Fedele Gets an Endorsement.
The Connecticut Post weighs in with its endorsement in the Republican contest for governor and picks Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele. The editorial buys the Fedele claim that he had nothing to do with the Rell administration’s misbegotten policies that have brought Connecticut to this perilous time. Tom Foley, who won the party’s convention endorsement in May, has collected the most newspaper endorsements. Oz Griebel has two, the Torrington Register Citizen and the Norwich Bulletin. Griebel is ahead in the compliments-but-no-endorsement competition. Fedele was dismissed with barely a how-do-you-do in the Courant. The Post gives the same treatment to Foley, remarking that the former ambassador “brings some unpleasant baggage to the race.”
Endorsements allow a candidate to raise the tone of ads with a lofty quote or two. That may be more helpful than usual in this contentious year when the largest group of Republican primary voters are undecided. Their number is what keeps the nomination up for grabs heading into the final week before the August 10th primary between three little-known candidates.
22 comments
This is just an observation, but for someone whose campaign is supposedly built solely upon his immense personal fortune, Tom Foley strangely keeps coming out on top in areas where money should matter the least, e.g., convention endorsement and also newspaper endorsements.
I really thought Mike would pull more newspaper endorsements. I view the apparent repudiation as weariness with the Rowland-Rell era. This crowd has become tiresome. If there is a third ruler from this line of succession, expect to once again see the air become thick with the stink of cronysim.
Oz’s dismal showing can most easily be explain by his unfortunate non-viability. What’s the point in endorsing a doomed campaign?
Mr. Rennie, you are mistaken. Oz Griebel has two newspaper endorsements – The Torrington Register-Citizen and the Norwich Bulletin.
I had expected Oz to get the Courant endorsement, not Foley. Obviously, the editorial writers haven’t bothered to read their own newspaper’s reports about Foley.
I think what it comes down to in the end is who is the most viable candidate to win in Nov. I still believe Mr. Foley is the best candidate. I think many people see that.
No one has tossed out any number yet on how they think the three will do. Let me be the first:
Foley 49%
Fedele 36%
Ozzie 15%
I really wanted to say 65, 25 & 10 but I’ll buy into the BS that’s What about the Boughton/Wilson-Foley matchup? Word is getting about that Boughton is behind and will lose. It’s the big “buzz” and I’m surprised Kevin hasn’t “reported” that one as well. Everyone is talking about it.
Everyone to Ed, is the three nitwits in the HQ…Boughton wins no problem. Nice try ED (ahem Bill). But in a way won’t it be fun to see Tom Foley explain that Lisa Foley is not his wife all fall.. Looks like Lamont-Wyman.
Thanks. I made note of that after you pointed it out.
The more interesting story may be that a newspaper has yet to endorse Lamont.
I think the Courant’s comment re: TaxHikeMike Fedele was spot on — “He is now positioning himself as more fiscally conservative than his partner, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, saying he would have insisted on more spending cuts than she did. He was silent at the time, however, and the team simply didn’t do the job. Why should voters think he’s up to the challenge now?”
Fuzzy, the Register Citizen (Litchfield Co.) endorsed Lamont.
The Courant’s editorial Board blew it. If they had read their own paper they would have picked Oz Griebel.
They obviously ignored Tom Foley’s baggage…which makes him the candidate of choice for Conneticut Democrats….oh, maybe that explains it.
Finally, I don’t like Mike Fedele but the Courant comment is soph0moric and uninformed. Policy is made by the Governor, not the Lieutenant Governor. Lieutnant Governors have a chance to be heard, but are, correctly, expected to support the final policy. When was the last time you heard of a Lieutenant Governor challenging the policies of a Governor that they served under? The Courant knows better…or it should.
The Source:
I think that’s just the point. Mike says he’s the only candidate with legislative AND executive experience, and his lieutenant governorship is really the only reason he’s even in this race (no way he runs if he had just been sitting in political retirement ). If he’s going to claim the last four years as an important tent post of experience, he also has to own the failures and take some responsibility. Moreover, as several others have now opined, if he couldn’t sway his “partner” in government to change course, how will he deal with a hostile legislature held by the opposition party? The bottom line is that when you say ‘vote for me, I was lieutenant governor, that’s important experience,’ it’s legitimate to look at that experience and ask what the hell it is that you did.
Also, I now think Tom Foley’s “baggage” is a bigger deal to commenters on the blogosphere than the general public. I have a Connecticut-native relative visiting from California right now who, surprise, leans left, and when I told him about the hubbub surrounding the arrests, he was incredulous that uncharged conduct from 20 years ago was being made into such a big deal.
And in any event, the Courant appeared not to view Bibb so much as baggage… I don’t really know what to think of that whole affair, but it’s unfortunate that no reporter has yet taken the time to do some research and report what actually happened. If someone (ACR?) can actually provide a link to a story on Tom Foley’s involvement with Bibb that is not just a report on Fedele spin, please do. I still don’t know what to think about that whole thing.
Grackle: You’re right, Lamont did get the much sought after endorsement of the Register Citizen. But so far, I think the lean in the Democratic race is much more skewed toward one candidate than the Republican. It will be interesting to see what the Advocate does, particularly with two sons of Stamford running.
Fuzzy,
The Courant, not Fedele, first reported Foley’s involvement in Bibb.
The Source,
You’re right. I stand corrected.
My broader point though, is that with all of the negative ads out there, why not do some actual reporting on which ones are true and which are false? Fedele’s spin on Bibb is a much different from the Courant’s early reports. And maybe Foley’s accusation that Fedele is a tax and spender isn’t accurate.
It seems that we would all benefit greatly from a piece on the negative ads, both Democrat and Republican, with an evaluation of the veracity of each instead of just a parroting of what the candidates are spinning with headlines like “FOLEY SLAMS FEDELE FOR….” or “FEDELE LAMBASTS FOLEY FOR…” I’m sick of politics getting reported like it’s a Sports Center Top Ten reel. Most political reporting is about as journalistic as ESPN’s The Decision.
“The Courant, not Fedele, first reported Foley’s involvement in Bibb.”
That they were fed by the Fedele campaign.
Nice try, FAIL.
I think these papers are being gutless by complimenting Griebel and not endorsing him. If they liked him so much than why didn’t they pick him as their candidate. There’s only one reason; he’s behind in the polls so they don’t want to take the risk of endorsing a candidate they think might lose.
“There’s only one reason; he’s behind in the polls so they don’t want to take the risk of endorsing a candidate they think might lose.”
Now that’s a pretty stupid statement. The newspapers don’t care one way or the other about who might win. They’re being polite to him but they don’t like him enough to endorse him, it’s pretty simple.
Fuzzy,
I totally agree about the lack of media analysis. In fact, I made the same point earlier today.
>>>That they were fed by the Fedele campaign.
Nice try, Ed. But, the Fedele campaign isn’t that good.
Foley has nobody to blame for this one except Tom Foley.
“Nice try, Ed. But, the Fedele campaign isn’t that good. ”
I disagree. While I’m not voting for Fedele in the primary and would laughingly like to agree with you, his campaign staff is indeed that good. I know people on his campaign staff and they aren’t as dumb as you think they are.
not dumb, just ineffective
“ineffective” is not all their fault, that’s the candidate’s fault to a large degree. Being effective requires having the basic materials to work with.
Another handicap Fedele has is that he’s Lieutenant Governor He probably really didn’t like some of the thing Governor Rell did but he couldn’t say anything.