Author: Daniela Altimari

Now we know why state Democratic party spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan has been so quiet lately. Since U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd announced that he won’t seek re-election, her constant torrent of barbed press releases have slowed to a trickle.

The Attack Husky is trading life on the often cutthroat campaign trail for the more genteel world of a political staffer. As of Monday, Flanagan will be working in Dodd’s Hartford office.

“The opportunity to work for Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo and the party during this incredibly exciting election cycle has been a fantastic one, and an experience from which I’ve learned a lot,” Flanagan said in a press release.

Yet even in her swan song, Flanagan couldn’t pass up the opportunity to slip in a snarky comment or two about the Republicans.

“While

“I’ll miss the back-and-forth with my good friends Chris Healy, Jim Barnett, Ed Patru, and the rest of the gang on the other side of the aisle, I won’t miss the constant buzz from my BlackBerry indicating a Google alert for any one of the 563 candidates from all parties running for various offices throughout the state, the general stress and anxiety associated with campaigns, or watching Linda McMahon make cameos in WWE storylines and Rob Simmons pull yet another teabag out of his pocket.”

For the time being at least, Justin Kronholm, executive director of the state Democratic party, will handle public relations.

(photo by Rick Hartford/Hartford Courant) 

Marjorie Warner was 82 and had Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Washington Post.

Everyone else has weighed in. Now it’s Billy Wharton’s turn.

Simmons, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, says he has brought in $631,359 from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. He has about $1.34 million on hand, according to a statement released by his campaign.

Simmons will need every penny he raises. He is fighting fellow Republicans Linda McMahon and Peter Schiff. McMahon, a multi-millionaire, has said she could plow up to $50 million into her Senate bid.

You heard the President’s State of the Union speech and the Republican rebutall.

Lieberman also says he feels a kinship of sorts with newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. Even though Brown is a Republican who’s views on several issues contrast sharply with many of his own, Lieberman said he is looking forward to working with Brown.

Greenberg, a Republican who is running for Congress from the 5th District, says the Democrats haven’t created any jobs, despite billions of dollars of stimulus spending.

“The President’s record does not match his rhetoric, Washington has not delivered on the change or the jobs they promised and people are dissatisfied with their performance,” Greenberg said in a statement. “Of course people are angry and frustrated, as the President said. Americans have seen their country go nearly bankrupt, weve seen more jobs lost than at any time in our lives and from Washington weve seen more big government programs like the health care debacle.

“We all know that creating more jobs not more government programs is not only what Americans want, it is also what’s best for our economy. I am pleased the President now says he intends to make job creation his centerpiece, but I believe his change in policy results from the repudiation of the Democrats job-killing government healthcare takeover legislation.

“The bottom line is that job creation is the number one issue facing our district and the Democrats have not created jobs, despite the billions of dollars they have poured into new government programs.  The fact is Americans want to rebuild our economy, they do not want more government spending.”

Gregory is a Republican running for Congress from Connecticut’s 4th District and a former worker for John McCain. Yet he acknowledged being swept up by Barack Obama and his promise of change in the 2008 campaign.

“I am one of the people who, during the 2008 Presidential election cycle felt truly moved and inspired by Barack Obama,” Gregory writes in an email. “I felt as though this guy really knew where I was coming from and would help unite our country after 8 years of bitter partisanship and get us back on track (and I say this as someone who worked on the McCain campaign).

But that was then. “Obama’s policies…proved to fall far short of his rhetoric of ‘change you can believe in.’  Now that the President has seen his poll numbers crash down to earth and political capital evaporate, he is repeating the mantra that led to his sweeping victory in November of 2008.  While I would love more than anything to believe his message again, I simply cannot.”

Rob Simmons, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, accused President Obama of passing blame instead of accepting responsibility in his State of the Union address last night.

“He spoke of making job creation his top priority despite spending his first year focused on job-killing health care legislation. He defended a massive bailout program he admitted to hating. And he proposed hundreds of billions in new spending even while promising to freeze the budget. His rhetoric simply does not match reality,” Simmons said in a statement.
 
“With 10% unemployment, the President needs to stop excusing the failed stimulus with isolated and anecdotal stories of success and start talking about initiatives that create incentives for small businesses to invest and create jobs. He can start by cutting taxes, dedicating unspent stimulus dollars to pay down the deficit, and reducing the size of government to foster an environment where small businesses can prosper.”

McMahon, a Republican for U.S. Senate, had been directed by the Federal Election Commission to submit a more detailed filing for the 3rd quarter of 2009.

To read the amended report, click here: McMahon 3rd qtr amend.pdf

McMahon’s initial filing did not disclose payments for political consulting work and other in-kind services performed as she prepared to launch her campaign, a fact first reported by The Day of New London’s Ted Mann.

McMahon’s filing shows what some of those consultants are earning. For instance, the Texas firm headed by Republican media consultant Scott Howell, a protege of Karl Rove, was paid more than $1.2 million.

UPDATE: McMahon spokesman Ed Patru points out that Howell’s firm did not actually pocket the entire $1.2 million — most of the went to TV ad buys, which the firm buys on behalf of the campaign. “It’s not accurate to say he was paid all that money,” Patru writes in an email. “Every campaign does it that way – the media guy places the ad buy.”

November Inc., the Nevada-based firm headed by consultant Mike Slanker, was paid $46,000. Slanker was reportedly issued a subpoena by the Senate Ethics Committee, which is investigating Slanker’s client, U.S. Sen. John Ensign of Nevada. The FBI is also looking into the Ensign matter as well.

Moore Information, McMahon’s pollster, was paid more $42,000. The firm is under investigation by the New Hampshire attorney general’s office for violating the state’s ban on push poll.

But it’s not just out-of-state firms who are benefitting from McMahon’s largesse. The Hartford firm of Sullivan and LeShane was paid at least $90,000 for political consulting and communications work.

The salaries of McMahon’s campaign manager, David Cappiello, and several other top aides are not included because they did not join the campaign until after the 3rd quarter had ended.

According to the revised filing, McMahon lent her campaign $2.5 million in the 3rd quarter. 

As far as donations, the multi-millionaire has said she will primarily self-fund (to the tune of up to $50 million.) But she will accept individual contributions of up to $100 and her filing shows she received dozens of such small donations, including $100 from Lowell Weicker of Smyrna, Ga.

The McMahon campaign was under order from the FEC to file an amended report of risk enforcement action. 

“The President faced a tough crowd tonight, both sitting in Congress and watching at home in Connecticut.  The economy isn’t as healthy as we need it to be, the health insurance reform bill is in limbo, and there is a level of anxiety across the state.

“But no matter how angry people are, President Obama reminded us that we can’t let our frustration stand in the way of action – action to cut back on spending, focus on fixing the economy for the middle class and our small businesses, and find a way to pass sensible health insurance reform.

“From Buy American legislation to tax breaks for small businesses which create jobs now, I’m ready to act with ideas that will invest in Connecticut’s workers for the long haul.”

Republican Justin Bernier, who is running for Congress from the 5th District, said he is encouraged by President Obama’s decision to talk about the defict in his State of the Union address.

But he says a spending freeze isn’t enough. “What we need is a spending reduction – not a ‘spending freeze,”’ Bernier said in a statement. “Keeping current spending levels in place will only result in higher taxes, inflation, or even bankruptcy.

“Reports indicate that only 12% of this year’s budget ($447 billion) would be subject to the spending freeze, saving U.S. taxpayers $15 billion out of a $3.7 trillion budget.  This is the equivalent of cutting $200 from a $50,000 budget.

“Congress should instead consider a plan to reduce government spending by at least 1% every year until the federal budget is balanced.” 

Unlike the pols who put their partisan spin on President Obama’s State of the Union address, Sgt. Helman Roman said he was thrilled to hear the speech in person.

“Tonight, the President outlined clear, common-sense steps that we should take to put middle class families back on the path to prosperity,” Dodd said in a statement.

During his speech, Obama highlighted one of Dodd’s main initiatives, reforming the financial regulatory system. Now, says Dodd, “this Congress must rise to the challenge before us – to create jobs, reform Wall Street, and finish our work to make quality health care affordable and accessible to all.  I stand ready to work with President Obama.  And I know my colleagues in the Democratic Party are ready to roll up their sleeves and get back to work.”

What about the GOP? “I only hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle use this moment as an opportunity to re-think their strategy of mindless obstructionism and join us in tackling these challenges,” Dodd said.

“President Obama’s address tonight was lofty, but the time for words without action has passed,” said Schiff, a Republican running for U.S. Senate.  

The leadership in Congress and the White House is failing the American people.”

President Obama presented a vision of success, but “he and Congressional leaders have failed to make it happen,” Schiff said. 

“I have been a business person for a long time; I know a marketing campaign when I see one, and tonight’s speech was little more than a public relations effort to give an out-of-control Washington an image makeover,” McMahon, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, said in a statement.

“If Washington is serious about fiscal responsibility, it will put in place a real and immediate spending freeze on the remaining portion of the stimulus, table a second planned stimulus, use all of the paid back and unspent TARP funds to pay down the federal debt and put the brakes on its budget-busting health care reform initiative.

“The American people are frustrated and angry about record unemployment and skyrocketing deficits, and instead of solving problems, Washington is just making things worse. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Washington is on pace to run an aggregate deficit of nearly $6 trillion in the coming decade. It is on track to double today’s $12.4 trillion federal debt in five years and triple it in 10 years. For the foreseeable future, our country will be borrowing inordinate amounts of money just to make the interest payments on borrowed money.

“Families and small businesses understand what Washington still doesn’t get:  we cannot continue to spend money we don’t have on things we can’t afford.”

McMahon concluded: “Career politicians have failed us.  It’s time for something different.”

“I welcome the President’s acknowledgement of the economic pain felt widely and deeply and look forward to reviewing his plans to help middle class Americans, who are still hurting economically. We must enable Americans to find and keep good jobs with fair pay.  And, to protect our economic future, we need vigorous, sustained fiscal discipline that enables deficit cutting.”

From President Obama’s call for new regulations on the financial industry to “his articulation of the compelling need to invest in a green energy economy, to his announced increases in education and child care funding, to his support for investments in road, bridge, rail and port projects, I applaud the President’s address,” DeLauro said in a statement. 

“I was moved by the President’s reaffirmation of his commitment to see comprehensive health insurance reform made the law of the land. I very much hope my colleagues were listening, and that we can work together in the coming weeks to bring quality, affordable health insurance to all Americans.

“I am concerned about a call for three year spending freeze in discretionary spending. I will closely examine this proposal over the next few months and will require more information about what and who will be affected by this. Nevertheless, I am heartened by President Obama’s overall address, and I look forward to working with him to tackle these and other challenges on behalf of the American people in the coming year.”

I’ve received a few emails over the course of the past month from the National Republican Congressional Committee denouncing Democratic U.S. Rep. Murphy.

Today’s installment rips Murphy for supporting the stimulus package. “One long year after House Democrats passed their trillion dollar ‘stimulus’ boondoggle, Americans are facing daunting double-digit unemployment numbers and a skyrocketing deficit,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain said in the email. “Rather than putting the brakes on his party’s reckless tax-and-spend policies, Murphy has continued to rubber-stamp their runaway spending, further pushing the federal deficit into the red.” 

Here’s the problem: the focus of the attack is Scott Murphy, a Democrat from New York’s 20th District, which stretches from Rhinebeck to Lake Placid, not Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut’s 5th District.

“After a year of punishing middle-class families with mountains of debt fueled by partisan government giveaways, New York families deserve to know: Would Scott Murphy vote for the ‘stimulus’ today if he had the chance?” the NRCC asks.

Perhaps the good people of New York will weigh in. In the meantime, the NRCC might want to consult this before sending out another news release.

“While not perfect, Ben Bernanke helped steer the fed through some very turbulent waters and Linda respects the President’s decision to re-appoint him,” McMahon spokesman Ed Patru said in a statement.

His statement echoes a position taken by McMahon herself back in early January, when she was asked about Bernanke in a TV interview.*

Patru also took the opportunity to slam one of McMahon’s GOP opponents, Rob Simmons, who has expressed opposition to Bernanke’s reappointment as Fed chairman.

“In six years in Washington, Congressman Rob Simmons did nothing to help avert an economic collapse; instead, he sponsored or co-sponsored 370 bills that increased spending and he twice voted to raise the debt ceiling by $1.25 trillion. Now he wants to blame Ben Bernanke for all of our problems? Chutzpah comes to mind,” McMahon spokesman Ed Patru said in a statement. 

UPDATE: Simmons spokesman Raj Shah had this to say in response.

“Rather than explain her support for Ben Bernanke’s Federal Reserve that spent trillions on government bailouts and supported wasteful stimulus spending, Linda McMahon would rather launch baseless and false attacks,” Shah told me via email. “Rob Simmons’ record is clear. He fought to reign in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government sponsored entities that fueled the housing bubble that led to the financial crisis.

“Linda McMahon needs to explain how she can complain about government bailouts and stimulus while admitting she would have voted for the largest bailout in U.S. history and saying she would vote to confirm their chief architect and salesman, just as she needs to explain how she can complain about liberal policies while supporting Democrats with over $40,000 in campaign cash.”

And Patru took a swipe at Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal, a longtime supporter of Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, who is not seeking reelection.

“As for Dick Blumenthal, it’s dumfounding that he defended Chris Dodd up until the very end despite his many ethical lapses – including his role in providing bonuses for AIG executives – and now he is demagoguing Bernanke,” Patru said.

*An earlier post on the topic noted McMahon had not expressed her opinion on Bernanke. 

Unlike some of his political opponents, Peter Schiff has long been critical of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his predecessor, Alan Greenspan.

Back in the boom years of 2006, the author, broker and candidate for U.S. Senate was a lonely voice ripping the Fed. In frequent TV appearances and in his 2007 book, “Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse,” Schiff predicted that the U.S. economy was headed for a crisis due largely to the policies pursued by Greenspan and Bernanke. (This at a time when many politicians were heaping praise on Greenspan, Schiff notes.)

“Together the two of them kept interest rates too low, inflated the housing bubble and tried to get consumers to spend too much,” Schiff said in a brief phone interview this afternoon.

“You have these other politicians jumping on the bandwagon now that its popular to bash Bernanke,” Schiff said. “They didn’t say anything about him two or three or four years ago.”

Schiff points out that he is critical of Bernanke for precisely the opposite reason Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal is. (In a statement released Friday, Blumenthal criticized Bernanke for failing to embrace the regulatory reforms needed to avoid another economic meltdown, among other things.)

Blumenthal wants more regulation, Schiff said. “He thinks the Fed should be spiking the punchbowl…I think the Fed should be taking the punchbowl away.”

It’s becoming trendy for pols of every partisan stripe to lash out against Bernanke for failing to foresee the financial crisis, Schiff said. But how many of those politicians predicted the dangers ahead themselves, he asked.

“Nobody else understood or cared,” Schiff said. “I saw it coming. I’ve got credibility criticizing Bernanke.”