Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Another surprise in a 5th CD debate, this time on taxes

  • Politics
  • by Mark Pazniokas
  • October 21, 2014
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"
From left, Elizabeth Esty, Mark Greenberg and moderate Jonathan Kellogg

CT MIRROR

From left, Elizabeth Esty, Mark Greenberg and moderater Jonathan Kellogg

Waterbury – Republican Mark Greenberg surprised U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, at their final debate Tuesday by declaring himself open to a higher Social Security tax, despite attacking her in a new TV commercial for taking the same position.

“Let’s have a debate about it. I’m willing to compromise,” said Greenberg, referring to a cap on wages subject to Social Security tax. Annual wages above $117,000 are now exempt.

“Now, I guess we have a new thing on the table,” Esty said. “I’m glad you’re willing to look at the income cap.”

It was the second time in as many debates that Greenberg surprised Esty. At their only previous debate, Greenberg said he supported universal background checks for gun purchasers, a statement that quickly prompted the NRA to downgrade his A rating to an F.

With two weeks left in their race, which seems to have slipped off the radar of the national political parties, the two candidates shook hands Tuesday without plans to debate again.

The 5th Congressional District race began with high hopes for Republicans. They saw the sinking fortunes of President Obama as a mid-term albatross to be hung around the neck of Esty, a freshman Democrat running in Connecticut’s most competitive district.

But as Greenberg saw Tuesday, Esty is a Democrat running as a pragmatist, someone who talks more about her favorite Republicans in Congress than she does about the present Democratic occupant of the White House.

The president’s standing in the district, which he carried two years ago, but by his narrowest margin, was made clear by Esty’s plans to skip Obama’s rally in Bridgeport and by Greenberg’s closing argument: A vote for Esty is a vote to support the president’s agenda over the final two years of his term.

“Frankly, if you like the Obama agenda, if you like what he’s been doing, if you like the disrespect this country has been placed in because of foreign policy, you’re going to vote for Mrs. Esty, you’re not going to vote for me,” Greenberg said. “I think that he’s taken us in the wrong place. We’re on the wrong path.”

Esty, whose campaign commercials have featured constituent services on behalf of veterans, ignored Greenberg’s invitation to debate the merits of the president’s record or the efficacy of his signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act. She said she deserves re-election because she is effective in a Washington known for gridlock.

She pointed to legislation on clean energy, veterans’ benefits and education that she says she helped pass by working with Republicans.

“So, I think I have demonstrated the sort of practical effectiveness and a tone and an approach that is critically important in this time, when frankly there is a lot of finger pointing and fighting, but not enough getting things done,” Esty said. “And I can tell you there are people who want to get things done. I’m one of them.”

Greenberg described Congress as broken, and the only solution is changing the foundations of the institution, starting with term limits. He named term limits as a top priority and worked the concept into answers to questions about how he would interact with leaders and make Congress more effective.

“Let’s get career politicians out of office and get the regular folks like you and me in office so that we can really represent the best interests of the district and the state and the country,” Greenberg said. “If we change the foundation, we’ll be able to get through the gridlock.”

Greenberg and Esty at their second and final debate.

CT MIRROR

Greenberg and Esty at their second and final debate.

Esty and Greenberg did clash on Social Security, even as Greenberg softened on the possibility of extending the life of the retirement program with higher taxes. Greenberg repeatedly accused Esty of falsely portraying his position in a television ad that combines quotes from different speeches to back a claim that Greenberg would “end Social Security’s guarantee.”

He arrived with a poster-sized reproduction of a Hartford Courant graphic that pronounced Esty’s ad as “false.”

Greenberg unfurled it and held it up three times during the one-hour debate.

“It’s a cut-and-paste butcher job,” he said of the ad.

Greenberg said he does support making changes to Social Security, such as raising the retirement age to 70 for workers who are now younger than 52. After talking to Nancy Johnson, the former GOP congresswoman, he said he would be open to a mix of higher taxes and a higher retirement age to stabilize Social Security.

“Let’s sit down and talk about it. The problem is these people don’t sit down and talk about anything,” he said.

A question about what each candidate would do to break the gridlock in Congress, where Republicans control the House and are favored to capture the Senate, did not spark a denunciation by Esty of the GOP majority.

“I would continue to do what I’ve been doing if I have the honor of being re-elected, because I would tell you there are more people of good will than we would know, because frankly it doesn’t make the headline and it doesn’t make the Sunday morning talk shows,” Esty said.

After the debate, Esty casually distanced herself from the president, saying she would be happy to campaign with Obama, but only in the unlikely event that Obama should happen through her district, instead of in Bridgeport.

“If he’s at the other end of the state, I’m really busy right now,” Esty said. “If he’s in the 5th District, absolutely. And if he’s not in the 5th District, at this point I am very focused on my district right now, for obvious reasons.”

What was a weakness in the Democratic primary during her first race for Congress – a complaint by liberals that she was too moderate as a one-term state legislator in Hartford, despite a vote to abolish the death penalty that contributed to her defeat after one term – has helped her campaign for re-election as a pragmatist.

Esty, 55, and Greenberg, 60, each talked about the sharp differences that separate them, but those distinctions were muted at a debate before the Waterbury Regional Chamber at the Mattatuck Museum.

Both candidates pledged to keep working for federal funding to expand I-84 to three lanes between Waterbury and Danbury, a multi-billion-dollar project that the state Department of Transportation removed from its priority list as financially and politically impractical.

Greenberg, who won GOP nomination this summer in this third try, is a social conservative endorsed by the Family Institute of Connecticut, which opposes abortion and gay marriage. Esty is a social liberal who has tried without much success to draw out Greenberg on reproductive rights.

The two did disagree on energy policy. Greenberg said he supports solar energy, but he also backs increased drilling for oil in the ocean on the continental shelf and the use of “clean coal.”

Esty said “clean coal was an oxymoron,” and burning oil for electricity in Connecticut would exacerbate the state’s already high incidence of childhood asthma.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has not conceded the 5th District, but its Democratic counterpart decided recently to focus its resources elsewhere on the basis of internal polling showing Esty with a double-digit lead.

Related Stories
  • Greenberg campaign hits Esty on taxes
  • On Sunday before election, Obama will be in Bridgeport
  • NRA drops Greenberg’s rating from an ‘A’ to an ‘F’

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Pazniokas is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror. He is a frequent contributor to WNPR, a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer, and contributor for The New York Times.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Rep. Patricia Billie Miller wins vacant Senate seat
by Mark Pazniokas

Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford, won a special election to the state Senate.

Final passage of ‘Crown Act’ comes on unanimous vote
by Mark Pazniokas

With a unanimous vote, Connecticut became the latest state to adopt legislation prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race.

Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as U.S. Secretary of Education
by Adria Watson

Cardona was the youngest principal in the state of Connecticut.

Nora Dannehy named top legal aide to Lamont
by Mark Pazniokas

The hiring of Nora Dannehy brings a high-profile legal talent into Lamont's office at the mid-point of his four-year term.

Equity issues dominate hearing on Lamont’s marijuana bill
by Kelan Lyons and Mark Pazniokas

The administration's testimony took up the hearing's first five hours. More than 130 people are signed up to speak.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion How do we show that we value teachers? By listening to them.
by Sana Shaikh

When I was graduating college, my friends’ futures were brimming with impressive labels: Google, Facebook, McKinsey, Bain, PhD, MD, Fulbrights – the list of professional excellence was seemingly never-ending. When I said that I was becoming a teacher, I got puzzled looks – “Why would you be a teacher?” “If you can’t do, teach,” I heard. The nonchalance about my professional trajectory was unsettling. What’s more? Nothing has changed in the last ten years.

Opinion Sports betting in Connecticut: Can’t all the brands just get along?
by Bill Field

When it comes to legalized sports betting in Connecticut, it’s time that all of the parties gathered in a room and hammered out an agreement that works for everyone. The adage of everyone benefiting from a rising tide hasn’t resonated in the past two and half years. 

Opinion COVID-19 will push nursing home design forward
by Myles R. Brown

Over 40 percent of American deaths attributed to COVID-19 have been nursing home residents. Outdated nursing home designs contributed to the scale of this tragedy in Connecticut. Many design changes that could have prevented the spread of COVID-19 were already needed to improve the well-being of nursing home residents. The pandemic has made these issues impossible to ignore.

Opinion Let gig economy workers pursue options
by Nicole Petruzzi

In response to your February 22 story, “In an evolving economy, lawmakers take roles once played by unions:” Like many Connecticut workers, I struggle to make ends meet for my family, even when working full time. This last year has been a particularly hard time. I started looking for a part-time job to supplement my income, but I was worried that even something part-time would take away precious and needed time with my family.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO