OIB friend Paul Bass of the New Haven Independent asked petitioning candidate for governor Jonathan Pelto in a video interview, “Would you feel guilty the day after the election if Democrats lost because you ran?” No way, says Pelto who adds he’s sending a message that Democrats cannot walk away from their constituencies.
No. Because I think that the Democrats need to understand that when you walk away from your constituencies and stop doing the things that those constituencies need you to do and stand up and fight for them like teachers and state employees and middle class property taxpayers across the state … that when you walk away from them there is a political ramification that I intend to deliver that.
Pelto is trying to secure voter signatures to qualify for the November ballot appealing to education advocates and state employees who he claims have been betrayed by Democratic Governor Dan Malloy. Pelto has a handful of workers in Bridgeport hustling petitioning signatures from city voters.
Pelto also does not seem to mind the tag he’s another Ralph Nader whose presence on the 2000 presidential ballot cost Al Gore votes. Malloy faces the winner of the August 12 Republican primary between Tom Foley and John McKinney.
Jon Pelto is making a very big stand, if the party and the candidate are taking your vote as if they own it and they don’t have to listen and vote the way you and the voters want, then they must be challenged. Gov. Malloy has turned his back on those who put him in office. On the national front the Democratic Party and their candidates for President have been taking the black vote as if they own it, they feel they don’t have to address their issues because they won’t vote for the Republicans and the Republicans won’t even consider talking to black voters. Jon is doing the right thing unless Malloy makes a change or is put out of office.
Ron, I agree with you completely. Any candidate who is legally qualified to run should be allowed to if they so choose. It is not a candidate’s job to worry what happens to a challenger running for the same elected office. If Malloy is so wonderful, no one will vote for the alternative(s). It is Malloy’s job to worry about Malloy’s reelection bid, not Pelto’s. There are over 45,000 unionized teachers in CT. If only 5,000 vote for other candidates, Malloy is toast. Remember, those 45,000 unionized teachers have spouses, children, parents, siblings, etc. Malloy completely betrayed the middle class and organized labor, especially teachers. He should definitely pay a price for his betrayal.
Spoiler alert … don’t think Pelto will have any effect at all. It is just a throwaway vote. A WASTE. Not like we are talking Russ Perot or Ralph Nader. Get serious. Outside of this blog does anyone know who he is? I don’t know who he is. I don’t think most people know or give a darn who he is. He is like a flea.
Ummm, even if he gets 5000 votes, that can mean a Malloy loss. Either way Malloy does not stand a chance.
You believe that?
donj–don’t dismiss Malloy so quickly. Believe it or not, he stands a very good chance. It’s not easy to defeat an incumbent.
I agree with you; outside of this blog, I never heard of Pelto before nor has anyone I’ve mentioned his name to.
You know Steve, your pandering to the Democratic party is really sad. I want you to tell me what has Bridgeport gained by Malloy being governor and what has Stamford gained? I think a vote for any incumbent is a waste.
Andy, that’s because you are losing your grip on reality and slowly becoming a staunch Republican. I have many Republican friends and trust I may one day return to the party of Lincoln that has evolved into the tea party of Jesus and the KKK. I have faith the party will break away. Until then I will vote for the candidate. I may appear to be a staunch Democrat but I have always split my vote. You did know during a moment of insanity I voted for John McCain and Sarah Palin. I know, how ignorant could I be? I voted for an out-of-touch dinosaur and a hot-looking, dumber-than-a-box-of-rocks, religious freak anti-woman idiot. That was because Obama didn’t choose Hillary as his running mate. Go figure.
Ron, simple. We blacks should stop voting like Charles Barkley once said, Democrat party uses black people, gives them free handouts, entraps them in poverty and asks for their votes. As I get older the less and less I like the Democrat party and for the first time ever will be voting a Republican ticket this Nov.
donj, tell me what is it the Republicans bring to the table for blacks. They won’t even come into our community to even ask us what our issues are. They will pay some young black to stand in front of a Stop & Shop to hand out one of their flyers but they don’t have any inside their camp making decisions.
Ron Mackey, you are spot on with this. Andy, having a black spokesmen does not cover up what the basic party beliefs are. They are harsh and have very little empathy for those suffering in our country. The Republican party still represents an old white confederate mentality. Give them another generation and I’m sure they will evolve.
Ron Mackey–I completely agree with you. Republicans offer nothing to any working-class person regardless of what race they are. It’s all about their fellow fat cats.
Ron, at one point the Republican party was run by a black man, Richard Steele.
Andy, see above plus you may be right, but they replaced Steele with Reince Priebus, a very poor spokesmen for the party that makes Steele look like an amazing choice.
Andy, all this time I thought he was a white man from Maryland. Michael Steele accomplished what had never been done since 1938 when under his leadership of the RNC, over 60 US House seats were snatched by Republicans. Here is an interesting observation on my part: Michael Steele was not the only black who made this possible, the other black man (had a white grandmother) was Democratic President Barack Obama. So in a sense two black men changed the national political landscape in under four years in a way never seen before. Kool-Aid has come a long way. Keep drinking yours, Ron.
Andy Fardy, blacks were Republicans up until 1960. It was Republican President Abe Lincoln who freed the slaves, it was Republican President Richard Nixon who started affirmative action by law but when President Johnson passed the first civil rights bill in 1965 that was the end of the Democrat Party in the South. They hated what Johnson did in giving blacks the right to vote and those white southern Democrats became Republicans and they are still Republicans all because blacks were allowed to vote. Having one person in charge of something doesn’t mean the policy will change, look what Obama has done for blacks, nothing; but I voted for him and I still support him.
“… but they don’t have any inside their camp making decisions.”
donj and Ron, check out my favorite white Republicans. They never did a thing for blacks.
www .foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/13/steele-seeks-second-term-as-rnc-chair/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_Republicans
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Steele
Um Ron, I can tell you this, their policies do not entrap blacks into poverty with welfare programs like Democrat polices. I am a working-class black and tired of Dems raising taxes while welfare people just mooch off everybody else, smh. Malloy will lose by at least 10% and Republicans will get over 20% of the vote in Bridgeport, something they have not done in years.
donj, Fox news needs more people like you. Better it comes from minorities to get rid of social services than the white devil. The Republicans have a master plan and they are going to use minorities to institute it.
How brilliant is that!
donj, I see you have no problem with corporate welfare and large businesses paying no taxes at all, that kind of welfare is okay, right donj?
I am a bit confused, everything I read says the 1% have increased their wealth and the gap between the poor and wealthy has increased dramatically in the recent past under our current president, or am I not reading the reports correctly? Bridgeport has become the highest taxed city, under our all-Democrat state. We are about to have the highest utility rate in all 50 states when the UI rate hike is approved. Our state debt and unfunded liabilities have increased. We have more people leaving CT than moving in or staying, so how does the current party stack up?
It is not Pelto’s job to make sure Malloy is reelected. That responsibility falls solely on Malloy.
Not really, Maria. As the endorsed candidate, the responsibility belongs to the State Central Committee.