Connecticut Local Politics

Any of you wealthy GOPers just happen to have a spare $10,000 lying around after the 15th? Well, have I got a deal for you!

The Litchfield County Times is
reporting that the Commander-in-Chief himself, President George W. Bush, will be attending a April 25th fund raiser for State Senator David Cappiello at the Kent, CT home of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and his wife, Nancy. The goal is to inflate Cappiello’s war chest in his attempt to Cappiello unseat U.S. Congressman Chris Murphy for the 5th CD.

The cost of attending the main reception is $1,000 per person and the cost of having a photo taken with Mr. Bush is $10,000 per photo. Wow. It must be good to be the king er, President. While this will be good for Capiello’s coffers, the Litchfield Times raises questions whether it will be good for necessarily be good for his election campaign:

Many Republicans in Connecticut remain surprised and anguished that, in 2006, Mr. Murphy, then a Democratic state senator, was able to defeat an esteemed and longtime incumbent, Nancy L. Johnson of New Britain. Ironically, given the guest of honor at next week’s fund-raiser, Mrs. Johnson’s defeat was credited by some analysts to her perceived willingness to work with the Bush administration on the war in Iraq, Medicare and other issues.

It’s clear Chris Murphy’s campaign will lose no time making the connection. Here’s a quote from Eamon Welch, campaign coordinator: “Wow. President Bush flying in to help his friend Dave Cappiello is a clear and stunning signal that [Mr.] Cappiello’s real intention is to continue President Bush’s ways of running Washington, whose policies and politics have led us to where we are today-with a tarnished image around the world, on the verge of a recession and in the middle of a civil war in Iraq. If [Mr.] Cappiello is the Republican candidate, this will be the lasting image of the campaign-[Mr.] Cappiello and [Mr.] Bush side by side.”

Now if only I had a spare $10K floating around…*starts humming the theme from “The Man from La Mancha”*