CT Election Watch

Second district incumbent Rob Simmons (R) recently drew upon former NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani to energize his base in a tight re-election bid.  Giuliani spoke mainly on security, surrounded by emergency response workers, American flags, and roughly 250 supporters earlier this week.

The speech sought to draw upon the feelings of patriotism and unity brought out in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.  Simmons and Giuliani spoke of their experiences on that day, and sought to convey just how crucial security is in the 21st century.

One must wonder how much longer September 11th will be invoked for political gain.  This constant politicizing of the terrorist attacks will only serve to demean the importance of that day in the eyes of the electorate, and soon it will only be seen as a political strategy utilized in the dredges of a campaign.  Clearly, the technique polls well, or it would not be utilized, which serves only to further discourage my faith in the electorate.

The lessons learned from 9/11 need to be implemented into public policy, but the mere mention of the worst ever attack on our homeland should not tip an election.  While we must never forget, nor undermine the events of that day, in terms of electing criteria, we must move on, or we risk repeating the mistakes that perpetuated the death of over 3,000 of our countrymen.

(Source: Hartford Courant 12 OCT)