Greater Waterbury has a recent history of sending moderate Democrats and Republicans to the state Senate. Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th District, often exasperates her liberal Democratic colleagues by taking positions based on what she considers to be good public policy, rather than obediently following the herd into doctrinaire blunders. The 16th District has produced the likes of moderate Republican Steve Somma and moderate Democrat (at least, he used to call himself a moderate, and may still) Chris Murphy, now a U.S. senator. Former Sen. Sam S.F. Caligiuri was a more authentic conservative than Mr. Somma, but he certainly wasn’t the firebrand who now occupies the 16th District seat: Joe Markley of Southington.
Sen. Markley went national Thursday with a piece in National Review. Call it a hit piece on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy if you will, or call it an honest, deeply frustrated response to Gov. Malloy’s politics and practices, but it’s certainly energetic:
Instead of direction, Malloy offers misdirection, picking quarrels to distract us from his disastrous stewardship. Craving attention and adrenaline, he taunts Chris Christie and insults Bobby Jindal. The most recent target was Indiana, which he declared off limits for a couple of days. Malloy knew that by pouncing on Governor Mike Pence loudly and immediately, he could make news for himself that didn’t involve the state he actually governs. Attack dog Malloy strikes in all directions, at any target, to get attention on himself and off his lousy record and the dismal mess he’s made of the Constitution State.
Ouch.
This outburst led Capitol Report this morning (Thursday), under the clever headline “Joe vs. the Volcano.” Be sure to visit the National Review site and check out the comments on Sen. Markley’s commentary.
One of the commenters bashes Sen. Markley and refers to the governor as the “adult” who actually went to the trouble of presenting a budget, something Sen. Markley and the Republicans haven’t gone to the trouble to do.
In fact, Christine Stuart of CT News Junkie reports the state GOP is poised to do just that. So one must give them credit for that. However, Ms. Stuart’s piece is datelined April 20. The first howls about Gov. Malloy’s budget were quite bipartisan and quite early. House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, said in mid-February:
I think we’re going to have to do most of the work in terms of re-crafting a lot of the details of the budget that was presented to us. And the governor acknowledged in his speech today that he’s totally open to that. I think the budget will be much different in its final version than it is today.
I’m struck by the fact National Review published this piece. After all, Connecticut politics usually doesn’t get the national attention often devoted to California, New York and Iowa. Maybe there’s something to the notion that Gov. Malloy has national aspirations, either as a Cabinet officer, high-level bureaucrat or even elected official. As for Sen. Markley, he figures Gov. Malloy won’t be back for a third term:
Connecticut Democrats are likely to distance themselves from Malloy as quickly as they can, for they will face the voters next year, while he (I’d guess) never will again.
