CT Blue

Seems that I’m mentioned in a front page article in the Courant today.

The reporter, Daniela Altimari, sent me an email asking to talk to me about an “open letter” to Chris Dodd that I posted a few weeks ago. In that letter I bemoaned Dodd’s statement to the effect that Lieberman should suffer no consequences for his latest betrayal (at that point) of the Democratic party’s agenda.

I am always ambivalent about talking to reporters. It always seems that they are looking for the quote that fits their agenda. On the other hand, if you write a blog like this you sort of have a responsibility to defend your point of view, so I called her.

The result is here.

The part about me reads as follows:

Some express anger at Dodd for refusing to punish his colleague, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Viewed by many Democrats as Public Enemy No. 1, Lieberman has taken a hard-line stance on health care, pledging to quash any proposal that contains a government-sponsored insurance plan. Dodd and other Democrats dismissed the idea that Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, ought to face consequences for his stance.

In an open letter to Dodd, John Wirzbicki, a member of the Groton Democratic Town Committee and a Dodd supporter, expressed his disenchantment.

“Enacting a health care program that is not a sham will enhance your re-election prospects,” Wirzbicki wrote in the Oct. 28 letter, which was posted on his blog, CT Blue. “Coddling Joe Lieberman won’t, particularly if by doing so you torpedo health care. If we end up with another Republican Senator from Connecticut, your supporters like me will be disappointed.”

In an interview, Wirzbicki emphasized that he remains a Dodd fan. “But something happens to people when they spend a lot of time in Washington. They start to become part of a culture that’s disconnected. For him to come out and immediately close ranks, it sort of makes you think the guy isn’t really aware of the feelings of people he relies on the most.”

Despite it all, count Wirzbicki among the Dodd faithful. “Dodd’s not perfect, but the fact of the matter is, you couldn’t ask for a much better senator. … I’m not going to abandon him because he’s human.”

I can’t speak to the rest of the article, but I can’t say that Altimari misrepresented my statements, though I’m not sure anything I said lends that much support to her main thesis. I wouldn’t have used the word “anger” to describe my reactions to his statements about Lieberman, nor would I use the word “disenchantment”, but those are actually minor quibbles.

She really didn’t produce much evidence in support of her claim that there is a sense of panic among Democrats about Dodd. We all recognize that he has a fight on his hands, but it’s a winnable fight, made more difficult by the fact that he will undoubtedly be dealing with a Connecticut press that will be pushing the same meme as Ms. Altimari. Meanwhile, we can count on his opponents to go unexamined (and I’m not talking about Alpert) until it’s too late to make a difference. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the press will stick that “moderate” label on Simmons at every opportunity, despite his proven record of slavish obedience to his right wing masters, not to mention the teabag he claims to have wrapped around his pocket constitution.

Dodd can win. He is advocating some popular, progressive legislation right now. When the time comes, it would be helpful if he could maneuver his opponent into taking a stand on the issues he’s currently championing. Is Simmons for or against capping outrageous credit card rates? Inquiring minds want to know, and either way Simmons responds he loses. Still, when all is said and done, Dodd does need to energize his base, and he won’t do it by mollycoddling Lieberman, who, by the way, will stick a knife in Dodd’s back at the earliest opportunity.