Malloy-Lamont Debate
Photo credit: NBC Connecticut
Posted 6/28/10
The two contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, convention-endorsed candidate Dan Malloy, and primary challenger Ned Lamont faced off in a debate last week sponsored by WVIT TV, NBC Connecticut, but it wasn’t exactly a slugfest. Malloy and Lamont agreed on a host of issues. They oppose the death penalty, hiking taxes, highway tolls, and a state takeover of education costs as proposed by former Gov. Lowell Weicker (a Lamont backer). They both support allowing beer sales in retail stores on Sunday.
Some political observers figured Malloy would really go after Lamont. Malloy may have his party’s state convention endorsement, but Lamont consistently leads in the polls, due in part to voter familiarity with his 2006 U.S. Senate campaign against Sen. Joe Lieberman. Lamont also has revved up his name recognition factor this year through a plethora of TV ads. Lamont, a millionaire, has the power to self-fund his campaign. Malloy needs to turn popular support his way before the August 10th primary.
Thanks to experience with municipal and state governments after 14 years as mayor of Stamford, Malloy could conceivably show up political neophyte Lamont in a detailed discussion of key issues such as state revenues, programs, and how to deal with the legislature. Forcing Lamont into a deer-in-the-headlights look in a TV debate could go help persuade Democratic voters Malloy has what it takes to be governor. But that didn’t happen.
Malloy did try to show the value of experience. “This is not a time for on-the-job training in a time of great crisis in the state of Connecticut,” Malloy intoned. “I am ready to lead this state on day one, and to expend the kind of energy and a wealth of knowledge towards making the state of Connecticut a better place.”
Lamont sometimes sounds like an escapee from cheerleader camp, as if an upbeat, gung-ho attitude is all it will take to tackle the deficit, the jobless rate, and other big issues. But in the NBC Connecticut debate, Lamont managed to counter Malloy’s “experience” pitch by riding the current anti-incumbency wave.
“I think the politicians have been running this state for the last 25, 50 years, and they’ve driven it into a ditch,” said Lamont. “I think it’s time we got a designated driver, somebody from the outside—somebody who is not afraid to go to Hartford, and shake up the way we do things.”
Malloy’s retort came off as snippy, claiming Lamont is not the fresh face he purports to be. “Mr. Lamont ran unsuccessfully for the (U.S.) Senate, and unsuccessfully for the State Senate,” said Malloy. “To be talking about other people being politicians is, uh, very political.”
Beyond governmental experience, the other big difference between Malloy and Lamont is how they are funding their campaigns. Malloy is the first candidate in Connecticut to be authorized for public financing of a statewide campaign. Lamont, a millionaire, is raising some money through regular donations, but is also relying on his own fortune to fuel his campaign, as he did in the 2006 U.S. Senate battle.
“He (Lamont) can write (personal) checks, but he can also go out and collect money in amounts as high as $3500, and much of that money comes from Wall Street interests,” Malloy said. “I want to be the first governor with an agenda set by the people, and a governor not owing anything to anyone.”
Lamont said he is playing by all the rules, even if he is not using Connecticut’s public financing system. Lamont has explained before that public financing, which is voluntary, only works if everyone is in the pool. “The Republicans opted out, decided to go on TV (with ads), and decided to start waging a general election campaign,” he explained. Lamont added: “For Dan, public financing seems to be the number one issue, for me it’s fighting for your job.”
Most of the rest of the debate was focused on issues, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if Malloy wants to cut into the lead Lamont has in the polls, he’s going to have to pierce Ned’s nice guy image, and convince Democratic voters they need an experienced warrior for the fall campaign against the Republicans not the karate kid.