Posted on 08/22/2006 7:09:18 AM PDT by Graybeard58
WASHINGTON -- The Republican candidate shunned by President Bush, the GOP establishment and many in his party is hoping conservative groups will get behind his longshot bid for the Connecticut Senate seat.
Alan Schlesinger, who has ignored calls from some Republicans to abandon his candidacy, planned a two-day trip to Washington to test his call for fiscal conservatism with outside organizations.
"We're trying to move this campaign on the issues," he said Monday.
"There's been enough about the horse races. Now we're going to talk about issues."
The Connecticut Senate race shapes up as a two-man contest between three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is running as an independent after his party's rebuff in the Aug. 8 primary, and anti-war candidate Ned Lamont, the Democratic nominee.
Polls show Schlesinger with single-digit support that has been dropping.
Schlesinger got a blunt reminder on where the GOP stands on Monday.
During a news conference, Bush said he had no intention of backing Schlesinger, a former state representative who has been dogged by questions about his gambling.
"I'm staying out of Connecticut because, you know, that's what the party suggested, the Republican Party of Connecticut," Bush told reporters. "And, plus, there's a better place to spend our money, time and resources."
The National Republican Senatorial Committee said last week it had no plans to help Schlesinger because the Connecticut senate contest was not a competitive race.
While his two foes have already collected and spent millions, Schlesinger has raised just $113,581, including a $50,000 loan to his campaign, as of June 30, according to his latest campaign finance report.
Schlesinger, however, said his fiscal conservatism would be a key selling point when he meets with political action committees and others to boost his candidacy.
"I am extremely different from Lieberman and Lamont," he said. "I am not an ostrich. I do not put my head in the sand as to the massive unfunded liability in the entitlement programs."
Schlesinger declined to say who he planned to meet with during his Washington visit.
This is a miserable excuse for a Republican. If this dude is a conservative then so was Al Capone.
This guy was supposed be Lieberman's tomato can, and that's about it.
"If this dude is a conservative then so was Al Capone."
A PERFECT EXAMPLE AS TO WHY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS THE STUPID PARTY. IF THE DEMS WERE IN THE SAME SITUATION THEY WOULD SEE IT AS A POTENTIAL PICKUP. But then who would want to run against Lieberman b4 allthis came about? They are still cowards in addition to being stupid.
You check out the GOP bench in Connecticut lately? It's pretty thin.
"There's been enough about the horse races"
Now its time to bet, $500 to show, and $1000 to win.
I'd rather have Capone in charge of INS or foreign policy, he'd probably take care of business. ;-)
BTW, I have one small peripheral connection to Capone through my grandmother. When her friends got married, they decided to honeymoon in Chicago (this was about the time Big Bill Thompson was running the city, or rather, allowing the city to be run by Big Al). They found a very reasonable hotel to stay at and were there a few days before Capone and his entourage came strolling in the front door, and they soon realized it was Capone's hotel, and decided to cut their honeymoon short. Little did they know it was probably the safest place to stay in the Windy City. ;-D
"You check out the GOP bench in Connecticut lately? It's pretty thin."
The Republican governor of Connecticut, Jody Rell currently has the 5th highest positive job approval rating of any sitting governor at 69% positive. This in a blue state.
3 out of 5 Connecticut congressmen/women are Republicans. They may be moderate northeastern Republicans but for the fall its numbers in the Republican caucus that will determine control of the Senate and the national agenda. The Republicans need numbers and can sort out ideology later.
No offense, but if this Schlesinger mutt is the best they could do, I am profoundly unimpressed.
Given that Al Capone died of complications from syphillis, that's not terribly likey.
It's an embarassment that they couldn't even find a carpet bagger to try for it. In the entire country the GOP only needs a handful of solid people to compete for open Senate seats, and that this was such a gross forfeit brings into question how well organized the GOP really is.
"I left Connecticut in part because of that shell game. The party is where it is because it has more principle (not much more than zero but more) than the Democrats. It would be better to have a smaller majority and be rid of quislings and infiltrators. What we lose in the "Suburban-Bimbo-from-Hell" vote we gain in rank and file blue collar types. If the Dems want to be a party of the northeast and west coasts only, that is a strategy to be a permanent minority party."
The Northeastern moderate Republicans are among the most popular politicians in their home states. Maine's Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins for example run virtually unopposed. They can remain RINOs because they have no opposition and as their seniority increases, their power within the Republican caucus increases with their Chairwomanships of important committees.
Snowe is Chair of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee and serves on the Committee on Finance; Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Select Committee On Intelligence.
Collins is Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Both Snowe and Collins are members of "The Gang of 14" moderates and the Mainstreet Republican Partnership which tries to move the Party to the center.
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