neurotwitch

now it’s definite: i support ned lamont for senator

Stanley and I went to Stamford this afternoon, to the home of Aldon and Kim Hynes (a fantastic, rambling log hunting lodge in North Stamford), where we got to meet Ned Lamont, who, as I mentioned earlier, is planning a run against Joe Lieberman. Aldon arranged the meeting for bloggers, and invited us along with several other bloggers.

I liked Lamont before, just based on what I read of his position on his website (http://www.nedlamont.com)—but now that I’ve had a chance to meet him and to hear what he has to say in person, I can honestly say I am very glad to be actively working to support a candidate for a change rather than just voting against someone.

Besides his support for universal health care and his opposition to the wombat war in Iraq and to pork, I agree with Lamont when he says, in essence, that serving in Congress should not be a career, and that the Founding Fathers had never intended it to be a career. The FF intended that citizens serve for a term or two, doing the best job that they could, bringing their experience and perspectives to bear, representing their constituents, and then go home. That it’s when politics becomes a career is when things start to go wrong and corruption can set in.

It was an interesting meeting. Aside from the Hynes, there were other bloggers, a campaigner from Massachusetts, and Tom Swan, who is on a leave of absence as the executive director of Connecticut Citizen Action Group to work on Lamont’s exploratory committee, and a blogger named Matt Stoller out of DC (http://matt_stoller.mydd.com) who interviewed Lamont (film at 11 ... er, he had the interview videotaped and said he will make it available via mydd.com and announce it on http://www.myleftnutmeg.com).

I would’ve like to have been able to ask Lamont some more questions, or Tom Swan some more questions, but felt steamrollered by Matt Stoll and his questioning and and his interview taping (for a blog I’d never heard of until today!) ... wish that could have been scheduled some other time as it immediately made me feel like an outsider in my own state, shoved aside by some beltway blogger. I’m not saying that was the intention—that was just my reaction, reasonable or not. It’s not a reflection on Lamont—he gracefully went along with it all. Note to Lamont’s event organizers: don’t invite actual voters to these meetups and have them shut up while some out-of-stater hogs all the meetup time—that ain’t grassroots organizing! UPDATE: Aldon wrote in a comment that the meeting was actually for beltway bloggers. I didn’t know this—I thought it was for local bloggers. So my complaint is not relative—other than to say next, PLEASE be clear about the purpose of the meetup (my feeble brain needs it!)

That said, I did like Lamont’s answers to the questions that were asked. Or else I wouldn’t be writing this. Lamont has a grasp of what our national priorities should be, I think.

As soon as I got home, I went to Ned Lamont’s contribute page on ActBlue (https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/9354) and made a donation. And I will work at his campaign office when it opens up here in Norwalk, and do whatever else I can do to get out the vote for Ned Lamont on August 8th (the CT primary). I’ll even change my voter registration from independent to Democrat—something I’ve NEVER felt compelled to do until today.

1. Lee, I’m very glad you came and were impressed with Ned.  Needless to say, I’m very impressed with Ned.

   I should have been clearer with the invitation.  The meeting was primarily to introduce Ned to some of the beltway bloggers.  However, I really wanted to use this as a chance to introduce him to some of the local bloggers, as well as introduce some of the beltway bloggers to some of the local bloggers.

   I am hoping that we will be able to schedule more bloggers meetings with Ned specifically focused on local bloggers.

   Again, thanks for coming, thanks for contributing, thanks for your blog post and thanks for your enthusiasm.

   Posted by Aldon Hynes  on  02/14  at  01:36 AM

2. I’m glad you went to meet Ned, and I’m glad that Aldon and Matt worked to get Lamont some exposure to the beltway gang.  And Aldon’s one of the good guys, too - so’s Kim.

   It’s funny: MyDD is one of my daily must-see sites, but that’s probably because I’m a political wonk in a political city.  And I’ve been a regular visitor to MyLeftNutmeg for the past while, as well.  I’m glad that Lamont is becoming familiar with the netroots, both local and national, and that the national guys are doing the same for with him.

   I know I’ll be doing some work for Lamont, much to the chagrin of many members of the DC Democratic State Committee who are still in awe of the Lieberman of decades past.  Whatever - Connecticut needs Ned Lamont.

   Posted by Rudi Riet  on  02/14  at  02:33 AM

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