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This is a warning
……Ned Lamonthttps://nedlamont.com/will not have an easy time getting elected. His predecessor is a very unpopular Democrat.
……Unpopular governors: Kansas. Oklahoma. Connecticut. What they have in common. Financial disarray.
……In Kansas and Oklahoma, Sam Brownback and Mary Fallin followed the most right wing Republican playbook that could be imagined. They cut taxes. They cut more taxes. They cut spending. They especially cut education spending. Brownback escaped Kansas by grace of Trump who appointed him ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom. Fallin never did escape.
……Fixing financial chaos is not fun. The successors of each of these governors will not have it easy.…
The Connecticut story is not quite like Kansas and Oklahoma. The source of Connecticut’s financial crisis was different. ……Connecticut combined a fairly conventional Republican governor, Jodi Rell, with an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature. Connecticut combined a reluctance to raise taxes with an overwhelming desire for public services and increased education spending. Jodi Rell, in her last term of office, opted out of the conversation. She refused to sign the Democratic legislature’s budget. She also refused to veto it. She just let it pass into law.
……Democratic Governor Dan Malloy inherited that budget. He preached “Shared sacrifice.” A bunch of tax increases. Reduced services. But no layoffs. Not at the state level. No cuts in local aid.
……Malloy had a bunch of liberal successes — decriminalization of marijuana, transgender protections, unionization of child care workers, repeal of the death penalty, early childhood education, same day voter registration, universal background checks for gun purchases, an effective response to Hurricane Sandy.
……The tax increases are still there. Still no layoffs. The people of Connecticut were not convinced the sacrifice was shared. Leaving office, Daniel Malloy is nearly as unpopular as Sam Brownback or Mary Fallin.
……Finding a Democratic candidate was a challenge. Daniel Malloy’s experience was a warning. Fixing a financial crisis is not fun. It can be damaging to the reputation. Democratic candidates for Governor in Kansas and Oklahoma take the warning. If they win, they will not enjoy fruits from their victory.
……Winning an election when the incumbent is from your party and is extremely unpopular is challenge. When Connecticut Democrats voted in their primary, they had a choice between former Bridgeport Mayor and felon Joe Ganim and Ned Lamont. Ned Lamont won.
……Does the name Ned Lamont sound familiar? In 2006, he beat Joe Lieberman in the Democratic Primary for the Senate — opposing him because of his support for the Iraq War. Lieberman then ran as an independent and won the general election.……Mostly, Ned Lamont went away. He ran for Governor in 2010, but Dan Malloy beat him in the primary. Ned Lamont went away again. Now he’s back.
……Ned Lamont is the grandson of Thomas Lamont — former chairman of the JP Morgan Company. He is the grandnephew of former American Civil Liberties Union Director Corliss Lamont. Ned’s father worked for FDR on the Marshall Plan and for Nixon at Housing and Urban Development.
……A minor surprise, Ned Lamont went to Harvard. He went to Yale for an MBA. Then he dabbled. His was serious dabbling. He founded and edited a Vermont weekly newspaper. His reporters went on to the New York Times, to the Boston Globe to become known internationally.
……Ned Lamont‘s later work was lucrative. He founded a cable television company that sold cable television to colleges and universities. He sold the company for enough money to make him rich. If he weren’t already rich. Next, he made more money investing in digital startups.
……Ned Lamont promises to fix the problem of high property taxes, but slowly. He promises a $15 minimum wage and greater fairness in the economy. He promises to fix the DMV — using technology. He promises educational improvements — early care and education, vocational and tech education, affordable higher ed. While this is not exactly Hubert Humphrey joy in government, he uses a combination of noblesse oblige and past entrepreneurial success to promise a better life in Connecticut.
……Ned Lamont‘s opponent has great business credentials and a financial approach to government reminiscent of Kansas and Oklahoma. In red, on the front page of his website, he says he has: “a detailed, actionable plan to rebuild our economy endorsed by Dr. Arthur Laffer, advisor to Presidents Trump and Reagan.” There you go. The Laffer Curve. ……Republican candidate Bob Stefanowski promises to eliminate the income tax in Connecticut — for corporations in two years, for individuals in eight years. He eliminates the gift and estate taxes right away. Lower taxes, he promises, will bring jobs back to Connecticut. The Laffer Curve.
……Stefanowski is a corporate guy, a banker. He was Division CEO in Fairfield, CT for General Electric, Managing Partner for a private equity group in London, Chief Financial Officer for an investment bank in London.
……There are people in Connecticut who will follow Stefanowski’s lead. A lot of them. Connecticut is a Democratic state. The extremely unpopular outgoing Governor is a Democrat. A wealthy Republican businessman armed with promises makes this race a Toss up.
……Help Ned Lamont https://nedlamont.com/. As with all wealthy candidates, it is not just the money. Financial support from inside the state and outside generates energy. The Democrats are riding on energy in 2018. Help Ned Lamont be a part of this enthusiasm. Send him some support.
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