Himes, Shays, campaign to the finish
Connecticut Post, Sunday, November 02, 2008
By KEN DIXON
The race for the 4th Congressional District seat has dwindled down to its last few days, and U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays and challenger Jim Himes seem to be everywhere in attempt to attract the last few votes that could make the difference between winning and losing on Tuesday night.
In the waning days, both candidates are combining traditional retail politics -- meeting voters one-on-one throughout the 17-town district -- and less-usual attempts to capture the hearts and minds of voters on a larger scale.
Shays, the Bridgeport Republican who was first elected to the seat in 1987, held many hourlong "town hall meetings," with
automated campaign phone calls to voters, inviting them to live chats with the congressman.
Himes, a Greenwich Democrat who left investment banking six years ago to run an affordable-housing company, launched a late-campaign radio blitz with a newly released ad featuring Barack Obama asking Connecticut voters to support Himes, one of the few commercials that the presidential candidate has created for congressional candidates.
At about 11:15 Saturday morning, Shays, wearing a baseball hat, sneakers, corduroy pants and a "Chris Shays" sticker on his sweater, walked into the George Washington Carver Community Center in Norwalk to say hello to coaches, players and the few spectators at a basketball game featuring local teenage boys against a team from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
An hour later, Himes was greeting voters at a Trumbull supermarket with First Selectman Raymond Baldwin.
Both candidates will meet this morning for the final time: a candidates' forum at Bridgeport's Congregation Rodeph Sholom, 2385 Park Ave., at 10 a.m.
They won't go head-to-head like last month's seven debates, but will present their cases separately, like they did Friday in Greenwich before about 100 members of the local Chamber of Commerce during a roast-chicken lunch in the exclusive 85-year-old Millbrook Club in the heart of one of the nation's first planned luxury communities.
At this point, both Shays and Himes can probably deliver their opponent's standard stump speech.
Himes says he was inspired to run because he was tired of watching the nation's international prestige plunge after the invasion of Iraq and the revelations of the torture of war prisoners. He was concerned that religion seemed to be intruding into America's public policy.
"Our challenge and the reason that I'm running for Congress, is to go back to who we used to be," Himes said. "To stand by our values and try and defend the Bill of Rights. To put in place once again the kind of economic policies that create rather than destroying jobs. You all know the numbers. Since Jan. 1, we've lost something like 750,000 jobs in this country."
Shays stands by his tenure in Congress, illustrated by an 88-page booklet of achievements and goals that he has handed out at each of the Congressional debates and forums over the last few weeks. He says it cost $22,000 to make 3,000 copies of the book.
"I'd like people to look back on 21 years of service and say that's the way you do it," Shays said. "If you think I have learned well, why would you want to get rid of me?"
The big differences between Shays and Himes are the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shays, who has been to Iraq 21 times, says he supports a timed withdrawal of U.S. troops there and would not back further troop deployments to Afghanistan until Europe commits personnel and funding to the effort.
Himes wants an immediate withdrawal from Iraq to save the nation $10 billion a month, but supports more troops in Afghanistan so they can seek out al-Qaida strongholds in the mountains bordering Pakistan.
Himes, who worked as a banker for 12 years at Goldman Sachs before quitting in 2002, says Shays was wrong in supporting the Bush administration tax cuts that have doubled the nation's debt to $10 trillion and was partly responsible for the lack of regulatory control that led to the recent near meltdown of the financial services and credit markets.
Shays wants to extend the Bush tax cuts, which he says will increase investment; encourage long-term savings and create new tax incentives for retirement plans; and offer homeowners facing foreclosure a chance to get 30-year fixed-rate mortgages.
On Thursday, Himes became one of the few Congressional candidates around the country to receive a radio ad from Obama. Himes hopes that Obama's expected big support in the cities of Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford will translate to more votes for him. Two years ago, Shays won his closest election, by fewer than 6,000 votes over Diane Farrell of Westport.
Before the forum Friday at the Millbrook Club, Shays said that he's been on the phone between 90 minutes and four hours each night, teleconferencing unaffiliated voters, senior citizens, recently registered voters and Republicans, in what he calls a Town Hall-style meeting.
Voters receive a robo-call and are asked whether they want to listen in or even ask a question of Shays.
Shays estimates that thousands of voters have participated.
"It's a wonderful way to interact with everyone," Shays said with a smile. "It's another way to reach out and bypass the press."
WHERE THEY STAND ON THE ISSUES
CHRISTOPHER SHAYS
Economy
He would expand free trade agreements to help Connecticut's exports. He would also invest in rebuilding transportation and water systems and work toward energy independence by drilling for new domestic oil and gas supplies, while promoting conservation and renewable energy sources.
Taxes
Would extend the Bush administration tax cuts, especially capital gains and dividend taxes to promote investment.
Health care
He is promoting a bill introduced earlier this year that would give Americans an option for universal health coverage with consumer payments similar to the healthcare plans offered federal employees.
Education
Emphasize early childhood and Head Start programs. He would also increase federal funding for math and science education and raise the level of grants and loans for college students.
Foreign policy
Supports a timed withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Wouldn't send more U.S. troops into Afghanistan until Europe commits more troops and funding.
JIM HIMES
Economy
Supports a massive nationwide investment into infrastructure projects such as highways and bridges, as well as "green energy" projects to help stimulate the economy and we an America from foreign oil.
Taxes
Supports middle-class tax relief, including tax credits for education expenses, for savings accounts and for first-time home buyers.
Health care
Supports health care access for all families and a new emphasis on preventive medicine rather than reactive, costly emergency room care for the uninsured.
Education
In the major cities, where there are high dropout rates, he would support more charter schools, smaller classes, longer school days, flexibility for teachers and a new focus on early childhood education.
Foreign policy
Immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Supports more U.S. troops in Afghanistan to tackle terrorists in the mountainous region of that country on the border with Pakistan.
The 4th Congressional election is Tuesday.
