From Ken Dixon, CT Post:
Endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley of Greenwich journeyed into the belly of the beast on Monday, promising about 500 Connecticut union leaders that he would not lay off state employees to balance the state budget.
During an address to the Connecticut AFL-CIO punctuated by brief, critical laughter and culminating in tepid applause, Foley promised to adhere to existing union agreements.“I’m a good listener and I’m a straight talker,” said Foley, who is in a three-way August 12 primary race for the party nomination with Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield. “If you have my word on something, you can count on it. We need to bring more and better jobs to Connecticut.”
Full story here.
The CT Post article states:
“Foley referred to Wisconsin as a positive step against one-party state government.”
Whoops! Since 2011, Wisconsin’s executive branch and legislature have been GOP led … making it 1 of 23 Republican state government trifectas in 2014.
Source: ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_State_Legislature
If you’re Malloy, you’ve got to love Foley flubbing this before a meeting hall of the CT AFL-CIO … just moments after a visiting union leader from Wisconsin got up and claimed what’s been happening in her state is coming to CT if CT union members don’t act.
Fair comparison?
While political history doesn’t predict the future, it’s interesting to review.
WISCONSIN–pretty red state over the past 20 years!
From 1992-2013, its state house, senate, and governor: unified GOP majority 5 of 20 years; GOP governor with a GOP majority in at least one chamber of legislature: 17 of 20 years; state house and senate majority Democrat: 3 of 20 years.
CONNECTICUT–very blue state over the past 20 years!
From 1992-2013, its state house, senate, and governor: unified GOP majority 0 of 20 years; GOP governor with a GOP majority in at least one chamber of legislature: 2 of 20 years; state house and senate majority Democrat: 18 of 20 years.
WI and CT the same? Doomed to both be the province of the Koch brothers? Apples to apples? Nope.
But Wisconsin has a better economy, lower taxes, higher employment, growing population and more opportunity. CT is exactly the opposite. Doomed to be the province of the public-sector unions. Even the Republican candidate had to promise to not fire any of them. Why do your job or take a pay cut if you have a promise like that? It is not like tax money belongs to anyone. The Democrats are going to spend it one way or the other. The unions may as well get it.