Associated Press: Green Party after Nader to challenge Dodd
HARTFORD -- Sensing Sen. Chris Dodd's political vulnerability, the Connecticut Green Party is attempting to persuade its famous native son, Ralph Nader, to jump into the hotly contested 2010 Senate race.
Dodd's poll numbers give the Greens one of their best opportunities to win a U.S. Senate seat, said Tim McKee, a state party spokesman. And this time, McKee maintains, Nader wouldn't be a spoiler -- something he was accused of in the 2000 presidential election.
"A lot of Democrats would be upset about the prospect (of Nader entering the race). But we look at it as (Dodd's) already lost the seat," said McKee, who believes Dodd won't be able to resurrect the popularity he's enjoyed over the years.
A Quinnipiac University Poll released Nov. 12 showed 54 percent of voters disapprove of the job that Dodd is doing, up from 49 percent in September. The same survey showed the five-term incumbent Democrat particularly vulnerable among unaffiliated voters, the largest voting bloc in this otherwise Democratic-leaning state.
Talk of Nader possibly entering the Senate race has heated up on the Internet in recent weeks. The Connecticut Green Party is stepping up its efforts to encourage Nader to run and has planned a rally for Friday afternoon outside the Noah Webster Library in West Hartford, where Nader is scheduled to speak at a book-signing.
The 75-year-old activist and lawyer, who divides his time between Winsted and Washington, D.C., released a new book in September, titled "Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!," and is currently on a national book tour.
Nader is registered to vote in Connecticut.
"This is not about his ego or anything else. It's not really a draft effort. It's an effort to show him there is a lot of, a lot of support," said McKee, who is working with other party members to build a team of 100 grass roots volunteers for Nader.
As of the end of October, there were 1,824 voters in Connecticut registered as Green Party members, according to the Secretary of the State's Office.
Nader has not said whether he's willing to be a candidate. Several messages were left seeking comment through his publisher and Washington office.
Dodd's campaign and the Connecticut Democrats both declined to comment on the prospect of Nader getting into the Senate race. Dodd already faces a Democratic primary challenge from former Air Force Officer Merrick Alpert. And several Republicans are vying for the GOP nomination, including former Rep. Rob Simmons, former World Wrestling Entertainment top executive Linda McMahon and Peter Schiff, a Fairfield County money manager.
McKee said he hopes the Green Party can help turn the Connecticut Senate race into a national race and encourage people from across the country to contribute to Nader's campaign. He estimates they'll need to raise at least $3 million to $5 million.
"We could be extremely competitive, and we think we could win," he said.
Gary Rose, a politics professor at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, said the likelihood of Nader winning the Senate race in Connecticut is remote. But he said Nader would be a factor, likely drawing support from Dodd.
"I think that Ralph Nader at this point, he's an interesting candidate, yes, he has some die-hard following out there and some supporters but I think increasingly he has become old news in the minds of voters," Rose said.
"I don't think he could win the seat but I do think he could be a spoiler, no doubt about it," Rose added. "It's going to be very tight race."
Green Party members have their issues with Dodd. McKee said they believe Dodd hasn't done enough to push for universal health care or to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, the party is not happy with Dodd's role as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
"I think one of the reasons why Dodd is so vulnerable is, it's clear that he's in bed with the bankers and people are upset with that," said Charlie Pillsbury, co-chairman of the New Haven Green Party and a congressional candidate in 2002.
"The one thing that you can say about Ralph Nader is, he has been challenging corporate America his entire adult life," Pillsbury said. "He's somebody who I think people could trust and really rally behind."
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
11/26/09 RECESSION BUSTER: Save A Buck - Read Friday's Greenwich Time On Thursday Night For Free !!!!!
Greenwich police blotter
- A 17-year-old boy from Greenwich was charged Nov. 19 with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and third-degree criminal trespass.
Church hosts Thanksgiving dinner for 130 seniors
Otto Carbino has been coming to the First Presbyterian Church on Thanksgiving for more than 10 years to enjoy a meal and entertainment that never fails to put him in the holiday spirit.
Status on garage repairs unclear for rail council members
Unpatched potholes, exposed steel bars, deteriorating concrete and other faults at the Stamford transportation center garage has led the state's rail commuter council to request transportation
GMEA and LIUNA battle for hearts of union members
A behind-the-scenes turf war between two of the town's largest labor unions is putting the loyalties of one group's rank-and-file members to the test.
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- A 17-year-old boy from Greenwich was charged Nov. 19 with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and third-degree criminal trespass.
Church hosts Thanksgiving dinner for 130 seniors
Otto Carbino has been coming to the First Presbyterian Church on Thanksgiving for more than 10 years to enjoy a meal and entertainment that never fails to put him in the holiday spirit.
Status on garage repairs unclear for rail council members
Unpatched potholes, exposed steel bars, deteriorating concrete and other faults at the Stamford transportation center garage has led the state's rail commuter council to request transportation
GMEA and LIUNA battle for hearts of union members
A behind-the-scenes turf war between two of the town's largest labor unions is putting the loyalties of one group's rank-and-file members to the test.
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11/26/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed: Greenwich Resident Ned Lamont Is In The News
| Taking Barack To The Movies: Happy Thanksgiving By Tom Shone "Ned Lamont can talk about it. I've been doing something ... Eunomia · No Disrespect - Extending such an honor to the leader who hosted a conference of Holocaust skeptics and deniers, often predicts Israel will disappear from the map, ... Taking Barack To The Movies - http://tomshone.blogspot.com/ |
| Rell Summons Lawmakers; Proposes Campaign Fix (CT News Junkie) By Christine Stuart Ned Lamont on the Democratic side and Tom Foley on the Republican side could self-fund their campaigns for governor. Budget Mitigation. Rell's budget mitigation plan, which essentially asks the legislature to make about $200 million in ... CT News Junkie - http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ |
| Fruits and Votes » Prof. Shugart's Blog » Lieberman's right-wing ... By MSS ... the 2006 primary only to see him win reelection as an independent) and responsiveness to his new electoral coalition (which leaned well to the right given that Ned Lamont was the left-leaning Democrat in the general election race). ... Fruits and Votes - http://fruitsandvotes.com/ |
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11/26/09 MEDIA ALERT: Bob Horton Is The Newest Greenwich Time Columnist
The Greenwich Time's new local columnist, Bob Horton.
Horton is a Greenwich native who grew up in Riverside and now lives near Binney Park in Old Greenwich. Bob is returning to his journalistic roots. He started many years ago as City Hall reporter for the Torrington Register in northwest Connecticut and then moved to Washington, D.C. to write for States News Service. While in Washington he covered stories for papers in Connecticut and Alaska, and wrote a weekly political column that ran in several Connecticut papers.
Horton moved back to Greenwich in the late '80s. His family has generations-deep Greenwich history. His great-grandfather was an oyster fisherman on Long Island Sound and his grandfather was the town's tax assessor for many years. Both of his children graduated from the Greenwich public school system, and his wife Robin is a graphic designer and author of urbangardensweb.com, a blog that explores gardening and design in small spaces.
Needing to make a real living, Bob gave up journalism and pursued a career in marketing. He worked many years for Burson-Marsteller, a public relations agency, and was recently head of brand marketing for Merrill Lynch. He now works in commercial real estate in New York City.
Horton's column is scheduled to run Fridays in Greenwich Time.
Horton is a Greenwich native who grew up in Riverside and now lives near Binney Park in Old Greenwich. Bob is returning to his journalistic roots. He started many years ago as City Hall reporter for the Torrington Register in northwest Connecticut and then moved to Washington, D.C. to write for States News Service. While in Washington he covered stories for papers in Connecticut and Alaska, and wrote a weekly political column that ran in several Connecticut papers.
Horton moved back to Greenwich in the late '80s. His family has generations-deep Greenwich history. His great-grandfather was an oyster fisherman on Long Island Sound and his grandfather was the town's tax assessor for many years. Both of his children graduated from the Greenwich public school system, and his wife Robin is a graphic designer and author of urbangardensweb.com, a blog that explores gardening and design in small spaces.
Needing to make a real living, Bob gave up journalism and pursued a career in marketing. He worked many years for Burson-Marsteller, a public relations agency, and was recently head of brand marketing for Merrill Lynch. He now works in commercial real estate in New York City.
Horton's column is scheduled to run Fridays in Greenwich Time.
Here Is Mr Horton's First Column:
BOB HORTON: Where's the uproar over test scores?
In the most recent state standardized test scores, the Greenwich school district placed 40th out of 164, about as close to the middle as to the top. The middle is not a comfortable place for anyone, particularly anyone in Greenwich.
Standardized tests are just one yardstick of a school's performance, and arguably not the best one. After all, we want our schools to produce students who think independently and have had a chance to explore a wide variety of intellectual pursuits -- things not easily measured by standardized testing.
Another way of evaluating schools is through their budget and staffing priorities. Where do they spend money? What are they doing to prepare students to compete against, not just other Americans, but workers across the globe?
So putting aside the decline in test scores, let's compare two programs, both of which have received considerable recognition in recent years: Greenwich High School's football teams and the school orchestras.
I'm a big fan of GHS football -- the Cardinals have won numerous conference and league titles and are multiple winners of the state championship. If the team found itself with a so-so record, you can bet there would be changes made. Thankfully, that's not likely to happen anytime soon, judging from the resources put into the program.
The 46 boys on the varsity football team have a head coach and seven assistant coaches, according to Greenwich Cardinals' Web site. The JV team has two coaches .....
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11/26/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed
The Associated Press GREENWICH, Conn. — Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger's luxury estate in Connecticut has sold for $20 million, about $8 million below its original asking price ... | ||
| Greenwich zoning commission requires more information on pair of developments Greenwich Time In other business, a bid by Rick Kral to further develop his Beacon Point Marine and Greenwich Water Club at 49 River Road in Cos Cob was questioned by ... | ||
| Hilfiger's Greenwich Mansion Sells For $20M - Entertainment News ... GREENWICH, Conn. -- Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger's luxury estate in Connecticut has sold for $20 million, about $8 million below its original asking price. Thursday, November 26, 2009. WFSB.com - News - http://www.wfsb.com/news/ |
| Staples Wins a Thriller over Greenwich: Knocks Out Central FCIAC ... By timparry Wow - what a day! I'm glad I recorded the Greenwich-Staples game. The Wreckers got the last laugh in a seasaw battle at Staples, and Santiago Cuartas won it. FCIAC Football Blog - http://fciacfootballblog.com/ |
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11/26/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed: Greenwich Resident Linda McMahon Is In The News
| CM Punk Saves Festus, Heat On Linda mcmahon For 9/11 Stance PWMania (blog) Linda mcmahon is getting some criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike for her wishy-washy response to a question about whether the 9/11 trials should ... |
| Linda McMahon Saying Hello to her Grandchildren By Kaliqo~ Anything and Everything about the Cerebral Assassin - Triple H. News on Professional Wrestling and the Independent Circuit. KLQ.:News Wrestling and Triple H:. - http://www.klqwrestling.com/ |
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11/26/09 Greenwich students give thanks
Greenwich schools got a head start on Thanksgivings Day this week, as many students participated in events such as plays and feasts. At North Mianus School, English as a Second Language students had had a pre-Thanksgiving feast. The kindergartners also partook in the festivities. At Cos Cob School, students held a "Giving Thanks" feast with parents. Kindergartners dressed in Native American vests and headgear, as well as pilgrim costumes.
At Old Greenwich School, the second grade presented its annual Thanksgiving Play, a 20-minute production before the entire school in the gymnasium, part of a second-grade study unit on American heritage, with actors donning paper costumes that they constructed. Old Greenwich School students ........
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11/26/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed
Greenwich Post Although the Greenwich High School field hockey team was seeded ninth in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference class L tournament, ... | ||
| Greenwich High School takes aim at state's top-ranked football team Greenwich Time By Jesse Quinlan "It's funny because all preseason I kept hearing the same thing over and over," Greenwich head coach Rich Albonizio said. ... | ||
| Greenwich health officials want educator position back next year Greenwich Time By Lisa Chamoff Town health officials, saying the department is struggling to get out information about the H1N1 virus to the public, want to have a ... | ||
| Connecticut Girls High School State Championships SwimmingWorldMagazine.com AT the Connecticut Girls High School State Championships, Greenwich tallied 624 points for first followed by Darien (469) and New Canaan (411). ... |
| Pizza Post – Greenwich, CT - Stamford Pizza Tour By Scott Located on the Post Road E. Putnam Ave. in Greenwich, CT, Pizza Post has been around forever (or since 1972). Tucked away behind the fluorescent wonderland that is Gofer Ice Cream, this little pizzeria carries a following evidenced by ... Stamford Pizza Tour - http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/ |
| Sunday, Swan, Skunk and Sunset at Greenwich PoinT – Our Greenwich By johnferrisrobben Sunday, Swan, Skunk and Sunset at Greenwich PoinT. Nov 25th, 2009. by johnferrisrobben. A skunk on the beach near an unknowing fishermaN. Swan at the beach with people nearbY. Looking West from Tod's Point in Old GreenwicH ... Our Greenwich - http://ourgreenwich.com/ |
Swine flu clinic still has room - Greenwich Real Time - Greenwich Time
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