• First came news of his embarrassing fund raising numbers.


• Second, came the ass-kicking he received from Murphy at their first debate (where Danbury's native son couldn't seem to explain to the members of the Waterbury Chamber of Commerce how he would tackle ANY issue facing Americans if elected to Congress).


• Third, came the now famous "nail in the coffin" opinion from just about everyone who paid two seconds to Cappiello's laughable campaign.


• Fourth came the bi-partisan Cook Report also laughing at Cappiello and calling the race clearly for Murphy.

District 5

David Cappiello (R)

Chris Murphy (D)

Murphy broke Republican Nancy Johnson's Big Pharma--funded chokehold on the district in 2006. His April 2008 "Blackwater Bill" is an even bigger victory for proponents of open government. It forces major government contractors--"virtually subsidiaries of the United States government," in Murphy's words--to disclose their leaders' names and salaries.
Esquire endorses: Murphy

He added that while he always felt there was an element of hope to Cappiello's candidacy given the demographics of the district, the financing disparity "really puts the nail in the coffin."

"It certainly bodes well for Murphy," Rose said, adding that while Cappiello has received significant support from Republican national committees, their war chests are nearly empty and "the calvary is not going to be arriving."

Gary Rose, chairman of the Department of Government and Politics at Sacred Heart University, comment on Murphy significant money advantage over Cappiello.

"As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.

As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better."

"I'm afraid if he wins, the blacks will take over. He's not a Christian! This is a Christian nation! What is our country gonna end up like?"

"When you got a negro running for president, you need a first stringer. He's definitely a second stringer."

"He seems like a sheep - or a wolf in sheep's clothing to be honest with you. And I believe Palin - she's filled with the Holy Spirit, and I believe she's gonna bring honesty and integrity to the White House."

"He's related to a known terrorist, for one."

"He is friends with a terrorist of this country!"

"He must support terrorists! You know, uh, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. And that to me is Obama."

"Just the whole, Muslim thing, and everything, and everybody's still kinda - a lot of people have forgotten about 9/11, but… I dunno, it's just kinda… a little unnerving."

"Obama and his wife, I'm concerned that they could be anti-white. That he might hide that."

"I don't like the fact that he thinks us white people are trash… because we're not!"

Once again, this is a political environment in which top-tier GOP candidates can lose, and second and even third-tier Democrats can break into contention late in the game. We are releasing ratings changes in 25 districts across the country, and revising our outlook to a Democratic gain of 20 to 25 seats in the House.

CT-05 Chris Murphy Likely Democratic to Solid Democratic

“David Cappiello’s candidacy continues to excite voters who are justifiably upset that Congressman Murphy has failed to live up to the standard of ‘change’ he set for himself two years ago,” said Communications Director Adam Bauer. “While David has received nearly 85% of his campaign funds from individuals fed up with a dysfunctional government, Murphy has become desperate.

* 2007 -- After a story broke about his PAC receiving Galante money, Cappiello lied about when he donated the money to charity. (Hartford Courant, October 13, 2007) (Associated Press State & Local Wire, October 12, 2007) (FEC.gov)

* 2007 -- Cappiello was Against New Plans to Regulate Refuse Industry. After Galante's indictment, Cappiello opposed proposals for licensing trash haulers. (Danbury News-Times, June 12, 2007)

* 2005 -- Cappiello and DeLuca were two of just three senators to oppose a bill to expand the state's bottle bill by also letting water bottles be redeemed for deposit. A massive lobbying effort then killed the bill in the House, led by Sullivan & LeShane. While they represented the beverage industry, they were also representing Galante companies, and this bill would have hurt his bottom line by reducing municipal reliance upon curbside recycling. Sullivan & LeShane have boasted how they have defeated this expansion of the bottle bill, beginning in 1999. (Connecticut Common Cause, September 27, 2005)

* 2004 -- Cappiello Voted Against Reforming "Evergreen" Contracts. One of the abusive features of Galante's company contracts were "evergreen" clauses, which he used in Connecticut even after such contracts had been outlawed in Westchester and New York City. In 2004, Cappiello voted in Judiciary Committee against SB 399, "An Act Concerning... Automatic Renewal of Consumer Contracts." (http://www.cga.ct.gov/2004/jfr/s/2004SB-00399-R00JUD-JFR.htm) (New York Times, August 12, 2001)

* 2002 -- Cappiello solicited James Galante to contribute $100,000 at a Red Cross Fundraiser that raised $117,000. Cappiello and DeLuca repeatedly worked together in soliciting and honoring Galante; both were members of the "Italian-American Legislative Caucus."

* 2002 -- Cappiello took $15,000 in illegally funneled money from Galante for his State Senate PAC. Cappiello spent $202 at Danbury wine & liquor to thank Galante with "bottles of wine or champagne" (Hartford Courant, October 12, 2007) (Politico.com, November 5, 2007) (Hartford Courant, October 12, 2007)

* 2002 -- Italian American Legialtive Caucus, of which Cappiello is Treasurer, gives Galante its highest award. The ceremony was held in a room off the legislative chambers, just over two years after Galante had served time in Prison for tax evasion. (Danbury News-Times, 3/29/02) (Hartford Courant, 9/19/99)

"When I am in Danbury and the rest of the Fifth District, I hear about how high energy costs are hurting businesses, large and small. We've got to make a commitment and investment in new ways of powering our businesses and homes in order to realize real energy savings. I am proud of the changes we have made to our national renewable energy policy in my first term in office because it sets a national commitment to finding new, and less expensive, ways to do business," said Murphy.

[...]

To boost jobs and set us on a path to energy independence, Murphy pushed H.R. 6899, the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, to set a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) that mandates that 15% of electricity must be met with renewable sources by 2020. More than half of U.S. states have already adopted an RES, but in order to truly put the nation more energy independent, Congress needed to step in to create a national standard.

Congress has also made it easier for business to invest in renewable energy sources by extending the Energy-Efficient Buildings Deduction for 5 years, allowing taxpayers to deduct up to $1.80 per sq. ft. in commercial buildings for improvements that achieve 50% or greater in energy savings. And Congress extended the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) through 2016, with a 30% income tax credit for solar and fuel cells and 10% for wind microturbines and geothermal. This credit makes it more attractive to make financial investments in industrial renewable energy projects.

[...]

Mr. Longman used a Connecticut Clean Energy Fund grant and a federal tax credit to make the project an affordable business investment -- without the assistance, the project would not have been possible.

"I want to thank Congressman Murphy and Majority Leader Hoyer for coming here today to see how their work in Washington has allowed me to cut energy costs through investment in solar energy. Congressman Murphy has been pushing since he got to Washington to help business owners like me choose to invest in new technologies to power our businesses. Without his help, the changes I am making to my business wouldn't have been possible," said Longman.

New-media professionals such as Ohrt don't understand what all the hair-pulling is about.

Ohrt said it is not difficult or expensive to post information on existing Web sites. Nor are additional manpower or a degree in computer programming required, as there are a plethora of programs that can help towns upload the information.

"It gets easier every day," Ohrt said. "I think it is just fear of the Internet. It's just something they're not using, which is probably their first mistake."

Ohrt suggested town officials who are uneasy about the law should look into incorporating free social media sites such as Blogger.com into their existing site. In small towns, the worker or volunteer who operates the Web site probably already has more technical expertise than needed to create a blog.

"I can literally create a blog in 60 seconds or less," Ohrt said. "If you have an e-mail address and can pick a word out of the English language for your password, you can create a blog."

Al Robinson, a Danbury resident who writes a local Democratic-leaning Web site called Hat City Blog, points out state law has long required town officials to make meeting minutes available within seven days after the meeting. The new law is simply saying "then hit 'copy and paste.'"

"We live in a age where everything is done by computer," Robinson said. "Therefore what the state is asking is really no big deal."

Robinson said if town officials are already using a computer to type minutes, posting the documents is not difficult.

"You can make a text or PDF file via the 'save as' command just as fast as printing a document, so I don't know what the big deal is," Robinson said. "Again, they're already required to have hard copy of the minutes available to the public seven days after a meeting."

Both Robinson and Ohrt said the days of simply stapling pieces of paper to a bulletin board in City Hall are long gone, and that local government has a responsibility to make sure it is transparent to residents.

They suggested the clerk who prepares the minutes be the person responsible for posting it online.

Christine Stuart, a former print reporter who operates the news site CTNewsJunkie.com, was not surprised by the "sky is falling" attitude taken by many towns and city officials.

"It's Connecticut," Stuart said. "People are reluctant to change. Old habits die hard in Connecticut."

Stuart researches, writes, edits and uploads her stories to her Web site.

How difficult is the upload process?

"It's 'copy,' 'paste,' 'save' and 'publish,'" she said.

Originally posted on Oct 27 2007

The drumbeat continues...

The circulation of racist emails by elected officials was the topic of conversation at last night's Greater Danbury NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner.

The event's keynote speaker was no other than Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta GA and lets just say that he had a thing or two to say about the current state of affairs in Danbury.

As pastor of the same church that civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached his ministry of nonviolence during 60's civil rights movement, Rev. Warnock captivated the packed audience as he chastised the elected officials involved in the racist email scandal, and join the chorus of residents, religious groups, politicians, and organizations who demand that those involved issue a public apology.

The reaction from the audience to Rev. Warnock sharp rebuke of the the city's handling of the matter should erase any thought in people's minds that this level of outrage is going to dissipate any time soon.

Basso needs to stand before the people who elected her -- most especially, those Danbury residents she insulted and offended -- and seek their forgiveness, not the forgiveness of Pitts.

Maybe Basso doesn't need to convene a special press conference like Pitts did Tuesday at City Hall. But certainly, an apology at a Common Council meeting -- with on-the-record comments -- would be a start.

[...]

As the city's mayor, as the city's top-ranking Republican, Boughton really needs to exercise "People Over Politics," as his re-election signs proclaim.

He needs to ask Basso to step down, even if there are only 31�„2 weeks left in her term. It's not enough to scold her in one breath and keep her on the Common Council in the next.

And yet, Urice is just as culpable as Basso in this whole sad affair. Over the last 48 hours, they have become hugely polarizing figures, touchstones for Danbury's changing population.

But understand, Basso and Urice are not the victims here. Don't make them out to be martyrs, public mouthpieces for ignorance and hate in Danbury.

Better yet, don't vote for them on Nov. 6.

-Brian Koonz Op/Ed
Danbury News-Times 10.10.07

Well, it is gone. I’ll tell you why. The point of the posting was being lost and the post itself was becoming the story. Which I never wanted to happen.

The point is, I made the far left have a knee jerk reaction. I also gave them something to talk about.

Again, as I stated in the actual posting itself, I never, ever wished any harm come to Obama, at all. I was simply making a point and doing exactly what the left is doing to Sarah Palin.

cherly boston: Why is racism so bad? Is there a law that says we have love these subhuman primates? Nigs and immigrants are filthy animals, and the world would be a lot better off without them.

[...]

johnynm: get over it. everyone's been subject to a racist joke or comment about their own ethnicity. some people are just looking to be offended.

[...]

Tarheel: It's a joke! IT'S A JOKE!! They don't joke around in Mexico? Is it something in the water that makes you lose your sense of laughter? I thought those e-mails were funny, EVERYONE sends these jokes in e-mails daily and that is why the Danbury VOTING public is not outraged.

ICE is NICE: Tell that Hernandez guy to go stuff it!
He will never have respect because he was a illegal alien who willfully broke American laws and disrespected every American citizen by his criminal actions.

It is offensive to hear him described as an 'immigrant activist'.

[...]

BANNED_AND_LOVIN_IT: Basso, you don't owe Pitts a thing... much less an apology... The fact that you met with this Sharpton wanna-is disappointing.

The Memphis Kid: Koonz [writer of today's article] is pathetic. He's a Democrat party lackey and a journalistic hack.

Brian – did you get a signed affidavit from every single Danbury resident affirming they believed the e-mails to be racist? Of course not. Despite your belief that you’re the anointed spokesperson of all Danbury, there are many, if not most, who believe the e-mails were simply harmless satire. Satire intended to make commentary on legitimate current event issues...In closing, Brian Koonz is an amateur who got his journalistic “credentials” out of a cereal box.

Boughton58: They can delete my posts but they can't silence the truth. Nigs and immigrants are disgusting animals that need to be eradicated or enslaved.

We need to take dominion over the beasts of the field.