Should we support another CT Dem or stick with Blumenthal?

[tmyers09]

Made by request from Liberation Angel.

[FSogol]

1. Wait and see what happens?

Blumenthal will either weather the storm or drop out. Just because Chris Matthews wants it solved before his hour is up doesn't mean it will be.

[sharesunited]

2. Clone Ned Lamont.

[NutmegYankee]

3. No kidding!

[Liberation Angel]

4. 3 Days to the Connecticut Convention and Alpert needs 15% of delegates to primary

so time is short
http://merrickforachange.com/

Merrick Alpert is the candidate to back

Thx for paying attention

[Liberation Angel]

5. kick THREE DAYS LEFT!

I will be notifying Alpert's campaign of the results and the DU threads tomorrow.

If you want to be heard

please vote and comment

[Liberation Angel]

6. Morning kick - Momentum is mounting for Merrick Alpert as "Plan B"

http://www.theday.com/article/20100519/NWS05/305199925/1069/rss
COLUMN: Democrats should make Blumenthal primary
By David Collins

I've never run across a politician who craves time in front of a camera more than Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
And yet he looked decidedly uncomfortable Tuesday when he took the stage at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9929 in West Hartford, facing, I would guess, as many cameras as he's seen in his long career. I'm sure that having to explain how he came to claim in remarks caught on video that he served in the Vietnam War, when he didn't, was not how he envisioned his big moment in the national media klieg lights.

Still, Blumenthal soldiered on bravely, blaming The New York Times for "impugning' his reputation with its story this week describing how his characterization of his "Vietnam-era" service in the Marine Reserves, stateside, has led to confusion of the facts over the years. Blumenthal Tuesday also blamed other journalists who over time have created a mistaken record of his "Vietnam-era" service, saying he shouldn't be held responsible because they got it wrong.

I found this a little hard to accept, coming from a press-obsessed attorney general who once called a reporter here at The Day to complain she had given him a middle initial in a story, when he doesn't have one.

Couldn't he also have called other reporters to say he didn't serve in Vietnam and that he wasn't captain of the swim team at Harvard?

More at Link (Collins says Alpert should show up at the state Dem convention wearing a T Shirt that says "Plan B"

[karynnj]

10. Looking back at Collins'columns, there is no change from his prior position

His comments have all been very pro Alpert and negative on Blumenthal.

Here are some links:
http://www.theday.com/article/20100512/NWS05/305129915
http://www.theday.com/article/20100324/NWS05/303249911
http://www.theday.com/article/20100303/NWS05/303039872

Now, I know that many will say that his call for more debates is fair. However, it is pretty normal for a candidate with a commanding lead to agree to just one or two - some did none at all. My point is that this man was obviously for Alpert months ago.

PS I seriously do not think "Who many jobs did your lawsuits create?" a particularly clever or original charge. Is he suggesting there is no societal value to regulation and law enforcement - especially pro consumer advocacy?

[ecstatic]

7. He came across as super creepy yesterday...

No telling how many other things he has "mis-spoken" about. I think CT deserves better.

[CTyankee]

8. The veterans in CT that he has helped may have their own ideas about what CT "deserves."

Having someone in a powerful position backing you up and fighting for you "may" just weigh a little more heavily in his favor that your estimation. Are you in Connecticut?

[karynnj]

9. Keep Blumenthal

This is new and is currently in the media frenzy. Everything looks bad in a media frenzy. You might notice that the vast number of media feeding frenzies are against Democrats.

Here, you have a man with no real scandals in his closet and an excellent 3 decade public srvice career. Yesterday's event with the veterans was done as well as possible. It also appears that there was no long term pattern that he inflated his military credentials. This was a poorly reworded two year old comment. His biography had the precise correct information. He also has worked for three decades to help CT veterans. An ad, like the one Kerry had in 2008, that listed many of the things he did for vets ending with video of a wounded Iraq War veteran getting his purple heart from Kerry at Fenway field, with some verbiage like, "Although as a young man I served in the Marine Reserves and did not go to Vietnam, what I saw in that era led to a career long commitment to honoring our veterans by helping them in their time of need." Apparently, from the news, he does have a long list of things he did.

Step back for a moment and look at comments by Scott Brown. He routinely speaks of his 3 decades in "the military" and how it would inform his work in the Senate. He mentions it at hearings. I swear that Boston Herald readers would likely respond Brown, if asked to name a MA Senator with military experience. (His military experience is mentioned by fans in comments on both the BH and BG) Here is a direct quote from a Boston Globe (owned by the NYT) puff piece - that the authors had no problem with. (The entire article hypes his National Guard service - something they never did for the Senator who was a genuine war hero.)

"Brown describes himself as “probably one of the most qualified soldiers in the entire Massachusetts ,’’ having been an enlisted man and trained in infantry, airborne, and quartermaster duties and joining the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 1994." http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/01/07/guard_service_a_key_to_candidate_brown/?page=3

Now I am ignorant on military terminology, but I always thought "enlisted man" meant he was in one of the branches of the military. Not to mention, given the large number of MA NG who actually did see combat, it is insulting that Brown really thinks he is even close to one of the most qualified.

In both cases, neither was actively deployed. To me, it is Brown, whose words suggest a career of 30 years in the military who more actively deceived people. From listening to him, you would think he had Sestak's background.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. I agree.

I think he screwed up his wording once, which frankly, is easy to do when you speak publicly as often as a candidate does. I don't think this is as bad as it's being made out to be.

That said, perception is reality in politics, and the perception is not aligned with what's really happening at all in this situation.

[karynnj]

12. Is there any politician who has not misspoken - or at least had it

spun that he did?

Here, the fact that his website and various biographies have always had a listed correctly. The strangest comment was that he should have corrected any reporter on any article that got it wrong. That is bizarre and no one has ever done that.

Here is an example that happened through no fault of those involved. Two of the most distinguished Democrats both gave valedictory speeches the year they graduated college. In both cases, it was a well deserved honor and they used it very well. John Kerry was given that honor because he had received a National award for his speeches and debates as the best in the country. He was the star of Yale's debate team. Hillary Clinton was the class President. Neither ever claimed to be - or was - the valedictorian of their class. Yet many accounts for each have said so - formally or informally. (As in the many "Bill married the smartest girl in the class".) In a few interviews, where it was mentioned - Kerry corrected it - and even spoke of not having been "conscientious" as a student. Yet, it would be ridiculous for Kerry or Clinton to have assigned staff to write corrections whenever that mistake was made.

Until this was made an issue, I would assume that correcting all articles that say "Vietnam Veteran" would have seemed as ridiculous to Blumenthal and his staff.

The timing of this is questionable and I suspect that it is designed to push for a Democratic primary fight. Until the dust settles, it will be hard to see if this had any damage. It is deeply troubling to me that a man, who has routinely been described as honorable and having an excellent 3 decade public service career is having that substantial reputation built up through years of actions being trashed by what is likely to have been simply ill thought out words. (I also wonder if he was reading a speech written by a staffer on a teleprompter and he didn't catch the problem as he read. Both having staff write a speech and using a teleprompter are pretty standard, but for some reason neither are acknowledged. )

[Liberation Angel]

13. Blumenthal is guilty of genocide against Native people in Connecticut. NY. RI. Mass

I worked with several of the Native tribes in Connecticut who were up against the Casino mobsters who were in collusion with Bush, Trump, Romney,

Blumenthal did their dirty work and had their tribes terminated so they would not compete with Bush/Republican backed and Trump backed and Romney backed Casino interests.

Ask any Native person (except the ones profitting from their wealthy connections to Republicans and also to corrupt politicians on the Dem side who want their largesse) what they think of Blumenthal (who is considered by many to be one of the last "great White Indian Fighters).

He is a dishonorable man.

I support Alp
He needs to be allowed to speak and then he needs the votes to Primary.

I am about as far left (and nonviolent) as they come.

Alpert can beat the Rethugs. Blumenthal will not.

Also Alpert served with honor in the military and opposes the Afghan war.

As someone who worked with IVAW I know that Alpert can win the state's veterans with his positions.

And Blumenthal HAD to know he was being deceptive over and over again. He is the Attorney General and KNOWS the power of words.

But his role in the annihilation of entire Native tribes is my primary concern with his integrity: he has absolutely zero integrity and thought nothing of fighting Native peoples and beating them into the dust. For that alone he is unworthy of the nomination.

[karynnj]

14. Not to be rude -are there links to this genocide charge

That is as serious a charge as can be made. It seems incredible that in modern day CT, native Americans were killed and it didn't make the NYT.

As to "again and and again" that appears to be an overstatement.

I think BOTH Blumenthal and Alpert served with honor in the military. Alpert went to Bosnia as part of the airforce reserves in 1998 and 1999 per his web site. If you want to be a purist on this - that was not a combat situation. The peace accords were in 1995. (So, you can say the Politico article overstated Alpert's service leading some to think he was in combat.) Yes - I think this parsing is ridiculous.

From all the polling, it is hard to make the case that he can win. He has never polled above 10%. If Blumenthal's polls tank further, bringing Dodd back in is a more likely win.

[Liberation Angel]

16. Genocide means destroying a people - here is Blumenthal crowing about destroying TWO Native tribes

http://www.ct.gov/AG/cwp/view.asp?a=1949&q=293554

Now - I will say the following:

This was a corrupt decision in which Blumnehtal worked with crooked gambling interests, including a lobbyist for Mitt Romney. and the Bush administration, as well as folks with ties to McCain and the "federally recognized" Casino tribes to TERMINATE the named tribes as "Indians".

Blumenthal blatantly LIES when he says that there evidence was insufficient or that the fact that they were political entities who were RECOGNIZED BY LAW for over three hundred years

[WeDidIt]

15. I think it's probably too late

and DU doesn't get much of a say in it any way.

[redqueen]

17. But we must agonize!

He's so very very wrong and horrible and WRONG! We're DOOOOOMED! :eyes:

Some people around here are having conniption fits about this guy... for what reason I have no fucking idea. If the Dems in CT don't like him they can deal with him just fine.