Jim Himes

Oh yes, for all those who think Connecticut politics is a world of preppie decorum, we have received word that World Wrestling Chairwoman Linda McMahon is thinking about jumping into the race against Chris Dodd.

McMahon recently was appointed by Governor Rell to the State Board of Education and was confirmed; evidently convincing the Democratic controlled legislature her expertise in running a major local corporation overcame some of the less, hmmm, restrained, elements of their presentations.

That said, Democrats are already posting on local blogs the WWE has both received major tax credit assistance from the state at the same time they've laid off employees. Yep, times are tough, but they'll throw as many chairs at her as her employees have thrown at each other.

Besides, while she apparently spoke at the 2000 GOP convention she is also reputed to be a significant contributor to Rahm Emanuel's committee, and that's a pretty big problem in my eyes,

I'm left asking one question: Why?  The race already has a popular former Congressman, an up and coming legislator, and a wealthy former ambassador. It's not like there's a huge void that we need to fill right about now?

Indeed, where we may need a candidate is against freshman Democrat Jim Himes. At this writing, he's going to face someone with far less financial firepower than McMahon. But I suppose they all want to start at the top....sigh...  

Freshman CT Democrat Jim Himes got elected in 2008 by promising not to be George W. Bush, who is who he suggested incumbent Republican Chris Shays was. Now he has to govern. This is displeasing his core supporters.

Jim Himes recently sent out an update-to-constituents email that has a lot of his supporters fuming. Jon Kantrowitz at My Left Nutmeg has a lengthy post up about it. Here’s the offending piece of the email: 

It is clear that the next several years will be the economic equivalent of threading a needle. While we address the massive unfunded liabilities associated with Social Security and Medicare (now well in excess of $50 trillion), we will need to identify the moment at which our nascent recovery is self-sustaining and put on the brakes. If we are to avoid inflation, interest rates will need to go up and government spending will need to go down. Both of those things will be enormously unpopular, but the Federal Reserve and the Congress will need to remember that inflation is far more damaging.

 

 

Progressive Democrats are looking at this as a betrayal, mainly because, as national blogger Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake points out, the numbers that Himes is using come from a conservative billionaire who is apparently creating worst-case scenarios in order to scare legislators into, among other things, cutting back on Social Security benefits. Himes is also promoting pay-as-you-go legislation, which many progressives feel can be misused to block the Obama legislative agenda.

In essence, they see Himes talking like a conservative Blue Dog Democrat. Jon Kantrowitz writes: 

 

I guess you are really worried about being re-elected. But this is not why I voted for you (and contributed generously to your campaign.)

CT Local Politics think Himes is tacking needlessy to the right.  But one thing former Goldman Sachs honcho Jim Himes might understand is numbers.

Himes won by 12,000 votes  in a year where Barack Obama turned out huge numbers of urban Democrats and where Shays' campaign manager was subsquently linked to missing money

I think we can reasonably expect the 2010 Republican campaign will be run better than Shays's 2008 race. And CT 4 tracks far more Republican in off-year elections than recent Presidential races.   A Democrat running for Governor hasn;t broken 40% in this district since 1986.  And don;t look for Chris Dodd to be much help in this high income district. (Fairfield County is running 56% negative on the job approval question).

So Himes looks to be facing a much more skeptical audience to get re-elected, especially if voters sour further on stimulus spending and the Obama agenda. So Himes does what makes sense on policy and crass political grounds--suggest he's ready to shut off the federal money spigot.

And the lefties freak.

I suspect many of these people are what Michael Barone calls "Trustafarians" . ; lefties whose money is old enough and sufficient enough to argue for redistributing it.  Of course, folks like Kantrowitz openly advocating this have had their felt hats handed to them by the local voters.  And they seem to think former Republican strongholds will fall in love with "Buzz Lightyear economics"

Swing District Democrats like Himes may find that the only sort of Democrats their districts will tolerate are Blue Dog-ish devotees of Rubinomics.  But the lefty activists have convinced themselves that socialism works in economics and in politics as well.  And they are not in the reasoning mood right about now.

Goldman Sachs cash-out boy Jim Himes narrowly ousted Chris Shays from the 4th District after the financial meltdown last fall. Now he's being blamed by those sorts of voters for pouring his own gasoline on  the fire. 

About 65 residents of area communities gathered at the Wilton public library Sunday for what turned out to be a heated town hall-style debate headed by freshman Congressman Jim Himes...

Himes called last week's outcry in Washington over the $200 million bonuses, "a week-long distraction," which sidetracked legislators from working to fix the broader economy. Still, residents, many of whom admittedly work for TARP recipient companies, wanted to know why Himes voted for the bill, which the Congressmen himself admitted was hastily introduced and emotionally approved."This legislation had all the hallmarks of something that wasn't thought through,'" said Himes, of the tax bill. He voted on it, he said, because he is confident that the bill passed last Thursday would not become law..

One Greenwich resident, who said he works for a TARP recipient, said the market downturn last week was evidence that the tax bill wasn't the way to go. "This country has done as well as it has for so long because of contract law being upheld," said the Greenwich resident, who didn't wish to be named. "If we move away from contract law, that will significantly weaken this economy."Himes, a former Goldman Sachs executive, tried to regain control over the forum as concerned residents shot back over the AIG bonuses. "What about our contracts as voters?" said one concerned resident. "I thought as an American citizen, I could rely on our system of checks and balances in everything our government passes."

As Francis Cionfrrocca points out, the proposed limit on TARP firm compensation is now proposed to be only $250,000, which is not a lot of money in high cost areas like suburban New York. 

Like we've been trying to tell the yuppies with "Bush Lied" stickers on their Infinitis, when the Democrats talk about rescinding "tax breaks for the rich", they mean you. Not the firm in Bermuda  Mrs. Dodd managed.

I also note 65 folks showed up to dress down Himes in Wilton, while only 40 showed up to hassle AIG executives, hmmm. Jim Himes. The next cycle's "3 M".  Screwing your own consituents isn;t a good political move, Jim. You'll have lots of time for reflection after the next election.