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Friday, December 2, 2011

THIS WEEK ON FACE THE STATE... BE SURE TO EAT BREAKFAST EARLY


photo from http://www.wfsb.com/story/14969552/the-hartfordite

I know that usually I watch Dennis House's "Face the State" program (Sundays, 11:00am, Ch. 3) while getting started for the day and eating breakfast. This Sunday I will have to be sure to eat early to avoid being nauseous while watching one of his segments. Sorry Dennis, it's not you but your guest.

I'm sure most people have noticed that the Republicans in Hartford were thoroughly beat into the ground the last few years, and especially this past November when they lost their remaining seats on the Council. You may have also noticed that the local GOP "leadership", and I use that term lightly, have had plenty of blame for everyone else except themselves.

Even before the loss, you could see the venom spewing from Hartford's Republican Town Chair Michael McGarry anytime he spoke about the Working Families Party (WFP) and in particular WFP Councilperson Luis Cotto. I am not a fan of Cotto's, but McGarry chose to make it personal between himself and Cotto.

McGarry also concocted the deal, or was at least one of the "masterminds" behind the misguided deal to endorse Democrats in the last election. This stripped the Republican's of any ideology or any means of differentiating the GOP from the Dem's. In the end, McGarry should realize that his deal cost him and his party votes.

According to Dennis House's blog "the Hartfordite", McGarry said the election of Working Families candidates to the council instead of Republican candidates, is bad for business and sends a message to investors to stay away from the city. He called the WF party “dangerous.”

I would counter that the attitude of the Republican Party in Hartford for the last several years under McGarry's "leadership", or lack thereof, has been dangerous. Throughout the entire Perez corruption scandal, McGarry and his party remained silent. No press releases, no comments, not a word.

Since 1999 as Hartford's mill rate steadily increased from about 29 mills to the current rate of over 71 mills, not a word was said by McGarry and his party. The only Republican elected to the Council Veronica Airey-Wilson voted for just about every item that increased spending as well as every bloated budget. Although she had to align herself with Perez and his operation since a Grand Jury investigation eventually proved that she was also benefiting from Perez's criminal acts.

Not surprisingly though, not a word from the Republican "leaders" before or after Airey-Wilson's arrest. In fact, they appointed her nephew to replace her on the Council when she left after her arrest on criminal corruption charges. And in the total opposite of Republican beliefs of smaller government and reduced spending, Airey-Wislons nephew, Corey Brinson voted for the illegal raise for the City Treasurer Monday night. Hopefully one of his last official acts as a Councilperson since he was not re-elected.

McGarry himself probably has a hard time as Republican Town Chair criticizing City Hall since he benefits directly from the City and Board of Education's advertising in his periodicals.

Rather than calling WFP dangerous, it mike make more sense to educate potential voters as to what the GOP is about and why it would make sense to vote Republican. I think people are fed up with the negative politics and if you put a message forward that makes sense, people just might listen.

There is no outreach to the community, there is no education and there definitely is no Republican presence in Hartford, other than Mike McGarry spouting his nonsense blaming everyone else.

Buy a mirror Mike and line up your Republican Town Committee members behind you, that's where you should be looking to place blame for the decay of the Hartford Republican Party.

I agree that the WFP most likely will not be good for Hartford for the next four years on the Council. It will most likely mean more fiscal recklessness, more liberalism and attempts to tie the hands of our Police even more and less accountability to the voters.

But McGarry is the one that has to accept the blame. The WFP ran campaigns and got their message out, the Republicans did not.

The Hartfordite also stated that "McGarry predicts the increased power of the Working Families party, will be so detrimental to the city it will actually help rebuild the Republican party in the city.". If only it were that easy what the Democratic controlled Council has done to Hartford for the last 10 years would have voters flocking to the GOP in record numbers.

The Republicans have to grow a back bone and be willing to make some noise and let people know what is happening in City Hall every day, 24/7. In McGarry's case, silence has not proven golden and he has missed many opportunities to gain a voice for the GOP, no one knows what they stand for or what they believe in.

The only thing that will rebuild the Republican Party in Hartford is hard work, and a lot of it. And that hard work will have to come from fresh blood with new ideas and a message the voters can connect with, shouting out the WFP is bad just won't cut it.

10 comments:

peter brush said...

I agree that the WFP most likely will not be good for Hartford
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I agree.
By the way, who is in charge at the WFP Town Committee?

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

Peter,

There isn't one. They are run by Jon Green who is their "Executive Director" for the organization, but they do not conform to the same required structure for Dem's and GOP town committees

Mitzi Gaynor said...

Peter...here you go again.....The Republican votes for the spending increase and the WFP doesnt...and yet you say the WFP isnt good for Hartford? Shame on you Peter.

Anonymous said...

You Peter and McGarry live in a fantasy made up paralel universe where black is white,good is evil,right is wrong and the WFP are dangerous...

Calling the WFP dangerous or that they will be bad and overspend for Hartford belies the facts when Dr Deutsch and Cotto voted no on the raise and the rest voted yes.

It is outmoded thinking that is bringing Hartford down.

peter brush said...

I agree that the WFP most likely will not be good for Hartford
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So sayeth Kevin B., Mitzi.

If I understand it, the esteemed electorate of our fair town can't vote for Republican candidates because of putative mismanagement by the party apparatus. On the other hand, it votes for the WFP which doesn't even have an apparatus.

The fact is that the WFP is a leftie outfit that is attractive to our leftie electorate. Kevin prefers to blame the chair of the Republican Town Committee for the mistakes of the voters. On the other hand, anonymous 6:58 thinks credits the electorate for having the wisdom to install fiscally conservative council guys. I hope his in-moded analysis is correct.

Bruce Rubenstein said...

Peter, I believe it is more productive to assess folks on the basis of what they do rather then what they say.

Taking into account the above it is fair to say that the "leftie group" in Hartford is the Republican Party.It is a fact that the Republican Party and their leadership were at the forefront of every tax and spending increase the past 10 years.And it is a fact that the prior Republican Councilperson voted for every tax and spending increase,just as the subsequent Republican Councilperson ( Corey Brinson)did.

The WFP did not vote for every tax and spending increase nor did every WFPer vote for the recent raise.

Therefore if you go by what they DO rather then what they say,it is the Republican Party that are the big tax and spend Socialists and not the WFP.

peter brush said...

the "leftie group" in Hartford is the Republican Party
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In that case, it would seem that you and the rest of the leftie electors have been making a gross error for the past five or six decades. I'd really appreciate it if we could better inform them so that next time we may get a Republican controlled City Hall for the first time in Luis Cotto's entire lifetime; really spend some bucks, think of new inequalities to eliminate, hire a host of unionized hacks, rein in the cops, and in general make Hartford as socially just as Detroit, Newark, or the District of Columbia. All towns, by the way, where the leftie electorates have also mistaken the Republicans for a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

peter brush said...

the Republican Party that are the big tax and spend Socialists
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And, let me guess... crime here in New England's Rising Star is due to suburban kids coming in to buy drugs.

Bruce Rubenstein said...

Peter...ducking the comments is beneath you...you know I am right...the R's have acted just like any other "leftie group"

peter brush said...

you know I am right...the R's have acted just like any other "leftie group"
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I agree with you, leftism not good for the town. And, we've had it at least since I've been here (1984). WFP Democrats only most virulent strain. (Although, the Green Dems like Ms. Sheff compare.) Democrats have controlled municipal governments in virtually every large American town/city for decades. I don't blame their local policies for conditions in Hartford or Newark, but if we hired them to improve things I'd say we should get our money back.