It was hot on Sunday at noon when about 50 volunteers filled the ampitheater at Cos Cob park to organize efforts on behalf of local Democratic candidates running for election in November.
The gathering was on the heels of the US Supreme Court rulings on guns and abortion.
State Rep Steve Meskers said it was hard to reconcile how after a slaughter in Uvalde, the Senate came up with “marginal” changes in gun laws, “and then the Supreme Court said, ‘Let’s have at it and open up guns throughout our cities and allow concealed and open carry.”
“What you get are these carefully crafted statements, which could literally be true, but provide no protection on this issue.”
– Joe Angland, DTC chair, on Republican candidates response to Roe being overturned
Meskers continued, “And I don’t understand how you can believe in the sanctity of a born life, and then put children at risk after a slaughter, and change our laws, and then turn around and say, ‘You, as women in this country are second class citizens and your reproductive rights don’t matter to to us, and we won’t defend you at the national level.’ I think that is a wake up call.”
Also, Meskers said, “I think the summary call by Clarence Thomas about gay marriage, and Griswold and contraception lays out a dystopian world that is The Handmaid’s Tale – it’s Margaret Atwood,” Meskers said. “We need to vote out the people who advocate these policies.”
Meskers went on to encourage unaffiliated and Republican voters to consider changing their voter registration to Democrat to register their displeasure with a party that doesn’t supports their rights and dignity.
Joe Angland, chair of the Democratic Town Committee, said that for a candidate to express support Connecticut’s existing reproductive rights laws was not enough.
“At the state level, you have gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski said, ‘I will support CT’s law protecting the right to abortion,'” he said. “Great! But if the Republicans ever got the majority and passed a law taking that right away, would you sign that law or veto it? He was asked that, and praise to Governor Lamont for putting that exact question to him. And as far as I can see, there has been silence.”
“One of our other Republican candidates, Ryan Fazio, a few days ago said, ‘I am not going to try to overturn the law protecting woman’s control of their reproductive rights.’ So he’s not going to introduce a bill, but if someone else introduces a bill, will he vote for it?” Angland asked.
“Did he say, “I will, under all circumstances – even if there’s a Republican majority – vote against it?” Angland asked. “No.”
“What you get are these carefully crafted statements, which could literally be true, but provide no protection on this issue,” Angland said.
Hector Arzeno, who is running for State Rep in the 151st district said, “We need candidates with integrity We need candidates with tested character.We need candidates who have been involved in the community and participate in the community.”
Arzeno said a politician’s guiding principle must be to say in public what they think in private.
“This is something I have to day every time when I am out,” Arzeno said.
Rachel Khanna, running for State Rep in the 149th district, said the Supreme Court’s decisions had galvanized her efforts.
“I decided to run because I believe our current representative, Kim Fiorello, stands in the way of our state’s progress. She doesn’t represent our economic best interest, and she votes against our values, and frankly doesn’t deserve to be re-elected.”
“My campaign will hold Kimberly Fiorello accountable for her record and her votes against our district – from education funding, to tax relief for working families, seniors and small businesses, to protecting the environment, expanding voting rights, protecting a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices, and gun violence prevention.”
Trevor Crow described Democracy as deeply at risk. She said Democrats must not be apathetic. “We have to show up,” she said.
As for the strength of Connecticut’s gun safety laws and reproductive rights laws, she said Republicans would vote to weaken those laws, “the first minute they can.”
“My opponent just voted against tax relief,” Crow said. “And then he put on his website (information on) how to get child tax credit.”
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