08/10/10 Meet Dan Debicella

Greenwich Roundup,

The AP just called the Republican primary in the Fourth District for state senator Dan Debicella. With Debicella winning less than 2/3rds of the vote, it's clear that local Republicans were deeply divided on who could best stand with John Boehner and Congressional Republicans in leading the nation back to the policies of the Bush years. You remember, back when Big Oil, insurance companies and Wall Street could expect huge tax breaks and a blind eye instead of thoughtful regulation?

And today's low voter turnout suggests a whole lot of people don't know what Debicella stands for. Granted, after seeing him call himself a moderate, I'm not certain he does either. But I figured you all should know a few things about the career politician looking to take on Jim in the general election:

RADICAL: Dan Debicella has repeatedly sided with insurance companies over the people of Connecticut, voting against nearly all senators to deny coverage for prosthetics, hearing aids for children, and treatments to help cancer patients find bone marrow donors. You might want to read that sentence again, because I didn't believe it when I found out either. But it's true - In 2007, Debicella was one of four senators to side with insurance companies against deaf children. In 2008, he was one of two votes against requiring coverage of bone marrow treatments designed to expand the National Bone Marrow Registry that helps match cancer patients with donors. In 2009, he had the chance to side with the people over the special interests - but he voted no again.

RECKLESS: Dan Debicella has the worst environmental record of any Connecticut state senator in the past decade, according to Connecticut's League of Conservation Voters. Southwest Connecticut knows we have to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by supporting alternative energy development, which will lead to green collar jobs to fuel our economic recovery. Southwest Connecticut also treasures the Long Island Sound and all the natural wonders that surround us. We can't afford Dan Debicella, a state senator who is too far out on the wrong side of environmental issues.

WRONG: Dan Debicella voted to deny emergency contraception to victims of rape, then downplayed the importance of his vote. The facts speak for themselves: In 2007, Dan Debicella was one of three senators to vote against a bill requiring all Connecticut hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape victims. It's one thing to vote against this measure, but look at how he defended his position: when his 2008 opponent called him out on his vote, Dan Debicella said, "On the rape bill, all I did was vote against a bill allowing morning-after contraception to be issued to victims." That attitude is just wrong, and we can't let it go to Washington.

I'm not even going to get into Dan Debicella's troubling history of making the rules fit his version of reality; his opponents during the primary discussed that pretty thoroughly already. Suffice it to say we now face a stark and clear choice to represent us in Washington this fall: either reckless, radical and wrong Dan Debicella, a career politican who just goes too far, or Jim Himes, who's proven himself a strong independent leader in the Southwest Connecticut tradition, worked hard to help fix the economy and help small businesses create jobs, and stood up for middle class families.

I'm going to work hard the next 84 days to keep Jim Himes serving us. I hope you'll join me - we can't afford the alternative.

On to victory,

Mark Henson
Campaign Manager

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