My Picks For Senator and Governor

It's pretty much a dismal choice and I don't have time to write a lengthy post on my picks for governor and senator in the Nov. 2 elections, so I will instead refer you to two columns on the subject.

On the question of whom to send to Washington to replace the retiring Chris Dodd, George Will got it right today. Will, a Trinity graduate and no stranger to the Nutmeg State, quotes Michael Barone in explaining why professional wrestling magnate Linda McMahon would seem to be a bad fit for Connecticut:

"Connecticut," says Barone, author of the Almanac of American Politics, "was founded by Puritans who considered Massachusetts too lenient and backsliding."

However, Will then goes on the explain how Congress is top-heavy with lawyers and short on people who understand fundamental economic principles. No, we don't need people who believe in zero regulation, but nor do we need lawmakers who try to stymie business at every turn, as Dick Blumenthal did when he tried to stop AT&T from laying off workers who were no longer needed.

McMahon is content to have Connecticut vote on this proposition: There already is a surfeit of Blumenthals in Washington, and a scarcity of McMahons.

As for the governor's race between Dan Malloy and Tom Foley, I was -- with some reluctance -- trending toward Foley until I read this Kevin Rennie column last Sunday. Gov. Jodi Rell has left what Rennie accurately describes as "a disreputable mess." The lady never got out of lieutenant governor mode, preferring the cutting of ribbons to the hard work of negotiating with lawmakers and interest groups.

I remain nervous about handing over the reins of power to any candidate who received the support of virtually all the public-sector unions, as Malloy has. But the man has a pretty good record of fiscal restraint as mayor of Stamford and he may come to realize that no matter what he does to tame a $4 billion deficit, lots of people will hate him anyway:

The great hurdle for the next governor will be the free-spending legislature. Malloy, more than Foley, may be the one to tame it. The Democrats will retain majorities in both chambers, an overwhelming one in the House. It may take a Democratic governor to force them to keep an appointment with reality. With Foley, they would have a foil to insulate themselves.

Plus, Malloy is holding fast against the death penalty even though, in the wake of the Petit murder trials, it is politically unwise to take that position. So there is my take. Now go out and vote, you lazy bums!