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Outside Linda McMahon's West Hartford campaign headquarters. -- Contributed Photo.
Linda McMahon got a surprise visit from some uninvited guests around lunchtime today at her West Harford campaign headquarters.
Members of the Connecticut Working Families Party, the Service Employees International Union and Connecticut Citizen Action Group staged a protest over comments the Republican Senate candidate made in a recent interview with the New Haven Independent on financial reform legislation.
Connecticut Working Families, a champion of liberal causes that often cross-endorses Democratic candidates for office, put this out in an e-mail blast to reporters.
“Linda McMahon spoke out against financial reform and specifically against a Consumer Financial Protections Agency that could protect consumers from predatory financial products and services like pay day loans and sub-prime mortgages.”
In a dig at her background as former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO, the protesters made a wrestling-style belt for McMahon and crowned her ““Champion of Wall Street.”
McMahon wasn’t present for the protest, according to a campaign aide, who disputed the picketers’ characterization of the Senate hopeful as a shill for Wall Street.
This from campaign spokesman Ed Patru:
“Linda absolutely supports financial reform and she thinks we ought to be
able to all agree that reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is important
since they played such a significant role in the housing crisis. Like
most Americans, Linda rejects the idea that we should institutionalize
“too big to fail” and create a permanent bailout culture in Washington.
Some of the best solutions we’ve arrived at historically were a product
of Republicans and Democrats working together, and Linda believes this
problems really requires a bipartisan solution.
As for the protesters, I think we were pretty polite hosts — we brought
them coffee and donuts even though they never once protested Sen. Dodd’s
decision to carve out bonuses for AIG executives, and they don’t seem to
mind that Goldman Sachs invested $4.5 million into the campaigns of
their political allies.”
This just in from Chester First Selectman Tom Marsh, whose imminent departure from the GOP gubernatorial field will reduce it to seven, if you count Scott Merrell of Norwalk, who’s registered but is essentially not campaiginging.
Here’s Marsh’s release:
“Chester, Connecticut — April 22, 2010 — Tom Marsh will be holding a news conference on the steps of the Chester Meeting House, 4 Liberty Street, Chester at 4:30pm on Monday, April 26th to announce his intention to run for governor as a candidate of the Independent Party. Marsh, Chester’s First Selectman, formed an Exploratory Committee this past January to consider a run for the state’s highest office.
The Independent Party, with the third largest statewide registration, focuses on non-partisan, problem-solving governance; promotes responsible and sustainable governmental policies; and is committed to fight corruption and promote ballot access for citizens who want to be public servants.
Information on Tom Marsh can be found at www.marsh2010.com. Information on the Independent Party of Connecticut can be found at http://independentpartyct.blogspot.com.”
This release from Fedele, who is running for the GOP gubernatorial candidacy:
“Today I announced my detailed, comprehensive plan to rebuild Connecticut’s economy, to create new jobs and to fix our business climate. As you will see, my plan offers specific, focused solutions to change our economic direction and start creating new jobs.
It’s no secret that Connecticut’s business climate is one of the nation’s worst. The Democratic majority in the legislature has made our state one of the most unfriendly to employers by placing more taxes, more costly mandates and more red tape regulations on businesses — year in and year out. My plan will fix that.
My jobs plan seeks to regain the 100,000 jobs Connecticut has lost during this historic global recession by cutting taxes, expanding tax credits, freezing new business regulations and taking advantage of our state’s tremendous education and technology resources. We will put Connecticut back on track by putting our people back to work.
After you have reviewed my plan I would welcome your comments and suggestions. To learn more about my campaign please visit my websiteor call my headquarters at (860) 206-9361.”
Here’s this morning’s news release from Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glass, a Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, in advance of this afternoon’s candidate forums on the campus of the UConn Law School:
“One candidate at today’s Gubernatorial debate at the UConn School of Law will have no trouble finding the Reading Room in Starr Hall. The only UConn graduate and the only woman in the race for Connecticut Governor, Mary Glassman returns to campus today to outline her plan for the future of higher education in Connecticut.
“A good education can raise the standard of living in a family for generations. I know, because that’s my family’s story.” Glassman’s mother grew up in foster care and instilled the value of education in her four children. Glassman was the first woman in he family to attend college, working her way through the University of Connecticut and earning a degree in journalism. She began her career with the New Britain Herald, reporting on city government. On a young reporter’s salary, she was able to pay to attend the UConn School of Law– a near impossible feat for students today.
WHAT: Gubernatorial Candidates Debate hosted by the University of Connecticut and the UConn School of Law
WHEN: April 21, 2010, 3:30 p.m. (Democrats are scheduled for 4:45 p.m.)
WHERE: UConn Law School Campus, Starr Hall, Reading Room, Hartford
Media Contact: Chebon Marshall, 860-651-6279
Mary Glassman, Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy and were all on the primary ballot in 2006. Mary received 57% of the vote and won her primary. Ned Lamont received 52%. Mary’s then-running mate Dan Malloy lost his primary with only 49%. She won her last election nearly 70% of voters favoring her over her Republican opponent.”
Ned Lamont, the Greenwich millionaire who’s running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, has also weighed in a Gov. Rell’s proposed early retirement plan, which was discussed yesterday in a leadership meeting with House and Senate leaders.
Here’s the release:
“ Businessman and Democratic candidate for governor Ned Lamont released the following statement on Governor Rell’s announcement of another early-retirement incentive program for state employees:
“What this plan does is rob our state agencies of their most experienced workers at a time when our state needs the best and the brightest. The worst part is that the ‘savings’ this short-sighted proposal offers are a drop in the bucket – savings that are overshadowed by the loss of talent and the time, energy, and money it will take to train their replacements.
“It’s time to stop kicking the can down the road. As governor, I will tackle our budget crisis with fresh ideas and energy. I won’t shy away from making tough choices as long as they’re in the best interest of hardworking Connecticut families.”
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Veteran state Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield, announced Tuesday that he’ll seek a seventh term. Here’s his news release:
Dan Malloy, the former Stamford mayor running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, said Gov. Rell’s announcement that she would push for another early retirement plan to help balance next year’s budget, is ill-conceived. Here’s his news release:
“Democratic candidate for Governor and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy today responded to news that Governor Rell has proposed a new early-retirement incentive plan for state employees:
“Apparently the Governor and her staff are hoping that two wrongs really do make a right. When the Governor pushed ahead with an early retirement plan last year, it was reminiscent of so many other programs under her administration: poorly conceived from the outset, badly implemented from the start, and mismanaged in the long run. Now she wants to do it all again.
“The problem with this type of program is clear: they sacrifice long-term economic stability and growth for a perceived short-term benefit. When employees take advantage of the plan they eventually have to be replaced, often at higher costs than if the current workers had stayed on the job. As just one example in last year’s plan we lost approximately 500 corrections officers – obviously, they’ll have to be replaced, and it costs approximately $30,000 to train each one.
“In addition, what often happens is that many employees who take advantage of the program begin collecting their pensions immediately, yet they’re quickly rehired by the state on a contractual basis to do what they were doing before they ‘retired.’ In fact, after the 2003 early-retirement program the total number of state employees only dropped temporarily for one year before rising the following year to a point even higher than before the program was tried. Where are the savings there?
“Rather than simply rehashing this plan in the hopes that it takes some short-term dollars off the books, the Governor should first call for an independent, audited analysis of whether her first plan actually saved any money in the short term and what the projected long-term costs will be. That’s the kind of results-based accountability that Connecticut needs in its Executive Branch, and which we’ve been lacking for so long.”
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