With the election 13 months away, Democrat John DeStefano Jr. intends today to air the first television commercial of the 2006 campaign for governor.

But viewers will have to watch carefully to catch the 30-second spot: The ad introducing the New Haven mayor will be on the air today and Wednesday only.  DeStefano, who is competing with Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, said the early commercial is a signal to Democrats.

"Clearly this is a message, and not just to the general public, that our candidacy is going to be aggressive and is not going to pull any punches," DeStefano said.  The commercial ignores Malloy and instead offers implicit criticism of Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell for Connecticut ranking last in job creation in one recent study.

"Fifty states, but Connecticut is last in job growth," intones a narrator over pictures of tense workers and jammed roads. "Property taxes skyrocketing. Endless traffic jams. We can do better."

Then the spot abruptly shifts to introduce DeStefano.

"John DeStefano. The son of a police officer, devoted husband and father. As New Haven mayor, new jobs created, crime cut over 40 percent, drop-out rate cut over 40 percent."

The spot was done by DeStefano's media consultants, Squier Knapp Dunn Communications of Washington, D.C. The firm represented President Clinton in his 1996 re-election campaign. One of its biggest current clients is a Republican: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"Unfortunately, John DeStefano is doing exactly what Gov. Rell thought he would do - tear down the state just to build himself up," said Adam Jeamel, the spokesman for the Rell campaign.  Malloy's campaign questioned investing in television commercials so far in advance of the Democratic primary in August and the general election in November 2006.

"It's so odd, frankly, we were wondering if our recent momentum" was the cause, said Chris Cooney, Malloy's campaign manager.   Malloy raised more money than DeStefano in the three-month period ending Sept. 30, but DeStefano has the overall financial advantage, with $1.86 million cash on hand to Malloy's $1.1 million.

Cooney said Malloy was the biggest beneficiary of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's recent announcement that he was not running for governor. Blumenthal once represented Stamford in the legislature.  Neither Malloy nor Rell are planning to join DeStefano on television anytime soon, their campaigns said.

In 1994, Democrat John B. Larson and Lt. Gov. Eunice Groark of A Connecticut Party spent heavily on early commercials with little effect against their better-known opponent, Republican John G. Rowland. Larson lost a Democratic primary to Bill Curry, who focused on field organization and spent little on television before the primary.

DeStefano said he is not neglecting field organization.  His political director, Shonu Ghandi, declined to say how much the campaign is spending to air the spots, primarily on local newscasts in Hartford, New Haven and Fairfield County.

"It is a modest buy," she said. "It's the first of a series of lower-level broadcast buys we're going to do to start having a conversation with Connecticut families."

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Court serves up ruling on diner 
By Doug Dalena, ADVOCATE Staff Writer
Published December 16 2005

STAMFORD -- 

A state Superior Court judge has dismissed most of a lawsuit that sought to block the Urban Redevelopment Commission's plans to build around a downtown diner that the city tried but failed to seize by eminent domain, then cut off from its parking lot by erecting a fence.  Although the judge ruled that the owners of Curley's Diner can still try to persuade a court to order the fence removed, his dismissal of the other five counts by the restaurant's owners means the Park Square West development can go ahead, the URC's top official said.

"The practical effect is that we can do what we thought we could do, and that is build around the property," URC counsel and acting Executive Director Rachel Goldberg said.  Maria Aposporos, who has owned the diner on West Park Place with her sister, Eleni Begetis, since 1977, said she has not decided whether to appeal.

"The lawyer, I gave him $55,000, he wants another $40,000," Aposporos said. "Instead of the URC, I think maybe the lawyer's going to end up with my diner."  Her attorney, John Wayne Fox, said the case has been expensive partly because the city has made it so difficult. He said Aposporos may still get her day in court, but will have less opportunity to tell what he called a compelling story.

The two sisters sued the commission earlier this year after construction crews put up fences around the property blocking access to the parking lot behind the diner. The women sought to block the part of the project that interfered with access to the parking lot and sides of the building, get compensation for losing use of the lot and force the URC to tear down the fence.

They also argued that the diner had access rights through the adjacent property under several legal theories.

Aposporos maintains that the URC promised her a right-of-way when they condemned the surrounding property. The URC said she gave up any access rights when she accepted a previous settlement ordered by another judge in 1988.  Judge William Lewis ruled that the one count seeking to have the fence removed can proceed, but dismissed the remaining five charges, saying the plaintiffs had no legal standing to sue the URC on those counts.

The URC did not challenge the owners' right to sue on the remaining count, which charges that it put up the fence intentionally to "annoy and injure" the two sisters.

The city needs the fence to protect the public, including the diner and its customers, from construction dangers, Goldberg said. Before construction starts on the development phase closest to the diner, the site will be covered with building material, she said. That phase will likely start sometime in 2009.  Aposporos has said the city put up the fence to retaliate against her for fighting its "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude toward property owners facing redevelopment plans, then sent health inspectors to harass her when she couldn't get past the fence to dump her garbage.

Fox said the city is using the adjacent property to park cars, which don't pose any kind of construction hazard, while the fence prevents escape from the back lot if people had to leave through the diner's back door in an emergency.

After the state Supreme Court ruled against the commission in an eminent domain case in 2002, the URC and its private developer had to redesign later phases of the project to work around the 5,700-square-foot lot where the diner sits. The plans now include more than 410 apartments, 30,000 square feet of retail space and two parking garages.

The commission had sought to seize the diner and property around it to make way for the urban redevelopment project north of West Park Place between Summer Street and Washington Boulevard.  When the owners appealed the condemnation order, the Supreme Court ruled that the city could not take the diner because the 1988 amendment to the redevelopment plan that added the diner was based on an outdated 1963 finding that the whole area was blighted.

The city owns the rest of the property and has agreements with the real estate development company Corcoran Jennison to develop it. The URC also is building a public garage connected to the development.  In his decision granting the URC's motion to dismiss five of the charges, Lewis ruled the diner owners had no standing to challenge the URC's construction on its own property and had suffered no losses as taxpayers.

The judge found they had given up any claim to a 14-foot right of way for the diner's driveway and a 20-foot right of way behind the property when they accepted a judge's 1988 award of $191,000 in return for agreeing not to appeal the ruling further.

Lewis also ruled that the diner owners could not claim the land that connected the parking lot to the road by adverse possession -- meaning they owned it because they had used it for so long -- because the law governing adverse possession does not apply to government property.  The URC would still like to buy the diner or some of the land, Goldberg said, because having it would allow a more expansive development that could include a downtown grocery store.

Goldberg said the city would offer Aposporos fair market value for all or part of the property, or offer her a 99-year restaurant lease in the new development. Aposporos said the city has never offered a fair deal.

"Last time, it was one diner with two windows in the front and one hallway," she said. "I'm not going to no one-hallway diner."

Blaming Mayor Dannel Malloy for much of her trouble, she switched parties from Democrat to Republican to run for city representative from the 4th District last month. Campaigning on an anti-eminent domain, you-can-fight-city-hall platform, she won. She said she intends to keep running the diner, but even if she didn't, she won't let the city get it.

"They all think I'm stupid in city hall," she said. "I will close the diner and I will work somewhere else to pay the mortgage, but I will never give them the diner, because they treat me so bad."

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Malloy Opens Health Debate:  Candidate Cites Need For Kids' Insurance
By MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writer
January 27, 2006

Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy proposed universal health care for children Thursday as the first policy initiative of his campaign for governor.

Malloy said universal coverage could be obtained relatively inexpensively by Connecticut's spending $21.4 million annually to further subsidize its HUSKY health insurance program.  A family of three with an annual income of $50,000 would see the monthly cost of covering two children under HUSKY drop from $442 to $75, he said.

With his "Every Child Matters" proposal, Malloy is trying to engage a wide audience for the first time after more than a year devoted to raising money and cultivating potential delegates to the Democratic nominating convention.

"Much of this campaign thus far has been about politics," Malloy said. "In fact, it's been about insider politics - who can garner other people's support."

Malloy, who is competing with New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. for the Democratic nomination for governor, said the proposal he delivered Thursday at the state Capitol marks a new phase of the campaign.

The timing was intended to grab the public's attention in the two-week lull before Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell sets her priorities for 2006 with her budget proposal and a speech to the General Assembly.

Malloy has been the mayor of Stamford since 1995, but he is only now trying to introduce himself to a general statewide audience. His lower Fairfield County city falls outside the Hartford-New Haven television market that covers most of the state.

By focusing on uninsured children, Malloy chose a relatively manageable piece of a larger problem.

According to the state Office of Health Care Access, 128,200 people were continuously uninsured in Connecticut for the year prior to a 2004 survey and 318,300 had no coverage at some point during the year.

Relying on census data cited by the nonprofit group Connecticut Voices for Children, Malloy said 71,000 children are uninsured in Connecticut. Based on telephone surveys, the Office of Health Care Access recently estimated the number is far smaller: 19,300 children.

Malloy said his proposal is based on a program he instituted in Stamford in which the city worked through the schools to help eligible residents sign up for HUSKY.

Malloy said the combination of lower rates and aggressive outreach could result in health coverage for the state's uninsured children, half of whom are eligible for HUSKY but do not participate.

Universal coverage would save money in the long run by encouraging preventive care, Malloy said.

On Thursday, Malloy employed a no-nonsense tone that he promised would characterize the rest of his campaign. He set the annual cost of his proposal at $35 million, all but $21.4 million of which would be federally reimbursable, he said.

"With respect to how to pay for it, we're being very specific today," he told reporters. "You're going to get used to that."

With the budget surplus estimate at more than $500 million, Malloy said no new taxes would be required to pay for his program.

Malloy, who is a member of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, distanced himself from a more dramatic proposal floated last year by organized labor. It would have forced large employers such as Wal-Mart to offer the equivalent of the health benefits now enjoyed by state employees.

Legislators are concerned that some employers force workers onto the HUSKY program by offering limited benefits or setting high employee contributions. Nearly two-thirds of working heads of households that subscribe to HUSKY say some health coverage was offered by their companies.

DeStefano promised a broader approach to health care.

"Universal health care for children is just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "Over the course of the campaign, we will outline our health care plan, which is prevention-based, portable and focused on making health care more affordable and more accessible for adults and children alike, alleviating the incredible pressures on employers and families."

Rich Harris, a spokesman for the Rell campaign, said more than 200,000 children in Connecticut already get free health care through HUSKY.

"The concern about adding a social benefit program like this is that it is easy to do in a time of budget surpluses, but it requires a longer term consideration to be certain that it won't create budget problems down the road," he said.

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Urban Violence Drawing Attention;  Rell Meets With Mayors, Including Political Challengers
By MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writer
February 15, 2006
 
Gov. M. Jodi Rell sat at one end of a long table. Her Democratic challengers, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy, sat on opposite sides at the other end.  The topic Tuesday at Rell's closed-door meeting at the Capitol with more than a dozen mayors was how to curb urban violence. Participants said the tone was polite and the conversation direct, even with three major gubernatorial candidates seated at the table.

"We all agree this is something we have to work on together," Rell said after the meeting, as Malloy peered over her shoulder and DeStefano stood to the side. "It is not about politics. It is about doing something to protect our children."  The Republican governor said she was open to revising her proposed budget to respond to mayoral concerns, including a complaint by DeStefano that her budget would provide $750,000 in new anti-crime funds, yet end an effective $850,000 youth program.

"I think he brings up a good point," Rell said. "Maybe we will go back and take a look."  The Democrats said the meeting was an appreciated gesture, but Rell's budget will be a better measure of her commitment to fighting urban crime, especially involving the young.

"I appreciate the meeting, but the direction and vision of the state gets shaped in the budget, and it wasn't there," DeStefano said.

Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez handed Rell a petition from civic leaders in Hartford who are asking Rell for more resources to fight a recent spate of shootings. Rev. Cornell Lewis and other activists marched to the Capitol to present the petitions.  Before the meeting, Malloy and DeStefano each released similarly named anti-crime plans directed at keeping young people from trouble.

With his "Connecticut Youth Action Plan," DeStefano would use expanded youth employment and counseling to attack teen violence.

Malloy issued a "Connecticut Youth Development Initiative" that focused on mentoring, youth employment and partnerships with community organizations.

The two mayors called for the passage of legislation that would require the reporting by gun owners of lost or stolen guns, a measure that Perez asked Rell to endorse during their meeting.  Rell said she would study the measure, but sounded a skeptical note: "Most of the guns [traced to violent crimes] are not necessarily falling in the category of lost or stolen guns."

In separate interviews, DeStefano and Malloy said that Rell missed the point of the legislation, which they say is intended to strip criminals of a defense when their guns are traced to crimes.

"The reality is they currently have a defense," Malloy said. "Their defense is, `Oops, I lost it.' What we want to do is cut that line of retreat off."

"She didn't get it," DeStefano said.  Rell said the meeting Tuesday marked the beginning of a dialogue with the mayors.

"This is not an issue that is going to be solved in one meeting, on one day with one press release," Rell said. "We need to continue this dialogue."

Her dialogue eventually will include a series of gubernatorial debates with either Malloy or DeStefano, but Rell said the candidates ignored the politics for the day.  Rell insisted that talking policy with her opponents presented no awkwardness.

"I think it was fine working with them," she said. Then glancing over her shoulder, she added, "I hope."

---

How many in the 4th Congressional District care about these pix in 2006?
If you forget the one on the left, for sure you can't imagine what the one on the right is about!  And from the Hartford Courant editorial page:  "Unusually acrimonious races are causing many regrettable outbursts this year...Republican Rep. Chris Shays spluttered in defense of the House speaker, 'Dennis Hastert didn't kill anybody' The reference was to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was in town campaigning for Mr. Shays' rival, Democrat Diane Farrell."


Que es mas Gold Coast?
ISSUES IN CONGRESSIONAL RACE

• TOP STORY; ON CAMPAIGN DEBATES, LATESTWORD/ PIX! 
  

• What mattered to the district on local level in the end;
• The Economy (i.e. gas prices);
• War in Iraq 2006 - what is the old saying again..."defeat is an orphan" (including terrorism);
  
• Immigration
• Ethics
  

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Post-Election Reflections:  Staff Reports
Westport NEWS
Article Launched:12/01/2006 09:32:42 AM EST

Westport News Editor Will Rowlands asked Diane Farrell, former Westport first selectwoman and congressional candidate, the following questions when she returned from her post-election travels.

Will Rowlands: How do you feel?

Diane Farrell: I feel fine. As I have said to folks, I feel disappointed, but not rejected.

WR: What did you do right after the election?

DF: I went to Vermont and New Hampshire to visit family. Win and I went to the Brown-Dartmouth football game that weekend with my folks. Win went to Brown, my Dad went to Dartmouth. It's always a fun rivalry! (Dartmouth won)

WR: With anti-war, anti-administration and anti-congressional sentiment as high as they were, and Democrats doing well nationwide, some people can't figure out why the results in the 4th Congressional District race were almost the same as they were in the last election. You must have asked yourself the same question?

DF: The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee spent $2 million in opposition to my candidacy including 47 pieces of negative mail, TV negative advertisements and deceptively annoying "robo calls." Congressman Shays did not allow the NRCC to come into the district in '04, he did in '06. That was an
enormous difference. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent money against Congressman Shays but not as much and in a different way. Their TV ad, for example, was less of an attack, it emphasized my endorsement from the New York Times.

WR: The NRCC mailers and robo-calls must have been hard to take. Can anything be done about these kinds of hatchet jobs in the future?

DF: It appears the robo calls done by the NRCC were illegal because they did not identify themselves as the sponsor at the outset. They most likely knew consequences of their actions would not be dealt with until after the election. They should be less likely to conduct them in the future as they will be on notice. One can only hope!

WR: Would you care to comment on the rumor that locals fed "ammunition" to the NRCC?

DF: The only thing I will say, as I did on election night, the people of Westport knew the truth about my record and I was honored to have received the majority of the community's vote for Congress.

WR: What was the nicest thing that happened to you during the campaign?

DF: There were so many wonderful moments on the campaign trail. As I look back, my greatest memories will be all of the sharing of hopes and dreams for America that people expressed along the way. Most folks knew and acknowledged how blessed we are to live in this country.

WR: What was the worst thing that happened to you during the campaign?

DF: There were very few "bad" incidents along the way. Occasionally, someone would be rude but it was very, very rare. Toward the end of the campaign, I would feel a certain sense of astonishment when people were unaware that an election was taking place!  (NOTE:  many people in the 4th may have thought the campaign mailers were a joke because NRCC "attack ad" series emphasized local Westport mistakes (the candidate's entire political record coming from there); we all know Congress never deals with anything, for example, as inexpensive as turf fields!!!  And "attack ads" use unflattering images...no one apparently could find an unflattering picture of the former First Selectwoman!   An example of this series of "attack ads" here.)

WR: Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything differently?

DF: I wish voters in parts of the district that had little knowledge of me had a better understanding of my actual record in Westport.

WR: What are your plans for the immediate future?

DF: Since the election, a lot of my time has been focused on catching up with my family. The holidays are a perfect excuse to indulge (too much for the waistline I fear!) and celebrate our many blessings.

WR: Have you made any decisions about your political future?

DF: I am talking to lots of folks, political and non-political, about my future and am receiving great advice. To a person they advise that I not rush the process. For someone who enjoys perpetual motion (ask any of the town's department heads!) this is not easy to do. But I am heeding their advice for the moment.

Will, I want to say again how proud I was to serve Westport on the Board of Finance and most especially as first selectwoman. I was proud that, by majority, Westport elected me as their representative to Congress. It will always mean the most to me that those who knew me best were willing to place their faith in me once again.

Happy Holidays!

---

How Shays Won - To His Surprise
Hartford Courant
By JASON ZENGERLE
November 12, 2006

There's no greater softball question in all of politics than the one reporters lob at candidates right before they go into their local polling places to vote for themselves: How do you feel? All politicians, even the ones destined for certain defeat, invariably respond with something upbeat, like "Great!" or "Confident!" But on Tuesday morning, as embattled U.S. Rep. Chris Shays headed into an elementary school in his Bridgeport neighborhood to pull the lever for himself, he couldn't muster anything quite that optimistic. Asked how he felt, Shays replied, "Numb."

Shays' lack of sensation was understandable. During his 19 years in the House, he had become a moderate Republican icon - bucking his party on issues including campaign finance reform, abortion and stem-cell research. But on Iraq, Shays had voted for the war and then stubbornly supported President Bush's "stay the course" strategy until only three months ago, when he came out in favor of a timetable for withdrawal. Shays' Democratic opponent, Diane Farrell, had repeatedly attacked him for his stance on Iraq and for his party affiliation more generally - constantly rapping him for his support of "the Bush agenda."
 
And in this affluent, educated southern Connecticut congressional district - whose voters are 28 percent Republican, 31 percent Democratic and 41 percent independent (and which John Kerry carried in 2004) - it looked as if those attacks would pay off. Many Democrats and independents who had once supported Shays were poised to jump ship.

"If I voted for Chris and [House Speaker Dennis Hastert] kept his seat by one vote, I couldn't live with myself," one erstwhile Shays supporter told The Courant. Even The New York Times, which had previously endorsed Shays each time he'd faced a serious opponent, came out in favor of Farrell.

Heading into Election Day, Shays could take some solace in the fact that polls showed the race too close to call. But with a blue wave seemingly rolling across the country and particularly New England - where one moderate House Republican from Connecticut, Nancy Johnson, lost and another, Rob Simmons, now faces a recount - it looked likely that he would be swept under.

So, about 12 hours after he voted - and three hours after the polls closed - when Shays strode into a packed hotel ballroom in Norwalk to declare victory, there was no one more surprised, it seemed, than he was.

Shays' Strategy

How did Shays manage to win? Certainly not because of the GOP. At every turn in the campaign, he played down his party affiliation. Shays' campaign literature and ads were scrubbed clean of any trace of the dreaded R-word; instead, they hailed the candidate for his "independence." Even when Shays appeared at the Connecticut Republican Party's convention in May, he seemed to go out of his way to distance himself from the GOP, telling a reporter, "I can't say we have, as a party, earned the right to stay in the majority, but I think I've shown I can be effective."

And the Republican Party's attempts to help Shays only hurt him. The National Republican Congressional Committee blanketed Shays' district with fliers attacking Farrell for being soft on terrorism - "Diane Farrell: Coffee talk with the Taliban," read one mailing - and questioning the wisdom of her spending decisions when she served as a selectwoman in Westport.

"They said that Chris' opponent spent $40,000 on a turf field," complained Shays' campaign manager, Michael Sohn. "This is Fairfield County, Connecticut! People spend $40,000 to have their lawn done for them in the summer! ... The NRCC was dropping bombs on our own home."

But Shays had something to offset the disadvantage of his party affiliation: He constantly reminded voters of all the pork he had brought home over the years, boasting of the federal funds he secured for projects ranging from road improvements to the renovation of a dental-hygiene training clinic.

He also sought to cast himself as a gracious elder statesman, largely eschewing harsh personal attacks against Farrell. And, even when he indulged the temptation to wander into wing-nut territory - strangely declaring at one point that Abu Ghraib "was not torture" but was a "sex ring" - he quickly apologized, which only served to reinforce his bland, above-the-fray campaign slogan: "Listens. Learns. Helps. Leads."

Most important, Shays faced Farrell's criticisms on Iraq head-on. Although he ultimately bowed to reality in Iraq and, in August, came out in favor of a timetable for withdrawal - a move Farrell blasted as a cynical election-year ploy - he did not, a la Joe Lieberman, try to avoid the issue.

Indeed, just like Farrell, Shays made Iraq the cornerstone of his campaign. He repeatedly emphasized his record on the war, including the more than 15 hearings he has held on Iraq as the chairman of the National Security Subcommittee of the Government Reform Committee, and the 14 trips he has taken to the country since the start of the war - the last of which, he said, ultimately convinced him that "stay the course" was no longer a viable strategy.

"I ran a race that my political advisers said I shouldn't run," Shays said the morning of the election. "I didn't run away from the war."

The Speech

That attitude carried over into Shays' victory speech Tuesday night. For three hours, hundreds of his supporters had watched on a large projection screen as the election results were posted, growing more and more excited as it became clear that their candidate was actually going to win. And when Shays entered the low-ceilinged hotel ballroom at around 11 p.m., he made his way through a gantlet of hugs and kisses to the podium.

Once there, Shays made sure to give the requisite thanks to his supporters, staff and family, but he did not strike the typically triumphant notes of a victorious candidate.

"I don't know how you'll react to this, but I want to also say this," he said, after quieting his supporters who'd been joyously chanting, "Two more years!"

He then unfolded a piece of paper and read off a list of names. "I sent them to Iraq and they came home draped in American flags," Shays continued, as the once-raucous ballroom became eerily quiet.

"I think about them almost every day of my life, and when the press talked about how tormented I must feel about losing the election, they just didn't get it. ... The only torment I feel is for those families, and I pray that we can make it right for these families and that we will find a way to have our men and women come home from success, not failure, but that we find a way to bring them home."

It was a numbing sentiment indeed.

Jason Zengerle is a senior editor at The New Republic. This was reprinted from the Nov. 9 issue.

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"Winning at all costs" department:
Farrell ad miscasts Shays' defectors
Norwalk HOUR
By PATRICK R. LINSEY. Hour Staff Writer
October 16, 2006

REGION — Republican Rep. Christopher Shays' re-election campaign called one of his Democratic challenger's television advertisements "misleading" Sunday, after learning several persons the spot implies were former Shays' supporters are actually long-time Democratic loyalists.

The advertisement, titled "Bold Ideas" on the YouTube.com video sharing Web site, begins with a man saying "I supported Chris Shays for years because of his independence" and later "This year, I'm voting for Diane Farrell."

The man was subsequently identified as Dennis Murphy, a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, and a documented financial supporter of a Shays opponent as far back as 1996.

The commercial is styled as a monologue spoken by a series of Farrell supporters. Together, they say that Shays has lost his independence and become one of President Bush's strongest supporters.

"We need a new direction," a woman says, standing with her husband and children. Her husband is Carl Horton, who ran for mayor in Bridgeport as a Democrat in 2003.

Horton said neither he nor his wife have ever supported Shays, though he said he is "friendly" with the congressman.   In 2004, Horton said he and his wife "heavily supported" Farrell's previous challenge of Shays, as they backed his Democratic opponent in 2002.

Last week, The Hour asked Farrell's campaign to provide the names of the persons who appeared in its commercial, but a spokeswoman declined, saying its supporters did not wish to be publicly identified. Horton said he and his wife were not contacted by the Farrell campaign about The Hour's request, and he readily responded to this newspaper's questions in an interview Sunday.

Murphy did not return calls for comment Sunday. According to the campaign finance Web site OpenSecrets.org, he contributed $250 to a Democrat challenging Shays in 1996.

Supporters in the commercial "were pretty clear in what they were saying," said Farrell campaign manager Adam Wood. "Certainly the message that (Shays has) changed is nothing that we haven't been saying for two years."

Shays and Farrell are in a neck-and-neck race in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District.

Farrell's spot was released several weeks ago, around the same time as a Shays commercial featuring "Westport Democrats" who say they are supporting the congressman. The Shays campaign provided names and contact information for several persons appearing in its commercial.

In an interview Sunday, Toni Rubin said she is a registered Democrat from Westport who has supported Shays throughout his 10 terms in Congress.

"I think Christopher Shays supports his constituents," Rubin said. "He believes in what he believes in, whether he goes against the (Republican Party) or for the party."

As for Farrell, Rubin said the former Westport first selectwoman is "a lovely person." Asked if Farrell would make a good member of Congress, Rubin demurred.

"I'm not answering that one," she laughed. "I still have to live in Westport."

---

4th District Debates 2006:  in order...1 through 11.  CONCLUSION:  Shays wins by 6000+ votes

CONGRESSMAN SHAYS RE-ELECTED (r.)
Highlight of debate #2 at Norwalk Community College (a debate hosted by several League of Women Voters chapters):  From Libertarian Candidate ... "We need to make sure that every citizen in Iraq is secure? In Iraq?!" Maymin shouted. "We're in America. We're supposed to elect representatives to secure the rights of Americans."   Four candidates in Temple Israel debate wherein the image of Ted Kennedy at Chapaquidik invoked.  And on her opponent's birthday, Diane asks the audience (she didn't herself) to wish Chris all the best; anti-war attack using loaded info - or was that ammo - number eleven, underway..oops, it stalled in traffic!  The result (r.) - Shays wins.


Shays, Farrell wrap up their debates
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Mark Ginocchio
Published October 20 2006

NORWALK -- In the last of their 11 debates, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays and Democratic challenger Diane Farrell yesterday stayed on the attack, looking to land a knockout blow in the hotly contested 4th Congressional District race.

Shays, R-Bridgeport, painted a bleak picture for the district if Farrell were elected and the Democratic Party failed to gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

"If Diane Farrell wins, she may still be in the minority, and then you'll have a member with no clout and no experience," Shays said at the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center during the debate, which was organized by the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce. "You've heard her describe problems and offer a lot of criticism, but have you heard her offer any real solutions?"

The focus of Farrell's campaign has been on whether Shays' work with the Republican majority has been good for the country and whether it has made a difference when he has strayed from the party line.

"The reason there is so much interest in this race is because it has to do with two qualified opponents, and it also has to do with the leadership of this country going forward," Farrell said. "It has to do with our ability to put checks and balances back into Washington by having a two-party system, and Chris doesn't like that right now, because his party has all the power."

But Shays said neither Democrats nor Republicans deserve to be the majority party.

"I don't think the Republican Party has earned the right to maintain the majority, nor do I think the Democrats have," Shays said. "What is the vision you hear on the other side? All it is is President Bush bad. Congress bad. War in Iraq bad. Bad, bad, bad. I don't think either party has earned the right to be re-elected and be the majority. You need to evaluate the individual."

After criticizing Shays for his support of the war in Iraq and the federal deficit, Farrell renewed her vow to serve on the Transportation Committee, saying the Republican incumbent has spent more time focusing on foreign affairs than on his district.

"Transportation is critical to every person in this room," Farrell said. "Just by being a member of the (Transportation) Committee, I would be able to bring additional dollars back to this district and the state . . . I'm going to work with the Connecticut Department of Transportation. I'm going to be their best advocate in Washington and bring back the dollars that will help us to provide solutions to transportation here in our district."

Shays suggested Farrell's aspirations were better suited for state politics in Hartford than in Washington.

"If she's on the transportation committee, she will be able to decide how much money goes around to all the districts," Shays said. "But if she were a state legislator, she'd be able to decide how that money was spent. I would suggest that if she's interested in transportation, she should be a state legislator."

Without providing evidence, Shays said the worst traffic is in Westport, where Farrell once held the post of first selectwoman. Farrell disputed the claim, saying "everybody's town has the worst traffic as far as they're concerned."

The candidates came to at least one consensus, while momentarily breaking the tension. When asked to name their political heroes, Farrell said John Adams, and the founding fathers, who did not want to be "lifelong politicians."

"I don't want to be Strom Thurmond and think this job is an entitlement."

Shays, who said he admired former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill for "going against the grain," agreed with Farrell in part.

"I can understand why you wouldn't want to be Strom Thurmond," Shays said, drawing laughter from the crowd and Farrell.

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IN TENTH DEBATE...two different looks at the same event.

4th District opponents bicker at bash
MARIAN GAIL BROWN mgbrown@ctpost.com

STAMFORD — In their 10th round of sparring, Democrat Diane Farrell on Wednesday briefly donned kid gloves, asking the audience to wish her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays a happy birthday.  Shays, who turned 61 Wednesday, smiled, appeared flattered and said, "I think that means something nice happens today."

Then Farrell came out swinging, chiding Shays for his continued support for the Bush administration and the Iraq war, including its cost, social toll and effect on the deficit.

Farrell also turned almost every question, every opportunity for a response — no matter what the topic, from transportation to health-care access to spending — into an indictment of the war in Iraq. Shays sought to portray himself as an independent, thoughtful moderate who studies issues and votes with his conscience...


4th District candidates say they're up for the challenge
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Mark Ginocchio
Published October 19 2006

STAMFORD -- U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays and Democratic challenger Diane Farrell battled yesterday over who is better suited to challenge the Bush administration while working across party lines in Congress.

Farrell blasted Shays, R-Bridgeport, for straying from the Republican majority only on issues where it didn't make a difference; Shays reiterated where he has challenged the president and why he has the experience to keep the Bush administration accountable the next two years.

"Chris can write letters, talk about plans and throw out buzz words" but only the president can bring troops home from Iraq, Farrell said yesterday morning during a debate at the Stamford Marriott Hotel and Spa sponsored by the Stamford Chamber of Commerce. "This is where the Congress has been woefully inadequate in exerting its right and authority under the Constitution as a co-equal branch of the government. . . . It will be my responsibility in January to hold the president to account and to bring the administration to the Congress."

Shays said the former Westport first selectwoman was trying to "play both sides of the issue."

"She says I have no power to effectuate change, and just the president decides when we can leave, and then she says she can hold the president accountable," Shays said. "Diane, it's as confusing as heck to listen to you."

When asked whether he believed his decision to invade Iraq was out of touch with his constituents, Shays defended himself, suggesting he would support the war again without evidence of weapons of mass destruction.

"I see some of my Democratic colleagues are outraged that the president got us into Iraq, but they had voted to go in, so I do want to say I would never blame the president for my vote," Shays said. "We're there, and if we made a mistake, we're still there. In my judgment, we should have gone in sooner but not for weapons of mass destruction. But we should not have fought it the way we did."

Farrell constantly said Shays was "ineffectual" because he has not been chairman of a major legislative committee.

She also said his exit strategy from Iraq -- a timeline under which troops would leave if the Iraqi government doesn't start to make progress in functioning without support from the United States -- has been dismissed by the Bush administration.

"When my opponent says that 'president doesn't agree with me,' so what?" said Shays, who is chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, emerging threats and international relations. "She now blames me for not agreeing with the president. I don't get her. So I'm supposed to agree with the president because he doesn't think there should be timelines?"

Despite railing on Shays for supporting the Bush administration on the war, No Child Left Behind, and the privatization of Social Security, Farrell said she would potentially stray from her party leadership if elected.

"I probably won't want to spend as much money as my Democratic colleagues," said Farrell, who is advocating for a balanced budget.

She also said she disagreed with the party leadership on a single-payer system for health-care benefits, which would pay all doctors and hospitals by one organization.

Farrell said that if Democrats don't gain the 15 seats nationwide to win control of the House, she would be able to work across party lines.

"I hope to be a member of the majority that I think has a much more important priority for the country," Farrell said. "But if I'm not a member of the majority, I have worked with Republicans and Democrats very successfully in Westport."

Farrell said she would seek a seat on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure if elected, noting Shays' absence on the committee has kept the district struggling to improve Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway and replace aging rail cars.

Yesterday's event was the 10th of 11 debates for the 4th Congressional District candidates. Libertarian candidate Phil Maymin and Green Party candidate Richard Duffee were not included by the debate sponsors.

The last debate is today at Continental Manor in Norwalk, sponsored by the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce.

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Independent environmental lobby endorses Shays
Norwalk HOUR
By PATRICK R. LINSEY, Hour Staff Writer
October 12, 2006

NORWALK — The League of Conservation Voters, or LCV, reaffirmed its support for U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays Wednesday, rating the moderate Republican congressman at 92 percent on its 2006 legislative score card.

The LCV has previously endorsed Shays' candidacy in his neck-and-neck race against Democratic challenger Diane Farrell in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District.

Shays' environmental record has been a frequent topic in recent debates, with Farrell noting that while the congressman's votes have generally favored the environment, he supports a Republican leadership that gets much lower marks.

But LCV political director Tony Massaro said Wednesday that Shays has been able to influence his party's leadership, and last year played an important role in stripping measures to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from a spending bill.

"One of the things that we do with Representative Shays and others who are in that position, is when it does come time for there to be key votes, we put a lot of pressure on them to go put pressure on their leadership to back off," Massaro said.

Republican leadership generally receives low marks from the LCV, with House Majority Leader John Boehner getting a 0 percent score on this year's card. The score is based on the percentage of selected votes on which the lawmaker has supported what LCV calls "the pro-environment" side.

Asked about Shays' support for Republican leadership, Massaro said it is unlikely one vote will make a difference in which party controls the House of Representatives. Shays' district has been targeted by the Democratic Party, which needs to pick up 15 seats to overturn Republicans' House majority. Massaro did agree that a handful of Republican moderates could make the difference.

Farrell's campaign expressed disappointment she was not given the opportunity to explain her views to the LCV. If Connecticut's 4th was an open district, Farrell would have "merited an interview," Massaro said.

"If the incumbent's had a really good record, including leadership on key positions, then we back the incumbent," he said. "We believe that if you don't back your friends, you end up with very few friends."

Shays' lifetime LCV score is a 91 percent, and the congressman said he hopes to continue his environmental record in Congress.

"I believe that protecting the environment is one of the most important jobs I have as a member of Congress and my voting record reflects that," Shays explained. "We will not have a world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways."

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Congressional candidates spar over Iraq war exit strategies in three-way meeting
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Mark Ginocchio, Staff Writer
Published October 5 2006

STAMFORD -- The Iraq war dominated the first debate for the 4th Congressional District yesterday, as the candidates sparred over timetables, benchmarks and exit strategies in a race that has been declared by many analysts as "too close to call."

Diane Farrell, the Democratic candidate, continued to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, for backing the war in Iraq. Shays emphatically defended his position, including his recent change of mind about setting a timeline to withdraw troops. Libertarian Phil Maymin tried to offer an alternative to the two major-party candidates.

It took Farrell less than a minute into her first response -- to a question about the Republican leadership's handling of the scandal involving former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla. -- to mention the Iraq war.

"This is one more illustration of what has been happening with the existing Republican leadership," Farrell said of the Foley scandal, alleging House leadership knew the former congressman sent sexually explicit e-mails to a teenage page but did not take action to stop it.

"It has been one mistake or one scandal after another, and the one that is the most substantive right now is, of course, where we are in the war in Iraq," she said.

The debate, hosted by the Business Council of Fairfield County at the Stamford Marriott and co-sponsored by The Advocate and Greenwich Time, the League of Women Voters, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and the Fairfield County Bar Association, allotted the three candidates 15 minutes each of cumulative time to answer questions.

Green Party candidate Richard Duffee was not invited to the debate.

Shays spent most of his 15 minutes defending his vote to authorize military force in Iraq, as well as his recent call to set a timetable for troop withdrawal after returning from his 14th trip to the country and reporting no political progress by the Iraqi leadership. After the debate, he called on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign over his handling of the war.

Farrell suggested Shays was switching his position in light of the Democratic primary win last month of anti-war candidate Ned Lamont over incumbent U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. Shays responded angrily that he would not suggest policy based on politics.  Brandishing a packet of letters and observations about Iraq, including a letter to the Bush administration written before the primary, Shays said his position has been extensive, sincere and real.

"I have attended five funerals," Shays said. "I would never, ever, ever have a policy on Iraq based on my personal election."

Farrell, who supports a diplomatic solution by establishing benchmarks for the warring Iraqi factions, chided Shays for his letters, saying his recommendations have done little to change the minds of the Bush administration.

"This is not an action item. Too passive for me," she said. "Not for where we are today."

Maymin, advertising himself as the only candidate who would not have supported military action in Iraq under any circumstances, said the United States must set a strict July 4 deadline to withdraw troops.

Setting benchmarks means "we stay potentially forever, or stay forever until we experience such a large number of casualties we pull out looking weak," Maymin said. "You set a deadline several months out, but less than a year . . . because it signals to the people of Iraq to get your affairs in order. . . . We will not be writing a blank check."

The debate was delayed at times because of crowd applause. Maymin earned perhaps the biggest laugh of the afternoon when he quipped that no Libertarian candidates had been involved in any recent scandals.

Candidates also were asked about the federal deficit and transportation, though most answers referenced the Iraq war, including a response by Farrell after Shays brought up the rising deficit and debt in Westport while she was first selectwoman.

"The vast majority of the money (spent), we built a new middle school, refurbished our high school, renovated and touched every single school in the town of Westport," she said. "I challenge you to stand here and tell me the $250 million we spend every day in Iraq is money better spent."

A Reuters/Zogby poll released yesterday showed Farrell ahead of Shays, 46 percent to 41 percent with 13 percent still undecided. A poll by The Advocate and Greenwich Time released Monday showed Shays up 44 percent to 40 percent, with 16 percent undecided.

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Long line of debates to come for Shays, Farrell
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Mark Ginocchio. Staff Writer
Published October 1 2006

Fourth Congressional District candidates will get their first chance this week to introduce themselves to voters and try to punch holes in their opponent's positions. 
The first of 11 scheduled debates between U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, and Democratic challenger Diane Farrell will be Wednesday in Stamford.  The Iraq war is expected to dominate all of the debates, as Farrell has made it a central issue of the campaign.

Political observers said Farrell must stay focused but provide more specifics about her positions, while Shays needs to tout his experience and avoid reacting defensively when his opponent attacks.

Farrell "needs to make the case for change in an articulate way," said Gary Rose, chairman of the department of government and politics at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. Shays' "experience is vital. He needs to convince people that his longevity is very beneficial," Rose said.

Wednesday's 1 p.m. debate at the Stamford Marriott was organized by the Business Council of Fairfield County and sponsored by The Advocate and Greenwich Time and the League of Women Voters, among others. The three-way debate will feature Libertarian Candidate Phil Maymin, but Green Party candidate Richard Duffee was excluded because of his lack of organization and resources.

Farrell, who has been critical of Shays' support for the Iraq war, needs to start addressing details, "because that is something she is missing right now," said Ruth Sherman, a communications consultant from Greenwich who has coached political candidates.  Donald Greenberg, chairman of the political science department at Fairfield University, said if Shays stays consistent in his message, keeps his composure and effectively defends his record, his re-election should be safe.

To prepare for the debates, Farrell has been listening to the issues voters are asking most about at various meetings, said Jan Spiegel, a spokeswoman for the campaign.  These meetings did not feature "select audiences," and Democrats and Republicans attended, Spiegel said.

Shays is "excited and looking forward to debates," said his campaign manager, Michael Sohn.  The incumbent will focus on his "wonderful record of accomplishment, a record of independence," but he also is preparing for the unexpected, Sohn said.

"He can't rest on his laurels," Sohn said.

Something Shays must avoid is appearing too defensive during the debate, experts said. During a recent breakfast in Washington D.C., Shays snapped at reporters that they were damaging his credibility as he explained his evolving position on Iraq.  Rose said a similar tone from Shays would be "awful" in this debate. Greenberg said the incumbent must avoid appearing "like he doesn't like to be challenged. That could hurt him."

Despite holding office for nearly 20 years, it would help his image if Shays assumed voters were unaware of his record, Sherman said.

"He has to tell us about his record and not act like we should know or we should look it up," Sherman said. "He's clearly been in Congress a long time and there are people who like him. But he still has to inspire and motivate voters."

Still, the experts were divided as to how much the debates will affect the election.

"The debates will decide the election because it is that close," Rose said, while Greenberg said the high number of debates will negate their importance because "the voters will only be paying attention to a few of them."

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Shays works both sides of politics
SUSAN SILVERS ssilvers@ctpost.com
Article created: 09/17/2006 04:48:26 AM EDT
 
It's hard not to notice U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays these days. At any time, he might be on national TV news and talk shows, expounding on anything from his support for the war in Iraq to his disgust with the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.
Can this be the Republican the voters of the 4th Congressional District elected to represent them 19 years ago?

The same person who as a young man was a conscientious objector to serving in the Vietnam War and 40 years later has evolved into a strong supporter for the U.S. war in Iraq? The same man known for trying to clean up decaying inner-city housing? Who fought for gun control? Who lobbied for a national service program? To some, Shays, who turns 61 next month, is a powerful asset to the district in Washington, someone who has paid his dues while gaining national political stature — and influence. To others, he has betrayed his independent roots, becoming the ultimate Beltway insider, out of touch with the everyday concerns of constituents. But no matter how his supporters or critics label him, there is no question the Bridgeport resident has expanded his range of concerns since he joined Congress in 1987.

A conscientious objector to military service during the Vietnam War, Shays said he agonized over, but ultimately voted to approve, the U.S.-led Desert Storm assault against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1991.

A candidate who ran for Congress determined to "put our financial house in order" amid rising federal budget deficits, Shays has endorsed higher military spending.

And perhaps most conspicuously, Shays has become an authority on terrorism who also is a staunch defender of the current U.S. war in Iraq, though he recently called for setting a pullout timetable for American forces.

Now, as he seeks an 11th term this year, Shays is under more scrutiny than ever, but not just because of his higher profile.

The spotlight is on the 4th District because Democrats have what experts consider a solid chance to capture the seat, which has been in GOP hands since 1969, as part of their effort to regain control of the House of Representatives they lost in 1994. The Democrats need to take back 15 seats nationally to claim a majority in the 435-member body.

Largely because of waning public support for the war, Democrats — with former Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell as their standard-bearer — think they can win the seat Nov. 7.

Shays has supported the Bush administration drive to topple Saddam Hussein even before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

After his first trip to Iraq shortly after the U.S.-led forces quickly overthrew Saddam's regime, Shays predicted that decades henceforth "the operation will be studied with a great amount of awe."

Even so, he acknowledged the effort would be marred if stability could not be established in Iraq.

As his first campaign against Farrell heated up a year and a half later in 2004, Shays returned from his sixth trip to Iraq and said conditions there were "headed in the right direction."

Then, last month, after his 14th trip to Iraq, Shays asked the Bush administration to set a timetable for Iraqis to assume "the bulk of the heavy lifting" from the 135,000 U.S. troops deployed.

It prompted charges that Shays is trying to shift gears away from his support for the war because of its unpopularity in the state — a factor widely cited in last month's Democratic primary defeat of U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman at the hands of anti-war newcomer Ned Lamont.

Shays, however, described his call for a pullout as a means to motivate Iraqis to create a united and peaceful democratic state.

"If I saw action — a real strong political will to take on the militias, I wouldn't have set deadlines," he said, a few days after his revised stance hit the news. "But they are not moving, they are treading water and we can't do that while our men and women are dying in Iraq."

Still, Farrell said Shays' motivation was "purely political" designed to attract voters.

"He's thrown out the word 'timetable' because he feels it will afford him some appeasement from voters who are so frustrated by his position," she said.

Farrell also said she thinks the Republican victory that put Shays in the majority brought out a more conservative side of him that has grown stronger.

"I think [former Republican House Speaker] Newt Gingrich awakened the more conservative side of Chris," said Farrell, who came within 4 percentage points of unseating Shays in their first matchup.

And she suggested that spending so much time in Washington has put him out of touch with his district.

Farrell's campaign likes to note that Congressional Quarterly shows Shays voting with the current president 82 percent in 2002. Though Shays' agreement with Bush fell to 56.2 percent last year, it's still higher than the 32 percent rate at which he supported President Reagan's initiatives in 1987. During the Clinton years, his rate of agreement with the president ranged from 44 to 57 percent.

Meanwhile, the Shays campaign staff likes to point to ratings from political handicappers like the National Journal that place Shays closer to the middle of the political spectrum — much where he has been throughout a political career that began as a state representative from Stamford in 1974.

Over that period, Shays has continued to advocate a woman's right to choose, although he refuses to defend late-term abortions, and favors gun control. He remains an ardent environmentalist, in contrast to others in his party.

And throughout his career, he's retained a reputation for integrity and been provoked to criticize the ethics of other officials, ranging from now-jailed former Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim to indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas.

But even Shays acknowledged that his perspectives are different from those he had at age 20 or so.

"I have seen a lot in those 40 years that have shaped my life," he said in an interview last week.

As an idealistic and somewhat pacifistic young    man, the newlywed Shays and his high school sweetheart and wife Betsi were volunteers with the Peace Corps in Fiji.
But Shays — who grew up as a Christian Scientist but said last week that he no longer adheres strictly to its practices — said his political journey has prompted him to reconsider many of the positions he held in his youth.

Recalling his days as a young state legislator, Shays remembered the anguish suffered by the family of Sandy Hoyt, a Stamford teenager brutally murdered, but whose killer received a "ridiculously short" sentence in his eyes. The Hoyts, he said, could not believe they could not address the court to plead for a longer sentence.

He said it was a sobering experience that not only pushed him to fight for victims' rights but also softened his opposition to the death penalty to the point where he would no longer vote against a bill simply because the measure permitted execution.

He said becoming a parent — his daughter, Jeramy, a 27-year-old student in environmental law in a combined program at Vermont Law School and Yale University — was also a key development in his emotional maturity.

"I constantly learn new things that shape how I think and act," he reflected. Sometimes, he said, information builds up over time, and at other times "you get slapped by events."

Shays' confronted his aversion to war after Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1990. During the runup to the debate on whether to authorize United States' intervention, he was confronted by calls from the parents of his state House successor, Christopher Burnham, a Marine reservist who would be called up, not to support the authorization. But Shays said Burnham himself lobbied the congressman to vote for it, as he eventually did.

After his initial stint on the House Budget Committee ended in the late 1990s, Shays sought a new role. With the 1983 attacks on U.S. Marines in Beirut and the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993 as backdrops, Shays said he sought a legislative role that would allow him to examine terrorism, feeling that it was underexplored. Shays said that in his role as head of the National Security Subcommittee of the Government Reform Committee, he was growing increasingly alarmed about the threat of terrorism before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

But those events, Shays said, became a defining moment for him.

"It's what I call growing up," he said of the ways he has changed over the last five years.

But Farrell hopes to win over voters on the issue of Iraq, as polls have shown shrinking public support.

"Iraq is, in fact, never going to result in greater safety for our citizens at home," she said.

Despite Shays' stance on Iraq, Sacred Heart University politics Professor Gary L. Rose said the congressman remains a classic so-called "Rockefeller Republican," somewhat conservative on fiscal issues — he supported the Bush tax cuts — and more liberal on social issues.

"He's a very specific type of congressman, which is in the tradition of a Connecticut Republican," Rose said. While Republicans of a similar stripe may be rare throughout the rest of the nation, he said they remain a force in the Northeast, epitomized by figures such as former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman to Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in Maine.

Shays' moderate positions on social issues and "Americans first, Republicans second" attitude keep constituents like Bill Meyer of Westport, a 77-year-old retired marketing executive who met Shays as a 1987 candidate and is now a close friend, resolutely in the incumbent's corner.

"He has a way of listening to people and taking their concerns seriously," said Meyer, who also spearheaded a Republican effort for Farrell's re-election as the town's first selectwoman in 2001.

Meyer said he'd be just as protective of Farrell if Shays — who has never lived in Westport — had sought to challenge her for her post.

Those who work with Shays say his recent high national profile doesn't mean he's neglected issues important to his district and state.

Charles Tisdale, the executive director for Action for Bridgeport Community Development, said Shays has a long history of concern for the poor.

"He was always concerned about people who didn't have means to support themselves," said Tisdale, who said he's been a friend of Shays' for 20 years.

Over the years, he said, the congressman has fought to save funds for anti-poverty agencies, such as ABCD, and in recent weeks helped deliver an additional $455,000 for job-training programs.

Shays has also worked closely with business-development interests in the 4th District.

Joseph McGee, a vice president of the Business Council of Fairfield County, said Shays actively promotes efforts to assure the economic vitality of his district's coastal cities on issues ranging from workforce development to technology to transportation. "We see him as very engaged in the key issues in the district," said McGee.

Chief of staff to Shays' Republican predecessor, the late Stewart B. McKinney, McGee said that some of Shays' current stances reflect the nation's altered interests.

"All congressmen were focused on domestic issues until there was an Iraq," he said.

Tisdale said Shays' career is typical for someone who's accumulated congressional seniority.

"The more seniority you have, the more responsibility you have," he said.

But he said the current hot campaign between Shays and Farrell is representative of the democracy that makes this nation special.

"It's great that people look at the candidates," he said. "That's what makes us strong."
 

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Barbara Bush Praises Shays;  Campaigns For Him At High-Roller Event
By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, Capitol Bureau Chief
September 13, 2006

STAMFORD -- Barbara Bush would not be here if the race weren't close.

Locked in a tight re-election battle, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays called upon one of the Republican Party's biggest headliners - the wife of one American president and the mother of another. With her marquee name recognition, Bush helped raise over $70,000 from more than 100 guests at a luncheon fundraiser Tuesday to help Shays in his rematch against Democratic challenger Diane Farrell.

"Some of you might wonder why an 81-year-old, white-haired woman from Maine and Texas would care so much about the great people of Connecticut and who they elect to Congress," Bush told the well-heeled crowd. "It would be the worst possible time for us to lose a good and experienced congressman like Chris Shays. He recognizes that the global war on terrorism is the most important issue of our time."

Bush urged the crowd to keep up the pressure until the Nov. 7 election in the 17-town 4th District, which stretches from Greenwich to Oxford.

"This is not going to be an easy election," Bush said outside a private home in Stamford. "I think everybody in this yard knows that. There is no better example than Connecticut to show just how volatile an election year this is."

Less than 90 minutes after Bush's departure, Farrell told reporters at her campaign headquarters in Westport that Barbara Bush's visit was similar to one for Shays and two other Republicans in the spring by the current first lady, Laura Bush.

"It's just one more example of the Bush family rewarding a member of Congress who has been incredibly supportive of the war in Iraq," Farrell said.

Shays, in fact, has said that the race would not be close at all if not for his position on the war in Iraq. He returned last month from his 14th trip to the war-torn country to suggest that the United States should consider a timeline to begin withdrawing American troops in an effort to eventually turn over more control to the Iraqi army.

But Shays continued to defend American actions Tuesday regarding the war.

"No, it's not a mistake," Shays told reporters. "It's absolutely essential that we win this war. ... We can't afford to lose the war in Iraq because you'll see outright civil war."

Shays also distanced himself from Ned Lamont, the anti-war challenger who defeated Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in a Democratic primary that focused overwhelmingly on the war.

"I oppose the Lamont model of leaving now or prematurely in a few months," Shays said Tuesday. "One thing I'd like to say to all of you [reporters] is that you are dead wrong if you think the Lamont-Lieberman race had anything to do with what I'm going to decide on war or peace."

Despite being a Republican, Shays boldly says that he will vote for Lieberman, a longtime Democrat, because he is "a national treasure." Lieberman did not lose the primary solely because of the Iraq war, but because of reasons that included running "a bad race and he knows that," Shays said.

"A lot of us put our arms around him and said, `Joe, this is politics, and you need to be your old self,'" Shays said. "I think he's become his old self."

The Shays-Farrell race has received national attention as the Democrats try to win 15 seats to retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since the 1994 sweep that brought Newt Gingrich into power as the House speaker. Gingrich, who became a political lightning rod during his tenure as speaker, will campaign for Shays in October. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona will also be making stops in the district.

Farrell has also had her share of headliners. U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, who would become the new speaker if the Democrats regain power, campaigned for Farrell recently. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the former Clinton administration official who heads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has visited three times and declared the race as a "top, top priority." Emanuel had targeted the race more than a year ago and talked to Farrell before she announced she was taking another run at Shays.

Tuesday's luncheon fundraiser crowd included conservative author William F. Buckley Jr., a fan of Shays and a longtime Stamford resident. He would not predict how Shays' support for the Iraq war would affect the congressman's re-election chances.

"It's fair to say the Iraq war is not popular," Buckley said, " but it's unwise to suggest that anybody in particular is going to be victimized by that."

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Farrell, Shays To Hold 11 Debates Next Month
By Mark Ginocchio, Stamford Advocate
September 6, 2006

There will be no shortage of debate in the 4th Congressional District race as U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays announced yesterday he will participate in 11 debates with his challengers next month.

Political observers called the high number of debates "unprecedented" for a congressional campaign but said Shays, R-Bridgeport, needs the extra exposure because of his tight race with Democratic candidate Diane Farrell.
 
"It underscores the vulnerability of Congressman Shays," said Gary Rose, chairman of the department of government and politics at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. "He knows he's in real jeopardy."

Typically, incumbents decline to do so many debates because it gives their opponents an opportunity to attack them, Rose said. But because of the rampant criticism Shays has received from Farrell on issues like the Iraq war, he'll have to use the public forums to go on the offensive.

Farrell's campaign team said it is looking forward to the debates.

"Diane has been asking Congressman Shays to debate her on a number of issues for months," said Jan Spiegel, a campaign spokeswoman. "We're glad he's finally doing that."

In 2004, Farrell, the former first selectwoman in Westport, captured 48 percent of the vote when she first ran against Shays.

Shays will likely use the debates to further separate himself from the Bush administration and the national Republican Party leadership, said Ken Dautrich, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Connecticut.

"You'll likely hear a lot of rhetoric like 'I'm not Bush,' in a close race like this," Dautrich said. "He has to differentiate himself, mainly on the issue of the war."

Shays has always been an avid debater during his campaigns, regardless of how close the race is projected to be, said his campaign manager, Michael Sohn.

In his match against Farrell two years ago, Shays participated in eight debates, Sohn said. In past elections against opponents who didn't raise any funds, Shays participated in at least three debates, he added.

Shays decided to participate in more debates this year "to help his constituents better understand where he stands on the issues," Sohn said.

The first debate will be Oct. 4 at the Stamford Marriott, sponsored by the Business Council of Fairfield County, formerly known as SACIA.

The debates will wrap up Oct. 19 at Continental Manor in Norwalk, sponsored by the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce.

The Libertarian candidate, Phil Maymin, a Greenwich hedge-fund founder, also will take part.

Maymin, who is the only congressional candidate to propose a specific withdrawal date from Iraq, challenged Shays and Farrell to a debate last month, which was declined by both.

Maymin said he will likely participate in all the debates except the Oct. 16 event in Bridgeport sponsored by the AARP. The organization told Maymin they would not invite him because they do not expect him to get at least 5 percent of the vote, he said.

AARP representatives did not return calls seeking comment yesterday afternoon.

Maymin said the large number of debates is "good for the people of the 4th District." His participation is also beneficial because "it will let the people hear another option."

Democrats can take control of the House by gaining 15 seats on Election Day.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has the 4th, 2nd and 5th district races in Connecticut on its "targeted" list, meaning candidates are getting visits and fundraising help from big-name Democrats.

Well-known Republicans such former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona are planning visits as well to Connecticut to help GOP candidates.

Former President Bush was set to appear in Westbrook today to attend a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Stonington.

Simmons' campaign said yesterday he expected to participate in about six debates with his Democratic challenger, Joe Courtney. Only two debates have been scheduled so far, according to Courtney's campaign spokesman, Brian Farber.

"We're going to take just about any debate offered to us," Farber said.

In the 5th District, Democrat Chris Murphy called on U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-New Britain, yesterday to schedule nine debates that he said the two campaigns had agreed to in writing this summer.

"During her month off from work in Washington, I would have thought that Nancy Johnson would have been hearing the same cry for debate that I have been hearing as I go door-to-door and go to community events," Murphy said. "With only nine weeks until the election, I will continue to tell voters where I stand on issues important to them. Nancy Johnson appears unwilling to do so."

Johnson has agreed to six debates, "which is six more than Murphy held when he ran for re-election in 2004," said Brian Schubert, Johnson's campaign manager.
 

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Pro-Iraq war Shays answers critics about conscientious objector status
By PATRICK R. LINSEY, Hour Staff Writer
September 3, 2006

NORWALK — At the height of the Vietnam War, Christopher Shays registered as a conscientious objector and served for two years in the Peace Corps. Three decades later, U.S. Rep. Shays, R-4, has built a reputation as an ardent supporter of military intervention in Iraq.

Shays said his opposition to military service was based on his faith.

"I happen to be a Christian Scientist and I basically concluded that I would not fight in Vietnam," Shays said. "I basically concluded there wasn't any way that I would be willing to kill anyone."

Shays' enthusiasm for the Iraq war, coupled with his conscientious-objector status, has drawn criticism from Democratic Trumbull First Selectman Ray Baldwin, a Vietnam combat veteran who last week called Shays' stance "hypocritical."

"I have no problem with conscientious objectors. But then don't turn around and send other parents' kids to Iraq and claim it's a matter of conscience," said Baldwin, who supports Shays' Democratic challenger Diane Farrell.

Shays said he has "struggled with" casting votes that sent American troops into battle, especially leading up to the first Iraq war in 1991.

"I told some of my colleagues that I was a conscientious objector, so how could I vote to send anyone to war?" Shays recalled. "And they said, "Well then maybe you'd better resign from Congress, because you have to make decisions on war and peace."

After a conversation with then President George H. W. Bush, Shays said he decided to vote for the war.

"I concluded that at that time we couldn't let Saddam control 60 percent of the world's oil," he said. "He would have the 10 percent he owns plus the 9 percent Kuwait owns and he would just dominate Saudi Arabia."

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Shays said he went through "a pretty big sea change."

"I wouldn't call (the war on terror) World War III, but I would call it something close to it," he said.

A strong supporter of the Iraq war, Shays voted to allow President Bush to use force in 2003 and was the first congressman to visit the country after the U.S. invasion. He has since traveled to Iraq more than any other member of Congress.

"I'd like at least some people to recognize that my going there 14 times is a commitment to understanding what our soldiers are going through," he said. "And when I go outside the umbrella of the military, it's a commitment."

An organizer with the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors called Shays' views "not shocking."

"I'm not surprised at all a person working in politics (would) have to compromise their beliefs for their political ambitions," said Kevin Ramirez of the CCCO.

In 1968, Shays joined the Peace Corps with his wife, Betsi, and they served together in Fiji for two years.

His experience in the Peace Corps provided a better "understanding about cultures," Shays said. "And the biggest mistakes we've made have been because we haven't appreciated the difference in culture."

After returning to the United States in 1970, he registered as a conscientious objector.

According to the Selective Service System, conscientious-objector status can be gained by proving one is "opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles."

A volunteer with the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Westport, said she knows Christian Scientists who have been conscientious objectors and others who have served in the military.

"Each (member of the church) works it out in his own way," Susan Vincent said.

Shays said his personal beliefs about fighting in a war are separate from his views on U.S. foreign policy.

"If someone is a Catholic and in their own practice is against abortion, should they be against abortion in government policy?" Shays asked. "It's obviously not to the same level, but it's kind of the same issue."

Asked if he were drafted into the Iraq war today, Shays said he does not know if he would fight.

"How would I know? What would I say to you?" Shays said. "If I said, 'Yes I would do it,' you would say 'Well easy for you to say.'"

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Political Shuffle By Mr. Shays?
Hartford Courant Editorial
August 29, 2006
 
Few members of Congress have been as supportive of President Bush's Iraq war policy as U.S. Rep. Chris Shays of Bridgeport. He has been on board with the invasion of Iraq and the toppling of dictator Saddam Hussein from day one. Through the course of 13 visits to Iraq during the past three years, the 4th District Republican has been mostly upbeat about the war's progress.

That's why his suggestion for a timeline for withdrawal of U.S. forces, coming last week on the way home after his 14th trip to Iraq, was such a bombshell and why for some it has called his credibility into question.

Mr. Shays is in a tough fight for re-election after 20 years in Congress and his dogged defense of the U.S. role in an unpopular war is one reason he's thought to be in trouble. It would be out of character for him to shift his views to suit the prevailing political climate. We hope that's not the case.  The congressman said a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops might force Iraqis to more quickly establish their own security and put an end to sectarian violence. Indeed, it might.

"The progress simply stopped," Mr. Shays said last week. "The Iraqis lack the political will to be on a time frame to get this done. They want to act in terms of years and we need them to act in terms of months."

He said he was discouraged by conditions he saw in Iraq on a previous visit six weeks ago, but thought it too early to speak out.

Still, it isn't exactly clear what Mr. Shays now favors. He says he's for a timetable for withdrawal, but that the timetable cannot be arbitrary. That poses a question: Can an "iffy" timetable force Iraq's government to move any faster?  Mr. Shays believes that a premature withdrawal would lead to "all-out civil war, fuel prices off the scale" and an "Islamist terrorist" victory.

He says he will lead hearings next month that will help establish a realistic timetable for drawing down American troops. But, he cautions, Congress may not be able to move before the midterm congressional elections in November. It would be sad if Mr. Shays' shift in outlook were motivated simply by pre-election jitters.  We agree with Mr. Shays - and with Sen. Joe Lieberman - that a premature U.S. withdrawal could have disastrous consequences. But Washington must create an exit strategy or a timetable or a withdrawal plan, whatever you want to call it.

The United States can't afford an unlimited, bottomless commitment. The Iraqi government must be pushed harder to stand on its own and provide the security that is needed.  One thing is for certain. If the frequent visitor to Iraq and long-time supporter of our mission there is discouraged about conditions in that war-ravaged nation, they must truly be bad. 

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Maymin Enters 4th District Race
Westport NEWS
By Azia Li Forrest
August 22, 2006 (?)
 
GREENWICH It's official. Phil Maymin, a "fiscal conservative" and "social liberal," announced Tuesday that he has received the mandatory 5,000 nomination signatures to appear on the ballot for the U.S. Congress' Fourth District race in Connecticut.  A Libertarian, Maymin will run against Republican incumbent Christopher Shays and Democratic candidate Diane Farrell.

"I'm here to represent those of us sick and tired of the stranglehold of how the two-party system has taken over our liberties," Maymin said during Tuesday's press conference at Maymin Capital Management, LLC, 222 Railroad Ave.

"I stand for both social and economic freedom. I am more of a Republican than Shays and more of a Democrat than Farrell," he said.

The Libertarian Party stands for bolstering liberty. Specifically, Libertarians are for a government with less control over property, lifestyle and interests and for a "freer" society for Americans, according to Maymin.

"Have we truly consented to the limitations on what food we eat, what pills we take, what medical treatment we can pursue?" Maymin asked. "I am here to represent new directions for those who believe we have not given our free consent."

Maymin, 31, said he would have voted to "slash" taxes, and if it were up to him, Americans would not have gone to war in Iraq. He said both the Democratic and Republican parties permitted the Iraqi invasion.

Maymin said his strategy to win the Nov. 7 election is much different than those of his opponents. He will utilize the Internet as his main source of media.

"I am at an advantage because my Web site has an open forum and that is very different from other candidates," he said.

Maymin's supporters have uploaded photos of themselves at www.MayminForCongress.com to show their assistance to his campaign.

"I'm not saying they will vote for me in the election," he said. "But those 5,000 signatures represent those who wanted a real choice, a real change."

When asked about his tactics for funding his campaign, Maymin insisted he was not going be like Ned Lamont, the Greenwich millionaire who upset U.S. Sen. Joseph Liberman in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary.

"Ned Lamont used primarily his own money," he said. "That is not the approach I'm going to use. I would like to focus on raising money. Now that we are on the ballot, we are going to sincerely fund-raise."

Maymin is hoping for a strong number of votes in Greenwich, Westport, where Farrell resides, and in Bridgeport, where Shays lives.

"Shays has been in office 10 terms," he said. "Has government gotten smaller? Do you have more freedom? Of course not. It's time for Connecticut to lead again."

A former resident of Westchester County, Maymin has lived in Greenwich for five years. He was born in Moscow and raised in Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University cum laude in three years with a degree in computer science and received a master's in applied mathematics. He has been married to his wife, Yelena, for three years and they have a 7-month-old daughter.
 

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Rivals Sound More Alike;  Shays, Farrell Both Pessimistic On Iraq Outlook
Hartford Courant
By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief
August 19, 2006
 
WASHINGTON -- The nationally watched Chris Shays-Diane Farrell race has long been billed as a showdown over U.S. policy in Iraq - but the two rivals in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District are sounding more and more alike these days.

They both oppose timetables for drawing down U.S. troops. They both stress the importance of asking key administration officials tough questions during congressional hearings. They both emphasize the importance of a political solution to ending violence in Iraq - and neither seems confident that talks among that country's factions will ease tensions anytime soon.

Shays, R-4th District, is expected Sunday to begin his 14th trip to Iraq since the U.S. invaded more than three years ago. Before he left, he was not his usual upbeat self.

"I'd like to say I see light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm pessimistic about what I'll probably be reporting," he said.

Farrell is seizing on such comments as that to dramatize what she says is the key difference between her and Shays: "Chris has been an unabashed war supporter from the start, and I haven't." Shays, she contended, is "morphing" his views to win support.

The congressman disputes that. "What I do is I go, and I'm honest about what I see," he said. "Should my first observation be the one that lasts forever?"

Any change in his Iraq outlook, the congressman said, is based on the hearings he's conducted as chairman of the House national security subcommittee and his frequent visits. But voters may find all the nuances and changes are little more than "noise," said Kenneth Dautrich, professor of public policy at the University of Connecticut.

"Voters look for simple cues when they vote," he said, and that's bad news for Shays.

If that's true, that's good news for Farrell, added Washington political analyst Stuart Rothenberg. "The danger for Shays is that this is a referendum on the war in general, not on specific strategies," he said. "If it becomes a matter of details, that's better for Shays."

Rothenberg and other congressional handicappers regard Shays' district as a major test of Iraq war sentiment because the candidates have been debating the war for months, and both candidates eagerly welcome the debate.

Farrell, a former Westport first selectwoman who lost to Shays in 2004, likes to dwell on their contrasting histories. In October 2002, the Westport Minuteman reported her support for a Fairfield County Peace March and Rally. A few days later, Congress voted to give President Bush broad authority to act against Iraq. Shays was an enthusiastic supporter; Farrell said she would have voted no.

But beyond their approaches, the candidates sound roughly the same as they talk about how to conduct the war.

Farrell says that if Democrats gain a majority in at least one house of Congress this fall, the party will hold constant hearings demanding answers about the war from top administration officials.

But Shays has been conducting such hearings almost weekly. His subcommittee has held 90 hearings on terrorist-related subjects since he became chairman seven years ago. He has frequently raised questions about policy at these hearings.

In June 2004, for instance, he chaired a hearing examining how to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. He criticized the U.S. and coalition effort to rebuild Iraq as often marked by "hubris and condescension in dealing with the sovereign people it was created to serve."

Shays and Farrell also are close on another key war-related strategy. Shays does not back specific timetables for pulling back American forces. Neither does Farrell.

Her party has offered two kinds of timetables recently. One would withdraw all U.S. troops by next summer. The other, which won substantial support, calls for a "phased redeployment" to begin by the end of this year.

Farrell rejected both approaches.

"The problem is that if you only look at a military solution, you're not going to get to where you want," she said. "You've got to have a concentrated effort to bring the three major factions together, forcing them to the table to talk and look at a political solution."

Exactly, said Shays. "The solution in Iraq ultimately must be political, not military," he said two years ago after one of his trips to Iraq, and he still holds that position.

Farrell is also calling for more emphasis on, and scrutiny of, the reconstruction effort and U.S. spending in Iraq. Shays says his 14 trips provide him with a unique perspective on the country's progress, and cites hearings where he's sharply questioned administration officials. Not good enough, said Farrell.

"He's going to be there 36 hours or so. He has no military background whatsoever, and I'm fairly certain his mobility will be limited," she said. "He frankly should be in Washington holding hearings as frequently as possible asking experts to be forthcoming as possible."

And he will, on Sept. 11, 13 and 15. "The people I meet with in Iraq do not come to Washington," he said.

When he gets back to the Capitol next month, "We'll look at security, then reconciliation and then whether or not, and how, do we leave Iraq. What are consequences under each scenario?" Shays said. "And we'll try to have some heavy hitters testify."

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Farrell rips Lieberman, Shays for war stance
Greenwich TIME
By Neil Vigdor, Staff Writer
Published August 18 2006

After backing Joe Lieberman for the Democratic Senate nomination, Diane Farrell distanced herself from the primary loser last night during a Town Hall meeting in Greenwich, especially on all things to do with the Iraq war.

Had she been a member of Congress when President Bush was considering the invasion, Farrell said, she would have never authorized the war.

Challenging incumbent Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4th District, for the second time in two years, Farrell called the war a mistake that has had a tremendous human death toll and diverted resources away from citizens in need at home.

The war, Farrell told a group of almost entirely Democrats at Town Hall, costs taxpayers $250 million a day with little to show except for the prospect of a bloody civil war.

"We're in the end game folks," Farrell said. "We're not making progress. Using words like victory and winning is simply unattainable."

Farrell's comments closely adhere to Ned Lamont's winning message in his Aug. 8 primary victory over Lieberman. A Greenwich cable television executive who has never held elected office outside town, Lamont made Lieberman's support of the war a central issue of his challenge.

Though she supported Lieberman in the primary, Farrell has said she disagreed with him on the war. Lieberman and Shays' views on the war are closely aligned. Both have described Iraq a critical theater in the global war on terrorism. Farrell faced tough questions from several audience members about the war, however.

"There seems to be a lot of confusion about where you stand on the issue," said Murray Paroly, a Greenwich Democrat.

Farrell said she has been consistent on her opposition to the war and that efforts to characterize her as wavering on the issue were politically inspired.

Other Democrats appealed to Farrell to reconsider her position on another delicate issue related to the war -- the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"I was very disappointed when you were not for a firm date for withdrawing troops," former Democratic Town Committee Chairman Betty Bonsal said.

Farrell said that while she is as eager as anyone to bring the troops home, she was reluctant to back a specific timetable.

"None of the people supporting that opinion are military experts," Farrell said.

Billed by her campaign as a community forum for citizens to bring questions, concerns and comments, Farrell spent most of the hour-long meeting attacking Shays, to whom she lost 52-48 in 2004.

Shays, she said, has given President Bush a "blank check" to go to war under faulty premises that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. By voting for the GOP leadership in the House, Farrell said Shays was responsible for what she called a failed agenda for the country.

On the Iraq war, Farrell criticized Shays' 14 trips to the war-torn country, saying that they did little paint an accurate picture of the conditions on the ground there. Farrell also accused Shays of painting a rosier picture of the situation.

If elected to Congress, Farrell said she would become a much better advocate for improved transportation and would work hard to get assigned to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

"Are you satisfied with the status quo?" Farrell said.

Campaign aides for Shays said Farrell was "sending mixed messages" about her position on Iraq. They also rejected claims that Shays had promoted a right-wing agenda in Congress.

"Chris remains one of the most effective moderates in Congress," Shays' campaign spokesman, Brett Cody, said in a telephone interview last night.

Cody said Shays opposed a White House-backed energy bill and supported failed legislation that would have increased federal support of stem cell research.

On Shays' support of the war, Cody said the incumbent has consistently raised questions about the war's handling, including the decision to disband the Iraqi police, military and border patrol after the initial invasion.

Cody said Shays has recommended more Arabic translators and better armor for troops and the Humvees they drive.

"She says Iraq is the most important issue facing us. So I would ask how does she plan to solve the issue of Iraq and the greater issues related to the global war on terrorism from the Transportation Committee?" Cody said.

Shays, he said, has held more than 90 hearings on the issue of terrorism as chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.

In addition to a Shays staffer who attended last night's Town Hall meeting, there was at least one other Republican in the house.

"I came tonight because I thought it was a community meeting," said Edward Dadakis, a Republican Town Committee member and former chairman of the group.

"She never told anyone what she is going to do," Dadakis said. "She spent the entire time criticizing what other people have done."

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Old news in 4th district...blue is a Democratic story, red is a Republican story:

Link to I-BBC analysis (from Pew Research) of the problem in U.S.A.:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456958/html/nn1page1.stm

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DeStefano, Malloy remain wary of offending Lamont
By Neil Vigdor. Greenwich TIME Staff Writer
Published July 30 2006

Fear of alienating Ned Lamont's base of supporters within the party is causing a number of Democratic hopefuls to walk a tightrope between the challenger and incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman.

When a Who's Who list of Democrats headlined by former President Bill Clinton joined Lieberman for a rally on his behalf last Monday in Waterbury, Stamford and New Haven mayors Dannel Malloy and John DeStefano were conspicuously absent from the stage. The two Democrats vying for governor have both endorsed Lieberman for a fourth term.

Malloy arrived late at the event because of a scheduling conflict, according to his campaign. His lateness aside, Malloy said in an interview later in the week that reports of him trying to avoid alienating Lamont's supporters were accurate.

Derek Slap, a spokesman for DeStefano's campaign, said the New Haven mayor was conscious of the Lamont factor.

"I think John really respects the issues that Ned is bringing up," Slap said. "Has there been dialogue on the blogs, 'You should support Ned?' Absolutely."

A Greenwich businessman who opposes the Iraq war, Lamont has surged in recent polls. The incumbent has said he will run as a petition candidate if he fails to win his party's nomination.  Slap said that while DeStefano had endorsed Lieberman, he will back whomever wins the Aug. 8 Senate primary heading into the November general election. Malloy has taken the same position.

DeStefano skipped Monday's rally with Lieberman and Clinton altogether.

"We have less than two weeks left," Slap said. "John is focused on winning his race. He is going to use the precious time that's left doing the best for his campaign."

Lieberman's campaign spokeswoman Marion Steinfels said the senator enjoyed broad support from top Democrats around the state, many of whom were in attendance at the rally. They included U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Fourth District congressional hopeful Diane Farrell.

"Both Mayor Malloy and Mayor DeStefano have endorsed Sen. Lieberman, and we appreciate their support," Steinfels said. "We're working with both campaigns to get out the vote and win this election on Aug. 8."

Malloy's campaign spokeswoman Lisa-Joy Zgorski said the gubernatorial contender has been careful not to offend either candidate or their supporters in the Senate primary race.

"Thus, it makes sense to have a workable relationship with both candidates given how close the race is," Zgorski said.

Zgorski went on to note that Malloy had even joked about how he should appear at the same campaign stops as Lamont, who has attracted a cult following of supporters who are opposed to Lieberman's support of the Iraq war.  For other Democratic hopefuls, including Farrell, Lamont's supporters have been a force to be reckoned with along the campaign trail.

Farrell is challenging Republican incumbent Christopher Shays in a rematch of their 2004 race. Shays supported going to war as did Lieberman, whom he has endorsed across party lines. Farrell opposes the war.

"I was actually at one of the events where they put Diane on the spot. They were really aggressive," said Slap, DeStefano's spokesman. Appearing last weekend at a Greenwich fundraiser for her congressional campaign, Farrell met criticism from Lamont supporters over her endorsement of Lieberman.

Some of those in attendance said she told supporters that she would not have made an endorsement in the race if she had to do it all over again.

"If you look at it, all of the Democratic candidates for Congress in Connecticut have supported Lieberman. I think that they all felt that they had to do it," said Mary Sullivan, a Riverside Democrat and Lamont supporter who was at the fundraiser and said she heard Farrell's comments.  Farrell's campaign manager, Adam Wood, gave a different version of the exchange.

"She was asked a question, 'What would you do if you could go back in time?' " Wood said.  He said Farrell told supporters she wished their wasn't a divisive primary in the first place that had her taking a side.

"In no way is she equivocating her support of Sen. Lieberman," Wood said, adding that Farrell made her endorsement before Lamont entered the race.  Dale McDonald, a Lamont supporter who hosted the fundraiser, said she did not recall Farrell saying she would have not endorsed anyone.  And then there is the former president, Clinton. Both he and his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, have said they will support the winner of the primary.

Clinton referred only briefly during the rally to the Greenwich businessman Lamont.

"I don't have anything against Joe's opponent," Clinton said. "He seems like a perfectly fine man. He's got every right to run and he certainly has waged a vigorous campaign."

Despite most top Democrats endorsing his opponent, Lamont said he enjoyed cordial relations with many of the same members of the party establishment. He said he has appeared with some of those other Democrats on the campaign trail, including DeStefano and Malloy's wife, Cathy, during an abortion rights rally last week.

"Look, I have very friendly relations with all of those candidates," Lamont said. "I've known most of them for a long time and I know that on paper they all endorse the incumbent. That's just the way you do it."

As for Farrell's frequent encounters with his supporters along the campaign trail, Lamont said he and the former Westport first selectwoman agreed on many issues, including the war.

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Shays partners up on ethics bill
By PATRICK R. LINSEY, Hour Staff Writer
June 23, 2006

NORWALK — U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays partnered with Sens. John McCain and Russell Feingold and U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan in criticizing House and Senate ethics-reform bills, and calling for new regulations to limit corporate influence and establish an independent agency to investigate violations.

McCain, R-Ariz., Feingold, D-Wis., Shays, R-4 and Meehan, D-Mass., sent letters to House and Senate leadership this week, as well as to members of a conference committee negotiating a compromise ethics reform bill between the two chambers.

"To date we have done very little to provide greater transparency into the process of influencing our government," read a letter sent to House Majority Leader John Boehner.

Neither Boehner, R-Ohio, nor Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., responded to requests for comment on the letter.  Shays and Meehan have introduced their own package designed to limit corporate influence and provide greater transparency in Congress.  The legislation would create an Office of Public Integrity, to investigate ethics violations in Congress, with members of Congress deciding whether to take disciplinary action.

It would also prohibit gifts to legislators, increase the ban on former members and senior staff lobbying Congress from one year to two, and require members to reimburse corporations for the charter cost for the use of private jets.

Members are currently only required to reimburse at the first class fare.

"You get a corporate jet and you take your family to, say, Jackson Hole and back, that could cost you $20,000," Shays said. "If you (flew) first class, it might cost you far less than that."

Democracy 21, an interest group supporting ethics reform in Congress, praised Shays' and Meehan's proposal.

"Corruption scandals are not going away," said Democracy 21 President Fred Wert-heimer. "Citizens are not going to be fooled by Congress passing phony reform legislation."

Shays said it will likely take more scandals like those surrounding former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas and U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., before the reforms he has proposed are approved.  He compared his proposal to the campaign finance reform he sponsored with Meehan, and McCain and Feingold in the Senate.

"Enron and Worldcom made a big difference," Shays said. "It was exposed that both of them had given $3 million to the political parties and people said 'Hey, this is crazy.'"

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Parade flap hits Farrell campaign
By BILL CUMMINGS bcummings@ctpost.com
Article created: 06/15/2006 07:43:45 AM EDT
  
BRIDGEPORT — Candidates on the stump may be out of step with parades and community festivals, according to parade organizers reacting to a flap touched off by congressional hopeful Diane Farrell, who marched in the recent Black Rock Day parade without an invitation.
Planners of the annual neighborhood festival said Farrell, the Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat, pushed her way into the June 4 parade, along with sign-carrying supporters even though she was not invited and was asked to leave.

Her opponent, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, was invited to march in the parade, which organizers said is a courtesy extended to all local office holders. Shays is also a resident of the Black Rock neighborhood.

"It was a kind of mindless attempt to hijack the parade," Phil Blagys, chairman of the parade, said of Farrell's actions.

According to Blagys, Farrell joined the march and refused to leave even though she was asked. Her campaign workers also joined the parade, waving campaign signs.

"They had people walking alongside Shays and his wife with banners," Blagys said of the Farrell supporters. "The whole thing was orchestrated. This was no accident. When she was told she was not invited, she continued on as if I was the most insignificant person on the planet."

Blagys told Farrell she was welcome to walk the route on the sidewalk.

Other parade organizers are taking note of Farrell's actions, especially after a letter to the editor published in Wednesday's Connecticut Post demanded an apology from Farrell over the Black Rock incident.

Yolanda Ortiz, an organizer of the annual Juneteenth celebration scheduled this weekend, said she'll be on the lookout for aggressive politicians during the parade, which celebrates the date in 1865 when a group of slaves in Texas finally got word of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. The parade is scheduled for noon Saturday, from Central High School to Seaside Park.

Ortiz said if Farrell tries to join the Juneteenth parade, she will be asked to leave.

"It's not a place for getting votes. I'll have people out there. We have not had any problems in the past. But there is a first time for everything," Ortiz said.

She said Shays was invited to march because he's an elected official, while Farrell, who is Westport's former first selectman, was not invited. Ortiz said Farrell can walk along the sidewalk, but organizers will not allow political signs and banners.  Len Berger, executive director of the Barnum Festival, said he plans to send Farrell a letter explaining who can march in this year's parade, scheduled for July 2.

Under festival rules, a candidate for office would not be invited, he said.

Shays, on the other hand, will be invited because he's an elected federal representative from Bridgeport, Berger said. Others to be invited include the elected heads of surrounding towns, the mayor of Bridgeport, Bridgeport's City Council president, the state's five top elected officials and state senators and representatives.

"The parade is entertainment. It's not for political statements. I think it would be prudent to write her a letter advising her of our policy and telling her she would not fall in that category," Berger said.

Farrell's camp downplayed the controversy, saying it's much ado about nothing.

"Staffers walked on the sidewalk and they did not taunt Shays. Diane was in the parade. She marched behind a councilman from Black Rock," said Adam Wood, Farrell's campaign manager, referring to the Black Rock parade.

"What I think is pathetic is the Shays campaign is focusing on who's marching in a parade instead of the thousands who are dying in Iraq," he said.

Wood also said the sidewalks were "littered" with Shays campaign balloons. "Chris Shays politicized every single Memorial Day parade. He had balloons all over the place. I think that's inappropriate," Wood said.

The Shays camp had a different view. "I was not there, so I'll let the letter writers speak for themselves. We always ask for permission whenever we go in a parade," said Brett Cody, a Shays campaign spokesman.

Asked if Shays will attend more parades this summer, Cody said he will. "We will attend as many as we can. He is generally invited because he's an incumbent. Parades also bring him face to face with constituents. He learns something from every parade," he said.
 

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Shays chosen to run for 11th term in 4th
SUSAN SILVERS ssilvers@ctpost.com
May 16, 2006
 
NORWALK — Calling the war in Iraq "this noble struggle," Christopher Shays defended the troubled conflict Monday as he accepted the republican endorsement for an 11th term as U.S. representative from the 4th District.

"My fear is not that we will lose the war in Iraq," the 60-year-old Bridgeport resident said at a nominating convention in Norwalk. "My fear is that we will lose the war here at home."

Shays told 240 delegates and nearly as many guests in City Hall that al-Qaida terrorists "believe they will win because they listen to the debate here at home and doubt our resolve."

On the same evening, Democrats endorsed former Westport First Selectwoman Diane Goss Farrell as his opponent for the second time...

'Now it's our time to lead,' Farrell says;  Farrell gets Dem nod to runagainst incumbent in November
ANDREW BROPHY abrophy@ctpost.com
May 16, 2006
 
 
WESTPORT — Former Democratic First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell was swept by tumultuous applause Monday night into a rematch this November with U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4.  Farrell, who narrowly lost to Shays two years ago in a race that attracted national attention, climbed to the stage of Westport Town Hall's auditorium at 8:40 p.m., basking in a packed house's applause and strains of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun."

"It is with great pride, humility and an overwhelming sense of obligation on behalf of every constituent in this district that I accept your nomination," Farrell said.

"...Chris Shays, George Bush and the Republican Congress are just plain wrong," Farrell said...

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Feathering His Own Nest?  Shays' strong support for Lieberman seeks Republican co-endorsement.
DAY editorial
Published on 3/2/2006

Congressman Chris Shays shook up the Republican Party when he told the Stamford Advocate editorial board Monday that he thinks the GOP should co-endorse Democratic Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. Rep. Shays shares with Sen. Lieberman the political position of having voted for the Iraq war and insisting that the United States cannot pull out now.
What's more, Congressman Shays told the Advocate that he intends to vote for Sen. Lieberman.

Self-fulfilling motives may be at hand because Congressman Shays faces a tough re-election battle against Democrat Diane Farrell, the first selectwoman from Westport who ran against him in 2004. With the sentiment against the war growing, Congressman Shays expects a closer race with Mrs. Farrell and having Sen. Lieberman on the Republican ballot might help attract inadvertent Democratic votes for the incumbent congressman.

Congressman Rob Simmons, who similarly faces a vigorous challenge from Joseph Courtney, who ran against him in 2002, is different. He wants no part of Sen. Lieberman on the Republican ticket. His campaign manager, Chris Healy, says that Rep. Simmons, who has supported the Iraq war, too, looks forward to having a Republican candidate on the ballot to oppose Sen. Lieberman.

So if a Republican candidate for Senate emerges, particularly one from Fairfield County, what will Congressman Shays say when asked to attend party rallies for that candidate? And will his attitude drive some Republicans to vote for Democrat Farrell, Congressman Shays' opponent?

Stranger things have happened in politics.
 

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Vote Puts Bull's Eye On Shays, Johnson;  `Political Hit' Seen For Cutbacks Support
By MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writer
February 3, 2006

Democrats vowed Thursday to haunt the re-election campaigns of Republican U.S. Reps. Nancy L. Johnson and Christopher Shays over their pivotal votes Wednesday to slow federal budget growth.  With the budget bill passing on a 216-214 vote, Johnson and Shays each held the power to derail a measure that will affect entitlement programs used by millions of Americans.

"This bill is bad for every constituency that will be voting this November, except for multimillionaires," said Christopher Murphy, a Democrat opposing Johnson in the 5th District.

And that makes it a political boon for Democrats, who need to pick up 15 Republican seats this fall to regain control of the House. Connecticut is a crucial battleground in that fight.  Three of the state's five seats are held by Republicans, and all three are considered winnable by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Shays said he and other Republicans expect to take "a political hit," but he defended the bill as necessary to slow the growth of entitlements that consume half the federal budget.  Johnson said the impact of the bill, which is expected to save $40 billion over five years, has been exaggerated.

"Not a single student will lose access to college loans, not a single senior will be denied nursing home care, not a single needy family will lose their Medicaid coverage in Connecticut," she said.

But congressional budget analysts say about one-fifth of Medicaid recipients will face higher costs for drugs and doctor visits and states will have the discretion to reduce coverage for higher-income beneficiaries. They also say college students could pay higher interest rates on loans, and older Americans who own real estate will have a harder time qualifying for subsidized nursing-home care.

By giving the states greater discretion over Medicaid spending, the budget bill is expected to result in a loss of reproductive-health coverage in some states, though not Connecticut.

"Clearly, this will have a very serious impact," said Diane Farrell, a Democrat opposing Shays in the 4th District.

Farrell said three voters told her Thursday at a campaign stop in Bridgeport that Shays' budget vote had cost him their support.

"I am not pretending there is not a political hit in this," said Shays, who left Thursday for Iraq. "I believe we need to get a handle on entitlements. If we can't do this, what can we do? Good grief."

He said one change will affect his own family: Nursing home patients such as his father-in-law no longer will be able to shield up to $2 million in property and still qualify for nursing home subsidies; the amount will be reduced to $750,000...
 

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Farrell's action in line of fire
Stamford ADVOCATE 
By Mark Ginocchio
Published February 26 2006

In her previous bid for Congress, Diane Farrell relentlessly criticized incumbent U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays' support for the war in Iraq -- and her attacks have carried over into her second campaign for the state's 4th Congressional District seat.

But Farrell's unwavering stand against the war did not prevent her last week from endorsing Iraqi war supporter Joseph Lieberman in his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate -- a move that has drawn criticism from some political observers and has raised the eyebrows of her opponent.

"She loses some legitimacy" by endorsing Lieberman, said Ken Dautrich, a professor of public policy at the University of Connecticut. "She lost an opportunity to make a real statement."

Gary Rose, professor and chairman of the department of government and policy at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, said the endorsement makes Farrell appear inconsistent.

"This could be perceived as a flip-flop and could potentially hurt her" in the election, Rose said.

Farrell, former first selectwoman of Westport, said that although Lieberman's Iraq position may be unpopular with many Fairfield County Democrats, she and the longtime senator have agreed on many other issues, and her endorsement was justified.

"Joe is a longtime friend and he has endorsed me and my campaign in the past," Farrell said in a telephone interview last week. "We'll have to agree to disagree on the war . . . but we agree on so many other issues" such as women's privacy rights, the Family Leave Act and fair wages.

Plus, she added, her race against Shays, R-Bridgeport, is about more than Iraq.

"We have one party running everything in Washington," Farrell said. "There are some abuses of power that Chris and his pals need to be held accountable for."

But the Iraqi war may trump all other issues in November, Dautrich said, so Farrell needs to stay consistent.

"The issue that is at the forefront of people's minds is the war," he said. "People like candidates with principles. In a political race, the challenger needs to define her principles instead of just beating on the incumbent."

Even Farrell's challenger readily admits his similarities with Lieberman.

"Diane has consistently said that she has made Iraq the center of her campaign," said Michael Sohn, campaign manager for Shays. "But Joe Lieberman and Chris Shays couldn't be closer on their positions in Iraq. Joe and Chris both voted to go in, and they support staying in until the job is done."

Though polls indicate Lieberman remains a strong favorite in his Senate race, his support for the Iraqi war has upset some state Democrats. Ned Lamont, a former selectman in Greenwich, is mulling a challenge of Lieberman for the Democratic nomination as an anti-war candidate.

But Lieberman continues to be supported by some of the state's top Democrats, including state party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo, who also defended Farrell's endorsement.

"The Democratic Party is a big pot and we have room for different opinions," DiNardo said. "We allow people to disagree, and we won't just be a rubber stamp for the Bush administration as the Republican Party in Congress has been."

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Dinner bell for fundraising
Former Secretary of State visits Former First Selectwoman Diane Farrell...Madeleine Albright attends $1000 a plate dinner in Westport, reacts to news of Osama's new tape by saying we cannot leave Iraq in a chaotic state, but there must be a strategic redeployment...from MINUTEMAN article of Jan. 26, 2006.

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Shays Spills GOP Secret;  Party Backing Off Talk Of Joining Lieberman's Side
By MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writer
March 1, 2006

It's been the subject of whispered conversations among top Republican officials for the past month. Now, U.S. Rep. Chris Shays, R-4th District, has let slip the secret: GOP officials have discussed cross-endorsing Democratic Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman this fall.

In an interview Monday with the editorial board of The Advocate of Stamford, Shays said he intends to vote for Lieberman and is encouraging a Republican endorsement of the three-term senator.  The remark was not immediately reported by The Advocate, but it set off a flurry of calls among Republicans who have been gauging support for the idea among GOP candidates, including Gov. M. Jodi Rell and U.S. Reps. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, and Nancy L. Johnson, R-5th District.

One GOP operative who was aware of the discussions said premature public disclosure of the possible cross-endorsement probably would kill the idea.  That seems to be case.  By Tuesday evening, spokesmen for top Republicans publicly distanced themselves from the possibility of backing Lieberman, who faces a Democratic primary over his support of President Bush and the war in Iraq.

And a spokeswoman for Lieberman, who previously had refused to rule out appearing on any but the Democratic line on the November ballot, said he would not accept a cross-endorsement.

"Would he accept the endorsement of the Republican Party? No, he is seeking the Democratic Party nomination," said Casey Aden-Wansbury, his communication director.  She said no one representing Lieberman has discussed a cross-endorsement with Republicans.

Lieberman accepted a cross-endorsement in 1994, while seeking his second term. He ran with the endorsement of the Democratic Party and A Connecticut Party, the banner under which Lowell P. Weicker Jr. was elected governor in 1990.  Weicker is no fan of Lieberman, but the endorsement was offered to help Eunice Groark, who was A Connecticut Party nominee for governor in 1994.

Analysts in both parties say running on the same ballot line with Lieberman this year could help Shays and Simmons, two Republicans who supported the invasion of Iraq and the continued U.S. presence in the country. Shays has hinted previously that he might support Lieberman, who remains one of the state's most popular politicians.

"Their position on the war can't be closer," said Michael Sohn, who is Shays' campaign manager. "They both voted to go into Iraq, and they both support staying until the job is done."

Shays and Simmons are facing tough re-election campaigns from their Democratic opponents, Diane Farrell and Joseph Courtney, respectively. Farrell, who also ran two years ago, has used the war as a cudgel against Shays, although she is supporting Lieberman.  While Simmons could benefit by running on the same ballot line with Lieberman, the congressman's campaign manager, Chris Healy, all but ruled out Simmons' signing off on such a gambit - even though Republicans are unsure if they can convince a serious candidate to oppose Lieberman.

"Congressman Simmons is a proud Republican and, while he enjoys a solid working relationship with Sen. Joe Lieberman, we look forward to a Republican candidate to run in the fall and expect to support the Republican ticket from top to bottom," Healy said.

Shays initiated the round of discussions about Lieberman among Republicans more than a month ago, said Republicans who wished to remain anonymous because the talks were supposed to remain confidential.  He phoned Rell and asked her to consider a GOP endorsement of Lieberman.  One Republican described the governor as "nonplussed" by the idea, while another said Rell was non-committal.

Rell's chief of staff, M. Lisa Moody, dismissed the possibility, saying, "There have been no serious discussions, to my knowledge."

Lieberman faces opposition within his party from Ned Lamont, a Greenwich businessman opposed to the war who has created a campaign committee and is expected to formally announce his candidacy this month.  He's viewed as a long shot to win the nomination, but a core group of disaffected Democrats is strongly supportive of his effort.

"We're not surprised that there are people within the Republican Party that would think about endorsing Joe. He clearly is George Bush's favorite Democrat," said Tom Swan, Lamont's campaign manager.  Swan also said Lieberman's disavowal of any interest in a GOP endorsement was expected.

"I don't know how someone who has tried to make his entire career be based upon principles could turn around and switch parties overnight," Swan said.

It was unclear Tuesday why Shays told The Advocate he hoped Republicans would consider endorsing Lieberman.  His campaign manager, Michael Sohn, said he believed Shays mentioned the idea when asked about Farrell's endorsement of Lieberman, despite their differences on the war.

"It is something Chris has been thinking about for a long time," Sohn said. "I think part of it did come from the flow of conversation. Chris is a person who says what he believes. When asked a question, he is not going to lie, not going to beat around the bush."

Lieberman did not return the favor Tuesday.

"I thank Chris Shays for his support," Lieberman said, according to his staff. "But of course I am enthusiastically supporting my fellow Democrat Diane Farrell in this congressional race, as I did two years ago."
 

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Lawmakers try to stop port deal
Greenwich TIME
By Martin B. Cassidy
Published February 22 2006

Rep. Christopher Shays is co-sponsoring an emergency bill to stop and probe the sale of major eastern seaboard port facilities to a port operating conglomerate owned by the United Arab Emirates.

"It seemed ludicrous from day one," said Shays, R-Conn., yesterday. "There is no Arab state which has spoken out against terrorism and violence and they have all been basically passive. We're going to put them in charge of six of our largest ports?"

If President Bush keeps the promise he made yesterday to veto any bill to delay or stop the sale, Shays said Congress would override it.

Shays, a member of the Congressional Homeland Secur-ity Committee, is one of three co-sponsors, along with New York's Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Republican Rep. Peter King, who want to conduct a 45-day investigation of Dubai Ports World on the national security impact of its purchase of the ports from a London-based firm.

Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business of the UAE, acquired major port facilities in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami, and New Orleans in the deal.

Shays said the UAE has failed to condemn the violence of Islamic terrorists, and allowed Al-Qaida to draw financial support from its residents and for rogue states to ship nuclear weapon components through its ports.

"The UAE has allowed finances and materials to go help fund Al-Qaida and be a conduit for nuclear materials being sent to Libya and Iran," Shays said. "I want to do anything and everything we can do to stop it."

The Congressional Homeland Security Committee also plans hearings on the sale by next week, Shays said.  Yesterday, Connecticut's two Democratic senators also backed a fuller investigation of the deal.  Sen. Christopher Dodd said that President Bush should avoid a congressional confrontation and order the Treasury Department to conduct a longer investigation.

The Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States, a federal regulatory committee within the Treasury Department, approved the deal.

"This is a country where they have not been cooperative in tracking down Osama Bin Laden's bank accounts and that still recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan," Dodd said. "The president has the authority to postpone it and review more carefully what the implications are and if he won't do it, an act of Congress will be necessary."

Yesterday, Sen. Joseph Lieberman co-wrote a letter to Treasury Department Secretary John W. Snow asking for a full investigation to ensure that the security risks have been gauged accurately.

"The senator feels a postponement pending a review, assessment, and reassurance is in order here," Leslie Phillips, a spokesman for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said. "He basically wants more information and answers from an investigation because this is extremely troubling."

The UAE is a constitutional federation of seven emirates; Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah.  Shays said he understands public concern over what he said was the Bush administration's contradictory approval of the purchase despite the country's ongoing war on terror in the Middle East.

"It is a huge disconnect," Shays said. "It's a strange thing with even passive states like Saudi Arabia and so-called progressive states like the Arab Emirates have not condemned terror."

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Shays stands by Bush on wiretaps
Stamford  ADVOCATE
By Mark Ginocchio, Staff Writer
Published January 15 2006

NORWALK -- U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays defended the Bush administration's right to spy on Americans without court approval, but continued to challenge his Republican congressional colleagues to ethics reform at a series of public meetings yesterday.

At a town hall-style meeting at Norwalk Community College, Shays, R-Bridgeport, clarified his positions on the Bush administration's wiretap controversy, energy conservation, immigration and the Republican Party's ethics.  Shays also spoke yesterday at the Long Ridge Fire House in Stamford, the first day in a series of meetings he has scheduled for the next week across Fairfield County.

"In 10 years, we have become arrogant," Shays said of fellow Republicans, speaking to a group of more than 50 in Norwalk. "This November, the Republican Party may be voted out of office, and if they don't reform they deserve to be."

Shays cited his call last year for U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, to step down as House majority leader. DeLay stepped down as leader temporarily last fall and permanently last week amid a federal indictment on money laundering charges and an ongoing corruption investigation.

The Connecticut congressman's decision to defy his party's leadership came out of a community meeting last year when constituents told him they were unhappy with the controversy surrounding DeLay, Shays said.

"I led the charge for him to step down, and then I said he needed to stay down," Shays said.  He also talked about an ethics bill he co-sponsored with U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., which forces lawmakers to file quarterly reports about expenses, gifts and contributions paid for by lobbyists.

But despite his criticisms of DeLay and the GOP, Shays did not shy away from defending Bush's controversial decision to spy on Americans through wiretaps.  Bush's decision was very unpopular with the Norwalk crowd, who were concerned about the president having too much power. But Shays likened the phone surveillance to the Patriot Act, which he also has consistently defended.

"It's all about detection and prevention and I don't think you'll see us break into any (terrorists) cells without the Patriot Act," Shays said.

Bush's "commander in chief" powers during the war on terrorism give him the right to circumvent the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires that a special court issue warrants for wiretapping, Shays said.  Former Westport first selectwoman Diane Farrell, Shays' Democratic challenger for the 4th Congressional District this November, disagreed.

"He's just wrong in this case because the FISA court has been very responsive to the administration," Farrell said in an interview yesterday.

Farrell also criticized Shays for trumpeting his ethics bill, saying that Democrats have had an ethics bill on the table since May and the Republicans have only taken action in the past month.

"You don't deserve credit for discovering that your feet are in the fire," she said. "It was only after the Republicans became so visibly outrageous that they decided to do something about" an ethics bill.

At the end of the two-hour meeting, Shays addressed his energy bill, which would double tax credits to consumers for buying more fuel-efficient cars, make truck emission standards more stringent and increase fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon by 2016.

Shays, who voted against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, said enforcing stricter fuel standards for sport- utility vehicles would ultimately save more oil than what would have been recovered from the refuge.

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Politics of the future department...Dick Morris advising George W. Bush?

KEAN FOR NEW JERSEY
NEW YORK POST editorial
October 23, 2006

National attention is focusing on a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey: Democrat Bob Menendez, out to retain the seat he was appointed to ealier this year, is struggling against GOP challenger Tom Kean Jr.

The result could well decide which party controls the Senate come January. Which is just one reason why we endorse Kean, the 36-year-old state senator and son of the popular former governor.

The race has focused on local issues: specifically, the culture of political corruption that has made New Jersey a standing national joke - and which Kean says Menendez, the longtime Hudson County Democratic boss, personifies.

Menendez, for his part, has painted Kean as a lapdog of President Bush - an ironic charge, given how often Kean and the president have parted ways on significant issues.
Indeed, we find Kean's divergence from national GOP positions, especially on Iraq, often too wide for our tastes. But that may be just what New Jerseyans prefer.

After all, it's been 34 years since the GOP won a Senate election in the deep-blue Garden State, and more than half a century since a (relatively) conservative Republican senator represented New Jersey.

Kean clearly has touched a real nerve on the issue of corruption - thanks largely to Menendez's very real ongoing ethics problems.

Like his having personally collected $329,000 in rent from an anti-poverty agency that saw $9.6 million in federal grants - thanks to Menendez's muscling. Corruption-busting U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has subpoenaed the group's financial records and is investigating.

Or the recently released tape recordings on which Menendez's longtime ally and top political adviser, Donald Scarinci, is heard pressuring a Hudson County contractor - in the senator's name - to rehire a former employee, saying it would guarantee him "protection."

Or his ties to convicted influence-peddler Charles Kushner, who was Menendez's single biggest source of campaign cash over the past 20 years. Not to mention Kay LiCausi, who went in a few short years from congressional intern to high-powered lobbyist, thanks largely to Menendez - with whom she reportedly was romantically involved.

To be sure, there are differences between the candidates on the issues.

Menendez favors a conditional amnesty for illegal immigrants, Kean opposes it. Menendez, who opposed the war from the outset, wants U.S. forces out of Iraq within a year; Kean has tried to steer an uneasy middle line between staying the course and withdrawing.

Polls show the race a virtual dead heat; whoever wins, the margin will almost certainly be very thin.

Electing Menendez to a full term would leave in office a legislator with a very real ethical cloud over his head. Both on his own merits as a candidate and to ensure that the Democrats remain the Senate minority, Tom Kean is far and away the better choice.

We urge his election.

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