Alper: Republicans Need to Learn How to Streetfight

Photo by April Dawn Winsley

Wayne Winsley Exclusive Interview withWilton RTC Chairman, Al Alper, candidate for CTGOP Chairman.

Wilton RTC Chairman Al Alper says he gets it, he has a plan, and he can put Connecticut’s Republican Party on the winning track. That is why he is seeking the position of Chairman of the Connecticut Republican party.

“I have a detailed, comprehensive reorganization of the Republican Party and a re-branding of the Republican Party in Connecticut that I plan to institute on day one.”

A part of Mr. Alper’s plan calls for as sustained marketing effort designed to “change the conversation” when it comes to the Republican Party and its perception, especially when it comes to younger voters.

Alper likens today’s Republicans to the British redcoats of the revolutionary war and their tradition of fighting battles in only in open fields during the day and standing in neat columns. The redcoats were totally demoralized by the colonials who attacked from the trees and at all hours.

“Because we are generally respectful, responsible and civil individuals we tend not to fight back, or we fight back in a, for lack of a better term, civil way. We fight the Democrats much like the British fought us. The Democrats have been shooting at us from the tree line, in the dark and we have been the respectful party that lines up in a column and takes our shots. We need to take this fight to them.”

When it comes to a plan for increasing Republican support in the Connecticut’s larger cities, Al Alper says that for years the CT GOP strategy has been to blunt the vote instead of converting voters in the inner cities. A strategy that Alper says is “destined to keep Republicans relegated to second place for the foreseeable future.”

Republican principles and minority values intersect at dozens of points and when Republicans effectively emphasize those points of agreement, there is an increase in minority support. And that according to Mr. Alper is as it should be.

“We are the party that essentially gave life and voice to the minority communities.”

Mr. Alper claims to have a very detailed strategy for capitalizing on those areas of agreement and converting voters in the inner cities.

Part of Mr. Alper’s plan to unify the various and almost-warring factions within the CTGOP calls for the creation of an organizational structure where all sides have,

“A voice in the direction and effort of what we do.”

Alper also places a big emphasis on the need to attract younger members to the Republican Party.

“We need to start converting people to the republican brand pre voter registration.”

Finally, I asked Al Alper if he thinks he can garner enough support among the seventy-two members of the State Central Committee to gain the chairmanship.

“I am speaking to them and I’m hoping that their desire to win and the organizational and fund-raising strength that I bring and my ability to marshal the support of the various factions, as demonstrated both in Wilton and in a congressional campaign is sufficient to convince them. I’ve done all of the pieces of the puzzle that we need in a good chairman and I’m the only candidate in the race who can lay claim to that.”

Malloy’s Union deal is like Playing Freeze Tag

Photo by April Dawn Winsley

First a little credit where it is due. I had my doubts about Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s ability to actually wring 2 billion dollars in concessions out of the state’s unions. It looks like he pulled it off. 1.6 billion in concessions is better than I thought he’d do so I’ll give him a 400 thousand dollar pass.


Having said that, let’s take a closer look at what the deal actually means.

The deal is a four-year, no-layoff agreement through June 2015 that applies only to current union employees. In exchange, there would be a hard wage freeze for all unionized employees that includes wages, longevity pay, increments, and lump sums that would last for two years. There would also be no longevity pay for newly hired state employees.

After those two years, the unions would receive 3 percent pay increases on the first day of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2013, 2014, and 2015, according to Christopher Keating at Courant.com.

In other words, as long as Dannel Malloy is Governor, the size and scope of state government will not shrink by a single person. In fact, the state payroll will most likely increase. Note the fact that the deal does NOT include a hiring freeze, only a wage freeze for current employees. In fact, by calling for the creation of a Tier III in the state pension system for new employees hired after July 1, the administration shows an expectation and willingness to increase the state’s payroll burden on the taxpayers over the next four years.

Malloy achieved his “concessions” by simply freezing the rate at which the state is spending itself into oblivion for as short time after which the spending spree will continue.

It’s like kids playing freeze tag. They stop for few seconds then continue running around like crazy.

Without any meaningful cuts in spending, the Malloy deal is really just playing political freeze tag.

But our governor is no dummy. In four years Malloy can now say, “I got tough with the labor unions won concessions.” He didn’t really get tough but it works in a stump speech. He can say, “I held the line on state salaries.” While at the same time state payroll continues to grow in size.

The truth is, the problem has not been address, only kicked down the road four years but what then? The problem is still there. The state is still sliding toward the abyss of insolvency due to out-of-control spending.

Perhaps like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, the governor is saying, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”