Harp Flyer Links Elicker With Trump

This is a real shame. It carries the strong mark of Jason Bartlett's malicious approach to politics, a style that has been a terrible fit for New Haven since he arrived.

I don't get the sense that Toni Harp is a mean person, but she approved this, so she's responsible for it. Her judgment in selecting Bartlett and Carol Birks for important leadership roles has been disastrous; the legacy of these mistakes will outlive the good she has done.

Anyone who continues to support Harp after this should take a moment to ask themselves if this is really how they want politics to work in New Haven.

Tim,

Jason Bartlett is the Stephen Miller of the Harp Administration!

Is it equally irresponsible of Justin to not include a plan to how we is going to accomplish this?

New Haven deserves much, much better from its mayor than this kind of hate-filled nonsense. What happened to her leadership and moral character? She seem to repeatedly put her trust in people who make bad decisions and lead our city astray. I voted for her in the past but urge anyone who supported her in the past to think hard before they cast another vote for her. Elicker may not have grown up in New Haven but he has certainly committed his adult life and the life of his family to our great city and seeks to govern with a leadership style that is an honest, transparent, and accessible.

This is disgraceful and so unfortunate that the Mayor stoops to this. It is no surprise when we see the terrible behavior exhibited in the BOE the last couple of years, the vendetta against Nicole Jefferson and so on. Wake up New Haven!!!

I don't necessarily agree with the delivery, but the message holds water.
Elicker has no experience and he's promising stuff that won't happen.
New Haven will revert back to the days of white folks keeping minorities in their place if JE gets in... Say what you want about TH, but she gets minorities at the table.

This is tame. Other facts tie Elicker to Trump too

I was not Harp's biggest fan before, but I was willing to give her some benefit of the doubt because this is not an easy city to lead. 100% respect lost. I will do anything in my power to help get Elicker in.

While I don't have a dog in this race, I am a citizen of this city and have opinions about what is occurring here. The commentariat so far is claiming that the Harp ad displayed here is "hateful." I disagree. The ad is comparing two politicians who have made promises without any public plan to fulfill said them. The position taken by the ad is fair, and par for the course in a political campaign.

Harp has compared Elicker to Trump in a very particular way. The article on the reverse side of the ad makes that crystal clear. Had her campaign made a general comparison of Elicker to the President, the calls of that her campaign is being hateful or "petty" might be accurate. She did not do that.

Elicker's campaign's responsible response to Harp's criticism of his seeming daring plan is to provide some reasonable understanding of how he plans to be able to carry it out.

It is understandable that Elicker might not want to reveal all of the resources at his disposal, least they are co-opted by others in this crucial race. But, it is necessary at this point that his campaign provides some context that makes his promise believable.

The Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

Harp's choice for Superintendent is a Betsy DeVos.

Does she really want to play this game?

STRL,

The only 'real' comparison here is one of hair color!
This comb-over is nothing but a 'hair-don't'

Under the present system.Neither party gives a damn about Black people's right to self-determination.Therefore, the American electoral duopoly is composed of two white supremacist parties: the Republicans, for whom white supremacy is an organizing principle, and the Democrats, the party that claims the allegiance of virtually all Black voters, but whose mission is to politically pacify and neutralize Blacks, in service of the ruling class.Democrats rig the game, too, when they get the chance, although it's an uphill race. Both parties, however, are intent to preserve the duopoly system that splits the U.S. polity between them, for the benefit of their corporate masters. And neither party gives a damn about Black people's right to self-determination—which includes the ability to elect representatives and executives of their choice, unless that choice is a Democrat or Republican.

So who are we to Vote for

Elicker's platform says "Yale should contribute $50 million annually to the city." It does not say "I will make them." His other recorded quote is "Yale needs to work with us to reach that $50 million," and he gives ideas of how that might be done: inspection fees, Yale buying local, Yale's help lobbying the state.

The misquote is inappropriate, and Elicker is neither incompetent nor overconfident. Rather, he seems canny, forthright, and -- most important of all -- honest.

I think this campaign literature is designed to elicit the response seen in LivinginNewHaven's comment: "Elicker has no experience and he's promising stuff that won't happen. New Haven will revert back to the days of white folks keeping minorities in their place if JE gets in… Say what you want about TH, but she gets minorities at the table." This is a racist statement. There is a race divide in New Haven. The scary and disappointing result of this campaign Literature is that it works to increase this divide. New Haven has some significant problems. To solve them, we need a united not divided city. It is okay for one campaign to have a difficult-to-achieve vision. It is okay for the other campaign to point out that that vision will be hard to achieve. It is not productive to equate a Democratic candidate's position with that of a racist, destructive Republican President. There is no place for that in Democratic politics.

Mud slinging at any level, especially in politics in a democratically dominant city like New Haven, is a deepening symptom on the divides in American mentalities.

I think that, some politicians are in the know about Earth having an expiration date, with our environment only having less than 12 years before we reach the point of no return. Which may be why they are simply trying to outlive or survive the imminent collapse of our climate.

No other candidate has offered a green deal, nor has the political will to carry it out. I think either Justin or I can make this happen, but we have to go all in.

Next week I will reveal a plan I worked on for 9 months that includes affordable housing & green technologies. Stay tuned.

My best to Justin.
Urn Pendragon, mayoral candidate

One of the first skills I learned in school was how to compare and contrast. I learned how to identify similarities and differences between two people, places or things. I would hope that the readership of this wonderful online newspaper learned this skill as well. Let me start with a few qualities that I know apply to young Elicker. He speaks fluent Spanish. He is happily married with a nice wife and two lovely children. He has never been arrested or filed for bankruptcy. He is not a name-caller. He has never bragged about grabbing women's private parts. He clearly knows the difference between the good and bad people involved in the Charlottesville tragedy. He has publicly stated intentions to send his daughter to Columbus School. He speaks fluent English. He turned around a failing organization. He listens well. He is not afraid to go into all parts of the city alone. He is respectful of others. Donald Trump fails on every measure when compared and contrasted with Elicker. Newsflash: Donald is not running for Mayor of New Haven! I might add that I later learned about ad hominem attacks and distractions. I believe that the readership of the NHI knows these rhetorical tricks as well. As Joe Friday said: "Just the facts mam."
Our country is descending into a vulgar, narcissistic society because of the erosion of our cherished ideals. We have never been what we profess to be, but we have tried. It does not appear that we are trying as hard as in times past. It might get worse before it gets better. Hopefully, good people on all sides will insist on decency.

Elicker is not, overall, a Trump-like figure. But Elicker is not going to get an extra $40 million from Yale and suggesting that he will do so is actually kind of like "Mexico will pay for it." Or Joe Biden's "the Republicans will surely agree to reasonable compromises when I am President."

If the average Yale undergrad financial aid package is $50k and about half of the students are on financial aid (about 3,000 undergrads) then the Yale College financial aid budget is about $150 million. Yale is not going to throw 800 students off of financial aid to earn a smile from the mayor of New Haven. Yes, Yale could do other things to cut $40 million out of their budget to give to Justin. They could add up some combination of closing the Art School, busting the union locals, killing New Haven Promise, and so forth.

Not going to happen and irresponsible to pretend otherwise.

Hey Esbey, Yale wouldn't have to cut a thing. They ran a $90 million surplus last year and over $100 million the year before.

This flyer is so over the top. I am surprised by some people I respect on this blog who are supporting this hate mongering comparison. I agree with some writers that Toni Harp (in the past, at least) would never put her signature on something so ugly. Who wrote this?

Harp could just as well have used a picture of Lamont saying he was only going to toll trucks, or Malloy saying the state budget was in surplus, or that he wasn't going to raise taxes, or Obama saying, "If you like your health insurance, you can keep it," or GHW Bush saying, "Read my lips, no new taxes." Or any series of politicians up to Trump saying they would move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Politicians lie all the time, including Harp, in order to get elected. Harp used Trump's picture because it draws a more visceral negative reaction than Willie Horton did for Bush voters.
BTW, Harp tried waging war on Yale when she first came into office, with her attempt to tax the laboratories and the endowment.

JB is a well known sleazy customer. Toni must have known beforehand about this pathetic attack on her most popular competitor. Every word out of her mouth can easily be contradicted. Jason B. practically hit me with a water bottle last night because I outdid Justin and said I would demand 250 MILLION next year just for starters. My Yale demand makes Justin's look like a mercy killing but either amount is chump change for the multi BILLION empire called Yale.

Shame on TH and JB and the Harpettes. After her 11% suckerpunch, many citizens I have spoken to are surprised she has the nerve to run again.

Jill: Yale's surplus sits in restricted accounts not the general budget. (E.g. funding that is generated by an endowment whose use is legally restricted.) Yale faces huge budget pressures from all of its constituencies. The students protest in the streets for work-study requirements to be eliminated, the Faculty Senate demands to be paid like their Harvard peers or they will revolt, the unions demand ever more generous pensions and healthcare or they will strike, the med students demand a lower loan burden and the bio-medical researchers say they might just cure cancer if they got better research support.

"Yes protesting students, we could increase your financial aid but instead we just accumulate money, 'cause why not, and since it is just sitting there in a giant unused pile of fluttering bills, we will give it to the nice Mr. Elicker instead."

Esbey, you are confusing the annual operating budget surplus with the endowment. It's the endowment that generates over 8 million a day. Even without touching that, Yale has an ample operating surplus.

.....but where's the lie?

New Haven Li(v)es,

How about asking JB about the long-awaited 'Escape Center'...?

I dare you all to come to the next debate.

I'm going to just put this out there; has anyone ever looked at Yale's financial reports for the last 10 years?

If not, then go to the Yale library & look up their public financial reports. I made a statement similar to Wendy, on that their endowment pockets billions in profits.

I pushed the envelope further to 250 - 500 million per year. Because I know what's going on with Yale. I can leverage negotiations because UCLA & Princeton are currently embroiled in lawsuits over the same thing happening with Yale.

It would all go into affordable housing & green energies.

Urn Pendragon, mayoral candidate

HARP CAMPAIGN FLYER COMPARES ELICKER TO TRUMP.
We are in the early stages of a Democratic party primary campaign. One would hope that all of the candidates would stick to the issues, and not make personal attacks, but it appears that the Harp campaign has already entered the downward slope toward the cesspool.
Here we have a slimy, pathetic, rather juvenile, silly yet dangerous attempt to slander Democratic candidate Justin Elicker by a attempting to link him to Donald Trump!
"WHY HIGH-CLASS PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH INCOMPETANCE."
"OVER CONFIDENCE & INCOMPETENCE.''
"PAID FOR BY HARP 2019...APPROVED BY TONI HARP."
Was the creator of this flyer attempting to appeal to Black voters by implying that Elicker is a racist elitist? Are the photographs of Elicker and Trump side by side intended to send a subversively subliminal message that Elicker and Trump are the same type of persons, with the same type of character and ideals: wealthy, elite, over-confident, incompetent white men who have no interests, care or concern for minorities?
If the Harp campaign has stooped so low so soon, this appears to be an act of political desperation.
This campaign flyer demonstrates to the public that Mayor Harp is not over-confident in her chances of winning re-election.
This race is not about race. It is about a better future for New Haven!
There is no need to inject a racially divide by stoking fears that a vote for Elicker is a vote for Trump!
People may not agree with aspects of Elicker's platform, but he is not an overconfident, incompetent elitist, but a reasoned, dedicated and experienced candidate for mayor.
If Toni Harp disagrees with Elicker concerning seeking additional funds from Yale, she should simply state her alternative plan without embracing TRUMPISH campaign tactics
Message to Toni Harp and her campaign chairmen, Ed Corey and Jason Bartlett: Let's keep this campaign clean, personal attack free, and sophisticated.

Conclusion.
The Harp campaign should be admonished that whenever they throw a divisive boomerang, it will return to hit them in the head, just like this flyer did.
Most New Haven residents will not tolerate this kind of Trumpish political nonsense!
Ed Corey over-confidently commented that the flyer said what the Harp campaign hoped to communicate to the public, and that he would not change a thing.
Should we expect more of the same? If so the greatest damage will be done not to Justin Elicker but to Toni Harp!

I do not remember the Harp campaign becoming nearly so obviously desperate against Justin the last time around, even late in the campaign, much less this early. Something tells me she is worried.

Something tells me Justin may have a real chance at victory this time.

Something prompts me to want to get out to ring doorbells for him come July and August.

Incompetence. Such an interesting word. Are we supposed to conclude that, in contrast, it is Toni Harp's "competence" that has produced a city budget crisis, City Hall personnel mismanagement, an 11% tax increase, and chaos on the school board?

The reality is Harp can not win based on the ISSUES, so she is turning to INSULTS. Yesterday's forum bears this out. I'm not sure which candidate won, but it was clear to me that Harp lost. At one point she actually said she wasn't sure where people were getting the notion of an 11% tax increase! Shocking but true!

The flyer and the insults are designed to detract from the issues - and to some extent it might be working. The comments thread on the Mayoral Forum article has but 8 comments. This story has 31.


Dennis Serfilippi
https://www.ournewhaven.org/

During the last Mayoral Election Cycle, Harp didn't start the 'political muckraking' until a few days before the primary.

As far as I know, that 'action' is still under investigation by the State Election Board, and no 'decision' has been 'rendered'.

So much for 'due process'....

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/seec_takes_up_pacas_complaint_too/

DS-
31 comments? Please. It's the same Elickerlites feigning "disgust" and shock repeatedly.

To the point of the flyer, I pray one day to have half the confidence of a mediocre white man!

Want to see what positive creativity does as a vision for the city:

https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/pendragon-lets-go-green-with-the-arts

Let's not waste our time with smear campaigns & slinging insults. Vote based on your gut feeling.

Urn Pendragon

The misrepresentation by the Harp campaign of Heather Murphy's article from the New York Times is disturbing.

I might add to my earlier comment that Justin Elicker has never authorized a witch Hunt, boycotted a school board meeting, had a credit card scandal, stonewalled settling a police contract, took an expensive trip to China, approved a grant writing contract without aldermanic approval, or supported three principals at Hillhouse High Schooll Again, Donald Trump is not running for Mayor of our city. The public will decide if any of the candidates have behaved in Trumpian ways. The evidence is there for the analysis.

The Mayor must be pretty nervous if she's putting stuff like this out. She's realizing that her cash cow might not be hers for much longer.

Elicker's campaign is making lemonade out of Toni's lemons. His team emailed a copy of the above cartoon urging folks to donate and fight "against divisiveness and negativity." I just made a donation hoping Justin brings in many donations and Team Harp's negative attack backfires.

The Irony of Incompetence Notes:

If this were a TV show, the next episode would reveal the Harp campaign staff in a dark bar celebrating this as part of their secret plan to lose the race for their candidate and ease her into much-needed retirement.

Attack Dog Whistle Notes:

The real irony here is that hilariously bad photoshopping. It doesn't exactly smack of... what's the word... "competence." I have the same reaction here as I did to the Election Day Registration powerpoint that a consultancy hired by the administration was presumably paid a lot of money to produce: "Was this made by a child?"

Whoa! The Harp campaign throws a high, hard one at Elicker's head! It just misses and he goes down in the batter's box! Now he's back up, dusting himself off, and WHAT? He's crowding the plate even more! He takes off his helmet, flings it away, and screams "I dare you" at the pitcher's mound.

Stay tuned.

I find it interesting that so many comments here seem to see this flyer as symptomatic of the moral crisis gripping our national politics. To me, more than anything, this slaps of desperation on the part of Mayor Harp and her team! I'm not sure we should be as worked up over this flyer as, say, what the Independent has reported regarding Superintendent Birks and her crony capitalism.

Comparing Republicans to Trump is okay. But thou shalt never compare another democrat to Trump. Really?

Mayor Harp is not competent when dealing with financial matters.

Mayor Harp is not competent when dealing with labor relations.

Mayor Harp is not competent when dealing with Board of Education matters.

Mayor Harp has no vision or plan which fix the problems in New Haven.

The city of New Haven has a spending problem perpetuated by Mayor Harp.

Case closed, Harp has to go.

@ observer1 and @ noteworthy,

Thanks for articulating my thoughts you saved a me a lot of typing. Hard to imagine the depths to which one would to have to sink to elicit the following statement but this flyer is about the lowest form of election marketing garbage I have seen in a while. Harp must really be desperate to be pulling out these kinds of slick tricks this early in the process. It's frankly embarrassing for New Haven. And that's also saying a lot because we have plenty to be embarrassed about when it comes to municipal shenanigans.

Maybe it's not being mentioned at ribbon-cuttings and $1,000/plate fundraisers. But, conduct an informal poll the next time you walk down the street: "Do you think Yale can afford to give New Haven more money?"

99% of respondents state emphatically, "YES!" And, "please do something about this."

I haven't yet backed a candidate as I am trying to become fully informed, but this does not sit well with me.

I am struck by the irony that the author of these ads/this strategy to link Justin Elicker with DJT is our city's Youth Services Department Director. As a parent of three New Haven teens, I would in no way want such a person to have any direct mentorship of or role modeling for my children-- teaching them to fight negatively and dirty, go for the cheap shot, say anything to 'win.' I see on the Youth Services webpage that the citywide intended outcomes for youth includes "Strong Character." The Director himself, the person behind these attack ads, does not seem to be role modeling positive values that we should want our youth of New Haven to emulate.

When I went to vote in 2016 my vote was "Anyone But Trump". After seeing this (and my property tax bill for this year), I'll be heading to the polls and voting Anyone But Harp. This flyer was crass, hateful and coarse, and pretty much exactly what Trump does. I'm surprised that they didn't refer to him as "incompetent Elicker" or some other stupid moniker. Although, if they did, the implied racism would be too apparent for Harp to deny.

She has to go.

Urn Pendragon...Yale with a network of Secret Societies right on Campus Yale is not going to air their financial information to the public, and it's naive to think they would. Yale (and corporations) lie all the time.

They information disclosed to the public is carefully crafted to let you THINK Yale is not as wealthy as they appear to be.

The real money is in the hands of the imperialist Yale Corporation and what they have is a secret.

I assume that Yale does not pay taxes on the stocks they buy/sell or from the derivatives and hedge fund operations.

That's the capitalist system and that's why the 1% has all the money and the working class (who produced the wealth) gets almost nothing except the power they have when they come together to demand the power that is rightfully theirs.

The people united, can never be defeated.

Can we just unite under one New Haven? There's so much potential in this city but not a lot of hometown pride. Underresourced schools, Beautiful parks and beaches dotted with trash and graffiti, and too many neighborhoods in disrepair.

The Harp campaign can say that there was no racial intent in this advertisement but they're too smart to not have seen that. The political game is not about accuracy but building a perception. They only need the majority to not know any better and stoking that Trump fire and promoting racial divide is the lowest hanging fruit right now....that's not at all what New Haven needs.

Yale is also not the problem or the solution. Let's not forget the number of residents they employ, the traffic they bring into our local businesses, opportunities they offer through NH Promise and other services, down to the fact that they manage to keep storefronts occupied (whether you like the retailers they attract or not, Main Street across the state and country is dying but we seem to have a decent occupancy).

We really just need to rally up as a city and fix this together, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood.

At the risk of being considered a Harp apologist, as has been alluded on this site and to me directly, as well, I engage this conversation, again. I do so without the intent to endorse either candidate, but to speak to the issue at hand. I hope that that's clear to all.

For Elicker apologist making sweeping statements concerning racism and comparisons to Trump, I say flatly again, you're wrong. I have met with Justin, as I do with any candidate willing to do so. I think he's a good guy with good intentions. I bear no animus towards him. But, his defenders here have gone overboard in their defense of him. Harp's ad is specific. There is no comprehensive comparison of Elicker to Trump.

The article on the back of the ad is something to which practically every African-American can relate. Those of us who have gone to school with, lived with, and just been in conferences with have experienced the average white man (and it's usually a man) given far more credit for ideas or visions than they deserve, while their African-American colleagues are asked to prove ourselves at every turn.

For those who you are are offended by the ad, perhaps you have been beneficiaries of the type of largesse mentioned there, and are loathed to admit it, or you have not taken notice of the different reality under which African-Americans have lived.

Harp's ad is not "racist" by a little bit. But, it is not uncommon for white people to call us racist when we are only pointing out the racism under which we live.

The Rev. Mr. Samuel T. Ross-Lee
The Immnanuel Baptist Church
New Haven, CT

Disgusting politics from Mayor Harp.

Toni was my supervisor, many moons ago, when I worked for homeless health at Hill Health. She was a fair and considerate supervisor and I left her department with much respect for her and hill health homeless health.

Not sure what happened along the way, if she's allowing this type of foul material represent her campaign in public. Not the Toni I knew back in the day...

@The Rev. Mr. Samuel T. Ross-Lee,

I have a few questions regarding your local community I would like too ask in person. Of course only if you are willing.

Take care & be well,
Urn Pendragon

@ Samuel T. Ross-Lee,

Your comments are thoughtful as always and not inaccurate. I always enjoy reading what you have to say. And I don't disagree with your assertion that the actual written words on Harp's flyer resonate truth for many people. This is a valid point and conversation worth starting and having. Like you said she (or her campaign people) made a very specific comparison without overt racism. But I think this analysis may also miss the point of why people are outraged by it.

What is so upsetting to me about the flyer is that IMO it deliberately panders to and instigates racial divisiveness. The irony of comparing Justin Elicker to Donald Trump using the exact tactics of Donald Trump is very disappointing. Justin Elicker is an accomplished, good and competent person regardless of what anyone thinks of his politics or supports him. Donald Trump is a shining, towering example of everything that is wrong with America and a racist, sexist, incompetent, greedy, self promoting, divisive hate monger. Regardless of any truth or wordsmith savvy contained in the specific comparison made in the Harp flyer I don't think it's reasonable to assume that all the other negative baggage of this larger implied comparison just magically disappears. It speaks to the tone deafness that IMO surrounds Mayor Harp. At best I should say I would hope that this flyer is the byproduct of tone deafness because if it isn't then it's just straight and deliberate gutter politics again ironically reminiscent of the whole Trump/Bannon dog whistle campaign strategy. Either possibility should be very concerning IMO. This flyer can't possibly have been concocted without knowing that it would produce the exact result we are seeing play out here in the NHI comments section. And if it was than whoever wrote it is clueless. To me it's more likely an intentional low blow and something I would hope to see less of in this or any election. But somehow I doubt this kind of tactic will ever go away.

I do not agree with Rev. Ross-Lee!
Mayor Harp and her campaign team knew exactly what they were doing when they created this pathetic attack ad. They linked Elicker with Trump with words, imagery and innuendo. This is a blatant race-based, class-based personal attack which attempts to alienate people of color from supporting a candidate subliminally portrayed as wealthy, privileged, elitist, incompetent and racist just like Donald Trump.
Their message is in their graphics more than the words of the New York Times op-ed, which is about class and never once mentions race. This is slick political propaganda designed to assassinate Elicker's character by associating his IMAGE with Trump.
Rev. Ross-Lee can read the lines of the op-ed text, but he needs to read between the lines and consider the graphic imagery of the ad. Pictures carry the weight of thousands of words and are very impressionable.
This is Toni Harp's "Willie Horton" ad!
The Harp campaign had no deep thoughts here. This ad was not created to generate some general intellectual discussion about white privilege or over-confidence of some of the rich and powerful in this country.
Their intent is not to be so deep.
This is a desperate cheap shot which essentially says: 'Donald Trump is white, high class, over-confident and incompetent, and so is Justin Elicker. Don't trust him to look out for your interests.'
Harp's ad is a lot of racist and classist bait! The thinking public will not bite it. In fact they have rejected and condemned it for what it is. It has backfired on the Harp campaign because it speaks to the character of the candidate!
Rev. Ross-Lee should not assume that most critics of the Harp ad are white. As a person of color, this writer is outraged and offended by it, and is not persuaded by Ross-Lee's arguments in its defense.
This mayoral campaign must not degenerate into a racial campaign to divide this city. We need the right person with the right vision regardless of their race.

To the citizens of New Haven,

This political discourse to smear the name of another candidate is in nether good taste nor reflects the identity of our good city. Toni Harp is obviously trying to use a smoke and mirrors campaign to distract from the reality of what is happening; her campaign is desperate because she has serious competition for her throne. Justin Elicker, an honorable man and a friend whom I have known for over a year, has been politically attacked for having a position of holding Yale accountable, but may be lacking the "eye of the tiger" hunger needed to win. Maybe that is why Harp has latched onto the comparison of "white privilege" and incompetence.

This is just an analysis as a policy candidate based on my ability to read between the lines and from direct knowledge of the candidates. Attacking each other is not the New Haven way. New Haven is diverse, so having tolerance is part of its identity. Also, New Haveners will not put up with this 3-ring circus, nor put up with racial and class divides any longer!

Here is a peaceful vision that embraces all aspects of this lovely city, that the lovely Lucy Gellman framed in an excellent article: https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/pendragon-lets-go-green-with-the-arts

Please treat each other with respect and dignity. Because in the end of all the conflict and turmoil, all we have is each other.

Urn Pendragon

@JMS,

In your retort to my comment, you've made two statements that contradict each other, while doing so, you have revealed the source of my disagreement with virtually everyone else who has made a comment here. On the one hand, you write this: " Like you said she (or her campaign people) made a very specific comparison without overt racism." On the other hand, you write this: "The irony of comparing Justin Elicker to Donald Trump using the exact tactics of Donald Trump is very disappointing." There is a subtle but significant difference between the two statements.

One of them, where you paraphrase me, speaks to the "specific comparison." The other statement, original to you, omits the fact that the comparison is, in fact, specific. My point is that you can't have it both ways. The comparison is either specific or general. It is either a particular reference to something Trump has said and done, or it's a statement that attempts to make Trump and Elicker carbon copies of one another. You cannot have it both ways.



@ Thomas Alfred Paine,

You wrote the following: "Rev. Ross-Lee can read the lines of the op-ed text, but he needs to read between the lines and consider the graphic imagery of the ad. Pictures carry the weight of thousands of words and are very impressionable. This is Toni Harp's "Willie Horton" ad!"

I think we can all agree that reading "imagery" and reading "between the lines" are art forms. As such, art is subjective. So, in this case, the conclusion, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I see this differently than you, obviously.

Two final points: I think your Willie Horton conclusion here is WAY over the top, and you should not assume that I've assumed anything about the race of any person here, based on their stated opinions.

Rev. Ross-Lee

@ Samuel T. Ross-Lee

"In your retort to my comment, you've made two statements that contradict each other"

Apologies if not as clear as intended. I am agreeing with you in that technically the words in the flyer can conceivably be read as the very specific comparison you have outlined. What I am also saying (which I don't believe to be a contradiction) is that the broader implied comparison can't possibly have been unintentional or ignored in the context of campaign marketing.

To make another comparison I can think of two reasonably well known historical figures who both shared the following characteristics...

@The Rev. Mr. Samuel T. Ross-Lee
Three times Rev. Ross-Lee has informed the public that he is not an apologist for the Mayor Harp, the Harp campaign, or their highly controversial racist-classist attack ad. Yet, each time we all then read his justifications of what the majority of the rest of New Haven sees: an appalling, offensive, personal attack designed to slander a fellow Democrat and city resident who is an intelligent, capable, reasonable, compassionate person who simply has different views than Toni Harp about the direction this city needs to take. An ad designed to spread fear and division. A subliminal racial ad to stoke distrust in a candidate's appeal to minority communities, JUST LIKE the infamous Willie Horton ad used in the 1988 Bush campaign.
Toni Harp's "Trump ad" will be remembered for years to come in this city, JUST LIKE the Willie Horton ad is still remembered.
Harp and her campaign stand by their racist dog whistle ad and deny its racism and classism, and, unfortunately, Rev. Ross-Lee appears to stand along with them as a defender of their premise.
We will have to continue to disagree with Rev. Ross-Lee on this serious matter that was designed to sow seeds of division in our community.
There is widespread agreement that at least this ad was in poor taste. Nevertheless, whatever the original intent of the Harp campaign, this ad has done them more harm than good in this city.
All campaigns should just focus on the issues, debate their differences, and leave out the personal attacks, slanders and innuendos.
That is what the general public prefers!

The ad uses a classical propaganda technique called transfer or association. These techniques can be used positively or negatively. In this case, Harp and her advisors, likely Bartlett and Corey compared Mr. Elicker to a poloraizing, incompetent, and vulgar politician whose record of bankruptcy, lies, threats, and name-calling has been documented by print and electronic media. The objective was to project Elicker as a carbon copy of a man that he does not resemble physically, intellectually or morally. Thomas Paine offers the best analysis of the content and intent of the ad. I would attribute this to his common sense.
I am at a loss to understand how the good Reverend Ross-Lee,,who is a typically at the top of his game, could apply his exegetical training and Christian ethics and not agree with Paine. The ad was based on lies, it was distatesful, and it was an attempt to distract the public from the critical challenges our city faces Instead of the leadership and management of the current mayor. It was an ad hominem race-based attack not unlike the Willie Horton ad. It was designed to invoke negative emotions from voters and have them reject Elicket because he IS a local version of Donald Trump. I ask the good Reverend WWJD? Let us also consider the Mayor's co-conspirators by doing a deep Google search of Mr. Bartlett and Mr. Corey, especially Corey's service on the Torrington School Board. The question to ask about any document is who wrote it and who paid for it? Kudos to Vinnie Mauro for calling them out.

@newhavenlives
You may not like Elicker for Mayor. This is your right as an American citizen. I did not vote for him when he first ran, but using mediocre and white man when referring to him is in the same spirit of the ad. There is nothing mediocre about a Spanish major who graduated from Middlebury College, a loving husband and father, a respectful human being who listens to everyone, and a politician who will not solicit big money. And, a leader who turned around a failing organization. Blowing out his candle will not make your candidate's candle burn brighter. Save your breath for something noble. First do no harm. We are all God's children and all Americans. Stop labeling and start analyzing. I am rooting for you.

The Harp campaign is understandably very desperate. The Education department is disastrously dysfunctional and in free-fall. In Public Safety, cops are fleeing our force in record numbers. Our budget is a mess: an 11 percent tax increase followed by bonding for ongoing expenses with no long term financial plan. Morale has never been lower- talented people are deserting her like rats from a sinking ship. Under these circumstances only she would even think of trying for a fourth term.

"There is nothing mediocre about a Spanish major who graduated from Middlebury College, a loving husband and father, a respectful human being who listens to everyone, and a politician who will not solicit big money."

Color me unimpressed. Sounds like half the people in my rolodex. Yet, they never get the benefit of being deemed qualified—without challenge, doubt, microagressions and assumptions about their achievements. You all are hypocrites, so save the lecture for yourself and your kind. I could care less about Toni Harp's win as Mayor.

Don't root for me. Have the temerity to lecture, to stand up and speak out against racism and crude behavior, not only when it (seemingly) affects east rock's poster boy for Mayor.

Have you seen what's intimated about women in black sororities in these comment sections. Do you know how accomplished these women are? Have ever felt the need to defend those women?

Calling liberals on their BS indignation and hypocrisy (we are all Americans —really?) is a fairly noble endeavor in my book.

Who maligns and slimes opponents? Who shuffles city contracts to insiders? Who's the real Trumpian here?

Seen today in the NyTimes: [conservatives] view white heterosexual males as the standard. To them, it's only identity politics when talking about women, gay people, and people of color.

Go back and re-read everything the Reverend Ross Lee stated.

Lastly, if you are going to be put off by identity politics, be put off by every bit of it. It was Elicker's focus when he first ran. Black and brown communities became important when he realized that he needed them to close the gap with Harp. I hope our communities have the good sense not to fall for it. When you all done lecturing and expressing shock and dismay, you better understand that this piece of literature may be juvenile, but it is certainly understandable to quite a few.

@Thomas Alfred Paine

You wrote: "Three times Rev. Ross-Lee has informed the public that he is not an apologist for the Mayor Harp, the Harp campaign, or their highly controversial racist-classist attack ad. Yet, each time we all then read his justifications of what the majority of the rest of New Haven sees: an appalling, offensive, personal attack designed to slander a fellow Democrat and city resident who is an intelligent, capable, reasonable, compassionate person who simply has different views than Toni Harp about the direction this city needs to take."

When you feel the need to make up arguments to pin on persons with whom you disagree, you're tacitly admitting that you've lost the debate. Everyone who reads these comments will be able to see that I've written here little of what you claim I've written.

I did write, no doubt, that I'm not an apologist for Mayor Harp. I never wrote that I'm not an apologist for the ad her campaign created. It would be patently silly to write something like that and then write in defense of the ad in the same comment or comment section.

Finally, and I mean that literally, you should not be fooled into believing that the NHI commentariat represents "the majority of the rest of New Haven." Of course, it does not.

Rev. Ross-Lee

@ Samuel T. Ross-Lee

So wait a minute you mean to say that all of this back and forth and endless bickering and grandstanding and pontificating by all of us is not actually an official unofficial sanctioned unsanctioned meeting of the New Haven Peanut Gallery Board of (assistant) Directors? This is disheartening. I was told there would be snacks.

@JMS,

LOLOLOL

I LOVE A Sense Of Humor Thrown Into The Midst Of A "Heated" Discussion.

Rev. Ross-Lee

@Rev.Samuel Ross-Lee
Rev. Ross-Lee said he had "no dog in this race," but repeatedly proceeded, to use his terminology, to defend the campaign ad of one of the "dogs" as reasonable, rational, and acceptable. Numerous people have criticized and challenged his position, yet he remains convinced we are all wrong and he is right.
So be it. He has a right to his own opinion, and we ours.
More people in New Haven talk about politics than write about politics in the Independent. No one should think that the writers themselves always represent the majority of the residents of New Haven, but they do represent the voices of many in the community, no doubt. The majority of the commenters here condemn the ad. Very few endorse or justify it. A lot of people who have seen this ad or read this article are voicing negative opinions about this.
Even the local Democratic party chairman Vincent Mauro criticized the Harp ad as petty and divisive. It took a lot of courage for a party leader to condemn an act of an incumbent mayor's campaign!!! That is one of the most unheard of things we have ever hear of in this Democratic city, and may reveal a certain vulnerability in the Harp campaign for re-election.
If the Independent polled the general public, I believe the majority of New Haveners would reject this ad as unfair, false, misleading and offensive. If Rev. Ross-Lee would take a poll of the members of Immanuel Baptist Church, I think a majority of the church's members would condemn that ad as distasteful and offensive.
One wonders how people would respond if the script was flipped, and Justin Elicker put out an attack ad comparing Toni Harp to Donald Trump?
Most people, if not all politicians, believe in political fair play. They don't like political fights, cheap shots, lies, schemes and deceptions, and personal attacks. That is one of the things that turn people off about politics!
We expect better!

Once again, Toni Harp shows abysmal judgment in whom she hires and keeps on her staff. This buck stops with her, though.