Tomorrow August 10th is voting day here in CT. These are the primaries that determine who ends up on the ballot in November. Turnout is usually much lower than in the general elections in November, so your vote counts even more.
I wanted to do a complete rundown of all the candidates and positions, but with the Blogaversary and all, I have become much less ambitious. Funny how staying up all night can do that.
So who's running for governor? I spent some time looking at the candidates, both republican and democrat. I am not a fan of either party at the national level, it's a documented fact they work together to keep third party candidates off the ballots and out of sight of American voters in order to protect their power. However, it is most likely that one of the 2 major party candidates will be elected as our next guv. CT (like most states) still has the system that forces you to be registered to a party in order to vote in their primary. After stints as a registered independent, green and even republican, I finally became a democrat (grudgingly). I'm guessing many of you who are reading this blog find yourself in the same boat.
The big decision tomorrow is between Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy. Either one would be a huge improvement over our current do-nothing-in-chief Jodi Rell. You can hit the web (wait, you're on the web right now) to check out both candidates, however, reading anything but their short policy summations will probably make your eyes cross and start you fidgeting. One of the reasons for this being that many of their proposals are similar, with differences in scope, details or level of importance placed on whichever point. I encourage you to read it all for yourself, but you should probably take notes to keep it all straight.
In the end, my decision is based on multiple factors:
1. Lamont has stressed increased rail service across CT, including expanding service from New Haven to Hartford and up to Springfield. This is key for getting us and our clients back and forth from NYC. I don't have to tell you that rail service may be the past, but it is also going to be the future of transportation in the USA.
2. Lamont has a business focus, and from what I've seen, will work hard to get more jobs to CT. I feel that he will be very effective in this roll.
3. Anecdotal evidence from friends and acquaintances has indicated to us that Lamont is a genuine "nice guy" who treats everyone on his campaign staff with respect, and has subsequently won theirs. Although this may seem a bit of fluff in comparison to hard issues, I feel it carries some importance.
4. We find his less than silver tongued delivery kinda charming.
5. There has been some talk on the street about how he had some family wealth. Far from being a minus, I feel this shows a plus. Instead of being content to settle back and "manage" his money, Lamont built a viable business, has spent time volunteering at Bridgeport public schools (pre-politics), and came forward to challenge Joe Lieberman when so many of us were so angry at the wars and his uber-hawkishness (by the way, we still are angry about the wars, as well as Joe).
Also, due to self-funding, he owes no favors to the mysterious forces that make it possible for candidates for office to spend such huge sums of money.
This Scenic endorses Ned Lamont, Democrat for Governor. Please vote tomorrow, you can find your polling place at Ned's site:
http://www.nedlamont.com/
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hmm. Interesting points. I happen to disagree on some of them though, as I believe they are one-sided and not completely true.
ReplyDelete1.While transportation is important, shouldn't we be focused on education, jobs, and clean, renewable sources of energy and transportation...all things both candidates stress...but things that Malloy has already DONE.
2. Lamont wants to run CT like a business. And government is NOTHING like a business. It's designed to help people. When it comes to jobs, Lamont has hired/fired a few hundred people. He currently maintains a staff of...I believe...7 workers in CT. Malloy has created 5,000 new jobs in Stamford.
3. I've met both candidates. Lamont is in fact a nice guy. But Malloy is nice too, and extremely down to earth. I went to an event for him today at his childhood home in Stamford. While there, he was telling a story about how he used to mow the very lawn we were standing on when he was a kid. Malloy is also INCREDIBLY nice to his staff and interns.
4.Lamont may not be "managing" his money, but he is instead using it to buy the most important office in the state of CT. And if you're talking about special interests, you're mistaken. While Lamont is spending his millions, Malloy has received all of his campaign contributions in small donations of $5 to $100 from the people of CT. He was the first candidate in Connecticut history to qualify for the clean elections program.
All I'm trying to say is that you're sorely mistaken on all of these key points. I personally support Malloy because in addition to being a great candidate, he also has a lifetime of experience serving the people to back him up. I heavily suggest you do more research before going out tomorrow and putting the future of our state in jeopardy with your vote.
- M.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the race, and on your choice. You might not have enough time to do a full rundown of the other campaigns, but what's your general sense of who's the better fit for the state?
ReplyDeleteI have to point out that Lamont, while sounding like a real guy during his run against Lieberman, has really swallowed the "Pol Pill" in this election. Hard to tell exactly what he is saying except that it is clear even from his overly managed"talking points" that he is not for re-structuring CT income tax. Gold Coast good ol boys who want to continue burdening the middle class while AIG bigwigs (and the like) in Southern CT part with pennies? Not for me.
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