. He came through the back entrance followed by staffers holding signs. After shaking hands with a few people, he was introduced by Eileen Heaphy, who shared the background that her organization was founded to support President Clinton in his leadership in pursuing the Good Friday Agreement and that they were supporting Joe because of his longstanding support for the Good Friday Agreement and for illegal immigrants from Ireland.

Lieberman, wearing a tie featuring green shamrocks, joked that he was turning his "Cup of Joe" tour into a "Cup of Irish Joe" tour and made a few other predictable jokes about how much he enjoys being with Irish-Americans and people who wished they were Irish-American.

NOTE: here comes the BIG LIE from Joe Lieberman about Joe Biden's "no show"...

He mentioned that Joe Biden was not able to attend because he got back from Iraq very late last night and was not able to make the train this morning.

Hmm, if Joe Biden got back from Iraq late last night, how did he give these interviews to the press (here and here).

I'm sorry, how rude of me...please Maura, continue.

What really got me to change from "fly on the wall" to "gadfly" was when, in response to press questions, Joe Lieberman repeated the lie that Ned Lamont is running a "one issue campaign" and that Ned Lamont was running against George Bush rather than having the "courage and integrity" to run against him.

Hearing Lieberman impugn Ned Lamont's "courage and integrity" at the same time as Lieberman is repeating lies about Ned Lamont and threatening to ignore the Democratic primary results if he loses (hardly an example of courage and integrity) really got my Irish up.

So when the press questions were over and Joe started drinking Guinness and schmoozing with the crowd, I joined the people waiting to shake hands with him. When it was my turn, I shook his hand and introduced myself as a lifelong Democrat who also grew up in Stamford and went to Stamford High, like him. I said my dad had been a longtime customer of his dad's package store on Hamilton Avenue, and he said, "Really? What was your dad's name?"

I said, "Frank Keaney."

And said something like, "Frank Keaney? Oh, I think I know him well..." (which is not true, but Joe's definitely a masterful schmoozer)

So I told him that my dad passed away in March, and he said he was sorry and asked how old my dad was. I said he was 82 and that he voted for Democrats in every election after he became an American citizen, and then said I something like (paraphrase):

"My dad was a very loyal Democrat until he died. You mentioned how Irish American Democrats are great supporters because they're not fair-weather friends, and I totally agree. So why are you being a fair-weather Democrat, saying you'll only respect the results of the Democratic primary if you win?"

All of a sudden I found myself with a bunch of microphones in my face. Joe looked slightly stunned, and then started in on his usual talking points about how he wants even more Democrats to have a chance to vote for him in November and that not all Democrats know that they have to come out for a "hot day in August".

I said, "Don't you think Connecticut Democrats are smart enough to know on what day to vote?"

He said, "I hope so" and then started to wave me off.

I forget exactly what words I said after that (there is video and audio out there somewhere) but I said something like, "Look, if you win the Democratic primary, I'll be supporting you and I wish you would agree to support the winner, too" and he said, "Well, let's make sure I win in August, then!" and waved me away, after which I was mobbed by reporters asking how to spell my name.

I was really shocked at how much attention my comment got, since I didn't shout it out to get attention during Lieberman's talk, but rather approached him one-on-one. Apparently, some Lieberman staffers told reporters who were talking to me that I was a Lamont campaign plant, which is completely untrue.

Joe Lieberman needs to realize that ordinary Irish-American Democrats aren't just going to lap up his pandering without asking tough questions, and if he wants to talk about fair-weather friends, he should stop being a transparent "fair-weather friend" to the party.

Good going Maura and shame of the Liebertrolls who think everyone who challenges their man is a plant from the Lamont campaign. She was no plant but rather a concerned voter who wants some answers from Lieberman on a number of critical issues which he has failed to answer. I do not, nor do any of the other bloggers in CT, work for the Lamont campaign. We're ordinary citizens of Connecticut who aren't afraid to ask tough questions to politicians and unlike Sean Smith's "low informed" voters, we can read through the B.S.

The moral of this story is, never piss off an Irish woman!

Please go over to Maura's post on My Left Nutmeg and thank her for fighting the good fight (and catching Joe Lieberman in a BIG FAT LIE).

UPDATE: Whoa, her post moved to the front page of My Left Nutmeg. The links work now so please thank her for all she did today.