Lamont 2010?
Mark Pazniokas has a new gig at the NY Times, and he’s writing about how Ned Lamont is mulling a run for Governor in 2010:
He is months away from a final decision, but after previously disavowing any interest in the job, Mr. Lamont said that a gubernatorial campaign grows more intriguing as the economy worsens and the deficit deepens, all harbingers of a protracted budget fight in Hartford.
[...]
Mr. Lamont said Mrs. Rell and the Democratic-controlled legislature are more intent on gamesmanship than confronting what even some Republican legislators privately concede: in addition to the budget cuts proposed by the governor, tax increases and labor concessions must be part of the mix.
“I think she punted,” Mr. Lamont said of the governor’s two-year budget proposal, which the legislature’s nonpartisan budget office says may be out of balance by more than $2 billion. “Frankly, the legislature hasn’t stood up and come forward with anything very cogent. To me, both the legislature and the governor are playing a game of cat and mouse.”
Pazniokas continues, writing about how Lamont might find himself in a four-way contest for the Democratic nomination against Former CT House Speaker Jim “The Crusher” Amann, Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, and Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz. That’s a crowded field, but I want to see Ned jump in — and I think there is room for him — because with three solid candidates (plus Amann) piling on Rell, I don’t see how we could lose.
Oh boy! Here comes another crazy year! I don’t know if I have it in me yet; I’m still recovering from 2006!
Ah, who am I kidding? I’d totally LOVE seeing another wild ride! Imagine the opportunities to cover THIS campaign?
(Is my Dick Nixon avatar amusingly ironic or just insipid? I can’t tell anymore.)
my only problem with the story–and i love lamont and still have a pin from his lieberman challenge–is that i hear through VERY reliable sources is that Paz is angling to be lamont’s flak. that obviously makes me question the tone and genuineness (is that even a word?!) of the story. i think it’s a real conflict of interest, and when i heard it, my respect for Paz significantly dropped.
If by flak you mean be his media relations/PR person for a campaign, I think it would be hard to do better than Paz just because he knows the lay of the land so well.