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As one knowledgeable local politician put it to us recently, "If anyone can beat Shays, it will be Diane. But if Shays wins, he can stay in Congress until he decides to retire."
As one knowledgeable local politician put it to us recently, "If anyone can beat Shays, it will be Diane. But if Shays wins, he can stay in Congress until he decides to retire."
Farrell makes the big time at convention
By: , Editorial Board 08/05/2004
So there we were, watching CNN as Howard Dean addressed the crowd on the second night of the Democratic National Convention last week, when who should pop up on our TV screen but Westport's first selectwoman and would-be Fourth District congresswoman, Diane Farrell.
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Dean was his usual intense self, delivering a powerful, extremely well-received speech to the delegates gathered in Boston, giving them some "red meat" attacks against the Bush administration.
But the Dean speech might have been lost on Westporters who, despite their sophisticated reputation, were still suitably impressed that one of their own had made the big time on the national stage.
"Who's that guy giving a speech to Diane?" such a star-struck local resident might have asked.
It's unlikely the people wielding the TV cameras knew that just a few weeks earlier, Dean had visited Bridgeport at a fund-raiser in support of Farrell's campaign against eight-term Republican Congressman Christopher Shays.
More likely, the cameras were just panning the crowd, on the lookout for attractive, camera-ready convention-goers, and Diane fit the bill nicely.
Still, Farrell's three or four seconds of national TV fame jibed well with the developing stature her campaign has gained with national Democrats.
Dean was one of several Democrats with national reputations who have dropped into the Fourth District in support of Farrell recently, and Farrell has also garnered the financial backing of Emily's List, a Washington, D.C.-based interest group that supports mainly liberal women candidates for public office.
She is clearly the strongest challenger Shays has had in many years, and she has a united Democratic Party behind her, in the district, statewide, and nationally.
As we've suggested before, Shays will be no pushover. Farrell, to be sure, has raised more money for her campaign than many of Shays' previous opponents. But Shays raised $456,513 to Farrell's $350,388 during the most recent reporting period, demonstrating in rather stark terms that the Republican incumbent is far more popular in the Fourth District as a whole than he seems to be in Westport.
This is a local campaign whose outcome is likely to hinge on national issues, and on how Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry fares in the Fourth District.
A Democratic landslide in the state would obviously benefit Farrell, and all polls show that the Kerry-Edwards ticket will win Connecticut handily. But whether Kerry, who appears to have gained little or no "bounce" in the polls from the convention, can achieve such a landslide is uncertain. And the terror warnings that continue to plague the nation and its major cities may affect the election in unpredictable ways.
As one knowledgeable local politician put it to us recently, "If anyone can beat Shays, it will be Diane. But if Shays wins, he can stay in Congress until he decides to retire."
It's perhaps the most interesting campaign in our area, and Chris Shays may well be hoping that he gets a little face-time on TV when the Republicans meet in New York later this month.
This Month's Issue: August 2004 Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and who can come up with the funniest caption for our Current Events Funny? Exclusive: Director Vasquez speaks out in an op-ed published exclusively on the web by Peace Corps Online saying the Dayton Daily News' portrayal of Peace Corps "doesn't jibe with facts." In other news, the NPCA makes the case for improving governance and explains the challenges facing the organization, RPCV Bob Shaconis says Peace Corps has been a "sacred cow", RPCV Shaun McNally picks up support for his Aug 10 primary and has a plan to win in Connecticut, and the movie "Open Water" based on the negligent deaths of two RPCVs in Australia opens August 6. Op-ed's by RPCVs: Cops of the World is not a good goal and Peace Corps must emphasize community development. |