House Republican Press Release

June 19, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Resilient Rell

By State Representative John J. Ryan

           I am intrigued to note that I received considerably more comment and feedback from my column of three weeks ago, which was a diversion from our usual effort to report on the doings of the General Assembly and instead to opine on the upcoming elections; I am pleased to observe that folks seem to be interested in why Governor Rell is the atypical elected official in many ways, and enormously popular for it.

            So how is Jodi Rell doing it?

• In a world of negative politicians who blame everything on everybody else, Rell is refreshingly positive. For example, her two Democrat opponents, now locked primary contest for the right to run in November, spend much of their time blaming Rell for nearly all of the state's ills, but even the most casual observer can figure out that Rell has been in office only a short time, and accordingly, making her target of the "blame game" has no impact. Can the two mayors actually think that it is an effective campaigning device to blame Rell for the ongoing problems in the City of Hartford, for example,  a city completely controlled by the Democrats for decades, and the on-going recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance thanks to a Democrat dominated legislature?

• Rell doesn't "take the bait": a time-honored technique is to toss out accusations at an opponent, and watch for an over-reaction in response; Rell seems to have the patience and fortitude to ignore the hyperbole, and not dignify these efforts by responding to them. Is it any wonder that polling results show that the constituents view her as "statesmanlike" and "dignified," as opposed to "partisan"? Note how she responded to the supposed "big ethics flare-up" concerning a minor faux pas by her Chief of Staff months ago; the Rell team did not answer the heated rhetoric, and the legislative committee inquest came off as a political witch hunt, and the result? Did you ever see any more in the media on what happened?  The "hearings" fizzled out and no more meetings have occurred.

• She is calm, but firm; note that she ultimately gets her way!: go back and review the media coverage of the proposed Groton sub-base closing, or the start of this year's General Assembly Session; did Rell wave her arms, threaten those in the opposition, even raise her voice ? What were the end results? Or look at this week's Veto Session, scheduled every year to address bills vetoed by the Governor? The Veto Session was called, and immediately adjourned without so much as a peep.

• Rell is a "work horse, not a show horse": see for yourself by looking at the Governor's website (now that you have expertise on reviewing the legislative website at www.cga.ct.gov, I hope you peruse  www.ct.gov/governorrell  "Governor Announces Upcoming Identity Theft Prevention Seminars", " Connecticut Recognized as National Leader in Jail Diversion",  " Governor....Calls for Creation of Solid Waste Authority",  "Governor...Calls 'Roadcheck 2006' A Success..." are only a few recent entries. Observe that nearly all the entries are for speedy initiatives to pending problems; what you do not see are excuses or attempts to distribute blame to others. Perhaps the most glaring example is our State's long-term, long lamented transportation crisis; after years of task forces and studies, you might want to take note of what programs that Rell has already had adopted and put into place.

            There are far more examples that one could give. For instance, the Rell campaign has already voluntarily opted to fund raise pursuant to the limitations of the upcoming campaign finance reform laws even though they are not applicable yet, while the opponents continue to chase special interest dollars. By all means, review all of the media coverage, the websites, the data for yourself, but amazingly high positive ratings of government do not happen by accident, any more than teams repeat championships!

            How long can the Rell phenomenon continue?

            Please feel free to contact me with your concerns and issues. As your state representative, it is my job, and my priority to represent you and to make sure that your needs and concerns are addressed at the capitol.  You can write to me at Room 4200, Legislative Office Building, Hartford, CT 06106-1591, send me e-mail at John.Ryan@housegop.state.ct.us or call my office toll-free at 1-800-842-1423.