Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

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Columbus Day and America Reconsidered

Columbus statue in New Haven removed Very little was known about Christopher Columbus when in 1892 President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage. History tells us: “Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492, and Columbus Day 2024 occurs on Monday, October 14. It was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century, but did not become a federal holiday until 1937… The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792, when New York’s Columbian Order—better known as Tammany Hall—held an event to commemorate the historic landing’s 300th anniversary. Taking pride in Columbus’ birthplace and faith, Italian and Catholic communities in various parts of the country began organizing annual religious ceremonies and parades in his honor… In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Ameri

War, Woodward, Biden-Harris, Netanyahu

Netanyahu and Biden - Fox News Bob Woodward’s latest political Grand Guignol, War , will be available to the general public on October 15. In the meantime, we have reviews by select news organizations that have received advanced copies of the book full of horrific and devilish details. According to CNN, “Woodward’s new book, which was obtained by CNN ahead of its October 15 release, gives an unvarnished, in-the-room account of key moments as Biden and his national security team navigates international crises, from the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal to confronting Putin before he invaded Ukraine to private battles with Netanyahu. “Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand participants, War is filled with newly reported details of high-stakes showdowns. The book explores the political and personal wars that Biden has fought during his presidency, including details about his decision to step aside from the 2024 campaign and conversations about his son Hunter Biden’s

A Brief Political Primer for Voters in Connecticut, 2024

John F. Kennedy-- the last liberal? When we say “Throw the bums out!” -- a common expression in politics -- by “bums” we generally mean incumbent politicians. Politically neutered minority politicians warming their backside on the backbenches are no threat to the state or voters. A politician unplugged is like a lamp disconnected, powerless and incapable of shedding light or producing active policy prescriptions. In Connecticut, during the last few decades, Republicans in the state have been unplugged. We may leave it to academics to tell us when this political mudslide began. Presently all the constitutional offices in Connecticut are occupied by Democrats; all the members of Connecticut’s US Congressional Delegation are Democrats; in the General Assembly, Democrats enjoy a nearly veto-proof majority, and Connecticut’s media appears to be suffering from a severe leftward-ho tropism. As is the case with the national media, Connecticut’s corporate media, less independent every day,

Blumenthal on Democracy and the Supreme Court

Blumenthal Ever since the elevation to the presidency of Donald Trump on November 8, 2016, the Democrat Party, national and state, has been trumpeting itself as the principal defender of democracy. For eight years, the Democrat Party has energetically pointed to Trump’s imagined disposition to bring the American Republic to an ignominious end in favor of a Stalinist authoritarianism. When the Supreme Court ruled, largely for administrative reasons, that partial immunity must be extended to presidents – all presidents, Republican and Democrat -- if a president is acting within his official capacity as president, U.S. Senator Dick Blumenthal of Connecticut erupted in a following July 2024 press release: “The Supreme Court has put lawbreaking presidents like Donald Trump above the law. This cravenly political decision to shield President Trump grants him a legal armor that no other citizen enjoys [emphasis mine]. The net effect is not only to delay Trump’s criminal trial, but bestow an

Did Chris Murphy Engage in Private Diplomacy?

Murphy after Zarif blowup -- Getty Images Connecticut U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, up for reelection this year, had “a secret meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the Munich Security Conference” in February 2020, according to a posting written by Mollie Hemingway , the Editor-in-Chief of The Federalist. Was Murphy commissioned by proper authorities to participate in the meeting, or was he freelancing? If the former, there is no problem. If the latter, Murphy was courting political disaster. “Such a meeting,” Hemingway wrote at the time, “would mean Murphy had done the type of secret coordination with foreign leaders to potentially undermine the U.S. government that he accused Trump officials of doing as they prepared for Trump’s administration. In February 2017, Murphy demanded investigations of National Security Advisor Mike Flynn because he had a phone call with his counterpart-to-be in Russia. “’Any effort to undermine our nation’s foreign policy – e

Defending the Indefensible, Hayes vs. Logan

Hayes and Logan -- Brian A. Pounds/ Hearst Connecticut Media The first rule in the political handbook is – never attempt to defend the indefensible. The attempt failed spectacularly during the Watergate imbroglio, the dreadful Dred Scott decision that found African American slaves were property rather than persons, and on many other occasions during America’s sometimes checkered history. On October 2 nd , the Hartford Courant carried on its front page an above the fold story – “ GOP commercial blasts U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes for her vote on fentanyl. Why she defends her stance ” that should serve as a textbook example of the rule cited above. The 30 second Republican commercial blasts Hayes as having voted against a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, the “HALT Fentanyl Act”, a priority of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that, according to the Courant, “classified fentanyl in the most dangerous category of drugs… The measure called for classifying fentanyl as a Sche