Just a few weeks after Chris Healy, the chairman of her party, criticized the federal stimulus plan, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell today proudly announced the investment has created/retained “more than 6,000 jobs in Connecticut.”
“The proof is in the numbers and they tell a positive story for Connecticut workers in terms of creating and preserving jobs,” Rell said. “From paving our roadways and upgrading bridges to retaining teaching jobs and weatherizing homes, we are using stimulus funds to put people to work while addressing pressing state needs.”
Those numbers are nowhere near the estimated 40,000 jobs initially promised earlier this year, but one could argue 6,000 is still better than nothing.
In the meantime it’s going to be interesting to see what the various Republicans vying to run against Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Dodd in 2010 say about the stimulus and how their positions square with Rell’s, particularly if she decides to seek re-election next year.
Linda McMahon does not appear to be a big fan. Neither does Peter Schiff. And Rob Simmons last month called the stimulus package a “failure.”
Brian, nice to see someone with a sense of humor…..et tu “Sean?”
Lol, welcome to the ward, Brian.
Good nose, ya have a bright future.
Ah. See, I’m on to you now “Sean” – or should I say JODI RELL!!!
At first I thought “Nah. She’d never…” but the more I think about it the more it makes sense.
What better way to cause reporters and the general public to lose interest in the controversy surrounding her hiring of Ken Dautrich than for the Governor to adopt an on-line persona and fire off snarky, hyper-critical “the Democrats-can-do-no-wrong and don’t you know the Republican Governor’s going down?” e-mails to reporters?
I’m not sure what Hearst has determined, “Sean,” but I’ve seen through your ruse.
Either that, or you’re really Democratic Party Chairman Nancy DiNardo.
On a day when the big story in the state is the revelation that Jodi Rell is hip-deep in a developing scandal with Ken Dautrich, this is what Brian Lockhart writes about? Two big articles in The Day detailing how Rell has lied about her knowledge of what Dautrich was doing for her, and revelations that Dautrich was providing lots of political advice to her for months- for free, or more accurately, paid for by the taxpayers.
Seems that Hearst has determined that it’s no big deal, that the General Assembly Democrats are doing precisely the same thing with “slush funds”, even though discretionary funds are not “slush funds” unless or until they are used for bribery or corruption.
Talk about missing the boat!
Might also be interesting to add that, according to Susan Bysiewicz who spoke a week ago in Greenwich, the reason that so few jobs have been created in Connecticut is Governor Rell’s sluggishness in releasing the federal stimulus funds. According to Bysiewicz, Connecticut ranks in the bottom third of states in the rate of disbursement of funds, which are the responsibility of the governor. Puts a different color on job creation in the Constitution State.