Trump The Trump Thing is a campaign ploy that may be, as the 2022 election year unfolds, utilized by Democrats here in Connecticut as a distraction and a unifying trumpet blast. The ploy served the Democrat Party well during one of Connecticut’s off-year presidential elections when Trump was not on the ballot and Democrats, by deploying the ploy at every opportunity, managed to wrest legislative seats from largely unoffending Republican office holders who were not in sync with Trump’s deplorable manners or his bristly and egocentric nature. Hardly any Republican office holders in the state bothered to defend themselves at the time from charges, overt or implied, that they were in league with the besieged Trump because they had failed to denounce convincingly the titular head of their own National Republican Party. Most instate Republicans appreciated Trump’s Supreme Court choices, his successful efforts to stem the rising tide of illegal immigration at the Mexican border, his suc
As the New Year’s Eve midnight clock passed 12:00, Connecticut and the nation entered election year 2022. How does one know one has entered an election year? “With [Governor Ned] Lamont and the entire legislature up for reelection in November,” a Hartford paper tells us, “the race is on to see which taxes may be cut this year.” Voters tend to respond favorably to tax cuts. The title of the story emblazoned on the paper’s front page read, “ State legislators weighing tax cuts .” “Weighing” is the operative word. Then too, there are important differences between tax cuts and tax credits. A practical discussion implies legislative cordiality and bipartisan agreement. None of the discussions have yet been written in stone. House Republican leader Vincent Candelora warned that the Republican plan may not be embraced by “liberal Democrats.” However, the very presence of an upcoming election, he noted, “does change people’s behavior.” Candelora and the Republicans, at this early stage i