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Betsi Shays: David and Goliath

Betsi Shays, wife of U.S. Senate candidate and former U.S. Congressman Christopher Shays, lays out the case for her husband.

Through the years I’ve been a generally well-behaved political spouse. But this year, because the choices in the Republican primary are so stark, and so much is at stake, I may be a little less well-behaved. I’m going to write a series of short blogs from the perspective of 35 years and 21 elections by Chris’ side in the political arena. You can expect straight talk.

Here’s the fourth entry:

David and Goliath

When we got into this race, we knew it would have a David and Goliath quality to it.

Goliath, as you may remember, seemed to have all the obvious advantages (formidable reputation, prodigious size, dressed in armor from head to toe, looking for a fight, and totally confident in his invincibility). This terrified his opponents and sent them running for the hills. . .sometimes before the fight.

David, on the other hand, was a simple shepherd boy – a seemingly laughable match for such a formidable opponent. Armed with a sling and five smooth stones, trust in the worthiness of his assignment, and confidence in the ultimate triumph of good, he ran – eagerly – to face Goliath.

We know how the story ends. The shepherd boy with the sling prevailed. It turns out – despite all the hype – it only took one smooth stone to bring Goliath down.

Through the ages, this story has given courage to many an underdog heart and venture. Including ours.

Underdog in This Race

When we thought about getting into this race, Chris knew he would be the underdog at the convention and in the primary. He knew he would be outgunned in terms of resources and organization. He jumped in anyways. You could say, he ran toward the challenge.

Why? Because he has spent a lifetime committed to a few core principles:

1. HOW you get things done matters.
2. Straight talk matters.
3. Respecting the intelligence of the voters matters.
4. Constant listening and learning matter.
5. Finding common ground to get things done matters.

(Goliaths tend to operate by a very different set of principles – especially those in the political arena.)

When you feel those principles are being compromised – as Chris did when he watched the 2010 U.S. Senate race unfold – you can either sit on the sidelines in 2012 or jump in. He jumped in.

Get Out

Last summer one of our opponent’s top strategists explained to me how, in considerable detail, his candidate was going to win the general election. The message seemed to be: “Get out of the race before you even jump in.”

Then, when Chris announced, informally, in October he was in the race, our opponent’s team went around saying, “When he realizes what he’s up against, he’ll be out of the race by the end of the month”.

In November, they said the same thing.

Again, in December.

In January, Chris made a formal announcement he was in the race. At that point their message changed to: “We will be the inevitable winners”, and so it continued up through and after the convention in May.

Since the convention, there has been a flood of advertising to rebrand their candidate as a grandmother, a sweet lady, the woman next door (even Goliath might have blushed at such a bodacious PR campaign!)

Armor

When you are outgunned in terms of money and resources, you better have some armor and a sling.

Here’s what armed Chris though a lifetime of public service:
1. Integrity
2. Respected experience
3. Deep knowledge of the issues
4. Proven leadership
5. Guts

If these matter to you, you can help defeat a political Goliath.

Roll them all together, you have a candidate in Christopher Shays who is ready to go on day one to help move our country in the right direction, get our fellow Americans back to work, and restore the promise of America.

When you think about it, it shouldn’t even be a contest.

Elizabeth August 15, 2012 at 11:11 pm
Re: Charles comments (as Robert Bracer) 4th below: Very nice cut and paste job. Now can you draw in the lines in a coloring book?
John Yannacci, Sr. August 16, 2012 at 12:31 am
Any boost in job growth can be attributed to the fracking fields in North Dakota. As soon as Obama can figure out how to do it, they'll be closed. Probably not until after the election.
Gail Dornfried Waida August 16, 2012 at 12:35 am
Ok here's the thing - Daniella is pulling everyone's leg because NO ONE could possibly think that her ramblings are rational including her. Thanks for the laugh Daniella you have quite the sense of humor!
Dennis & Catherine Cicero August 16, 2012 at 01:02 am
James Bond -can you show me one that doesnt? You cant run with a nickel in your pocket, you at least have to have a PAC there -so I would prefer her own money.
Dennis & Catherine Cicero August 16, 2012 at 01:10 am
@ Mike A. We saw Bill and Hillary all the time...what type of husband was he? Come on!
REVMAN August 16, 2012 at 02:18 am
@Robert Bracer--Fox News is fair and balanced--I have much more data if your interested--8PM P2+ (000s) 25-54 (000s) 35-64 (000s)
FNC THE OREILLY FACTOR 1,724 349 684 CNN ANDERSON COOPER SPCL RPT 300 67 107 MSNBC Ed Show 620 166 243 CNBC BIG MAC: INSIDE MCDONALDS 110 54 63 HLN Nancy Grace 429 119 249
REVMAN August 16, 2012 at 02:20 am
J.Sosallter--This sums it up very good--"Apparently, I'm supposed to be more angry about what Mitt Romney does with his money than what Barack Obama does with mine."Anonymous
Daniella Ruiz August 16, 2012 at 09:11 am
when households are 'in trouble', the banks toss the mortgagee to the street. unfotunatlely, households do not have 'big government' come along to buy them out from under the banks it is now the foreign groups and the wealthy who share in the bargains and tax lien auctions of people's hard earned equity (lost to them forever).
take away peoples source of income (aka jobs) and they will eventually fall to the street. high level crime lives very well at the top of the food chain, far from the street.
Daniella Ruiz August 16, 2012 at 09:17 am
thanks REVMAN, for that update! (so we ARE gettin our gubernment 'by fiat') ;-))
Daniella Ruiz August 16, 2012 at 09:19 am
i never said it will be the politicians doing the seizing, or that it will be something as frivolous as money. politicians have easily taken what we have so carelessly given them, under threat of being further impoverished or remanded to gaol for failure to comply. the politicians are merely the bought pawns of the wealthy.
just as politicians claim to represent their constituents, the unions claim to defend the rights of their members (their voting, fee paying members). both have a common goal, a narrow one nonetheless. it is in their best interest to keep their followers from holding/wielding power. do you prefer to be in the foxes position or the hens? from the position of the ground tick (Ixodes scapularis), it is the hen who is the predator. notice the level of engagement as the time of choice looms closer, just as your hunger becomes greater, you seek food, often recklessly
J. Sosallter August 16, 2012 at 11:13 am
Of course you had to read the whole article, which provided a link to the Heritage Foundation criticism. But since you didn't seem to read the whole article, take note that the Heritage Foundation came up with core ideas for the Affordable Care Act, which the Heritage Foundation now spurns. So, their conclusions leave some room for healthy doubt.
J. Sosallter August 16, 2012 at 11:19 am
"But then, with the Heritage Foundation being the creator of the individual mandate concept in healthcare only to rebut the same when it was no longer politically convenient, I’m not quite sure why anyone believes much of anything they have to say any longer. With their history of reversing course for convenience, I can’t help but wonder, should they find themselves reviewing the spending record of a President Romney four years from today, whether they might be tempted to use the Obama numbers as the baseline for such a new Administration." -
Kaptainsteve August 16, 2012 at 02:26 pm
Bottomline; Obama put the U.S. 5 Trillion MORE in debt. It was under his watch and his party had control of Congress for two plus years.
J. Sosallter August 16, 2012 at 02:49 pm
So a new president should suspend all expenditures under a previously adopted budget, the lion's share of which are military. The smooth succession of leadership depends on NOT doing that (not to mention the turmoil such actions would have on the financial markets and stability of the economy). Not a possible scenario, even remotely.
J. Sosallter August 16, 2012 at 02:55 pm
That cutsy non sequitur reveals the problem with voters: the tendency to adopt useless comments takes the place of thoughtful assessment. The article doesn't address a candidate's personal wealth, but then the topic gets looped in for no reasonable purpose in the above comment. Take whatever view you want, but do it on an informed basis, with reasoned analysis of the subject at hand.
DisgruntledInClinton August 16, 2012 at 06:42 pm
Holy Cow! "Bush Tax Cuts About to Expire", an article from CNBC states that "Americans would shell out as much as $5,700 more a year if the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire at the end of 2012, according to a new analysis that highlights the perils and political consequences of the nation's fiscal cliff.
Connecticut residents would get rocked the worst, with an additional cost of $5,783 a year... Here's the link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bush-tax-cuts-end-cost-181220449.html
000 August 16, 2012 at 08:56 pm
@Thomas Cornick says; "It has been very expensive to complete both of Bush's unbudgeted wars of choice, as well as to undo the damage having the Republican party control House, Senate, and White House has caused."
Again, did you forget the Obama controlled BOTH the house and the senate the first 2 years of his term. While I don't support Bush or his wars, did you forget that Obama, who controlled both the house and the senate for the first 2 years of his term, has continued all of Bush's wars and also started a few new ones like Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Liberia and Libya??? @J. Sosallter says; "So a new president should suspend all expenditures under a previously adopted budget, the lion's share of which are military. The smooth succession of leadership depends on NOT doing that." So the new president, who campaigned on pulling the troops right out of Iraq "and you can take that to the bank" was lying all along??? What "smooth succession of leadership" are you talking about? The new President campaigned on NOT following W's policies then when he got in office, he not only continued W's policies, but amped them up, spent more, increased the debt more, and started a few more wars. And you call this what, a "smooth transition of leadership?" Bush was pretty bad (wars, spending, bill of rights and debt), but he's got nothing on the act that followed him who accelerated and increased all his policies and added a few new ones to boot.
Barefoot Accountant August 17, 2012 at 01:45 am
Yeah, all those hedge fund billionaires in Fairfield County will have to pay up for a change, huh?
Malvi Lennon August 17, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Speaking of HEdge Funds- Bridgewater just received 115M from our dear Governor Malloy. The kickers are - Bridgewater's CFO earned over 3 TRILLION d9ollars last year- and while the corporate crony capitalism for those who support Malloy and Dems continue small businesses received notice from the Feds that CT has not paid back the additional unemployment loan from the feds, hence businesses are liable for the interest accured to the tune of about $25.00 per employee. But hey don't forget it is the R that are waging a war on the working class- Malloy and Co are just spreading the rich's wealth to those who are even wealthier.
John Yannacci, Sr. August 17, 2012 at 02:20 pm
Malvi,
I cannot speak intelligently on this subject because my knowledge of economics is practically nil. But, no one, absolutely no one makes 3 trillion dollars a year.
J. Sosallter August 17, 2012 at 03:28 pm
If that was all investment income, taxed at the low end of 15% federal, that would be $450 billion federal tax bill; at roughly 6% CT state income tax, that would be $180 billion in state tax. The Connecticut state budget for FY2012-13 totals $40.54 billion, including a $20.14 billion component for FY2012 and $20.4 billion for FY2013.
Yes, Malvi, the annual state income tax on this kind of income would be more than 4x the whole state budget. I hope you will reconsider your position on numbers, especially in light of your campaign for state office.
J. Sosallter August 17, 2012 at 03:30 pm
And in case Malvi reconsiders her position, and her math, and deletes her post, this was she posted (odd typos and all):
Malvi Lennon 8:03 am on Friday, August 17, 2012 Speaking of HEdge Funds- Bridgewater just received 115M from our dear Governor Malloy. The kickers are - Bridgewater's CFO earned over 3 TRILLION d9ollars last year- and while the corporate crony capitalism for those who support Malloy and Dems continue small businesses received notice from the Feds that CT has not paid back the additional unemployment loan from the feds, hence businesses are liable for the interest accured to the tune of about $25.00 per employee. But hey don't forget it is the R that are waging a war on the working class- Malloy and Co are just spreading the rich's wealth to those who are even wealthier.
LiveForFreedom August 17, 2012 at 03:51 pm
Way off topic... time to end this thread.
Chris Shays lost. Linda McMahon is running but it won't make a difference. Connecticut will vote Democrat no matter who is on the ballot. The last Republican senator to win in Connecticut was Lowell Weiker in 1970... some 42 years ago. Career politician Chris Murphy will win the Senate seat. Expect more of the same for Connecticut. Forward.
Malvi Lennon August 17, 2012 at 04:06 pm
@ John Yannacci, SR. My apologies to you and others. I used a T when I should have used a B. Bridgewater founder, Ray Dalio, was the highest paid individual in the US in 2011, with an income of $3.9 billion. that is according to Absolute Return magazine. According to Forbes it was only $3 billion. Dalio had similar earnings in 2010
Malvi Lennon August 17, 2012 at 04:15 pm
J. Sosallter: I will neither delete my post nor change my position. With the support of a left wing radical controlled legislature Malloy gave $115 million of our money to the world's largest hedge fund. All Bridgewater has to do is move from Westport to Stamford and build itself a $750 million building in part of Stamford set aside for corporations accepting state money. I believe Malloy owns property nearby. Perhaps that explains why the governor why taking money from the middle class, and giving it to mega corporations. To date Malloy and his liberal cartel have given away about 1B of taxpayer dollars.
J. Sosallter August 17, 2012 at 04:26 pm
Pretty much tanks a candidate's credibility to stand by ridiculous numbers.
Malvi Lennon August 17, 2012 at 04:35 pm
@ J. Sosallter: I have a feeling you weren't voting for me anyway so I am not worried. Have fun:)
Barefoot Accountant August 17, 2012 at 05:41 pm
Those very same hedge fund billionaires contribute to both Democratic and Republican parties. I didn't see any Republicans vote for the recent bill in the House to do away with the paltry carried interest tax of 15% on hedge fund billionaires' earnings. So isn't the pot calling the kettle black when Republicans accuse Democrats of waging a war on the working classes? They are both waging a war on the working classes because they are both bought and paid for by the very same 400 individuals who own more wealth in the US than half of the entire population in the country.
Brenden Luddy August 17, 2012 at 07:15 pm
I am still waiting for that expose form Barefoot in regards to all those rich Democrat Politicians.
http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=42811 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/14/how-visa-courted-nancy-pelosi-hoping-to-forestall-swipe-fee-changes.html Regardless of which party you belong too, it's time to get rid of incumbents, Reid, Pelosi, Boener, McConnel, I think Peter Schweizer said it all in his book this year, http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/11/13/peter-schweizer-s-new-book-blasts-congressional-corruption.html
Barefoot Accountant August 17, 2012 at 08:31 pm
You are preaching to the choir, my friend. I am a registered independent voter, and I support Rocky Anderson, Jill Stein, and other independents who are not on the corporate payroll. Yes, time to get rid of both Republicans and Democrats who take PAC and corporate contributions as well as those from the wealthy.

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