Calling in sick

Check out Ned Lamont's latest radio ad. It's pretty good.

If you like what you heard, pass it along to your friends.

Rob Simmons: shameless Republican hypocrite

MLN's bigtimedem explains why you can never take the word of a Republican.

So get this one - as Rob Simmons is running that stupid commercial saying Joe Courtney couldn't save the base, it was ROB SIMMONS who actually called Joe Courtney to THANK him for 'taking the high road' and not making a political issue over the base closure process. And it's all on tape. Mark Davis with WTNH has the report:

I almost want to pack my video camera in my car, take a drive over to the eastern side of Connecticut, find ol' Rob and see if he can explain himself.

The Story Joe Lieberman doesn't want you to read

Read the story that has Joe Lieberman's campaign is freaking out about.

From Ned Lamont's press release:

What really happened during the primary?

I mean the behind-the-scenes stuff not fit for the easily digested, all-too-often repeated, lazy narrative of an anti-war candidate fueled by bloggers vs. a career politician and steadfast Bush supporter taking a principled position on Iraq.

GQ Magazine followed each campaign prior to the primary and filed a must-read report for any and everybody following the race or voting this November. It's devastatingly detailed and accurate, shredding the mythology behind the "last honest politician."

That's why Joe Lieberman doesn’t want you to read it.

That's why his campaign went on the radio and sent out a press release attacking the author...within hours of its release.

[...]

The good, the bad, and the ugly - the article covers it all.

It talks about how Ned Lamont, an unlikely vessel for change, morphed from neophyte politician early in the campaign, climaxing the week of the primary during a transformative speech at a New Haven black church.

It compares and contrasts our genuinely enthusiastic rallies with Joe Lieberman's scripted, made for TV events.

It talks about the dirty campaign tactics employed by Senator Lieberman, including paid thugs sent to our events in order to pick fights with staff...and Ned.

And that's just the beginning.

You gotta read the article. And we need you to forward it to your friends when you are done.

As you know, I covered the primary as well as most of the bloggers you've come to know over the last year and I think I can speak for all of them when I say that this story is 100 percent accurate. Please read it and forward it to your friends.

Connecticut College Dems Organization Kickoff

With the midterm elections less than eight weeks away, The Connecticut College Democrats held their organizational kickoff event at the University of Hartford. In an attempt to rally young people to get involved in the election process, students from different colleges and universities across Connecticut came together in an impressive show of solidarity and support for the Democratic Party.

The crowd of over 100 was treated to some of the best speeches to date from the various progressive candidates running for federal and state office.

Those in attendance include the following:

Chris Murphy: candidate 5th Congressional District.
Joe Courtney: candidate 2nd Congressional District.
Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz.
State Comptroller Nancy Wyman.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
State Treasurer Denise Nappier.

Using their words wisely, each of the candidates running for federal office highlighted on a different topic or concerns which younger generation will be forced to address in the foreseeable future.

Discussing the out-of-control debt the Bush administration is accumulating for the next generation, Ned Lamont used his time to speak out against the rising cost of the war, the effect our present actions will have on the world for decades to come. Lamont also brought up the record-number of people who came out to register before the primary and why it's important for young people to get their friends to register to vote.

Fresh from his national Democratic rebuttal to Bush's weekly address to the nation, Chris Murphy took to the stage and was clearly honored with the show of support from the young crowd.

Technically still a Young Dem himself, Murphy made a point of emphasizing the need for students to get involved in campaigns by volunteering their time towards door knocking, phone banking and helping out in other aspects of the "ground game."

Using Nancy Johnson's latest attack ad, which Murphy described as "something out of Battlestar Galatica," Murphy also drove home the point that the Republicans will do everything in their power to shamelessly smear Democrats at all costs. Based on that analysis, Murphy again stressed the need for the young people to assist in helping the Democrats win the "ground game" which is the key to winning in November.

Of all the candidates who spoke Saturday, Joe Courtney made the biggest impression on the audience and really hit the nail on the head with his detailed analysis of the out of control Republican majority. Calling the Republican-controlled Congress "asleep at the wheel," Courtney energized the crowd with a passionate speech that emphasized why it's critical for the Democratic Party take back control of Congress and bring a sense of check and balance back to Washington.

After the speeches, various workshops were held by the Young Dems to help train students in different aspects of volunteering for campaigns. One of the workshops was on blogging and the impact it has on politics.

I along with the great Spazeboy and MLN's Jon Kantrowitz babbled talked about how to use blogging as a political tool and the different ways one can get involved in the newest form of political communication. It was the first time I ever addressed a crowd on the topic and hopefully I didn't put anyone to sleep.

Big thanks to the College Democrats for inviting me to their event and allowing me to speak to their audience. It was very encouraging to see so many young people eager to get involved in the political process. After leaving the event, not have a great sense that the Democratic Party has a great future in Connecticut.

Here's a video roundup of the main speakers at the event. Enjoy!

Diane Farrell unveils latest TV ad.

The Diane Farrell campaign released a new TV ad targeting Chris Shays, his 14 trips to Iraq, and his loyal support of President Bush's management of the war.

"The evidence is clear from Congressman Shays' own statements. He has supported the war in Iraq since day one," Farrell said. "I couldn't disagree with him more strongly. It's time for new thinking about how we extricate ourselves from a war that has taken the lives of nearly 2,700 American military and exhausted more $300 billion dollars."

"We need a new direction, not only in Iraq , but also on energy policy, on health care, on fiscal policy - you name it. We can't keep electing Chris Shays if we are going to make the changes we need."

Connecticut Bob caught up with Farrell yesterday in Stamford and did a very informative interview her. Make sure to check out the video report he filed on his site.

Gov. Rell blinks

Seems like the public pressure surrounding Gov. Rell's refusal to debate John DeStefano one on one has made her have a change of heart.

Shifting from her previous stance, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Wednesday that "everything is on the table" regarding a possible one-on-one debate with her main challenger, Democrat John DeStefano Jr.

Since negotiations began with an exchange of letters in August, Rell's campaign had repeatedly insisted on a four-way debate that would include DeStefano and two minor-party candidates who have qualified for the Nov. 7 ballot.

With the issue of debate formats heating up this week, Rell softened her position Wednesday, allowing that a one-on-one debate with DeStefano would be possible.

"Everything is on the table as far as what kind of debates, who would be included, how many," Rell said outside her office at the state Capitol. "I'm not ruling out anything."

Rell spoke only minutes after DeStefano's running mate, lieutenant-governor candidate Mary Glassman, held a news conference outside the Capitol to denounce Rell's stance.

"It's cheating the voters by not allowing a one-on-one debate," Glassman said. "Why is the governor - who is popular, who is ahead in the polls - refusing to debate one on one? She doesn't want to debate."

Glassman's news conference came one day after DeStefano said Rell was avoiding a forum in which the two main candidates could discuss the most important issues facing the state. DeStefano's campaign has said Rell is not only avoiding debates but failing to show up at events where both candidates have been asked to speak, including recent ones in Berlin and Hartford.

Good for team DeStefano to lash out against John Rowland's number two in command.

Gov. Rell's arrogance has finally come back to haunt her. This Republican is cheating the public with her refusal to attend any forums, answer any of the numerous troubling questions regarding her administration, and dismissing the Democratic nominee by refusing to DeStefano one on one.

After the era of Rowland, the voters should expect that the candidates would answer any and all questions from the public. It's outrageous for the governor to think that she can just look at her approval rating and thik she can avoid campaigning and cruise to victory in November.

Rell's refusal to campaign or answer any questions is an insult to all voters in Connecticut.

John DeStefano new TV ad

The DeStefano campaign released a new TV ad today entitled "change."

The new ad will hit the airwaves across the state tomorrow.



Please donate to DeStefano's campaign and help the Democrats get rid of John Rowland's second in command.

In the words of Joe Lieberman

"Of course I'm not saying that our political system should not sometimes be shaken up through the election of a new kind of leader, like Jesse Ventura in our time, or that it should not be open to the fresh perspective of someone from an entirely different proffession, a person who has been successful, say, in business..."

"In Praise of Public Life" by Joe Lieberman (page 21).

Wow, Joe and I agree on something. Maybe he should had re-read his book before releasing his new ad.

Hypocrite.

(hat tip to Tim Tagaris. How he read that book, I'll never know).

Nancy Johnson proves again that she'll do anything for a buck

Remember that much-taked about photo-op Nancy Johnson had with Sen. John McCain in Danbury on Monday. Well, what the Danbury News-Times failed to inform the public was what Nancy Johnson had planned to do later in the day.

Johnson attended a fundraiser on behalf which was hosted by associates of former disgraced Governor John Rowland and former disgraced state Treasurer Paul Silvester.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson on Monday held a much-publicized fundraiser in Danbury with U.S. Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican and possible presidential candidate in 2008.

But Johnson, R-5th District, also is scheduled to hold another fundraiser across the state line next month that is likely to receive far less attention.

That event, a $500-per-person cocktail party at a hotel near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is being sponsored by several associates of former Gov. John G. Rowland and state Treasurer Paul J. Silvester, both of whom were convicted and jailed on federal corruption charges.

These aren't simple assocaites, these buddies of Rowland screwed the state big time and are the type of grade-A special-interest greedy individuals that will make you sick to your stomach.

But invitations to next month's fundraiser for the 12-term congresswoman in Cambridge, Mass., indicate that its "host committee" includes Ronald C. Kaufman, Anthony Ravosa, and Herbert F. Collins.

Kaufman, a Republican National Committee member for Massachusetts, was the lead fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association when it was headed by Rowland, who appointed Kaufman's wife to direct the governor's Washington, D.C., office.

Kaufman, who worked hand-in-hand with Rowland raising millions of dollars in campaign contributions for Republican gubernatorial candidates across the nation, is also a lobbyist who was paid $500,000 to try to help win federal recognition for the Eastern Pequots.

Ravosa, a former Springfield City Council member who now lives in Glastonbury, is president of the Vince Group, a consulting company that has had ties to the energy industry.

Ravosa, who has been a registered lobbyist in Massachusetts, hosted a fundraiser similar to that planned for Johnson during Rowland's first re-election campaign. The event also was held out of state, in the offices of a Boston law firm.

Ravosa is perhaps best known as the man who put Rowland together with officials from Enron at a meeting he set up in the governor's office in December 2000.

Ravosa also had taken an Enron representative on a tour of Connecticut to inspect sites for a fuel-cell project the company had planned with the state trash authority - one of two deals with the quasi-public agency that collapsed after the corporation's spectacular financial failure.

Enron documents show the company had offered Ravosa an unspecified "success fee" in connection with the fuel-cell project.

Herbert F. Collins, the co-founder and chairman of Boston Capital, a leading investor in multifamily housing and one of the largest owners of apartments in the country, was one of the biggest contributors to Silvester's failed 1998 election campaign.

Silvester as treasurer also had served as a director of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the quasi-public agency most responsible for dealing with the Federal Housing Tax Credit Program under which Boston Capital invests.

The firm also was a client of the New London law firm Tobin, Carberry, O'Malley, Riley & Selinger, which served as counsel to the underwriters of all nine bond issues the authority sold in 1998.

It seems like the Congressowoman knew her association with Rowland would sound alarm bells so, in a effort to avoid the Connectitcut media, they decided to hold the 500 dollar-a plate fundraiser across the border in Massachusetts that night.

How discreet .

Johnson's campaign were unavailable for comment and who could blame them. They did all they could to keep this shady fundraiser under the radar and they're hopng that this story will go away and they might get their wish simply because papers like the News-Times let things like this go unreported.

One of the major complaints people have about Johnson is her close association to lobbyists and special-interest groups as well as her willingness to accept contributions from these groups at a alarming rate. We've seen this best illustrated by the now famous MoveOn.com ads detailing Johnson's connection to special interest groups.

Under-the-radar events like this from Johnson seems to reinforce those criticisms.

Jame Hamsher on Countdown

Everyone's favorite blogger Jame Hamsher of Firedoglake was on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" yesterday and commented about the well-talked about blogger's meeting with President Clinton as well as the influence progressive political blogs are having in politics.

Of all the national bloggers, Hamsher was here in Connecticut everyday on the frontlines following the Lamont/Lieberman race with the local bloggers. Her documenting of the outrageous tactics of the Lieberman campaign is just as good as reading Ken Cain's GQ piece and her site the first national blog I read in the morning.

Notice how she smiles whenever Joe Lieberman's name is mentioned...priceless.

Good interview Jane!

Senate debate set for October 23rd

From The Day

The major candidates for the U.S. Senate have agreed to an Oct. 23 debate sponsored by The Day and the League of Women Voters at the Garde Arts Center in New London.

George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent for ABC television news, will moderate the debate among U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman; Ned Lamont, who defeated Lieberman in the Democratic primary; and Republican Alan Schlesinger.

The candidates will face questions from three reporters and editors: Ted Mann, political reporter for The Day; Mark Davis, state Capitol correspondent for WTNH-News Channel 8; and a member of The Day's editorial page staff. News Channel 8, The Day's television partner for the debate, will broadcast it live.

The stupidity of Alan Schlesinger: the blogger edition

I kid you not folks, click here to see Republican Senate candidate Alan Gold Schlesinger's campaign blog (Google-me training wheels and all).

Stunning...simply stunning. You really have to admire Mr. Gold's use of the"a href" tag. It adds just the right touch to an already embarrassing site. Can't wait to see his sitemeter report.

DANGERstein stupidity and now I have to deal with this? I don' t know how much more of this ignorance I can take...

The adventures of DANGERstein: the Rev. Al Sharpton edition

Oh snap...busted again.

Seems like our Lieberman's incredibly idiotic hitman spokesman Dan Gerstein (DANGERstein) was caught lying yet again but unlike previous times, Lieberman's mouthpiece tells two lies at once!

The poor guy, I guess he just can't help himself.

Now before we goof on our favorite member of team Joementum and break down this stunning "Double Whopper with Cheese" of a lie, a little history lesson is required.

Lets flashback to a week before primary day when Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson came to Connecticut to support Ned Lamont. Now, several times Sharpton stated that Joe Lieberman called him and asked him not to support Ned Lamont and jump on the Joementum bandwagon. Now, although I'm sure someone has this on video (and I know I hear him say this) here's Sharpton's quote from the AP:

"Sharpton said Lieberman called him over the weekend to ask for his endorsement, but Sharpton told him he disagrees with him on too many issues."

Now, lets skip to primary night when Sharpton and Jackson both accompanied Lamont on stage during his victory speech. Team Joementum (still feeling the effects from the ass-kicking they received) decided to attack Sharpton, Jackson, as well as Rep. Maxine Waters.

Here's the NY Times piece which includes DANGstein's remarks

Lieberman aides said that Mr. Lamont's association with Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson - both of whom campaigned vigorously for Mr. Lamont - was a political albatross that helped explain why Mr. Lieberman believed he could win over a majority of voters.

"Primary night was the first time that many Connecticut voters saw Lamont on TV, and he's surrounding himself with two of the more divisive and problematic figures in the Democratic Party," said Dan Gerstein, a veteran Lieberman aide who was appointed communications director for the campaign last week.

Well, that statement didn't sit too well with Sharpton as he repeated that Lieberman called him and asked him not to campaign for Lamont and support him instead.

Now, this is where things get really good.

Remember that GQ article Ken Cain wrote about spending quality time with the dishonest Lieberman campaign during the primary? Well, Cain was on Colin McEnroe's show talking about his latest article when good ol' DANGERstein calls up and lashes out against Cain calling him a liar (dumb move) and accuses Shaprton of lying about ever having a conversation with Lieberman prior to the primary (very dumb move). Listen to the mp3 clip.

Now, you know it was going to be a matter of time until DANGERstein's words catch up with and in this case, it only took about 12 hours (give or take).

Today, Jennifer Medina calls out DANGERstein on his obvious lie. Read as this pathetic nutcase reminds us just how dishonest the Lieberman camp really is when it comes to telling the truth.

Mr. Sharpton has grown increasingly upset with that characterization, saying that Mr. Lieberman called personally before the primary and asked him not to back Mr. Lamont. After Mr. Gerstein told a local radio show yesterday that Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Lieberman never spoke, the reverend was even more agitated. "The timing of these denials is interesting," he said this afternoon. "And the tone of the comments they are making is really beneath them and I don't think it is good for American politics."

Mr. Lieberman said this afternoon that he did, in fact, speak to Mr. Sharpton briefly. He also said the two had been on friendly terms since running against each other for president in 2004. "We had a relationship, we disagreed on issues, but I thought we had a pretty good relationship, if I didn't, I wouldn't have called," Mr. Lieberman said.

Mr. Gerstein told us that he apologized if he was not clear during the radio interview.

Oh, he was crystal clear during the interview. Listen again. DANGERstein gets caught in a lie and tries to cover it up by a TELLING ANOTHER LIE.

You can't make this type of stupidity up folks...

Help Ned Lamont become Russ Feingold's next Progressive Patriot

Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund is having another online poll and the lucky winner receives a national fundraising email in behalf of Senator Feingold.

Help Ned Lamont beat the competition.

While Rell tries to run out the clock, questions remain unanswered

The Hartford Courant has a piece that talks about Gov. Rell's efforts to avoid John DeStefano at all costs.

Up 32 points in the most prominent poll, Gov. M. Jodi Rell is like a quarterback holding a fourth-quarter lead: She is trying to run out the clock, hoping she'll still be ahead when the game ends on Election Day.

[...]

Beyond the debates, DeStefano's campaign is charging that Rell is avoiding DeStefano in person and turning down invitations in which the two candidates could appear jointly. Rell did not attend a forum at the Northeast Utilities corporate headquarters two weeks ago for the quarterly release of The Connecticut Economy, an economic report published by the University of Connecticut. Instead, Rell's running mate, former state Rep. Michael Fedele, attended and delivered a speech after DeStefano made his remarks. Neither Rell nor Fedele attended a conference on disabilities on Saturday at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford, where DeStefano delivered a speech. The paucity of Rell appearances and the delays in setting debate rules have developed into a pattern, DeStefano says.

Should someone like Rell, who once was second in command during the Rowland administration, be required to answer the following questions regarding herself and the tactics used by of certain members of her administration.

* What was her association with former Gov. John Rowland during his scandal.

* What is Lisa Moody's status of Cheif of staff. (and why isn't Moody fired).

* What did she know during the nomination of  Peter T. Zarella.

* What issues  would she address if re-elected.

* Explain whether or not she broke her pledge  to not accept any money from state contractors (although Rell stated that she would explain herself, there has been no comment from her campaign regarding this distrubing matter to date).


* Explain why  she is paying contractors that "were identified back in 2004 as being involved in various state government corruption scandals."

Aren't these legitimate questions and doesn't the public deserve answers?

After everything the voters of Connecticut have been through, it's unfair for the governor to simply look at approval rating and feel that she doesn't have to expalin herself to the public. John Roland former chief of staff explains Rell's playbook.

"Frankly, Gov. Rowland wanted to debate his opponents because he felt he would do better than his opponents," Pagani said Tuesday. "The polls are so lopsided in favor of Gov. Rell that to use a third-party candidate as a foil shows that the Rell campaign is being overly cautious.

Now, is this fair? After everything this state has gone through, should someone who was second in command during the Rowland administration be allowed to avoid campaigning?

There are simply too many questions that have gone unanswered by the Rell administration and is she's allowed to simply run out the clock...we all lose.

What do you think?

Is it fair for Gov. Rell to avoid campaigning or answering questions
	Yes, she's the governor and she has a high approval rating.
	No, she's not serving the public by avoiding campaigning or dodging questions.
	I don't know
Free polls from Pollhost.com

GQ piece

If there is one article that completely captures the primary race between Lamont and Lieberman this summer, this is it.

I saw Ken Cain several times during my travels and I knew he had a good story on his hands but MAN, did he ever nail it on the head.

People accused bloggers of being unfair towards the Lieberman camp during the primary but Ken vindicates everything we said about the dishonest team Joementum.

Although I strongly encourage EVERYONE to read the article in full, Lamontblog highlighted two gems.

On Sen. Lieberman's traveling Potemkin Village, also known as the "Tomorrow Tour":

A small gaggle of cameramen wait in the shade. Kids in bright Lieberman T-shirts, some paid to be there, array themselves around the perimeter, at the unsubtle directions of Joe's advance staff, and wait for the signal to simulate spontaneous enthusiasm. The bus arrives with police escort and disgorges a phalanx of press and staff. Joe's driver, Joe Derosier, a man with big hands, belly, tattoos, and smile, steps off the bus and rubs his eyes. The cameramen come out into the light and get in the ready position, and then everyone waits for an uncomfortably long time in the sun until Joe finally bounds out of the bus, trying in vain to fake the look of recently arrived exuberance.

The first human within reach is Derosier. Joe grabs his hand and embraces him in a full-on man-clench for the cameras, as though Derosier were a faithful supporter who drove out to the mouth of the Norwalk River just because he's eager to hear more about Joe's support for bike trails. I turn to the young staffer next to me and say, "Wait, that's his driver he just embraced!" She shrugs like, No shit, you idiot, that's how this works. And she's right. This event might as well be taking place on a soundstage. All that matters is that the manufactured support looks real on the evening news tonight and in the paper tomorrow.

On Sen. Lieberman's hemming and hawing on Iraq in the back of the (mostly empty) bus:

"...I say all the time, to just remind people, that I was very critical of Bush and Rumsfeld, post-Saddam. History will judge them, and I think it will judge them very harshly on that. It's part of the reason why we're in such difficulty today. Not the only reason. Those forces-well, anyway-"

"I haven't heard you say that. As one nonvoting constituent, it gives me faith to hear that."

"You mean about the Bush screwups?"

"Yeah, and that history will judge them harshly. That sounds new."

"Yeah, you know, I do say it, but, I don't know, it's interesting. I-we may look back at this-" He stops again and laughs bitterly....

The most fascinating thing in politics is the intersection between a grave policy question and an individual leader's personality. In my opinion, there's a major psychodrama playing out in Joe's head about Iraq. He aborts every sentence that implies a concession that he made a mistake. It's like his conscience starts to get just a bit ahead of his pride, and then the hubris races to catch up and tackles the concession midsentence....

On an adult Lieberman supporter supervising a bunch of kids protesting, of all things, Ned's endorsement by the machinists' union:

I ask him if he's a volunteer for the Lieberman campaign. "I don't know," he says. "I don't think I'm supposed to say."

"Wait, you don't know who you work for?"

"The less I know the better," he says.

"What are you guys up to, exactly? Are these kids supposed to be protesting the machinists' endorsement of Ned?"

"I just brought them out here," he says. "That's all I do. That's all I know."

On D.C. lobbyist Richard Goodstein supervising a bunch of Lieberman kids at "Cheeseburger-gate":

The big bald guy is right in my face now. I ask him where he's from, what his role is here, and he shouts and wags his finger and demands my credentials, yelling to the crowd that I'm not a legitimate reporter and I must be with Ned. Suddenly, I realize the goal here is to provoke Ned into overreacting on-camera. And if not him, then someone on his staff. And it's working; I want badly to take a swing at this lunatic, and I'm not even on the campaign. I flash back to yesterday and the Banana Man and the thug yelling at Tom Swan, "Hit me! Do it!"

Today's poll shows that Ned has surged ahead by thirteen points, and it dawns on me that this is their Hail Mary tactic....

This is only a small sample of the screw-ups from the Lieberman campaign.

Cain was on Colin McEnroe's show recently and talked about his article and you can hear it by clicking here

Thanks for telling the true story Ken!

Jane to national NARAL: Nice going

Jane Hamsher details the rift (or disconnect) between the Connecticut chapter of NARAL and the national NARAL in regards to endorsing Republicans Joe Lieberman and Jodi Rell.

It's not pretty folks.

New polling info released

Rasmussen reports released their latest poll ont the governor and senate races today.

Courtney vs. Simmons

There are advantages and disadvantages to living in the Danbury area. Some advantages are living close to New York City and being only a 30-40 minute drive from most of the major cities in Connecticut. One of the disadvantages of living here is not knowing enough about what is happening on the eastern side of the state adn that beings us to Rob Simmons-Joe Courtney debate from last night.

You see, I live in the New York City market and my cable provider only carries MYTV9-WWOR TV, not the Connecticut version of MYTV-9, which carried the debate last night. Until someone uploads the complete debate (or if it's re-broadcasted on CT-N), I won't be able to see it so I have to rely on reports for my news.

Usually, Ted Mann writes killer articles for the Day but his report on the debate was unusually short and not very informative. Maybe the print version will be longer.

But never fear, bloggers are always on the scene and lucky for me, one of my favorite blogs, CTBlue, filed a more detailed report which explains how Courtney tore Simmons to shreds.

Overall I thought Joe came across well. He won. He demonstrated a superior knowledge of the issues, including Iraq, and he was able to debate without falling back on spin points and cliches. (It should be a capital offense for a politician to say "9-11 changed everything". What they really mean is 9-11 excuses everything).

The crowd was decidedly weighted toward Courtney. I kid you not. We filled up (appropriately) the center to the left of the auditorium, while the Simmons crowd was concentrated in the extreme right wing, with plenty of empty seats toward the back.

I encourage all who want to know what happened to read CTBlue's entire post. I don't want to blockquote his remarks as his post is a good read and includes video highlights of several key moments of the debate.

UPDATE: Reports from the event are coming in which echoes the views of CTBlue.

I was there. The Courtney contingent was much more visible and pumped up in the audience, I'm guessing it was 2/3 Courtney and 1/3 Simmons. Courtney did a good job. Ted Mann did a good job with his questions, but Morgan McGinley of the Day was terrible--his question was along the lines of "since entitlements like social security have run us into a deficit, how can this be dealt with?". Courtney was excellent in rebuttal that it's the Republicans who have landed us in the budget mess, not "entitlements". Overall, Courtney seemed to be in command of the facts and to give much better answers. He has gotten stronger as a speaker as he's gone on, in my opinion.

Business as usual for Gov Rowland-Rell

Finally, it seems like the press is beginning to document the "business as usual" activities of Gov. Jodi Rowland-Rell. You see, there really is no difference between the activities of John Rowland and those of Jodi Rell.  Her list of "accomplishments" that she brags about is nothing more than a smokescreen designed to deceive the public and keeps people from asking her about how she plans to address the various issues plaguing our state.

Karl Rove would be proud.

One only needs to look at the deails to see the true story of this "out to lunch" administration and that brings me to this gem of an article in today's New Haven Register which details how  the governor is STILL paying state contractors who were involved in various corruption scandals. I think the governor has some explaining to do.

The state has paid more than $7.7 million in the past two years to contracting companies that were identified back in 2004 as being involved in various state government corruption scandals.

Two of the companies linked to state scandals, Earth Technologies Inc. and Earth Technologies II, LLC, are based in North Haven and are owned by Frank Ruocco.

Together, Ruocco's environmental and construction cleanup firms are continuing to work for several state agencies and have received more than $3.35 million in taxpayer dollars since their involvement in corruption scandals were first cited in state reports.

A third company, Unicco Services Co., saw its long-running contract with the state Department of Transportation end in August 2005. But it still received a total of $4.4 million in state payments in the past two years, including $1.23 million since the contract was halted.

Democrats would like to know why the governor still doing business with these contractors?

"Certainly, I think the state can decide who it does business with," said the co-chairman of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, state Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, D-East Haven. "The governor has a lot of power to stop doing business with someone."

"It just defies logic," said state Rep. Christopher Caruso, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the General Assembly's Government Administration and Elections Committee. "There should be a penalty for ripping off the state…This sends a message that you can rip off the taxpayers and come back and still get more taxpayer money."

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said he agrees that Rell has the power to end the state's relationship with suspect companies. "There are steps the governor can take to prevent these companies from doing business with the state," Blumenthal said.

Again, why is the governor doing business with these corrupt companies. Here's the rundown.

In 2004, state and federal authorities began investigating allegations that Ruocco's companies had done favors for officials in the DEP's oil and chemical spill unit in return for getting state work.

Former Earth Technologies employees told the New Haven Register that Ruocco's company did major work at the homes of several DEP officials at cut-rate or no charge.

Blumenthal's office issued an "interim report" on its civil corruption probe in October 2004 stating that "DEP employees received special favors and sweetheart deals at their homes" from Ruocco’s companies.

Several of Ruocco's former workers said the cost of at least a portion of the work done at Yorke's home was charged to a federally funding environmental cleanup project in Derby.

[...]

The corruption case involving Unicco concerned the DOT's rail operations headquarters at Union Station in New Haven.

State auditors began investigating whistleblower allegations in 2004 that DOT officials circumvented state competitive bidding to award a $546,000 contract for renovation state offices at Union Station to a Woodbridge company called Merritt Builders.

Raymond F. Cox, a former assistant rail administrator, pleaded guilty last month to theft and obstruction of justice in the case.

Like I said, business as usual. The only difference between Rowland and Rell is that the current governor is barely in her office.

To recap, Gov. Rell has given the voters of Connecticut:

• No comment regarding her association with former Gov. John Rowland during the his scandal.

• No comment regarding Lisa Moody's status of Cheif of staff.

• No comment regarding Rell's nomination of Peter T. Zarella.

• No comment regarding her not addressing or listing any issues she would tackle if re-elected on her website.

• No clear answer regarding breaking her pledge to not accept any money from state contractors.

And NOW, we learn that the governor is paying contractors that "were identified back in 2004 as being involved in various state government corruption scandals."

Can the love affair with Gov. Rell stop now?

Slow going

Hey ya'll,

I'm really sorry for the lack of posts today. Joe Lieberman is keeping me very busy and the amount of B.S. he said on "Face the State" is simply amazing. Basically, I'm going processing a great deal of video and it's taking a while to get through everything.

Never fear, I'll be back to full speed soon...

Connecticut's largest AFL-CIO union dumps Joe, backs Lamont

Oh, this has to hurt team Joementum.

One of the state's largest labor unions has dropped its endorsement of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman and switched its support to Democratic primary winner Ned Lamont.

The switch by Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees gives Lamont his biggest boost from organized labor since the primary.

Sal Luciano, the executive director of Council 4, announced the endorsement Sunday, saying that the union wants to see a congressional delegation able to stand up to the Bush administration.

[...]

"Since the Aug. 8 primary, we paid close attention to the remarks of both men," Luciano said. "We saw Joe Lieberman moving closer and closer to Bush, while Ned Lamont held firm in his strong opposition to the direction Bush is taking us."

They're all running away from you Joe.

Turncoat Lieberman

Lamont correctly calls it like he sees it.

NARAL dumps Rell, backs DeStefano

Gov. Rell's decision to support Catholic hospital's refusal to provide the Plan B pill to rape victims results in her losing the support of a major wonen's group.

Traditionally, a leading abortion rights group would endorse a socially tolerant, female governor who supports abortion rights and who is leading in the most prominent poll by 32 percentage points. In fact, the NARAL political action committee endorsed Republican M. Jodi Rell when she ran for lieutenant governor and for the state legislature.

But this year is different.

On Friday, the group endorsed New Haven Mayor John DeStefano after expressing disappointment in Rell and her running mate, former state Rep. Michael Fedele of Stamford.

In one of the most controversial issues at the state Capitol this year, Rell opposed forcing Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. The Catholic hospitals opposed a bill to change state law, saying their religious beliefs would be compromised if all state hospitals were required to provide the morning-after contraceptive pill that is known as Plan B. Despite approval by the budget-writing appropriations committee, the full House and Senate never voted on the bill.

Rell's position on Plan B was a critical factor in causing her to lose NARAL's endorsement.

"That caused us a lot of concern because that was our priority issue this year," said Carolyn Treiss, NARAL's executive director. "She wasn't there for us."

Processing

Ugh.

Sorry for the delay in posting but I simply have too much video to process and upload right now. Don't fear, I'm keeping a close eye on the lying Lieberman camp as well as the Shay's campaign which seems to be talking through both sides of it's ass.

And trust me, there is PLENTY of Rell hypocrisy to cover (why is she dodging DeStefano).

developing.