Will Connecticut send Axis-supporters to Washington? by Tom Evers

Will Connecticut send Axis-supporters to Washington?

By Tom Evers

September 29, 2006

It seems that every two years, right-minded residents of Connecticut have to bite their nails and watch for a photo finish on election night. Republicans in DNC-targeted districts have edged out their liberal opponents in hotly contested races over the past few election cycles. While the U.S. Senate has been a steady lock for Democrats in the nutmeg state, the U.S. House seats have been split 3-2 - which has given Republicans a very slight edge in key votes, particularly around military options and strategy (anything else is generally up in the air as all three are very independent minded Republicans). By most measurements, all three Republicans are deemed either a social liberal or social moderate.

This year Democrats have two special incentives in their push to get out the vote: first, pushing liberal Joe Lieberman out of his Senate seat, and replacing him with hard-line, anti-war, leftist Ned Lamont, and second - the realistic goal of taking back the U.S. House for the first time since Newt Gingrich engineered the 1994 Republican Revolution, where Republican's captured the majority for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Connecticut liberals (flanked by "the usual suspects": Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and Jesse Jackson) have worked tirelessly to demonize Joe Lieberman as a Bush Administration puppet for his common-sense stance on proactively routing out terrorists, and supporting the war in Iraq, and for a few unimportant votes that the trilateral committee above deemed as anti-civil rights, which were nothing more than pandering to minority votes by any clear evaluation of the content involved.

While I'm convinced, based on his voting record (and not his rhetoric) that Joe Lieberman is about as liberal as they come - and let's not forget that he was Democrat Al Gore's Vice Presidential running mate during the last few Presidential Election cycles - a Ned Lamont victory should send a chill down the back of any patriotic American. More on this in a minute…

It's worth highlighting here just how out of step (to the left) the Democratic Party is with the American populace - it's truly amazing that Joe Lieberman, a sure win candidate, is not considered "liberal enough" by his party leaders this time around. When just a few years ago he was just wonderful and liberal enough to sit along side as the Democratic National Committee's choice for VP, but today - he's considered just a GOP lackey. Joe Lieberman should feel personally hurt, personally insulted that folks like DNC Chairman Howard Dean and the DNC leadership dispatched their most ardent liberal activists to Connecticut to embarrass and humiliate Lieberman, enough so that he got bounced in the primary election. Let's hope that Joe doesn't forget the inter-party treachery, and personal onslaught he is facing from his turncoat friends.

Ned Lamont is the new poster boy for the left-wing. He's little more than a Ted Kennedy, Jr. in the making, which is why there is such a push from the DNC left to get him elected. He's young enough to stick around for a while, and liberal enough to thwart the progress of any mildly conservative White House Administration. Only days after winning the primary, Lamont was sent out to do national television spots on shows like Fox News Sunday, where the DNC's attempt to make "Connecticut" a referendum on President George Bush. Now as laughable as that sounds, it points to the fact that the DNC is hell-bent on electing anti-war candidates to all seats where-ever possible.

A Lamont victory would provide pro-Islamic terrorist organizations years of quotable material, and another foothold in our own Government - a mouthpiece for those wanting to back peddle on our anti-terrorism efforts, and embarrass the President, and moreover give a glimmer of hope to dictators who believe that America will cave from within, and will lack the fortitude and willpower to see the war through its lofty goals.

Moreover, Connecticut doesn't need this embarrassment.

I need to comment on GOP Senatorial Candidate Alan Schlesinger, and his campaign bid. The GOP faithful should recognize the fact that Mr. Schlesinger has put his reputation and money on the line to make a run on behalf of the Republican Party. His ideas and arguments are far and wide closer to my own. But this one of those instances where a campaign is about more than voting for the closest ideology, as much as its about helping to forge the best outcome given the present set of circumstances.

And had it not been for Joe Lieberman's re-entry and the creation of a three-way race, a vote for Schlesinger would be a common sense, hands down decision. Unfortunately, based on the most recent poll available which was conducted by the American Research Group, Inc. and dated September 25th - Mr. Schlesinger is capturing only 3% of likely voters. And Joe Lieberman holds a modest 2% lead over Ned Lamont (with 5% undecided).

The idea of holding my nose and pulling the lever for Lieberman and electing him to six more years is somewhat better than casting a vote for Alan Schlesinger and helping to pave Ned Lamont's way to the Senate. We can't afford six years of votes and propaganda support for terrorists and dictators.

The DNC is also targeting several Connecticut house races, most notably the Second District Congressional contest between three-term incumbent Republican Rob Simmons and challenger and liberal Democrat Joe Courtney. In a district heavily dependent on Groton Submarine Base jobs, Simmons has already proved a champion to Sub-Base employees, and area merchants that support the base. Courtney has no military background, but is a staunch anti-war candidate from the left. Courtney's televisions ads focus on painting Rob Simmons as Bush's number one supporter in Connecticut. Well that's good - at least someone is supporting the President over the terrorists. I wonder where that leaves Courtney. Nonetheless, Courtney has made significant inroads on Simmons, and leads in one poll by 51-45 margin, while yet another poll by the DCCC calls the race too close to call and shows Courtney with a one point lead Journal Inquirer Article (http://mailcenter.comcast.net/wmc/v/wm/4518734B0004A0320000698D220699849905029A9F080C0E0A0D?cmd=Show&no=37&uid=20762&sid=c0).

Connecticut's Fourth District is also a good contest, which pits 10-term incumbent Republican, Christopher Shays, against Democrat and Westport Councilwoman Diane Farrell. Farrell is a relatively unknown figure in her own district. Most polls show with a steady 7 to 8 point margin lead (including those of RealClearPolitics.com). Shays has the confidence of voters because he's a straight shooter - voters remember his taking Tom Delay to task over corruption charges, and publicly having differences of opinion with the President over Iraq. Recently, he brought in Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain, both are very popular in his district and resonate with voters.

And lastly, Connecticut's Fifth District has 13 term incumbent Republican Nancy Johnson against Democrat and big spender and liberal State Senator Chris Murphy. Murphy's angle is anti-war, anti-Bush with very little in the way of substance. Murphy has distinguished himself by raising taxes over 17 times on Connecticut taxpayers, and is currently in league with Moveon.org - a left wing web blog which gained notoriety and negative press for running commercials that morphed Adolf Hitler into George Bush.

John McCain has also been in the state campaigning for Johnson. Johnson is well known for her work in the Healthcare and social initiatives. She visited UnitedHealthGroup in Hartford last week, where she discussed policy with employees.

There are no recent polls on the Johnson/Murphy campaign available. But the expectation is that in the end, Johnson will pull out a narrow, single digit victory.

Obviously, all of these races are too close to call at this point. For Republicans, their best bet lies with Johnson and Shays pulling out difficult wins - despite the fact that their districts are slightly Republican leaning, but Simmons has a lot of work to do to stop Courtney's momentum and reverse the current polling trend. If the GOP has a spot to ponder, it will be in the Second Congressional District.

Nationwide, the same kinds of debates are raging, and incumbent Republicans are battling for their lives, and the majority in Congress. If Republicans don't begin to reverse the current trends and make the case for a proactive war against the terrorists, then the House will fall to the Democrats, Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker, and the President's hands will be tied from protecting the United States through use of surveillance techniques, etc. Make no mistake, a Democratic victory in November is a victory for dictators and terrorists abroad. The negative rhetoric alone coming from a Pelosi Speakership will hurt American troop morale, send mixed messages, and embolden Islamic Fundamentalists.