Questions, Spin, and Senators. Oh My!

I watched the Connecticut senatorial debate this evening. Generally, I cannot stand listening to politicians. They do their best to avoid every question asked and sling mud at their opponents. The senatorial election in Connecticut is especially harsh this year. Ned Lamont beat Joe Lieberman in a nasty Democratic primary. However, since CT independents and Republicans really like Lieberman in this state, Lieberman responded to his loss by running as an independent.

I never really knew much about any of the candidates before today even though Lieberman was such a national figure and Lamont was using his millions to litter the airwaves with ads.

The debate was mostly between Lieberman and Lamont. Like the rest of the CT media, the Republican candidate was basically ignored by the other two. Lieberman and Lamont attacked each other for the entire hour. There was even a period where Lamont backers in the group starting chanting/singing in an effort to drown out Lieberman when he was attacking Lamont for telling blatant lies in his commercials. Lamont didn’t try to shut up the protesters, but thankfully, the Republican candidate told the idiots to shut up and let Lieberman speak.

I never knew much about Alan Schlesinger, the Republican candidate this election. The Republicans didn't put forth a serious/financially-backed contender since the party unofficially supports Lieberman. Given how cynical I am about politics, is it any surprise that I am most impressed with the Republican candidate and disappointed with the other two?

Alan Schlesinger gave an outstanding a frank response about how to address the country’s health care problem. He was willing to attack Bush for his foreign policy views. In general, he seemed to speak his mind and provide logical reasoning behind his views instead of spinning questions into a stump speech. Schlesinger was everything I’d like to hear from a politician.

I don't consider myself a Democrat or a Republican. However, I have never voted Republican before in my life. I desperately look for a Republican candidate that I can vote for since I agree with a major part of their fiscal agenda. However, I disagree so strongly with the social views of the White House and their puppets in Congress that I am afraid to put my support behind any candidate until Bush is out of the White House.

Although the debate and subsequent internet research was enough to make Schlesinger my favorite candidate in the race, I don’t think I can vote for him. In today’s political environment, I believe that no matter what a candidate says they will do, we are electing individuals to support their party’s platform.

I think both the Republicans and the Democrats are spending too much time in crazy land these days. All the bad press going against the Republicans these days is a gold mine for the Democrats to take back Congress, but they are too disorganized and stupid to take advantage of the momentum and put forth an agenda that the general public will support.

Regardless of my political beliefs, I generally think that government is far more productive when the party in the White House does not control Congress. Therefore, I will sadly have to write off Alan Schlesinger, who is a distant third in the most recent poll for the CT senate seat up for grabs this year. I still need to decide which candidate I will vote for. Both Lamont and Lieberman disappointed me this evening.

Anyone have any thoughts on this race?