Category — Posts

Freshman state Representative Liz Linehan (D-Cheshire), Dan Drew’s running mate, has been a failure at fundraising in the early going. If Saturday’s appeal to mark the 23rd anniversary of a “freak illness” striking her works, expect more of this. Because  nothing is beyond exploiting in the business of raising money to qualify for the state’s generous public financing program, Linehan is looking for $23 from each of her marks.

Linehan may want to go easy on the death analogies as an approaching unhappy end stalks her campaign with Drew.

Luke Bronin ducked apologizing to scores of Hartford city government employees for sending a campaign fundraising solicitation to city email addresses. Instead, Malloy’s Boy had his campaign manager, Conor Hurley, send an email to the targeted subordinates, letting them know they would receive no more communications in that manner.

The employees should be hearing from the one with the power to retaliate if they decline to contribute to their boss’s campaign, not his functionary and the treasurer of his political action committee.

It may be the essential virtue in Connecticut’s next governor: run toward the danger. Republican Steve Obsitnik was speaking to a holiday campaign gathering at a supporter’s Greenwich home in tony Field Point Circle.

As Obsitnik was making his pitch, according to witnesses, smoke from the basement began to fill the rooms of the house. As baffled guests began to evacuate the house, Obsitnik found a fire extinguisher, jumped over some furniture, and ran to the basement to confront the fire until the Greenwich firefighters arrived.

Luke Bronin came tumbling out of the starting gate on the first day of his exploratory campaign for governor. The Hartford mayor began his fundraising efforts with emails sent to city employees at their city email accounts, Daily Ructions can report.

The Bronin email pledges to do what he was unable to accomplish as a longtime member of mentor Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s inner circle, “put forward a strong vision for economic growth and opportunity.” The appeal concludes with an oversized link to contribute to Bronin’s committee.

Middletown Mayor Dan Drew attracted unwelcome and intense scrutiny for sending contribution requests to city employees after obtaining their home addresses from the city’s human resource office.

State Senator Paul Doyle (D-Wethersfield), who stunned the legislature in September with a decisive vote for a Republican budget, will explore a statewide race for attorney general. Doyle will have no trouble meeting the Bysiewicz Rule that has vexed other aspirants. Doyle has been in active diverse practice of law in Connecticut for far more than 10 years. Doyle is in his sixth term representing the 9th Senate District. He serves with likely AG rival Willian Tong as co-chair of the legislature’s influential judiciary committee.

Doyle has served in the legislature since 1994.

Doyle’s 5-town seat would be a prize and could open some House seats within the district.

The Republican National Committee has resumed its support of accused child molester Roy Moore. This is a disturbing development in a campaign full of unseemly revelations about Moore.

Daily Ructions asked Connecticut’s two RNC members, Leora Levy and state Representative John Frey if they object.

The email inquiry sent Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.: “Do you support the RNC’s decision to assist Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore in the final days before the special election? If not, how have you made your disagreement known to the RNC leadership?”

Leora Levy responded: “Today I am eternally grateful to President Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel.
Re Alabama, I  supported Luther Strange in the primary. That speaks for itself.”

John Frey replied: I was relieved and very supportive when – last month – the RNC withdrew support of Moore. It was an action that I had encouraged.
I believe the victims and wouldn’t commit any resources if it were up to me. I find this turnabout very disappointing. I let my feelings known to the RNC Chairwoman. In speaking with a few other members so far, I’m not alone in my displeasure.” (Punctuation added for clarity.)

Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini made a show of pressing Thomas Piketty’s “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” upon his subordinates. The yoga and mindfulness guru must have skipped some of the chapters in that indictment of income equality. Bertolini’s reported to be in line for a $500 million payday in the CVS purchase of Aetna, adding to income equality across the nation.

We await comment from Piketty, though we expect it would start with “zut alors!”

Bob Stefanowski was in Hartford Monday to discuss Connecticut’s economy and his plan to revive it. The Madison Republican would eliminate the income, corporate, and estate and gift taxes. The economy would thrive, he believes. Stefanowski had some trouble explaining how the state would continue to pay for public services–even reduced ones–without a mechanism to tax a growing economy other than the sales tax. Stefanowski would not raise the sales tax, relying on its current 6.35% rate as the driver to fund $20 billion in state services.

Stefanowski, who was a Democrat when the year began, puts a premium on symbolism. The corporate tax will be the first to go and, he asserted, that will send a message that Connecticut “is open for business.”

You can learn more about the plan on BobforGovernor.com.

Economist Arthur Laffer also spoke, devoting most of his time to singing the praises of Tennessee.

It’s already starting to feel like Malloy’s third term. Luke Bronin is not just the unpopular governor’s protege and the mayor of Hartford. The Greenwich scion is also the chairperson of the Capital City Political Action Committee. The PAC made a $2,000.00 contribution on  October 15th to the Hartford Democratic Town Committee, according to records submitted to the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC). The maximum contribution from a traditional PAC to a town committee is $1,500.00 a year.

Curiously, the contribution makes no appearance on the town committee’s mandatory report due seven days before an election.