New Haven Independent

Posted by: Sabrina | May 21, 2006 9:41 AM

What? No arm twisting by Malloy and his minions? Please, I have no idea how Malloy’s wranglers lasted the day carrying the weight of their reference copies of The Prince out on that convention floor. Surely they had been drinking kool-aid and reciting portions of the Machiavellian philosophy that essentially says in order to achieve success you must know when and how to do what no good person would ever do, while undoubtedly handing Malloy a Red Bull to chug as he led the attack on decent folks to change their votes.

Interesting sight to behold and for DeStefano supporters, like me, far more energizing than even Niccolo could have imagined.

Posted by: Lovebabz | May 21, 2006 5:20 PM

WOW, This convention was THRILLING! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!!! This is what I know for sure--Dan may have gotten the nod, but let me tell you something, John is from New Haven and like it or not, New Haveners know how to kick some ass. This will defintely get people excited. Dan maybe the rich boy from Stamford, but money can't buy you heart--it can't buy you the eye of the tiger. John wants this and he will get it. He will get it because he lives and breathes a better Connecticut--this ain't about another feather in his cap. This is about everyday working folks who see their futures going down the tubes. I hear the criticisms about New Haven being a one-horse town--hey that ain't the Dems fault. As people start looking toward the primary--they will figure out that wealth doesn't trickle down and that their future lies with a died-in-the wool Democrat and not with a Republicrat--or republican-lite. John may feel like he took it on the chin, but as a fighter, he will dust his self off and take the fight to the streets of CT. That's how we do it where I am from. I am from New Haven, where we ain't never ran from a fight nor met a fight we didn't like.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | May 21, 2006 10:43 PM

Two Carpetbaggers

Posted by: Convention Delegate | May 21, 2006 11:01 PM

There's playing hard and then there's Dan Malloy. I witnessed him first hand verbally attack a woman from Greenwich and forcefully intimidate her to change her DeStefano vote at the 11th hour. (And this is just one example from what i'm hearing). I can't get the scene out of mind. He got in the woman's face, screamed at her, gesticulated frantically and was basically foaming at the mouth, telling her that her DeStefano vote would mean Diane Farrell would lose her US Rep race. What?? His actions were deplorable; truly a disgusting display that makes me doubt the democratic process that was supposedly occuring that day, and most definitely showed me a ghastly side of the Stamford Mayor - this guy is awful. As he stood on a chair to continue his rant at her as awed onlookers began to cheer "Don't be a bully", in swoops Diane Farrell herself to finish the poor woman off. She changed her vote to Malloy. I'm so sick at what i witnessed. I saw the Greenwich delegate crying later. I can't wait for August when the real voters have the chance to vote for a candidate who has dignity and respect for himself and for every human being, no matter who they vote for. Go DeStefano.

Posted by: J Guillen | May 22, 2006 7:02 AM

So . . . isn't payback a bitch! DeStefano is now the poster boy for the Latino community's drive for greater politcal power. The fiasco with Jorge Perez came back to bite him in the ass. He calculated that his handliing of that situation would have no consequence for him because Latinos woul not make a difference. Well, they did! They voted against him in Town Committees and at the Convention and torpedoed his campaign in the process. All this despite his pathetic superficial attempts to fix the mess he created by appointing a Hispanic Deputy Chief of Staff, his "90 Amigos for DeStefano (whatever happened to them anyway -- the most invisible group around that raised no money for him?), and even playing salsa at his convention tent! Nice try -- way too late. Next time try some good old respect and stop trying to shit on everyone!

Posted by: baile27 | May 22, 2006 11:11 AM

I was amzed at the behavior that ensued during the "two hour vote process". At one point I saw the speaker of the house threaten to kick someones ass if they even thought about changing their vote. He looked like a rabid dog with foam at the edges of his mouth. I leaned over to one of my colleagues and warned her to be careful. "Damn, and they talk about the Hood"? New Haven is strong and will come out for John...It is what it is!!!

Posted by: kathy h | May 22, 2006 12:18 PM

What a wake-up call for Destafano and his staff. I've watched them exile from city politics anyone who disagrees even slightly with them. Destefano himself is vindictive in the extreme. Guess he couldn't intimidate the rest of the Democrats in the state. And his staffer, Rob Smuts, talking about the other side's dirty pool, priceless.

Posted by: Mike DePalma | May 22, 2006 2:27 PM

Kathy H,

Have you ever met Rob Smuts? He is probably one of the friendliest people I have ever met, and I have never heard someone that knows him say anything bad about him, especially on a personal level. For you to call him 'the epitome of slime' is both ignorant and ridiculous. And to say he intimidates is equally as crazy.

Posted by: HungChad | May 22, 2006 3:10 PM

I was there. There were attempts at arm-twisting on both sides. (I even witnessed a member of JD's union army physically assaulting a DM staffer.) The bottom line, though, is that votes weren't changed because of last minute pleas. Folks who preferred Malloy voted for DeStefano originally because of the combined influences of political pressure and DeStefano's claim that he had 900 delegates committed before the vote, making voting against him futile. When they realized that was a lie, they quickly went with their hearts

Posted by: GRANPA C | May 23, 2006 10:17 AM

Many of the comments regarding this weekend's convention make reference to the Malloy campaign "strong-arming" the delegates into voting for Dan and infer that John DeStefano had no invovlement in such practices. This is a falsehood. As a delegate from the third congressional district I was witness to the intense pressure the DeStefano camp placed on the delegates. Rosa DeLauro and John DeStefano could easily be overheard bullying people into voting for John. The results of their appalling conduct made some delegates physically ill and in fear of losing their jobs. No honest person could deny the force exerted upon the delegates from John DeStefano and his supporters.

Posted by: kathy h | May 23, 2006 1:17 PM

To Mike DePalma,

I have met Rob Smuts, and I have watched him and the mayor's staff engage in slimey poltical maneuvering, and I have spoken to him for up to an hour. And I found him untrustworthy, ingenuine, and callow. He is the mayor's tool. And the mayor, though I like most of his politics, is a vindictive man who brooks no opposition. Why do you think I didn't use my full name for these posts? To speak truth to power is good. To end up not being able to advocate for yourself and your neighbors because you are blacklisted from local politics seems too high a price to pay.

Posted by: Lovebabz | May 24, 2006 9:02 AM

I am not afraid of anybody or anything...never have been. You all give John and Dan way too much power. This all sounds personal. This is what I know for sure, politics ain't for the faint at heart, it ain't for those who long to play nice in the sandbox. This is real stuff. High stakes poker baby. And if you can't hang--get out of the way. Take your hits, make your alliances and keep it moving. No one can hurt you if don't let them. Truth to power...don't let anyone steal your joy, steal your rights or make you feel less than anything but a child of God. Keep your eyes on the prize and hold on.

Posted by: Bill J | June 1, 2006 3:17 PM

I too was at the convention.- and a delegate who was on the fence. For anyone to say that Malloy was using dirty tactics and that DeStefano did not are not only telling lies, but may also be blind and deaf as well. Lets at least try and act like were impartial here! I mean, talk about sour grapes! DeStefanos team was the bully of the convention. They acted like they owned the whole place and that anyone that was in opposition must somehow have been a fool.
Both candidates did all they could to garner as many votes as they could.
If there were faults for each, this is what they would be.
Malloy - Should not have announced victory early. It was not his to take at that point.
DeStefano - (and this was big) Entered thinking that he had this in the bag. When he lost, he took it like a baby.
I voted Malloy because I felt he deserved it. He was passionate and I felt he will be able to lead. And no, I am not from lower fairfield county.