Email your voting experience from Tuesday. I want to hear form you.
Here's one tale from a reader.
I voted around 9:30 am at DHS....no Lieberman people, a couple of Lamont supporters handing out cards. I spoke briefly with one of the men, who said he'd spoken with a number of people who agreed with the entire litany of reasons to oppose Joe and people AGREED yet said they were casting votes for Joe to avoid a 3-way race. One can only presume those voters will, in large part, support Ned in the general.
As I travel around Danbury talking to as many people as I can, I have to say, this story is very common among many who voted for Lieberman.
Many people are turned off by Lieberman's decision to run as an indy and although Lamont won Danbury by a small margin, I expect that margin to increase in November as people in the area learn more about Lamont and others will reject Lieberman refusal to respect the will of the record amount of registered Democrats who voted in the primary in Danbury.
Well I didn't think it was possible, but Nancy Johnson has reached a new low. In her new TV ad, Johnson attempts to use the tragic events of September 11th for her own political advantage. The commercial features a woman who lost her son on 9/11 explaining how Nancy Johnson was there for her and "really cares." The most despicable part of the ad, however, comes when Johnson recreates the memorial service in order to show herself comforting the grieving woman. How morbid is that?
Make no mistake, my heart goes out to anyone who lost loved ones on 9/11. But Nancy Johnson taking advantage of someone else's loss for political purposes is the worst form of exploitation and pandering. How does Nancy Johnson's conscience allow her to ask a grieving mother to recreate her son's memorial service so that it may be used for a television commercial?
On Tuesday night, Connecticut voters went with a fresh political face, an engaging, intelligent and seemingly kind-hearted Democrat named Ned Lamont, who ran essentially a one-issue campaign with clarity of purpose, with respect to his opponent, and with plenty of state and national support.
Most every newspaper in the state endorsed your re-election, Joe, including this one. So did a lot of Democratic voters -- 135,000 of them, to be exact. But it wasn't enough. Lamont gathered 10,000 more votes than you did from an amalgam of people who dislike President Bush, feel your career has run its course, and who are convinced the war in Iraq is a mistake that we will never be able to rectify.
Your position, senator, is that you will continue your quest for re-election by running as a third-party candidate, hoping to pick off enough unaffiliated and Republican voters -- and hold onto your Democratic backers -- to eke out a November victory over Lamont and Republican Alan Schlesinger. Ironically, you may in fact win this way if you push onward. But you shouldn't continue.
If you are successful, Joe, your next term would be difficult to say the least. You have said you will caucus as a Democrat, which means siding with the party whose voters just chose your opponent in your home state. You would meet regularly with Democratic colleagues and leaders who today are asking you to reconsider an independent candidacy, and who publicly and repeatedly will support Lamont between now and November.
You could, in fact, owe your re-election to Connecticut Republicans -- people who largely support the president and his decision to invade Iraq. Yet, Connecticut Democrats rejected you Tuesday night because they feel just the opposite -- they want out of Iraq, and they are angry at the man who put our troops in harm's way there. It would be an untenable fourth term, an ignoble swan song for a senator who has earned a reputation over 18 years as a man of principle and integrity.
There are other mountains to climb, Joe Lieberman, and we have no doubt you will scale them. Please put your party, your state and your country before your career and step aside. Lamont won the primary, he has an opponent, and we'd learn soon enough whether one of them can fill your shoes.
Joe Lieberman ultimate slap in the face to the Democratic Party is going to result in the Republicans holding the Congressional seats. This is unacceptable as a Democratic win in Connecticut is crucial if the Democrats want to re-capture the House.
With so much on the line, Lieberman's self-serving quest to remain senator (at any cost) only reinforces the belief by many (including myself) that Joe Lieberman only cares about one thing...Joe Lieberman.
Remember what Joe's selfishness during the 2000 eleciton? Does Joe running as an VP and a senator ring a bell? Imagine what would haev happened if Gore won (here's a himt: John Rowland was Governor).
Enough is enough. The people have spoken (and in record numbers) and it's time for Lieberman (and his dire-hard supporters) to face reality and think about what's best for the Democratic Party.
Ned Lamont pulls off one of the most amazing campaign wins in recent Connecticut political history, John DeStefano has a new Lt. Gov candidate, and I'm finally able to cover local stuff again (WOO HOO!)
Now that the Democratic senate stuff is over (and trust me, it's over. Joe will NOT run as in indy as he'll be under a great deal of pressure to stop his campaign), it's time to take a look at the Congressional races in the area. The Danbury area is unique because I can cover the 5th and 4th Congressional races with little problem. That being the case, you'll see more information on the race between Diane Farrell and Chris Shays and the big race in the 5th between Nancy Johnson and Chris Murphy.
I'll like to take everyone back to yesterday when I voted in Danbury. I casted my vote over at Broadview school and had a chance to interview several people there. I was looking to talk to people from the Malloy, DeStefano, Lieberman, and Lamont campaigns and I traveled to the school three times (9:30, 2:00, and 6:30). Each time I stopped by the school, I only saw Lamont supporters handing out cards. Now that's not to say reps from the other campaigns didn't stow up, it's just that I didn't see them when I arrived on the scene.
I felt this was really strange the no one was around but Lamont supporters as I stopped by at 6:30 because that would have been the peaked time to vote but I was told that supporters were making rounds to all the other polls. Due to the fact that I had to travel to Meriden to cover the Lamont/Lieberman race, I didn’t' have enough time to get everywhere in Danbury which sucks.
In any case, I was able to conduct an interview with two Lamont volunteers who worked at the school all day (I saw them each time I arrived at the school). Since they hung out there all day, I felt it would only be right to talk to them, find out their views on the turnout, and ask them why they support Lamont.
If anyone has a primary day story, please email me and I'll post it to the blog. Danbury had a great turnout and it's great to see all Democrats use their right to vote. No matter whom you voted for yesterday, the point is THAT YOU VOTED and in the end, that’s the only thing that really matters.
Imagine what would happen if those same Democrats come out to support the Party in next years election.
Last night was by far, one of the greatest experiences in my life! It's a great day to be a Demmocrat in this country and we're seeing the beginning of a change in this country...a change for the better.
I did a number of interviews in Danbury yesterday and I'll release the footage later.
Hey Joe, you could always blame your loss on DaSilva. This photo was probably the death to your political career...
This Tuesday is primary day which means I'm working my tail off trying to cover the races. The entire media and political world seems to be here and I'm in the middle of everything. Simply put, there is no time for me to watch local stuff right now.
I know, whaa, whaa, what about Danbury, whaa, whaa. Look, it's simple, unless you've been living in a case for the last six months, something really big is going on in the Democratic Party. A three-term senator is facing the political fight of his life and everyone from the New York Times, Washington Times, and Boston Globe, to the BBC, MSNBC, and CNN are here right now.
I just do not have enough time to cover the primary races and watch everything that is happening in Danbury right now and really, what's happening? BOE catching heat over their pick because African-Americans are upset?
Ah, where were you guys when Davis needed your support?
Where were you during the nomination process?
I could go on, but I hold back for now (unless this nonsense about the BOE not caring about the African-Americans in Danbury continues). Complaining AFTER the nomination process speaks volumes.
What else is happening? Pauline Basso running against Bob Godfrey? One word: landslide. If Basso thinks hanging out with the xenophobes waving for illegal immigrant sign in Bethel last Sunday will win her any votes, she's in for a big surprise. It's amusing how the Republicans didn't take challenging Godfrey seriously so they threw wacko Basso a bone. I'm very happy she's in the race, I have enough outrageous comments from her on video to last a lifetime.
Hmm, anything else? Festivals all over the place (nice). Democrats still doing next to nothing in terms of their visibility in the area (can anyone name three people on the DTC), Republicans taking their marching orders from the big house, local broadcast of political meetings is on the table (but unlikely), and the people are the ones who are getting screwed in the end.
In other words, nothing much is happening. I'm off to cover the race of the year. I'll be back to talk about this dysfunctional city later.
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER: "Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.