The Connecticut GOP Crisis Part 1: Replace the Chairman

We all know how miserable the results were for Connecticut Republicans in the last election.  And a good number of my friends invested incredible amounts of personal time and energy into trying to elect Republicans wherever possible.  Of course, we knew going in that many of these races were a long shot, and some of them were likely not winnable given the demographic certainties.  Notwithstanding the odds in places like Connecticut's First Congressional District, Republican activists forced Democrats to spend far more time and money to ensure the margins were sustainable to deliver a win not embarrassing to a sitting party leader.   


The party of Chris Healy

Where many of us still struggle to understand the results is in places where Republicans have previously held seats, and where polls showed Republicans ahead by decent margins just days prior to the election; I'm referring to Connecticut Congressional Fourth and Fifth Districts.  Given the tidal wave of Republican support across the country, it seemed a foregone conclusion that even in this traditionally blue state that at least those districts that leaned red would come through if, as projected, Republicans would show up, and Democrats stayed home.  Yet, Democrats won by substantial margins in both districts.

Another seat that could have been winnable for Republicans was the Connecticut Second Congressional District; a seat once held by Rep. Rob Simmons.  But this race was doomed from the start because it was sabotaged by Republican State Chairman Christopher Healy and his politicos even before the candidate, Daria Novak had legitimately landed the nomination.  Healy opted to push controversial news reporter Janet Peckenpaugh who had neither the background or capacity to hold the office.  More so, and adding further damage, Healy worked hard to undermine the nominated candidate by seeking a ruling that would enable the State Party to funnel money to candidates other than those nominated by the Party at the State Convention.  Healy's actions helped destroy any chance for Daria Novak to succeed.  Doug Dubitsky, a nice guy, probably didn't help matters by serving as a spoiler during the primary. 

I could devote a whole essay to the United States Senate Race.  Winning this seat was a tall order to begin with made more difficult by the State Chairman and a very rigged State Convention which saw Rob Simmons railroaded out of the nomination.  Linda McMahon spent a lot of money, and for every dime spent and every vote bought, it's pretty clear that that residents of Connecticut don't want anything to do with Linda McMahon.  I was concerned with McMahon from the start based on her background and history, and watched her campaign implode against a weakened Dick Blumenthal.  Her post-campaign comments about "not going away" have Republicans of all persuasions fearing the future, and praying that just goes back to Wrestling and leaves politics and Republicans alone.

And lastly, the Gubernatorial race played out like a bad B movie.  We saw massive failures of coordination at the onset, starting with a Republican Governor AWOL from start to finish, a Chairman disengaged from the race, which led to a bloody primary between Republican candidates who cut each other to shreds giving Democrats plenty of ammunition to use later on.  And we saw buses visiting places with more candidates than consituents, debates of shame, lack of issue management, and failed allocation of resources at key polling locations that proved costly in the final hours of the election. 

The bottom line is that our Connecticut State Republican Party leadership failed us.  And in the final analysis, things spiraled out of control starting before the nomination process ever began, and the results at every level will likely prove more costly to taxpayers than ever before.

So anyone reading so far is saying, "Hey King, that's great.  You've told us what everyone already knows. So repeating the same rhetoric doesn't buy you anything."

Well, fair enough.  It doesn't buy me anything.  And quite frankly I'm not looking to be bought, or sold on anything.  I'm just a voter who is sick and tired of being represented at the state and federal level by individuals who are counter-productive to our ability to create jobs and improve our Connecticut economy.  This is the central point that we should all be concerned with. 

If you thought Connecticut Republicans were angry before the election, you should listen to them now.  Normally after such a multi-tiered loss, people burn out and go away and recharge their batteries for a few months.  Instead, it appears that the outrage over party shenanigans and what is being seen as "step backwards" via losing the Governor's Office has brought people to a fervor pitch.

I've been very clear about what I think of the current Republican State Chairman Christopher Healy.  He should resign.  If Healy worked in the private sector and produced these kinds of results, he'd be fired.  The results show that since he's been state chairman Connecticut Republicans have done far worse at every level, and Democrats are now even a super-majority in the Statehouse.  It seems that the only one who's benefited from Chris Healy serving as State Chairman is Chris Healy.  Imagine that? The amazing thing is the nerve this guy has to stick around; lately he's putting himself front and center putting out press releases and attending meeting to give the appearance that he's in charge and leading us forward.

Well, he's not.  And he can't.

What he's doing to working his ass off to maintain the status quo, surrounding himself with loyal idiots at State Central who will defend his failed leadership, and spin his horrific record to the end of the Earth.  He's most concerned about keeping his position of power so he can hobnob with Republican leaders at the National Party and find ways to make himself rich and important because clearly he can't do it in the private sector.  Sadly, Healy has big balls, and he doesn't see his failures as his own, and having people he's hand picked surrounding him all day tell him how wonderful he is probably doesn't help OUR cause - getting Republicans elected to all offices and turning around our economy.

The biggest sign that he's delusional about his capability is his audacity to announce that he was considering a run for National Republican Party Chairmanship.  Can you imagine? Based on his record in in Connecticut?  It's no surprise his candidacy lasted ten minutes.  He's the last thing the RNC needs right now in its moment of triumph.

You have to realize that anyone with an ounce of integrity would have resigned already.  Most would be embarrassed about EVERYTHING that has happened within the last year alone - from turning on a former Congressman (who likely had much to do with him even getting the job he has) to undermining nominated candidates, to conflict of interest by having his wife take a high paying gig working for a primary candidate who never stood a chance in Hell.  Yet, he holds his head up high and works to build his fledgling dominion at GOP Headquarters.  Sort of sad.  Sort of costly to us all.

The Republican Party here in the State of Connecticut is severely fractured.  There are economic and social moderates, tea party folks, Fairfield County factions, second amendment groups, big business groups, small business groups, conservative sub base laborers, pro-life groups, and all different kinds of other groups clamoring for a voice.  To say that the Connecticut Republican Party lacks a cohesive identity is an understatement.   It's a mess.  And the mistrust of those at the top is more than evident than ever before, which is why it needs to change.

If we learned anything from this past election, its that writing a big check (in the millions of dollars) doesn't really win you friends, and it surely doesn't win you elections, no matter how historic the dollar amount.  And it isn't a substitute for a winning strategy. 

The best thing the Republican Party could do is to hold caucuses, elect new people outside of Healy loyalists, and start over.  Yes, I know this would remove favor and patronage as a prerequisite to election to State Central, and its Committees, but would be much better than it is today.  And it may give us the best chance of realigning the Party for resurgence.

Look, I know this is blue sky.  This tactic won't get rid of all the bad apples who have brought us down the tubes.  But its likely the only chance to put in fresh blood, and reinvigorate the GOP with fresh ideas and winnable strategies.  It's also the chance to remove the power of the few who seek to rule by minority status and return the Party back to its constituency.

If we don't do this, the party will fracture further.  Those people who felt betrayed, and don't see a form of remediation will likely walk away, and/or form third parties which would be devastating to the Connecticut Republican Party, and to those of us who want to see tax reform and economic changes, and see Connecticut return to a pro-business state once again.

If you can share the message, tell it from the mountains. It's time for Chris Healy and his cronies to go.  Let's rebuild the Connecticut Grand Old Party together, for a brighter tomorrow.

In my next entry, I want to deal with the varying dynamics of Connecticut Republicans, and the dangerous upcoming battle to forge a unified platform for the Party.  This won't be your Grandfather's blog entry so I hope you catch the next installment.

The original blog entry can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/

Senseless Death of Christopher Bizilj

I'm sure this entry is going to make a few of my conservative friends upset with me, and you know what - I'm perfectly fine with that.  Readers know that I don't take my marching orders from GOP Headquarters, nor do I drink the cool-aid that they force their operatives to drink before addressing the masses.  There is such a thing as free-thought, and I personally believe that if more people from both political parties practiced it more often, they'd appear less partisan and more intelligent than they generally do - particularly when it comes to a tragedy like the one that happened to poor 8-year old Christopher Bizilj.

Was it necessary?

When I watch this story I get sick to my stomach.  Any story about a parent's loss of a child is heart-wrenching.  You'd have to be a robot not to be moved by the sheer sadness. But this story is even more sickening than usual.  Eight year old Christopher, with so much to live for, was taken from this life under the most ridiculous of circumstances - by accidentally shooting himself in the head with a machine gun with his father by his side.  Yeah, that's right -  shooting himself in the head with a machine gun.


And so you know, I understand the whole second amendment thing, and in principle I strongly support it.  I really do.  And I think the left is wrong in their attempt to paint the second amendment as a decision made at a point in time, for a point in time.   It's true that The Constitution and the Bill of Rights were drafted in the 18th Century when war between European Nations was regular and commonplace.  And that tyrannical sovereigns used might to suppress their people.  So the inclusion of the right that ordinary citizens could keep and bear arms was far more than just a provision to allow local militia to defend territorial boundaries, it was (and still is) about a landmark principle to ensure responsible empowerment and individual liberty which is quite unique to America even today.

Had the forefather's desire for citizens to keep and bear arms been merely a temporary measure established to keep militia ready in the event of a British or Spanish incursion, or to keep Indians from raiding villages and towns, then it most certainly wouldn't have been made a permanent part of the Constitution via the Bill of Rights.  And if you think about it - not only was it important enough to be included, but it was deemed the second most important right for consideration by its drafters.

Today, the reason to own a gun is probably more justifiable than it was 200 or even 100 years ago.  Doubt me?  Open the newspaper and read about how many people in the last year alone were robbed, shot, murdered, kidnapped, raped, or dealt with home invasion and/or even worse crimes.   And the problems aren't isolated to just the bowels of our poorest cities, but they occur in white-upper middle class suburbia as well.  


Obviously it's not 1776, or 1812, 1863, or even 1941, so the threat from abroad, or from neighboring states is not likely.  But the threat from down the street by our own neighbors is more likely now than at any time in our Nation's history.  And the multitude of villains of today are heartless, machine-like, soulless creatures who don't value life the same way that, for the most part, Civil War era or 1920s-depression era thugs did.  Back then, even criminals had their limits.  So owning a gun for self-protection for oneself, one's family, or in defense of one's home is perfectly reasonable in most people's eyes.

Now, I know that a lot of people say they own a gun today because they are afraid of our Government.  Personally, I think its a rather foolish reason to go out and purchase a gun, and a damn foolish reason to tell others that it's why you own a gun.  For those people, I have a nod and and a smile, and hope that if I ever have to drive up their driveway for any reason that not mistaken for a G-man who's come to do them harm.

And there are other advocates for gun rights, like those folks who engage in the sport of hunting.  I suspect that a great majority of gun owners are likely licensed sportsmen, who purchase rifles designed for this purpose, and who seek to put the trophy stuffed deer-head above their fireplace for all to gaze at.  For the record, I'm not in favor of hunting animals for sport (although I do fish - sometimes for a good meal, and sometimes for sport via catch and release - However to be clear, I do not catch fish and gut them for fun, so there is a contrast to be made between hunters and fisherman).   And hunters generally do not practice catch and release.

Then there are gun aficionados or collectors who tend to buy at will, through the mail and at gun shows, who often own an arsenal of guns for the sake of having or displaying them, or taking them to the firing range to shoot them.  I guess some of these folks are a mixed bag.   The desire to own dozens of handguns, or automatic weapons seems a bit odd, at least to me.  The thrill of going to the shooting range to fire glocks, lugers, semi-automatic and automatic weapons is strange - which may be because some of these types of weapons are used by police or military personnel, or are used by villains to commit heinous acts.  There is a points where I feel I have to question the need for individuals to own a machine gun with boxes of ammo. 

I don't feel better knowing that there is some counterbalance between Hartford Armory owning machine guns and Fred down the street owning one.  Something tells me that if the Government is coming to get Fred, he's going to take a stand, that he'll be greatly outnumbered and its not going to be much of a shoot-out.  Again, so I'm clear, I'm not saying that Fred shouldn't own the machine gun, but the rationale - if its self-defense against the Government, isn't a winner in my book.


I don't know the background for why Dr. Charles Bizilj of Ashford, Connecticut took his young son Christopher Bizilj up to the Massachusetts Gun Expo in 2008.  Or why he insisted on having his child fire an 8 mm Micro Uzi - which fires 20 rounds per second.  Or why a then-15 year old Michael Spano was placed "in charge" of allowing expo-goers to practice firing such a dangerous weapon. 

And as I watched the news footage of the trial where jurors are being forced to listen to crafted testimony, and watch the horrific video to determine percentage of fault and blame, I couldn't help wonder if the real accountability didn't lie with Dr. Bizilj.  And the more I thought about it, the more incensed I became.  Could Dr. Bizilj have found some other hobby to introduce his child to?  Could he have helped his child manage the weapon?  Would the child still be alive if he demonstrated parental judgment that made a shred of sense?


You see, folks - it's not the Second Amendment that is to blame, or the 15 year old kid acting as supervisor, or the Expo President, or the Expo, or even the NRA people.  No!  It's a father who didn't have enough common sense to take his boy to a ball game instead of over to the Expo to fire off an Uzi for the thrill of it.


Well, now the thrill is gone.  And so is poor Christopher.  

So while the world is immersed in the strategies of attorney's artful trickery, and the activists from both sides of the gun ownership debate lob bombs at each other, we are left with the solemn reality that Christopher Biijl isn't coming back.  And this whole damned thing could have been avoided.


This original blog post can be found at www.thekingsview.blogspot.com

Return of the Cylons: Democrats takeover all of Connecticut

If you thought the last several years under a Republican Governor and a Democrat controlled Statehouse were bad, then you're in for a real treat.  Effective today, the Cylons (mechanical machines without feeling or thought) are back in power for at least four years. And I predict that this occupation is bound to be painful for all of us.

Return of the Cylons:
The Democrats are back in power
here in liberal Connecticut

As you probably know, liberal Bridgeport Mayor Dan Malloy defeated stoic businessman Tom Foley this past November.  This ushers out nearly 20 consecutive years of Republican Gubernatorial rule - or well, sort of.  But what it also ends is some measure of checks and balances, however small, now that the State is under one-party rule.    

Jodi Rell was a polite and graceful Governor, but she wasn't a fighter.  She wasn't willing to go to the mat and battle Democrats tooth and nail over budget issues, or social issues.   Governor Rell wasn't about to stick her neck out to defend traditional Republican positions such as reducing the tax burden on families and business, or  forcing Democrats to reduce wayward spending.  The last budget, a whooper, didn't even see a veto from the Governor's Office.  Sadly, Governor Rell never bothered to use her office to educate the public or rally the people in their own self-interest.  All we ever saw were a few canned press releases from her buddy Lisa Moody, or television appearances by our unkept Republican State Chairman Chris Healy - and eventually a cave in to most of the Democrats desires.

I'm sure this was great PR work for Governor Rell's image.  The sweet lady who never made any trouble.  We all just get along so well here in Connecticut, setting an example for the world to follow on how people from different political parties should supposedly govern together for the good of the people.  Year after year, we saw the same act play out on Capitol Boulevard.  It started with the utterance of polite words of war, shifting to about 24 hours of public sword rattling, all for the sake of TV drama. This was then followed by the appearance of the usual suspects at the podium, with their serious, get down to business looks promising long hours and tough discussions to come.  Then behind closed doors they all quickly put aside their differences,yucked it up over their performances, and negotiated a feigned compromise - one that always gave the Democrats 75% of what they wanted, leaving the remaining 25% on the table so that Governor Rell could save face and give the impression that she didn't give away the entire store.  Meanwhile, taxpayers got 100% of the bill.

Republicans liked her, and Democrats loved her.  If they had to deal with an opposition leader - they couldn't have asked for better than Jodi Rell. 

Now, I know Jodi Rell has her defenders and supporters.  I'm actually keen on Governor Rell as a person.  She must have taken the time to say hello to me dozens of times.  But this isn't about personality and socializing, its about the people's business.  And trust me,  because of her unwillingness to make a stand, its going to be a much harder deal to swallow going forward.

For all her kindness, partisan Dan Malloy spent a lot of time on the campaign trail and in public debates blaming Governor Rell for all the ills of the State.  Not once did Dan Malloy point at his own party which has controlled the entire Statehouse continuously since around 1972; not even a solitary mention of shared responsibility.  Candidate Malloy was keen to lay the entire blame at Republican Jodi Rell's feet.  And sadly, and once again, trying stay above the fray - Jodi Rell remained silent. And of course, no one in the Democrat Party could find a kind word for Governor Rell, nor would take accountability for participating in a never-ending spending spree.   Democrats are right about one thing - Governor Rell never forced the issue, and at the end of the day, she became the scapegoat for the millions in debt, loss of business, the demise of education, and a run-away government.

So now what?

Now we have Dan Malloy and Nancy Wyman at the helm.  You'll never find two more liberal people so entrenched in unions, and advocating for big Government practices than ever before. 

Days before his inauguration, Dan Malloy publicly set the stage for all of us - warning us - that we are all in terrible, terrible trouble (hardly the reassuring leader we had all hoped for).  He's spreading the mantra of huge sacrifices and tough times.  All this, while his inauguration tickets - for the little people - cost a stately $175.  You can already begin to see who is and isn't sacrificing.  And who can afford to be at the table with humble Dan.

Then came the political payoffs.  As if right out of an old time movie, we see that people who delivered like Bridgeport Rep. Chris Caruso, a guy with zero real life work experience,  who wound up with a big time promotion to head the Department of Economic and Urban Development, and of course along with it - a huge raise; going from a meager $29K to $130K.  Boy, patronage pays, doesn't it?

Then there are all of the rest of the political payoff appointments that are happening right before our very eyes (and the expense of special elections on local municipalities).  And this is just the tip of the iceberg, you wait and see.  You'll see the union payoffs next, followed by laws that exempt state workers and state agencies from the laws that the public are subject too.  Meanwhile, the tax and spend policies will go unchecked.  The word "savings" will be used to describe previous expenses temporarily removed to give the impression of thoughtful fiscal responsibility.

You will see the combination of some state agencies, but this is being done to create space for new state agencies and positions that never previously existed.

Oh the fun is just begun. 

Sure, Jodi Rell probably was a RINO.  But I'll bet that Republicans will long for the day when some form of opposition served as a buffer between light and darkness.  And after Dan Malloy and his liberal Statehouse friends are done finding ways to take what's left in your wallet, and scare the remaining private sector jobs away, maybe a few people will wake up and realize that perhaps the trial period of one party liberal rule under Obama was example enough; and maybe few might even be will to admit that socialist policies run amuck aren't the solution.   But don't worry - there will be still the chance to blame Governor Rell for at least the first two years.

Good luck Connecticut.  You will reap what you've sowed! 

This original blog entry can be found at The King's View at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/

The Case of Coach Edsall

Coach Edsall brought respectability
to a pathetic UConn Program.
He's earned our appreciation

On Sunday Coach Randy Edsall (via the University of Maryland's PR department) announced that he was leaving his post at Connecticut for greener pastures in Maryland. Ever since that report there has been a wholesale frontal attack on him - questioning his motives, character, and some disingenuous posts daring to attack his coaching prowess.  And as usual, many of the posters are barely sports fans let alone UConn Husky fanatics.

I was also disappointed to see that some usually reputable news reporters where actually fanning the flames by tweeting links to blog posts filled with less than responsible attacks about Coach Edsall's decision.  You have to wonder exactly what Coach Edsall did to deserve such a hateful barrage.  How exactly would someone go about making a life-career decision while at the same time pacifying such a nasty group of mere pen and pad holders who spew nothing but criticism and fire 90% of the time?

In the first place, Randy Edsall came to UConn about twelve years ago, when the football program was nothing more than underachieving team that seemed to lose more than it won in a conference barely recognized by others outside of the New England region.  I can distinctly remember going to games on campus as a student; sitting in rag-tag Memorial Stadium  just hoping we played well enough to not be embarrassed by teams like Maine, New Hampshire, and URI.  Oh, those were hardly the glory days!

In truth, we were lucky that Randy Edsall came and stayed on as long as he did.  Success breeds success, and success brings recruits.  For years, UConn couldn't recruit top talent to the program beyond those players who were passed up by powerhouse football schools as second and third string talent, or less.  It took Edsall nearly five years to create a winning season for Connecticut football. In 1999 they went 4-7, in 2000 they went 3-8, in 2001 they went a dismal 2-9.  It wasn't until 2002, that UConn finished a respectable 6-6, and from then out UConn never saw a losing season.  How many other coaches would have hung around to face an ugly media and a disappointed fan base?

And moreover, did anyone really care about Connecticut Football when both UConn Basketball programs were all the hype?  The University of Connecticut gave Coach Calhoun and Coach Auriemma the keys to the Athletic recruitment vault.  I'm surprised they didn't rename the school to The University of Gampel Pavillion. And hey, I'm not knocking them;  to their credit, they produced fabulous results - its just that the game of football was always placed on the back burner, and it seemed to most that trying to turn UConn into a football mecca-center was not acheivable in either the short or long term anyway.  No one ever thought about the words National Championship and UConn Football in the same sentence. 

Randy Edsell brought respectability to the Connecticut Football program.   He brought advancement to 1-A status, winning seasons, helped forge the move to Rentscheller Field, a East title, a win over Notre Dame (at Notre Dame), and even - three bowl victories.  All of this is hardly anything to sneeze at. 

Look, Randy Edsall didn't make a lifelong commitment to stay at the University of Connecticut in the same way that Coaches Calhoun and Auriemma have.  And you know, that's not a big deal.  And besides, did anyone notice that Coach Edsall is moving back home to where he grew up?  Perhaps, the so-called business side of things has an element of personal desire as well.  Sorry that Coach Edsall's personal plans may be interfering with Season Ticket holders plans through 2020.  Jesh, the reaction by some of you is just unbelievable. 

Another unfortunate criticism from the press is how he handled the announcement.  Really?  Should he have brought the team together in the locker room, stood up on a chair, and proceeded to undermine their morale BEFORE Saturday's Bowl Game against Oklahoma?  Maybe he did make the decision ahead of time, but from most reasonable perspective he did a darn good job keeping it under his hat in a world where social media spreads news in a flash!  Or what was he to do, call the team together after the painful loss, and tell them how he's leaving for another team - sort of giving the team a boot in the rear after taking a pounding?  C'mon media - think, just think for a change.  All you want to do is dump on Coach Edsall and throw him under the bus.  One reporter had the audacity to tweet, "[Do you think Edsall wasn't focused on UConn knowing he was heading for OK.]"  Oh please.  Get over yourself! Edsall was and will be forever the consummate professional.

Look at what he had to endure here in this past year alone.  One of his players is murdered in front of the Student Union by thugs, his team in emotional shambles, and yet he pulled together the team, turned around a terrible season, and overcame adversity.  So, he didn't get the movie ending by knocking off the Oklahoma Sooners.  Oh well.  I can live with a winning 8-5 season, and respectability for UConn Athletics.  And a man who put his players above all else when dealing with Jasper Howard's death.

So, here's to Coach Randy Edsall.  Thanks for twelve years of putting up with the fans, the media, and serious player issues - at times making you go well above the role of Coach.  Some of us appreciate what you've done for UConn and wish you nothing but success at Maryland.  I just hope that UConn fans can show the respect and dignity afforded to Coach Edsall should he ever grace our presence again.  Look at the record, and you'll see he's more than earned our respect and appreciation!

Good luck, Coach Edsall!

The original blog article can be found at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com/