We’ve got some life among a couple of Democrats running for the 5th District nomination for Congress.
Elizabeth Esty’s new “shoes” TV ad is ringing bells at the Donovan headquarters in Meriden for this not-so-subtle slap at the house speaker:
And as a legislator, she took on her party leaders to fight for honest budgets – even cutting her own pay.
After Esty announced her new ad – it’s an upbeat commercial introducing the Cheshire Democrat to voters where where she promises to stand up for the middle class – Chris Donovan’s campaign manager responded with a shotgun blast.
Tom Swan didn’t like what the Esty ad infers about “her party leaders” and “honest budgets” at the General Assembly. Chris Donovan was one of those party leaders when Esty was a lawmaker. (It should be noted that Esty’s challenge to liberal Democratic leaders in the General Assembly never went very far.)
Swan elaborated:
In Elizabeth Esty’s first campaign ad, she highlights her support for a Republican-like budget that attacked the very values Democrats believe in. As a legislator, Esty tried to protect tax breaks for millionaires by cutting funding for classroom education and gutting health care for seniors and Connecticut’s poorest children. Esty didn’t take on party leaders, she took on the values of the Democratic Party with a Republican-like plan to protect millionaires on the backs of seniors and children.
The Esty campaign’s Jeb Fain called the Donovan response “an attack.” He sent me this formal response from campaign manager Julie Sweet:
It’s unfortunate that Speaker Donovan has decided to engage in the same old attack politics with a sad attempt to distract from his own campaign’s serious troubles. Elizabeth is a proud Democrat and believes we should stop the political bickering and work together to extend middle class tax cuts, while ending tax cuts for millionaires and big oil companies.
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7 Responses to Chris Donovan Doesn’t Like Elizabeth Esty’s Shoes
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WRT “honest budgeting,” the main issue should not be — as Swan suggests — a fiscal issue. The main issue should be a good government issue, such as GAAP. Donovan put out multiple budgets that were not honest. CTs “accounting system” under Donovan was unique to CT. No one else played the budgetary games that he — and his predecessors — played.
Esty mentioned “honest budgets.” But Donovan’s manager is distracting from the issue raised by Esty.
If Swan wants to say that Esty didn’t advocate good government issues, have at it. That may be true. I don’t know. But that will also force Donovan to explain why he spent years opposing good government.
Why did he oppose GAAP? Perhaps because he dislikes “tough” decisions?
Why did he never explain his rationale for giving Amann that $120,000 / yr job? Perhaps because Donovan knew it was a no-show job?
Why did he oppose subpoena power for the Chief State’s Attorney? Perhaps because he felt subpoena power may be used against him?
Why did he ignore the fact that Mayor Malloy got a secret bailout from the Federal Reserve in 2009? Perhaps Donovan didn’t know (a common theme of his)?
Or perhaps Donovan just detests good government? And perhaps Esty is right… “honest budgets” are not a Donovan forte?
Worst States to do Business:
44 – CT
45 – NV
46 – MS
47 – AK
48 – WV
49 – HI
50 – RI
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/texas-named-america’s-top-state-for-business-2012.html
What’s the solution?
Someone really needs to help Tom Swan cope with his anger issues.
Most expensive state on the mainland to live in? CT! Prospective employers love that news!
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-expensive-states-to-live-in-2012.html
What to do about that?
We could sure use that $300 million in Race to the Top education funding. Maybe more than the politicians who conspired to tank CT’s RTTT application in return for union campaign backing,
CT: The highest per-capita debt of any state in the union; approx. $42k for every man woman and child. Considering that roughly half the population pays very little in taxes, that means that the amount is probably around $75-60k for those who do.
And there’s uncertainty about the debt. GAAP will require pension debt reporting and needs to add unfunded health care to the mix.
Then there’s the inevitable Moody’s downgrades.
By 2020 when all liabilities are required to be on the balance sheet and government accounting adopts standardized pension accounting and standardized health care assumptions for unfunded liabilities then CT will be naked.
Clearly, the Esty campaign has hit a nerve in the Donovan campaign. For a campaign manager to lose his cool like that means the allocations are serious. Union backing should not insulate a candidate from serious scrutiny- and these candidates are running for the US Congress, not a local board or commission. Questions need to be asked and fair, honest answers given- without anger or rhetoric.
Elizabeth Esty is the real deal, she means exactly what she says and has the support of folks who are tired of the games, hidden agendas and surprise tactics.