Can you believe it’s October 1? Time to take a quick inventory of two key local races. The November election almost seems like a sidebar to the financial meltdown. Hopefully, the U.S. Senate will pass a relief package tonight and the House will follow.
Congressman Christopher Shays’ call to raise the FDIC insurance limit is receiving broad backing. Both presidential candidates support increasing it from $100K to $250K. The move would provide reassurance to both larger-ticket individual accounts and small businesses.
Shays voted for the package rejected by the House the other day and his Democratic opponent Jim Himes also said he would have voted for it. That’s one of the few areas the two have in common.
This is a fun race because it pits a Democrat from Greenwich against a Republican from Bridgeport. How often can we say that? And Shays is the last New England Republican standing in the House.
How close is this race? Close enough to pay lots of attention to it. Weighing information from my spies in both camps I’d say Shays has a modest lead, perhaps high single digits, certainly nothing to make the incumbent comfortable, but I don’t sense panic either. Shays’ Campaign Manager Michael Sohn’s a cool cat.
Yes, the Himes campaign says its polling numbers show a dead heat. I’m suspicious of that number. Either way, Himes is waging a competitive battle, and he has the loot to stay in play. It appears team Himes has brought Democrats home.
I don’t sense that Shays has lost standing in his suburban base. Unaffiliated voters across the congressional district and Bridgeport are the key to both camps. How close can Shays stay in Bridgeport versus the city turnout? A city turnout of 40,000 voters would be a little over 60 percent. Can the Himes campaign and city organization juice it to 65 percent? Many new voters, young cell phone users, aren’t reflected in polling data.
The other race to watch is the State Senate race between Republican Rob Russo and Democratic opponent Anthony Musto, the Trumbull town treasurer. Both are good guys who don’t like campaign vitriol. Russo will run well in Trumbull and Monroe. How close can he keep it in Bridgeport? Russo managed about 45 percent of the vote in Bridgeport during the low-turnout special election he won in March. But general elections are different animals. Lots of folks come out on their own.
Russo has an issue that plays in Bridgeport: money he secured from the state for a comprehensive audit of the Bridgeport Board of Education. Musto is the hometown boy in Trumbull. How much that does that play there?
We’ll have lots more on these races in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
Cable Madness
Tuesday night I was a guest on Rob Foley’s weekly program devoted to Bridgeport on cable access 77. Cable access is about as raw as you can get, and when I first arrived at Soundview Studio in downtown Bridgeport I felt the spirit of Morton Downey Junior’s middle finger. Foley’s show is live with phone calls and almost anything goes. I expected a roller derby queen to crash the party.
How are we going to fill an hour? Would anyone watch the show beyond my cat Stinky? Crazy as it sounds, the show was flooded with phone calls. Some people actually watch this stuff. We talked about the city budget, Congress Street Bridge, Steelpointe, police layoffs, and life at OIB. Callers were not short on opinions. And State Senator Rob Russo called in to talk about the audit of the Bridgeport Board of Education.
Maybe next time I’ll drag Wondering and Joel “Speedy” Gonzalez to the show.
News release from CT Secretary of State
Bysiewicz: More than 25,000 Connecticut Residents Registered to Vote in September
With Registration Deadlines Approaching, Secretary of the State Urges Connecticut Residents to Register to vote
Hartford: With the Presidential Election rapidly approaching, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz reports today that more than 25,000 Connecticut residents registered to vote last month. Since January 1, 2008, nearly 150,000 Connecticut residents have become newly registered voters. Young people (18-29 years-old) continue to be the driving force behind the registration surge; 69,826 18-29 year-olds have registered since January 1st – the single largest group of new voters to register in this period.
“On November 4th Connecticut residents are going to make their voice heard at the ballot box,” said Bysiewicz. “I am challenging all residents that want a say in the direction of our country and our state to register to vote and cast a ballot on Election Day. The registration deadlines are quickly approaching. If you are unsure about your registration status, please call your local town or city hall.”
Of the nearly 69,826 new voters between the ages of 18 and 29, 30,792 registered as Democrats, 30,683 registered as Unaffiliated and 7,876 registered as Republicans. Bridgeport recorded the largest total number of newly registered young voters (5,369) followed by New Haven (4,053), Stamford (3,072), Hartford (2,807), and Waterbury (1,912). (Full table below.)
Currently, there are 1,967,543 registered voters in Connecticut. Among these voters 820,268 are Unaffiliated voters, 728,177 are Democrats, and 412,675 are Republicans.
Registration forms collected as part of a registration drive or sent by mail must be postmarked or delivered to Registrars of Voters offices no later than Tuesday October 21st. The deadline for individuals to turn in their voter registration form in person at their local municipal offices is Tuesday October 28th until 8:00pm.
ACTIVE VOTERS BY PARTY PARTY COUNT -------------------------- ----------- A Better Future 3 A Connecticut Party 51 A Sentinel Party 35 Concerned Citizens 262 Connecticut For Lieberman 52 Democratic 728,177 Enfield Taxpayers Party 2 Friends Of Saybrook 20 Green 1807 Independence 1189 Independence For Montville 11 Independent 1959 Libertarian 870 Norwich for Change 1 Orange Taxpayers 8 Pro-Bethel 5 Reform 89 Republican 412,675 Swing 1 Unaffiliated 820,268 Waterford Independent 1 Winsted Independent 42 Working Families 14 Working Families Party 1 =========== 1,967,543 NEW VOTERS AGE 18 TO 29 REGISTERED SINCE 01/01/08 PARTY COUNT -------------------------- ----------- A Connecticut Party 1 Connecticut For Lieberman 15 Democratic 30,792 Green 98 Independence 133 Independent 146 Libertarian 76 Reform 2 Republican 7,876 Unaffiliated 30,683 Working Families 1 Working Families Party 1 =========== 69,826 NEW VOTERS AGE 18 TO 29 YEARS-OLD SINCE 01/01/08 BY TOWN TOWN COUNT -------------------------- ----------- Andover 58 Ansonia 339 Ashford 85 Avon 376 Barkhamsted 59 Beacon Falls 81 Berlin 345 Bethany 116 Bethel 329 Bethlehem 58 Bloomfield 433 Bolton 102 Bozrah 29 Branford 435 Bridgeport 5,369 Bridgewater 16 Bristol 1,093 Brookfield 313 Brooklyn 104 Burlington 141 Canaan 12 Canterbury 79 Canton 167 Chaplin 36 Cheshire 460 Chester 55 Clinton 191 Colchester 251 Colebrook 28 Columbia 81 Cornwall 31 Coventry 202 Cromwell 292 Danbury 1,198 Darien 359 Deep River 69 Derby 197 Durham 118 East Granby 95 East Haddam 142 East Hampton 214 East Hartford 906 East Haven 382 East Lyme 274 East Windsor 228 Eastford 21 Easton 132 Ellington 258 Enfield 595 Essex 117 Fairfield 1,217 Farmington 530 Franklin 32 Glastonbury 736 Goshen 40 Granby 180 Greenwich 1,083 Griswold 208 Groton 674 Guilford 410 Haddam 135 Hamden 1,409 Hampton 15 Hartford 2,807 Hartland 35 Harwinton 73 Hebron 178 Kent 37 Killingly 208 Killingworth 115 Lebanon 104 Ledyard 310 Lisbon 59 Litchfield 169 Lyme 30 Madison 377 Manchester 1,337 Mansfield 906 Marlborough 104 Meriden 793 Middlebury 108 Middlefield 71 Middletown 1,495 Milford 898 Monroe 384 Montville 280 Morris 21 Naugatuck 464 New Britain 1,320 New Canaan 446 New Fairfield 215 New Hartford 140 New Haven 4,053 New London 673 New Milford 522 Newington 562 Newtown 421 Norfolk 31 North Branford 195 North Canaan 35 North Haven 315 North Stonington 83 Norwalk 1,776 Norwich 710 Old Lyme 88 Old Saybrook 152 Orange 260 Oxford 170 Plainfield 148 Plainville 315 Plymouth 158 Pomfret 73 Portland 141 Preston 76 Prospect 132 Putnam 137 Redding 200 Ridgefield 468 Rocky Hill 357 Roxbury 38 Salem 54 Salisbury 52 Scotland 18 Seymour 230 Sharon 40 Shelton 635 Sherman 59 Simsbury 510 Somers 154 South Windsor 487 Southbury 338 Southington 679 Sprague 50 Stafford 151 Stamford 3,072 Sterling 36 Stonington 299 Stratford 1,143 Suffield 212 Thomaston 128 Thompson 128 Tolland 258 Torrington 562 Trumbull 664 Union 5 Vernon 609 Voluntown 41 Wallingford 674 Warren 18 Washington 68 Waterbury 1,912 Waterford 274 Watertown 337 West Hartford 1,517 West Haven 1,012 Westbrook 107 Weston 242 Westport 504 Wethersfield 414 Willington 142 Wilton 373 Winchester 136 Windham 387 Windsor 641 Windsor Locks 218 Wolcott 238 Woodbridge 177 Woodbury 167 Woodstock 141 =========== 69,826
News release from
Congressman Christopher Shays
Shays Announces $251,525 Grant for WorkPlace, Inc
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Christopher Shays (CT-4) announced today the WorkPlace, Inc. received $251,525 from the Department of Education for the Projects with Industries (PWI) grant. PWI provides job placement services to individuals with disabilities and helps each secure competitive employment.
“Connecticut is a better place because of the Workplace,” said Shays. “I am grateful for this funding which will encourage employment opportunities for varied personnel.”
“The PWI program will provide greater opportunities for people to work using their full abilities, and businesses will benefit from a more diverse workforce,” according to Joseph M. Carbone, President and CEO of The WorkPlace, Inc. “We are very excited to be able to work with our partners to help people with disabilities get jobs and increase their earnings and skills over time.”
“Congratulations to The WorkPlace Inc., for once again stepping up to provide advancement opportunities for the residents of Greater Bridgeport. The PWI program will help people with disabilities to better meet the challenges they so often face when trying to enter the workforce,” said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch.
The WorkPlace, Inc. will work with partners including the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, Birmingham Group Health Services, and members of the PWI Business Advisory Council, in addition to utilizing the CTWorks Career Centers in the region. PWI will also partner with Connecticut ‘s two Disabilities Service Units Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS), and the Board of Education Service for the Blind (BESB). Connecticut ‘s community colleges collaborate by providing referrals to and accepting referrals from PWI.
Rob Russo is making a big mistake if he’s counting on just the BOE audit. He had better make more noise up in Hartford. – It isn’t “what did you do for me yesterday” it’s “what did you do for me today”. Take heed Rob before it’s too late.
And how could he exactly do that, Con, when they’re out of session? He got the audit in two months. He joined the Senate after the deadline for legislation to be proposed, so he couldn’t propose the property tax cap. He recently called for the LIHEAP funding from Congress. But more than that he can’t do much until the next session. Seems to me he’s done a lot in the short time he’s been there.
Con, did they teach you common sense in law school?
Summer Wind (#3)
Understanding that I know who you are, what motivates you to ask such a question?
Nevertheless, common sense is something with which you are born.
Bridgeport is getting hundreds of new voters every day and trust me turnout will be over 40k and that’s bad news for Shays.
Hey John from Black Rock, Obama is up by 11 in VA, wow.
More on RezkObama:
blogs.suntimes.com/rezko/2008/09
/rezko_prosecutors_hush_on_talk.html
Hey Democrats, keep this on the hush, hush.
Hello OIB. I am new here so I wanted to say hello. I believe that Barack Obama and Shays will be victorious this November. I will be splitting my ticket. Here is my tally.
Obama- McCain: Barack has got my vote. McCain is too damned old and tired.
Shays-Himes: Jim who? Like him or not Shays has been good for Bridgeport and deep down even dems have been voting for him for years. Why change now?
Gomes-Johnson: I am reaching here and voting for Milton. At least he can get an erection and doesn’t tell you stories from way back when Jasper McLevy was in Pre-K.
Santiago-Gonzalez: Call him crazy or Call him nuts. Joel would actually show up to the legislature and do the job. “Always had it” EZE-E is nothing but a paper politician. His career will be over in a few years tops.
Just heard that the Associated press poll shows Obama in the lead against McSame 48-41! The poll said that people all over the country feel that a democrat will do better for our economy right now. McSame will just keep up Bush’s tactics and people have had enough of it. I think Obama is going to win big time!
donj–Obama by 11 in Virginia? Which poll did that come from? I know my wife and I knocked a lot of doors down there last weekend but 11 points!!! Please let me know.
Now here’s a little something from tonight’s CBS Nightly News–
After a discussion on Roe v. Wade Palin was asked the following by Katie Couric:
Couric: What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?
Palin: Well, let’s see. There’s, of course in the great history of America there have been rulings, that’s never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but …
Couric: Can you think of any?
Palin: Well, I could think of … any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with. But, you know, as mayor, and then as governor and even as a vice president, if I’m so privileged to serve, wouldn’t be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
She wants to be Vice President and she can’t even answer this simple question!!! Unbelievable. Biden was asked the same question and knocked it out of the park.
Once again, not only do we see Palin’s ineptitude, but more importantly, we see just how poor McCain’s judgement is. He actually claims she is qualified for the job.
BTW—Given the past couple of interviews, Palin really should try to stay away from Katie Couric. With each interview she digs herself a deeper hole.
Is news about “Polls” more important than a potential indictment against Barack Obama? Or is it that the Democrats just don’t want to face the facts and instead choose to hold on to polls? Don’t y’all realize the negative impact that an indictment can have on the polls?
blogs.suntimes.com/rezko/2008/10
/judge_freezes_rezko_money.html
Joel you drove me to this:
AP Poll:
Obama takes a 7-point lead over McCain
By LIZ SIDOTI (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
October 01, 2008 8:14 PM EDT
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama has surged to a seven-point lead over John McCain one month before the presidential election, lifted by voters who think the Democrat is better suited to lead the nation through its sudden financial crisis, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that underscores the mounting concerns of some McCain backers.
Likely voters now back Obama 48-41 percent over McCain, a dramatic shift from an AP-GfK survey that gave the Republican a slight edge nearly three weeks ago, before Wall Street collapsed and sent ripples across worldwide markets. On top of that, unrelated surveys show Obama beating McCain in several battlegrounds, including Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Iowa – four states critical in the state-by-state fight for the presidency.
Several GOP strategists close to McCain’s campaign privately fret that his chances for victory are starting to slip away.
These Republicans, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering the campaign, point to several factors: Obama’s gains nationally and in traditionally GOP states, no McCain boost from the first debate, McCain’s struggles with economic issues as the financial crisis has unfolded and deepening public skepticism about his running mate, Sarah Palin.
We are hearing a lot about whether or not a person is qualified for the job of President or Vice President.
Can anyone provide any offical qualification requirements other than being born in the U.S. and of a certain age?
Is simply winning debates enough to meet the qualification threshold?
John, Please! You wouldn’t let me drive you if you were as blind as Stevie Wonder.
Would it be a good strategy for the Democrats in the Senate and House to keep the bailout from passing so that the economy stays fundamentally weak and the Democrats can ride the wave all the way to the White House? Is the country struggling with economic issues or is McCain struggling with economic issues? Obviously the country is struggling with economic issues and McCain is too. So you agree that McCain is more in touch with the country as they have the economic issues in common. You imply that Obama is not struggling with the economic issues as if he has a magic wand to solve the problem. In his speech today he was selling his magic cure then he said, “But it’s not going to be easy.” Setting the stage for when he fails, he can say, “I always said it wasn’t going to be easy.” He will then go on blaming the Republicans. Does this sound like a mayor you know? Either you can or you can’t. No “ifs” or “buts” about it.
John it’s too bad that the McCain camp doesn’t allow me to help with suggestions as to how to respond and deal with the difficult challenge they are facing. One big problem with McCain is that he is too soft-spoken. He need to raise his voice when he is addressing the crowds.
Speak softly and carry a big stick-doesn’t work well in this century.
Joel – I simply posted the poll numbers and what the AP reports “Several GOP strategists close to McCain’s campaign” are saying. They are the ones who “privately fret that his (McCain’s) chances for victory are starting to slip away.”
As for me, I’m feeling pretty good these days – no fretting here. All the polls show that more and more people see Obama as the person best able to lead this country and who am I to argue with these fine Americans.
Have a good evening Joel.
John From BR & Lennie; Well we have just seen what the Washington Dems have been able to do with this bailout plan. The original proposal was 3 pages and now there are over 400 pages. Do you think anyone actually read the bill? They managed to add another $150 Billion to the bill with earmarks. The best one is the tax exempt status for a toy manufacturer that makes wooden arrows for kids bow and arrow sets. That’s your Democratic congress at work.
Wondering – I don’t totally disagree with you. But didn’t your guy McCain also vote in favor of this bill?
John yes he did and I am just as pissed at him as I am with the rest of these jerks. I am at the point where I wonder if it’s even worth voting at all. The people that we have in DC are all a bunch of thieves. They steal our money and there is not a damn thing we can do about it. Sure we can vote in a new person; example vote out Shays and vote in Himes and before long Himes is part of the good old boy network and is screwing us like the rest of the politicians.
Himes stated that he would have voted for the deal as well. We just cannot allow another company to become so interwoven into the success or failure of the American economy, as Fannie & Freddy did. That is the history that we should all learn from. The milk is already spilled, we need, as a country united, to clean it up and keep moving.
#8 Hey, hey, Nah, you claim to be spliting your vote & that’s a good thing! However, on the State Rep. ticket you forgot the best looking, most experienced, sometimes smartest candidate also running as an independant for this race? Think again, Eze, Joel, & “MOJICA”! I’m sure now you’re saying to yourself, wow how could I have forgotten “MOJICA”! He’s one of the few left (last of the Mojicans). It’s okay, people tend to forget after a year & new voters sometimes don’t get to realize just who the pretenders are ’til it’s too late. You’re #1 of the lucky ones, now you know! Remember, he who speaks of himself, is clear of his path!