Connecticut Democrat political leaders are despicable. They control both the Senate and House in our General Assembly, and they have not yet produced a budget. They are letting Gov. Dannel Malloy rule the roost as they bicker among themselves. The only item they agreed on was cutting the unions a sweetheart deal as reward for helping them get elected and stay in power.
Now, they want to blame the Republicans, the minority party in both chambers, if their proposed budget fails to pass. And if it fails, it will be the Republicans’ fault that Gov. Malloy is operating through executive action. It will be the GOP’s fault that aid to towns and schools are being cut. Cuts to social services are the Republicans’ fault. If people die, it will be the Republicans’ fault.
The chutzpah is unbelievable. Apparently, Connecticut Democrats define bipartisanship as: We will not debate your ideas; you must accept ours. And if you don’t do what we say, the people will suffer and it will be your fault.
Here’s what Democrat leaders are saying:
“ Voting against a two-year budget should be seen as an endorsement of Malloy’s executive order, which eliminates education funding for 85 communities.” – Democrat President Pro Tempore of the Senate Martin Looney.
“If you don’t want to work in a bipartisan way and you vote no, you are going to be just as responsible as everybody else for the cuts that go to your town. I truly believe that. It’s time to start voting yes and get to yes if you really want to be a representative of your town. If you can’t come in here and put a green button to something, you’re saying the executive order is better, I don’t believe that’s right for your town.” – Democrat House Majority Leader Matt Ritter
Their comments, in addition to shifting blame for their incompetence to the Republicans, are a message of guilt to their own caucus holdouts. Comrade, “if you really want to be a representative of your town,” you must pass our budget. Make no mistake, if the Democrats had the votes for their budget, we’d have a budget.
Think about it. Connecticut Republicans offered over half a dozen budget proposals that were Office of Fiscal Analysis scored. To me, that seems like a party offering solutions, trying to work in a bipartisan manner. They asked that their ideas be brought to the floor and receive a debate and vote.
You know what they got from the Democrat leadership? The back of the hand. The Democrats refused to even allow a debate on the ideas. The Democrats could have had a public bipartisan discussion, and they chose not to, and now claim the Republicans are refusing to work in bipartisan manner.
It’s absurd.
The real problem for the Democrat leadership is that they cannot get enough votes in their own caucus to pass their budget. Leadership wants another billion-dollar tax increase, and there are some Democrats who will not vote for such an idea. In the State House, the Dems have a slim four-vote majority, and currently there appear five or six members that will not vote for another massive tax increase. In the Senate, there is believed to be one or two holdouts. The arm twisting and bribes will be strong up to 14 September when the General Assembly is scheduled to be back in session.
In my opinion, Democrat leaders are peeing in their pants because they have to be the adult in the room and offer some really bad choices, and they want someone to blame. They’ve been cowering under their beds since they passed the SEBAC agreement. Democrat Speaker of the House “Union” Joe Aresimowicz doesn’t know what to do, obviously over his head, the Peter Principal playing out in our 2017 budget. Senator Looney has spent 24 years as a state senator, 11 of them as the Democrat’s Majority Leader, and because of his leadership, our state is a financial disaster.
Democrats act like bystanders to the financial disaster that is our state. They have controlled our General Assembly for well over 30 years, at times with super majorities. And like Sergeant Schultz, they know nothing. It’s always someone else’s fault.
Duffy Dauphinais of Killingly belongs to the Quiet Corner Tea Party.