We have double Pol Pod action today featuring the two warriors in one of the most-watched congressional races in the country: 21-year incumbent Christopher Shays of Bridgeport, the last standing New England Republican in the House of Representatives, and Democratic opponent Jim Himes of Greenwich with his central campaign office in Bridgeport.
Bridgeport is the key to Shays’ survival and Himes’ arrival. The latest registration numbers coming from local election officials (thank you Linda and Pat for your help) show the city’s total registration nearing 64,000 voters and climbing, the majority on the Democratic side as a result of disgust with George Bush and inspiration from Barack Obama. That’s the highest registration figures for the city since the 1980s.
The city has roughly 41,300 Dems, 4,600 Republicans and 17,600 unaffiliated.
In 2004, the last presidential year, Bridgeport’s turnout was about 63 percent while most of the other communities in the congressional district that runs from Greenwich to Bridgeport and inland to towns such as Oxford, Trumbull, Monroe, Redding and Ridgefield, hit 85 to 90 percent.
Himes clearly will have Barack’s breeze at his back. His larger challenge is making sure that those new voters inspired by Obama don’t fill in his oval and his oval only. That is a historical tendency with thousands of voters in a presidential election. There’s always a drop-off from the president to the next in line. The Himes campaign must educate Barack voters not to forget him.
Shays, on the other hand, has a different task in the city. He knows he cannot win Bridgeport, but he also knows voters are coming out. The goal: stay as close as possible. That means there’s a premium on hammering home a message that resonates with city voters. Translation: I live here, own property here, pay taxes here. I understand your pain.
My sense is if Shays secures above 35 percent of the vote in Bridgeport he survives because his standing is still strong in the suburban Republican strongholds.
Either way, the dynamics suggest this will be a close race. I conducted interviews with both Shays (in the morning) and Himes (in the afternoon) on Thursday. Click here to listen.
Chris Shays: {running time: 11:14}
Jim Himes: {running time: 7:19}
Mac’s Rocky Mountain Report
City Council President Tom McCarthy had one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences this week taking in the Democratic National Convention. To paraphrase Joe Walsh: bases are loaded and Bush is at bat…time to change the batter. Mac filed this report shortly before Barack Obama delivered his historic acceptance speech.
I am writing from the field of Invesco Field aka Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The stadium is full of 80,000 plus energetic Democrats. The first three days of the Democratic National Convention were held at the Pepsi Center. The Pepsi Center is a little bigger than the Arena at Harbor Yard. It was packed all week and it was impossible to get in without credentials. Invesco Field is different because the Democratic Party gave out more than 50,000 tickets to anyone who wanted to come.
This is truly an open convention.
The energy in the stadium is tremendous. It is like a rock concert with everyone stomping their feet for the main event. Tonight’s main event is the political rockstar: Barack Obama. Al Gore spoke earlier. When he spoke it makes you remember how the 2000 election was stolen and how much better off we would be if Gore had been allowed to take office.
Getting back to the rock concert, so far the Black Eyed Peas, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder have performed. This is truly a one in a lifetime event and I am thrilled to be here. Vote Democrat!!!!!
Communications Director
Elaine Ficarra, a colleague of mine when we both worked for the predecessor paper of the Connecticut Post, has been hired to serve as spokesperson for Mayor Bill Finch. Elaine has lots of experience in corporate and cultural communications, and she knows much about the city. There was a vacancy in the position for a few months with the departure of Kaitlin Lesnick. Deputy Chief of Staff Ruben Felipe handled the responsibilities temporarily. Hey, Ruby, are you glad I won’t be annoying you as much? Elaine will earn $82K a year in the job. Keep your sense of humor, Elaine! See Finch news release below:
Mayor Bill Finch today announced that Elaine K. Ficarra will join his staff as communications director effective Sept. 2. She will oversee communications and serve as spokesperson for the mayor and other city departments.
Ficarra, who will replace Kaitlin Lesnick, who left in July to pursue other opportunities in Washington, D.C, has more than 25 years of experience in journalism, communications and marketing. She comes to the city from her position as director of marketing & public relations for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven. While overseeing all facets of the festival’s marketing and public relations efforts she was instrumental in an extensive re-branding effort that aided in broadening the festival’s visibility and impact as one of the premier arts festivals in the Northeast.
“Elaine brings extensive experience in Bridgeport, which will be valuable to the city. She has worked for the city’s largest newspaper and one of the largest businesses in the city. That combination should aid our communications efforts and allow her to hit the ground running,” said Mayor Finch.
Ficarra is the former features editor of the Connecticut Post, where she worked from 1980 to 2001. Prior to her post in New Haven, she was manager of employee communications at Bridgeport-based People’s Bank.
She graduated from Northeastern University with a BA in Journalism. Ficarra lives in Milford with her husband, Wayne Ratzenberger.
I have NOT been chosen as John McCain’s running mate. Consequently, I am available to blog (here) at will. Besides, I’m a Democrat.
A democrat! Really? What a surprise.
Sarah Palin is McCain’s choice as his running mate.
Congratulations Senator Obama, this move has ensured your election as POTUS.
Sarah Palin reminds me a lot of Anna. After so many people rejected McCain’s offer, Palin accepts. It’s a lot like Anna’s social life. Some guy looking for a date calls fifty girls all of whom turn him down so he reaches Anna on his list and she says OK.
This is also a good lesson for “Cougar”. Hang in there. Don’t stop at 50. Keep calling. Someone is bound to agree to go to the movies with you.
?
UNF---INGBELIEVABLE!!!
McCain chooses Palin! Good grief!
If anyone wondered whether McCain or Obama would build a stronger leadership team to change and run this country, McCain’s choice should remove all doubt: It’s Obama!
If anyone wondered whether McCain or Obama had better judgement and critical thinking skills regarding the leadership (and succession) needs of this country, that call provides the answer: It’s Obama!
If anyone wondered how McCain’s choice of a running mate might influence the vote of thinking Republicans, the answer is, A LOT!
The Vice President of the United States…only a heartbeat away from the Presidency!
Yahooy here you go again with your uninformed BS. How many people rejected the Vpresidency under McCain and who are they? You have no names and are just posting pure BS. You should make yourself Philistine of the year.
I can’t wait for her to debate that old retread Joe Biden; she will hand him his ass.Yahooy you keep bringing up that the same old politicians keep getting elected and keep running; a new face shows up and right away you are in the gutter. Take the time to look at her resume.
Wondering.
Are you a product of the Bridgeport Public School system?
Yes and I am also the product of an Ivy-league education. What’s your point? Address the questions and let’s not get into the belittling aspects for which you are well known.
People honestly think that naming Joe Biden to his team as VP was a strong move. Biden stands for everything that is wrong in Washington. Having never held down any other job but US Senator. Here is a man that twice ran for president and was soundly rejected by his own party.
A few months ago he was talking about how inexperienced Obama was and how he should never be commander-in-Chief and now he is blowing smoke up Obama’s pants leg.
Now according to Biden Obama is qualified to be C-in-C and is experienced. How did this happen? It happened because Biden is a whore and will say what he has to. Leadership–I don’t think so.
I just got off the phone with Will Lee. Will as you may recall has spent his entire career in elected public office having attained a position of high-level responsibility. I think it safe to rely on his opinion as to matters which relate to current politics.
Will, unabashedly, agrees with Yahooy. He thinks that the “short list” was carefully watching Obama’s every move. When Biden was selected and gave such an inspirational acceptance speech followed by Obama’s magnificent presentation to the public, it became clear that the republican quest for four more years is, indeed, an unlikely effort. The cognoscenti on that “short list” opted out. Too much expenditure of precious political capital with no real benefit attached. With hands tossed skyward and maybe-next-time expressions on their faces the short-listers ebbed from the limelight to reenergize for future embattlements fully aware that the past eight years have damned their party to near irreparablity.
Will suggests that Sarah Palin, for sure, possesses great personal qualities and characteristics as well as drive and determination and is the epitome of the functional family unit. Good values. That’s quite admirable.
McCain is fortunate that he ended up with her.
I asked Will if her selection would make a difference. Would she complement McCain so as to offer skills in areas where he has none and would she win the voting public away from Obama. He said no.
Wondering.
The reason I asked if you were a product of the Bridgeport Public School system is because you sound dumb and probably are. The fact that you went to an Ivy college is not surprising. So did Cougar.
Ice Lady Palin will melt under the intensity of media scrutiny and wade back to Alaska.
yahooy // Aug 29, 2008 at 1:47 pm
“The reason I asked if you were a product of the Bridgeport Public School system is because you sound dumb and probably are.”
Wow…
Summer Wind…you flatulent fabricant…I agree with you.
Cougie…
You’re not your verbose self today. Very few words with, as usual, no impact. Nursing a hangover after last night’s festivities?
Cougie…
You left this part out of your last stupid post…”The fact that you went to an Ivy college is not surprising. So did Cougar.”
Please accept my best wishes to all for a pleasant and safe holiday weekend. It always amazes me how fast the summer flies by.
I’m off to buy an Obama/Biden pin to wear next to my Shays pin.
Blah-blah-blah, as per usual here. McCain chose a woman for his running mate. The mother of five is anti-abortion, has served one term as the mayor of a small “Northern Exposure” type town, and is in the second year of her first term as governor of Alaska. Oh, let’s not forget that she favors drilling for oil and natural gas in the national wildlife refuges of Alaska. She appeals to the single-issue voters as well as the big-business types that will rape anything for the almighty dollar. “Wildlife, what wildlife? You mean those deers and polar bears and and that sort of thing? Hell, they’ll find somewheres to go…”
Biden is an excellent choice for Obama. Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside. Obama is the idea man and visionary, Biden is the experienced pol that knows how the system inside the D.C. Beltway works. He’s also a distinguished member of the U.S. Senate, having served rather honorably on the Judiciary committee.
yahooy // Aug 29, 2008 at 2:04 pm
“I’m off to buy an Obama/Biden pin to wear next to my Shays pin.”
THE UPCOMING ELECTION will give me the first chance to vote for a President younger than me (gulp).
yahooy: stay on-topic; I got my Obama/Biden pin for free and wear it wherever Shays goes (zen moment).
Wondering: NO ONE owes you an answer to any question AND your Ivy League education has less credibility than the Stevie Wonder School of Driving (giggle).
Stone Barrington:
Thanks for the explanation (#13). – I can understand those who were on the short list turning down McCain’s invitation to run as VP with the ticket that Obama has crafted. – It now makes sense. (I have been searching my mind for an explanation.)
In no way am I impugning the talent or integrity of Mrs. Palin but how can one legitimately defend such a choice? Can you just see the panic in the country should McCain be elected and then die one week into his presidency? What would that poor woman do?
This comes from a life-long Republican with the exception of the last eight years when I’ve been an enrolled “Independent”.
Local eyes. If a person is going to make charges against someone they should at the very least have the facts. There is nothing wrong with criticism or differing views but one should at least know what they are talking about. It’s like a lot of things that are written here. No proof, no substance; only the wishful rantings of a nervous person.
What I see are a lot of people that are in shock over McCain’s choice. A smart, young, aggressive women with credentials. She will handle the washington insider when they debate.
These things are funnier in threes…
yahooy // Aug 29, 2008 at 1:47 pm
“The reason I asked if you were a product of the Bridgeport Public School system is because you sound dumb and probably are.”
So what citadel of knowledge have you attended, Yahooy? How long was your bus?
Hell, I was still on the fence waiting to see if the pick of a running mate (V/P) would help me decide who I would be voting for in Nov. Well it didn’t; however it did bring me a bit closer towards Obama I must say! As I find out more about McCain’s pick & watch the Republican Convention, I will hopefully decide. I wonder how well Gov. Rell might have done if picked by the McCain Camp? Oh well, time will tell very soon!
Lennie:
The comment below #35 was posted by me on August 27.
“Obama is simply lucky that Rezko is not Paul Pinto or Lennie Grimaldi and will not “snitch” on his friends like he has publicly stated.
City Kitty with her poor reading comprehension level stated that I was insulting you by the comment above.
At no time did I say or implied that you or Paul Pinto are snitches. I clearly point out that Rezko had stated that he would not snitch on his friends. Rezko has denied that Obama (hey, I forgot the ‘N’!) was involved in his criminal activities. He then made the not snitching on friends comment. The way I see it, if NObama had nothing to do with his criminal activities, then what is there to “snitch” about in the first place?
There is a possibility that I spoke too soon in saying NObama is lucky that Rezko is not Lennie or Paul Pinto.
Read today’s suntimes article and get an idea of NObama’s potential motive for voting against the war in Iraq and his ties to corruption in the Windy City.
www .suntimes.com/news/metro/rezko/1131492,CST-NWS-watchrezko28.article
Enjoy NObama fans!
I wonder if Will Lee (post #13) is Bill Clinton…
Pretty nice jump in pay for the new Communications Director. Lesnick was being paid $44k and the new Director is being paid $82k … she must be pretty good.
How can anyone really take this guy (Finch) seriously when he cries the blues regarding city finances? The money never seems to be an issue when it comes to his people. Just wait and see what happens over at the new Emergency Operations Center … word I’m hearing is that there will be quite a few jobs to be handed and the pay scale for the new dispatchers will be higher than the current dispatchers are receiving. Sounds like another real winner for the city. Once again, politics getting in the way of good government!
park city fan:
See how this sounds. I attended the City Council meeting when they voted on the Emergency Operation Center funding. James Holloway and Bob Walsh asked about the amount of savings (including overtime) that the city would gain by approving the EOC project. No one had the figures and Holloway then asked if any representative from the Police Department was there to answer some questions and explain why it was necessary to change the current process of answering to emergencies.
I believe that it was Deputy Chief Gaudett who then approached the microphone and gave this explanation. He said that there are over 100,000 police-related emergencies and it pales in comparison with fire emergencies. The 911 calls directly goes to the fire emergency center on Congress Street. If a call is a fire emergency, the center quickly dispatches the fire unit. If the call is a Police-related emergency, the dispatcher at the Fire department will transfer the call to the police dispatch center in the basement of City Hall by hitting a switch (this takes a second or two) where they will dispatch the police. He had no money-saving figures or the cost of overtime at the current centers. By approving the resolution for the new EOC the calls will go immediately to the Police or Fire dispatchers.
None of the Council Members listened to his explanation and didn’t follow the logic here.
For about $100, this problem could have been solved. All that was required was to call the phone company and have them switch the phone lines so that the Emergency calls go directly to the Police Dispatch Center first which makes sense considering that the majority of the calls (over 100,000) are police-emergency related.
Citizens can not interfere or participate in the so-called legislative process at City Hall, I was closer than I have ever been to breaking that rule. But then again that’s the kind of so-called leaders they elected.
Here’s the Rezko, Obama and Biden connection.
www .suntimes.com/news/blogentries/index.html?bbPostId=B4jhSTW4PgUEBBhg3Bli3
T1tCzDifo10MjFIVCz709YN58LfpN
&bbParentWidgetId=B8k88rWwXopuz5STgLeVwBLu
There’s no place like Nome.
Here’s a link to a pdf federal court file that implicates Nobama in the Rezko scandal.
www .suntimes.com/images/cds/MP3/prosobama.pdf
On # 37 start on page 17 if you want to go directly to NObama’s allegations.
No Grin Ripper (#36); there really is no place like Nome. I’ve been there, I know Nome, and there ain’t no place like Nome.
Ok, I couldn’t take not posting any longer. First of all I (gulp) agree with Yahooy on something. Obama and Biden, they are the only chance America has at returning to the days when America’s dollar was strong, we were respected world leaders, we cared about civil rights and we thought education was a right.
However I have to once again defend against the criticism of party loyalty equating to blind loyalty. I disagree, I disagree, and I disagree. Show me a Republican who is pro-choice, believes that education and health care are basic inalienable rights, who doesn’t believe that oil company profits are more important than consumer’s wallets, who wants to end the war as expediently as possible, and who will admit that Bush and Cheney lied to the American people to justify the spilled blood of Americans, for oil, and personal profit, who doesn’t want to drill in the protected Alaskan territories, who understands that alternative energy and conservation and higher fuel standards are the main ways to cut dependence on foreign oil, who hasn’t voted with Bush 90% of the time, who believes in the separation of church and state, who doesn’t want creationism taught in school, who wants to protect our phones from unauthorized government tapping, who doesn’t believe the voice of the NRA is actually God, who will fight for equal pay for equal rights, who believes in a living wage, and believes that America should use every diplomatic tool available before going to war and I’ll show you a Democrat and someone for whom I would vote. No way, no how, no McCain, no Shays, no Russo, no Joel.
I know Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton is a friend of someone I know, and Palin is no Hillary Clinton. Palin’s experience pales in comparison. (Mayor of a town with 6,000 people; Less than 2 years as Governor of a State with a population the same as Boston’s.) Any comparison is an exercise in absurdity. Hillary is a Yale-educated attorney, with more than a 30-year history of helping people, a former first lady, a two-term Senator who is also a mother and a wife, and doesn’t have issue one in common with Palin. She is a gun-toting, anti-women’s rights, ultra conservative. Does McCain really think his VP choice will woo woman? I think not. I hope not.
clichebpt you are correct. No way, no how, no McCain, no Shays, no Russo, no Joel haha I love it. McCain vp pick has to be the greatest thing for the Dems. She was a part of that bridge to nowhere in Alaska. Those are not people we need. Barack’s speech was one of the best I have seen in my young lifetime.
You know, clichebpt has just put up 2 of the best posts I have ever seen on the OIB blog.
Thank you clichebpt.
Why, thank you kind sir. JBR a scholar and a gentleman.
Wondering … Obama’s speech said everything that he has not and he came out hitting the Republicans hard. So are you voting for McSame and the bridge to nowhere in Alaska Palin?
Is there still a job hiring freeze @ the city of Bpt.? If there is, you would not know it with all the new job creations & such. Also I hear J. Buchanon from WICC will be working temp. for the city on a program concerning public relations & communications in Bpt.??? What’s next???
cliche bpt on #40:
You should have stuck to not posting. I’m pro-choice and I believe that a woman has the right to choose correctly. As soon as my wife began having the signs of pregnancy, we went to her doctor and it was confirmed that she was pregnant. The doctor said, “you are having a baby.” She was just weeks into her pregancy. She made the decision to have it without any consideration of aborting. She chose correctly. Roe Vs. Wade is the only supreme court ruling based on fraud and deceit.
www .historicaldocuments.com/RoevWade.htm
Read and you shall be better informed. Jane Roe was used by her attorney to take her case to the Supreme court. Roe claimed that the baby she was having was a product of a rape and when she revealed her identity in the ’80s she admited that her baby (a girl) whch she then gave up for adoption, was not a product of a rape and in her book she tells the whole story. I’m anti-abortion and it’s better than being a baby killer. Have your right to choose and choose correctly. NRA has their legitimate arguments and like Roe vs Wade the right to bear arm is Constitutional. Regardless of what position the NRA has, I have my own views regarding some gun laws or the lack thereof. Example cliche is shot in the head in Bpt. The shooter gets away and is later arrested and no gun is recovered. Cliche’s shooter plea-bargains and gets 25 years. Is the crime solved? Are the people safe now that cliche’s shooter is in jail? You and those that think like you would say, “yes” but he should have gotten 50 years.
Even if the shooter got 70 years, it’s still not safe and the whole crime is not solved. Why? Because the gun is still out there. As a State Rep. I would move to pass laws that would really take guns off the streets. Cliche’s shooter would have to turn in the gun used as part of the plea bargain agreement and he would not even be allowed any bond. Your ignorance and that of those here agreeing with you stands out, how in hell would I approve of paying so much for gasoline not to mention my light bill and the high cost of food etc. I believe in School prayer. Why? Because if Stratford High School (Red Devils) and West Haven High School (Blue Devils) cam parade the image of the devil on their uniforms, students should be allowed to say the pledge of allegiance and have prayers during school-sponsored ceremonies. I know why I have my views and positions unlike many of you here who come here and write nothing when you post your comments. You take a position just because someone you like has taken that position. I still don’t see the NObama fans’ comments on Rezko. What’s the matter you all are doing like NObama-ignore it and it’ll go away.
Joel clichebpt forgot to add sane to the list. That definitely leaves you out. ANYONE who cuts their own finger off is stupid and nuts.
I attended public schools, elementary, secondary and collegiate (thru baccalaureate). I earn more than $25/hr. Point?
donj; Sarah Palin certainly was an interesting pick. Just to clear up one thing for you. Palin rejected the bridge to nowhere and told the Feds thanks but no thanks. In fact she told the feds if Alaska needed a bridge they would pay for it and build it with no federal help.
What amazes me is on this blog day after day people moan about the same old politicians running for office. They moan there is no one new coming to the forefront and running for office. They moan we need a change in the type of candidate we get to vote for. They moan about the lemming-type approach to party loyalty vis-a-vis I will vote for a party no matter who they run.
A new and exciting candidate comes forward on the national front and we have all this negative BS coming out.
I thought this is what people on this blog were looking for. To steal yahooy’s award I think this blog deserves the Philistine of the week award.
Wondering I’m not surprised by the BS the Republicans and you serve up and believe. But I’m surprised that you have acquired a taste for eating it too.
Badboy Now that was a real intelligent comeback. I congratulate you on all the effort you put into this latest post.
Wondering, no effort whatsoever; you do not require any.
Very Good you are getting better.
Bpt citizens I heard that George Estrada has hired Dave Cody from constr services to work at the Univ.of Bpt. Too bad he can’t take tony d, for fear any entity with the name Bpt in it is open game for tony d. George would have a difficult time explaining tony d’s sticky fingers.
You know, Wondering? I don’t recall seeing your picture on a Wheaties box. You know why? Because Wheaties is the “Breakfast of Champions”. You’re not a champion, you’re a purveyor of brain farts.
You criticize people because they suggest that Sarah Palin was not a great choice especially when they further suggest that there weren’t a heck of a lot of Republicans VP candidates out there willing to endure a probable defeat. What makes you think McCain got the nomination. Best man? Nobody better wanted it.
Wondering … That just shows you know nothing about her you are a fool do your research on her. She supported the bridge to nowhere in Alaska then she flip-flopped and then didn’t support it. So instead of just listening to what she said yesterday you should try to learn more about her because every single media channel said she supported the bridge to nowhere and now she does not. Clinton supporters won’t be backing her she is so damn conservative. This is a easy win for Obama.
donj,
I gave you a B on content and an F on form. Rewrite post #57 paying attention to grammar and spelling.
Communication is very important in life. If you are going to pretend to know a lot about a lot, then you will have to have the ability to articulate your thoughts. Otherwise, you will always be considered a dumb windbag like Wondering.
“Iraq signs $3B oil deal with China” a la CNN.
Amazing. Utterly Amazing.
All of you who voted for Bush once or twice…Thanks much!
Let me start this post off by acknowledging the fact that happen to like Jim Himes, as a person. I’ve heard him speak a few times, I’ve spoken to him in person, and he seems like a genuinely likeable individual. That being said, he, like the majority of democrat leaders in this area (Bridgeport), seems to believe that everyone he speaks to is stupid or politically naïve.
Listening to Mr. Himes, one would get the impression that Christopher Shays is SOLELY responsible for the war in Iraq, and Shays is responsible for the Congress Street Bridge being stuck in the open position for the past 12 years, and that Shays is responsible for the country’s floundering economy, etc and so on.
Himes also says that he is a non-partisan candidate, and would be a non-partisan congressman if elected. Recently, Himes held a press conference at the foot of the Congress Street Bridge, where he was flanked by city councilmen and women, State Representatives, and our Mayor. As this cast of cartoons posed for the cameras and repeated what was prepared for them to repeat, Himes whom appeared onto the scene within the last year or so blamed Shays for the Bridge’s condition. Didn’t Himes realize that he was standing amongst the cast of characters whom are really responsible for the Bridge’s condition, today? Robert Keeley (who was not there), a high ranking state representative for 25 years; Christopher Caruso, Currently a state rep 19 years and running, and formerly a city councilman, 26 total years of?dedicated? service to the city of Bridgeport; Mayor Bill Finch, 9 years as a State Senator, preceded by 8 years as a city councilman; Don Clemmons 6 year veteran of the state delegation preceded by a few years on the city council, all positions gained by the vacuum of Ernest Newton’s political advancements; I could go on, but you get the point. The truth is if the Bridgeport delegation, over the past 12 years, would have gone to Hartford and requested the crumbs that fell from the Budget table in Hartford, the Congress Street Bridge could have been rebuilt and the centerlines could have been gold plated. It is Bridgeport’s delegation, in Hartford, not Congressman Shays that should be faulted for the Bridge’s current condition. Aside from that, where has Himes been since the Bridge broke down? 12 years and Himes makes it a big issue now. That is because we are all stupid, aren’t we? I haven’t seen any inquiries into the Bridge’s condition by Himes who states on his resume that he ran a non-profit that fixed these sorts of problems.
As for Iraq, Shays was wrong for his vote on that war, but along with a majority of the U.S. House and Senate who also voted for. It was based on bad information, and as hindsight is always 20-20, everyone is prone to make a bad decision, when it is based on incorrect information.
Now temper your argument against Shays’ distinguished 21 year career as our Congressman, and what you have is a political novice telling savvy voters, throughout the 4th Congressional District, that they have been wrong, all along, for keeping Shays in office. Once again, here is the local Dem Mantra, “everyone we talk to is dumber than us, so we can tell them anything.”
That being said, although I like Himes, I will be voting for Christopher Shays, and I will also be voting for Barack Obama.
yahooy // Aug 29, 2008 at 1:47 pm
“The reason I asked if you were a product of the Bridgeport Public School system is because you sound dumb and probably are.”
yahooy // Aug 30, 2008 at 6:12 am
“I attended public schools, elementary, secondary and collegiate (thru baccalaureate).”
Am I to presume that you are a product of the Bridgeport public school system based on your posts, Yahooy?
PS-I still am very sorry that I did not sell my slot on the mayoral ticket to your friend. That’d be the friend of yours that was telling the public he wouldn’t run after the primary. You know…your friend the “bullshitter.” The “Great” Caruso. The guy you learned it from.
You make over $25 an hour? I am sooo happy for you. Does your employer know that they are paying for your lazy ass to blog all day? There are a lot of good people in Bridgeport pulling in minimum wage doing three times the work you do all day who aren’t surfing Lennie’s blog and posting half the day while ripping off their emplyers. Maybe you should do a switcheroo at your workplace with someone who actually works hard for their income. Clearly any schmuck in the world can do your “job”…your “$25+ an hour” “job.” And what’s that? Two hours a week? Maybe you should do some campaign work. God knows you did such a good job with Caruso. You must be high in demand right now.
Was that post about your massive income meant to attract Anna? Showing off you bling-bling and your fat billfold for your dweeb-like internet crush? Your little “girlfriend on the blog”?
Trying to balance your mental instability with the veneer of financial stability isn’t going to make you a player with the ladies anytime soon, “Yahooy.” Please keep it up. Methinks humanity needs you to refrain from pissing in the gene pool.
Ad hominem attacks are fair when people know who one another are.
In your case they are just plain cowardly. All I know about you is that you are a bitter Carusoite who makes over $25 an hour and who is a casualty of our country’s ability to provide universal mental health care. You hate me but have yet to say one critical or truthful thing about me. You hate me and that brings some modicum of direction in your life and gives your OCD something to fester on. You should savor your moments of clarity on the occasion that they manifest themselves. Those moments are the only things keeping you from being institutionalized or spending your days playing role-playing games and blogging in your mom’s basement.
So sorry you are so lame. Thanks for giving us a lowest common denominator for us to use to gauge the shit from the shinola on this blog.
Having the low end on this blog helps gives the good, honorable, truthful and occasionally courageous postings that much more gravitas.
This has been fun. Keep lobbing your desperate and tepid low blows from afar, you anonymous wimp. Hope you quit the blog sometime soon…again…for the nth time.
Yahooy: You really are something; you can’t enter into a discussion without name-calling. I guess it makes you feel good so have at it.
That being said I guess the other Republicans that participated in the presidential debates were just hanging out and making a show of it. I do know that at least 4 candidates were vetted for the vice-president’s job.
What I said was that people on this blog continually moan that there are no new candidates. They say Why doesn’t someone else run and give us a different option. People here say again and again don’t vote for a party vote for a candidate. Well an old war horse gets trotted out by the dems and everyone gets giddy. The Republicans for better or worse put up a young new candidate and it’s the worst thing that ever happened.
Yahooy you are the biggest purveyor of this BS and where did you get the idea no one wanted to be McCain’s VP did your political experience tell you that?
donj–Please stop with the misinformation not every channel reported that, in fact the multiple cable news stations reported no such thing. Maybe with the exception of CNBC that no one but you and a few others probably watch. As far as the Hillary supporters the Republicans only need 8%-12% to vote for the ticket she is on. I suggest you really get the facts before you post because your last post was a complete fabrication.
City Kitty on McCain’s 7 houses:
Here’s how and why NObama created 7,000 affordable housing units. Jim Himes claims to have been involved in non-profit affordable housing development. Anyone care to tell us where these buildings or units are, what were the funding sources and which Connecticut or New York Politicians helped to aquire it? Jimmy talks about Bridgeport not building a Bridge, but doesn’t say much about what he built, how he funded it or where are his developments.
The following link shows how developers get their cheese from the DemocRats.
www .suntimes.com/news/blogentries/index.html?bbPostId=B4jhSTW4PgUEBBhg3Bli3T1tBA5
LUQE61kl6BCl9X22NGOo2
&bbParentWidgetId=B8k88rWwXopuz5STgLeVwBLu
Chris Shays said it all when he admitted that the Congress Street Bridge was not on the BRBC wish list. Chris Shays doesn’t care about what the residents of Bridgeport want. All he is concerned with is what the business community tells him to do.
And when confronted with the truth, he lies. He grandstands. He blames others. Chris Shays thought that all he had to do was to make all of these trips to Iraq to show that he cared about the war and he would get reelected. Let’s just get Chris out of Washington, out of Bridgeport and into a retirement community in Iraq, since he seems to love it over there.
Joel, shouldn’t you be out trying to find some votes for yourself instead of reading and posting all this anti-Obama garbage you come up with? I’ll say it again, your odds of moving into one of MCSAME’s 7 houses are better than your odds of getting elected to the house of reps. First you say I should cut your hair and then you say you are bald. Either way, it’s not what’s on top of your head, it’s what’s in it; so far as I can tell it’s an empty nut shell. Grin Reaper, I totally agree with your posting, Shays should make his next trip to Iraq one way.
Con
I should have said: This is no place for gnomes. Except for the Troll.
Anchor Age Away!
McCain and Palin rub noses.
It be must be Flatfish season because now Chris Shays wants to stick his beak into Steal Point. That project has been Floundering for over 20 years and now he wants to come to its rescue. The old Shays bait and switch trying to hook the voters. They aren’t going to bite on his hook, line, and stinker this year.
Vote Himes!!! I finally have my Obama Biden ’08 lawn sign out. Can’t wait ’til I have Himes and Musto lawn signs.
Rodgerson…if by some miracle we could have a general election for mayor tomorrow, Caruso would beat Finch by mandate. Finch is an abysmal failure that we must endure. The good people of Bridgeport are actually in much worse shape now than before Finch took office. He has hurt us badly and there is no hope that he will improve. So we will be stuck with much less social services, high taxes, an increasing crime rate, a school system that fails us all and a chaotic political climate.
You had the opportunity to change all that. Caruso came to you in good faith offering nothing more than a call to your sense of duty. He asked you to relinquish your place on the ballot…you refused. Hence, we got Finch and YOU GOT A JOB. Thanks. If you truly are committed to seeing our town prosper, you would have done the right thing. I hold you personally responsible for the sad state our city is in since your benefactor took office. Shame on you.
Wondering. You are the master of the brain fart. Give deep thought a try sometime. You might be surprised. Do you realize that absolutely every ignorant pronouncement you made is faulty? BTW, schmuck, you plagiarized your post about “what’s her name”. I saw the same show.
Hey Lennie if you think Shays will get over 35% in Bridgeport you are nuts!!! The last presidential election he only got 30% of the vote in the city. With Obama on the ticket Shays won’t even get 25% of the vote.
Yahooy — Brain Fart. Schmuck. Very good; must have taken some very deep thought to come up with those 2, thanks. I have no idea what was plagiarized as you state. Have I posted things that I have read or seen on the cable news talk shows sure I have. By reading and listening you learn things. Maybe you should try it. I see you’re running out of arguments; is that the reason for the name calling? You have not addressed one thing that has been posted about Palin or about this blog. You, the person that cries for change, and when it comes you wimp out with some lame-ass excuse about experience. You are like a lot of the others; talk a good game and that’s it — talk!!!
yahooy:
The people of Bridgeport are NOT worse off than they were before Finch; they’re the same, but with a much brighter future.
Now they’re just more informed of the dismal situation Bridgeport’s in because they finally have an honest mayor. I really hope he can help fix it, but I have a feeling you don’t. You’re so petty you’d rather see one man fail rather than see an entire city improve.
P.S.–There is no way people would vote for Chris Caruso for mayor after that supreme court crybaby stuff he pulled. If there were an elected office of Supreme Emotional Eater, however, yes, he’d definitely win “by mandate”.
Axel, I agree with you 100% and the mayor was facing a lot when he went into office. Especially the lawsuit from sore loser Caruso that cost us taxpayers a lot of money that could have been used for much better things. He’s being honest about the big debts that he didn’t create, it was passed on to him. I think he will pull us out of this mess. I just wish some people at least stop the name calling and get behind him. Its not easy for anybody to be mayor here in Bridgeport, too many haters.
Did he just say Honest? Think back to all of Finch’s promises. $600 ring a bell? During one of his debates, an accountant just happened to be the moderator. He questioned the $600 crock of ^$#% saying that he couldn’t figure out a way to make it work. Your Mayor said that he already has it worked out, and our votes would mean we benefit. LIES!!! Finch knew the state of the city’s finances because he was seen several times riding around with Fabs, getting the lowdown and the same people that wrote those budgets are still in the finance office. So before you call someone honest, maybe you should check their history. Just because you got a job out of the deal does not make him honest. Just ask Charlie Coviello.
Det. Aso Holey:
Go to the Pol Pod (bring Kitty along) and listen to the first Podcast interview on June 23, 2008. If your ears are clean enough and your attention span is not as short as the Kitty tagging along, you should be able to hear Council President Big McCheese reveal that Finch knew coming in to the mayoral race that the city was in dire financial trouble. He kept quiet because he knew what it would mean to his chance of winning. Finch took it to a higher level of deceit when he promised the $600 refund, being fully aware that he would never be able to deliver on that $600 lie. Honest?
Finch has done nothing to put his “honesty” into question. Sure, he’s compromised his personal ethics so many times but lie steal and cheat, I haven’t seen it. Well, maybe 2 out of the 3. Finch is a bad mayor because he is plain old stupid with no vision or a clue as to how to turn us around. We’re not the “same”. Birdie has to raise taxes again. That makes us worse off with no prospects. Steel Point dies Sunday at midnight.
Caruso would win for sure. So would Mario Testa’s box of frozen calamari. Anything is better than Finch except Joel and, of course, Anna.
PEOPLE ALWAYS criticize the one in power — Mayor Finch is no exception. His $600 proposal was made before he knew the full extent of city finances. He was put in an awful situation (was his predecessor really a member of the same party?) and has given a faithful account of Bridgeport’s situation to the city council.
Accordingly, I am giving The Mayor a renewed vote of confidence in stark contrast to the doomfreaks who seem to dominate this blog.
OK for Finch…Yay!!
He actually has a vote.
Let us dissect his motto: “We are going to have the cleanest, greenest, most affordable community with schools that improve every year, and class sizes that get smaller every year.”
Well, as for clean, look around to see that only the streets surrounding our elected officials are actually clean.
Green; the mayor did buy himself a hybrid with taxpayer money. Now if you research hybrid technology, you will see that hybrids only benefit the longer commuter. Short city travel, as our mayor does, will not benefit to the degree offsetting the engine’s extra cost.
Most Affordable: Bridgeport costs more to live in today, than it did when Finch took office, and the trend is getting worse. 8.3% tax increase this year, what about next year, and the two years following?
Schools getting better: Finch has made no improvement to our school system, nor has he threatened the positions of the administrators who maintain its substandard performance.
Class sizes getting smaller every year: Last year my son had 26 children in his class. This year, in a brand new school, he has 32 children in his class.
His entire campaign was a hoax, and those of you who voted for him, and did not get a job out of it, I feel for you. But it is time we acknowledge when we have been fooled, and commit the circumstances to memory so that this type of thing does not happen again.
I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying; fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
Objective POV is not a Philistine.