Message from Fasano

Sen. Leonard Fasano shares his final thoughts on the convention:

I know, I fell behind again.

Sen. John McCain’s speech was exactly what he had to deliver, and he didn’t need to have the polished speech like Obama. All Sen. McCain had to do was to talk from the heart.

Unfortunately his speech was interrupted by protesters.

The first were a few Ron Paul supporters. We were told that at some point in the convention, these Ron Paul supporters were going to cause an interruption and were told to chant “U.S.A.” to drown them out. The second protest were two women who were either anit-war or anti-something, and again we chanted them out with the same “U.S.A.” slogan. These two women had credentials to get into the convention, where they began to take off their dark clothing exposing clothes with bright pink (certainly not my choice of color) and glitter. Secrete service reacted relatively slow, but when they finally made their way to these two women, one ran and the other was lifted off the ground and carried out of the building.

The excitement as McCain finished his speech was overwhelming. It was a true party atmosphere complete with the traditional balloon drop. The balloon drop was really cool. People were dancing and singing, and the real party began.

One of the most exciting events was when our very own Republican state senator, Dave Cappiello from the Danbury area, was given an opportunity to address the crowed at 6:17 p.m. on the last day.

I went with David, and it was really a great experience. We went behind the stage and met a lot of high profile political people like Sen. Graham, Sen. Lott, Newt Gingrich, Republican minority leader Cong, John Boehner and many others. Behind the stage David was given pointers on how to speak at the podium, which were very helpful. He had make-up put on him and was taught the basics on how to present himself in front of the camera, The person giving him the pointers apparently was a speech instructor who only gives instruction of podium speaking (go figure).

After the preparation work, Dave practiced back stage using the same type of teleprompters used on the stage. When the speech is on the teleprompters, there are signs to tell the speaker what to do. For example a “#” sign means look straight ahead and “*” means look to the side. This behind the scenes was particularly interesting, because very few people see this type of activity.

Well, the experience was unbelievable. The nomination of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for vice president made it a historic event for which I am most pleased that I was involved. I have been asked if I would do it again, and I guess the answer is it depends. The next time I would go is if I were more involved. I attended this event purely as a spectator, and I think the next time I would like to play a role in the actual event. And I don’t mean as a speaker. I mean in the development of the program or on a committee. Nevertheless it was great to see this type of event up close.

For those who read my blog, I hope you enjoyed what I wrote, and I apologize for the tardiness of some the entries. I also want to thank Amanda Falcone for reading the blog and making the necessary corrections so that it could be read more easily, and I thank her for her patience. Amanda covers the state Capitol for the Record Journal, and she does a great job. I also want to thank the Record Journal for giving me the opportunity to place this blog on their Web site.

Thanks and god bless.

Photo courtesy of Sen. Fasano.

Farrell shares final thoughts

Jerry Farrell Jr. on Sunday, 7 a.m., Wallingford time:

I have not had access to a computer since Thursday afternoon, so this is my somewhat belated report on what occurred on Thursday at the Republican National Convention.

On Thursday night, the convention nominated Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as their presidential candidate, and he accepted.

In contrast to some of the speeches that had been given earlier in the week, such as Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin's speeches, McCain's acceptance speech was very direct. It was surprisingly lacking in rhetoric and did not talk much to what his policies will be. But, actually, I think it succeeded very well in doing what McCain needed to do - bond with the American people. In essence, his speech said, "this is who I am, I will do the right thing, your trust in me is well-placed."

To win, a presidential candidate - no matter their ideology or platform, has to bond with the American people; they have to feel "I trust this guy, with my economic well-being, with the security of our country, with shaping my future and that of my children." A presidential candidate who can't bond in that way with the American people isn't going to win.

Given the difficulties McCain faces - the war in Iraq, a difficult economy at home, and dis-satisfaction with Bush - the most essential thing that McCain had to do on Thursday night was establish that level of trust between himself and the American people. And I think his speech succeeded very much in that regard.

It was great to have a ringside seat to this moment in American history. No matter your background - Republican, Democrat, or Independent - to sit there and watch this part of what is going to be one of the most hard-fought races for the American presidency was one of those moments you don't forget.

Special thanks to our bloggers

With the Democratic and Republican national conventions now behind us, I want to publicly thank those who blogged for Myrecordjournal.com over the past two weeks.

So, thank you to state House Majority Leader Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, Meriden Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Mildred Torres-Ferguson, Meriden City Councilor Hilda Santiago, Meriden resident Mia Lilienthal and Wallingford's Sam Carmody for telling everyone about Denver. Also, thank you to Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, state Sen. Leonard Fasano, R-North Haven, and state Commissioner of Consumer Protection Jerry Farrell Jr., of Wallingford, for sharing their stories from St. Paul.

Although the conventions are over, please continue to check this blog over the next few days. We may have additional pictures and stories for you!

Amanda Falcone
Record-Journal staff

Fedele announces state's vote

Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele checks in:

Things are rocking in St. Paul, Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele said Thursday. After Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's speech, Republicans were pretty energized and excited, he said.

Fedele continued to say that Palin did a great job showing that she is confident being a vice presidential nominee. She showed she was qualified and ready to take on any one, he said.

"She had to lay all her chips on the table," Fedele said.

And she did just that.

Palin was sincere about special needs, and her speech reinforced that she is just a regular person trying to make a difference, Fedele said.

"She's just a normal person--a mom," he said, adding that Palin was quick on her feet, using humor during her speech that was not in the script.

Fedele should know. From where he was sitting, he could see the teleprompter.

Thursday evening was also exciting for Fedele for another reason. The lieutenant governor had the honor of announcing Connecticut's delegate votes during the roll call.

- Reported by Amanda Falcone

Convention moments captured

The photos below are courtesy of state Sen. Leonard Fasano, R-North Haven.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, above, accepts her nomination as the Republican Party's vice presidential candidate Tuesday.

State Sen. Leonard Fasano poses with Karl Rove, former White House chief of staff for President Bush.

Farrell heads to Mall of America

Jerry Farrell Jr. sends an e-mail update:

Wednesday was a very busy day for the Connecticut delegation. We started our day with a trip to the Mall of America, known as the largest mall in the world. It was interesting to see so many stores all in one place, but other than buying $5 toy elephants for my kids, I did not buy anything. Sorry, Minnesota, I need to save my money for spending back in Connecticut!

By mid-afternoon, we were on our way to the convention hall, stopping for an early dinner at a local Italian restaurant. U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao addressed the delegation on a number of issues related to upcoming changes in labor law. Her visit with the delegation was thanks to Barbara Franklin.

We forget that Connecticut's own Barbara Franklin was the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in the Bush 41 presidency. Barbara and her husband, Wally Barnes, are part of the Connecticut delegation and very nice people.

Wednesday night's convention line-up brought on stage former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle. They all gave speeches that built up to the nomination and acceptance speech of Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, as the vice presidential nominee. There was certainly a lot of energy in the room last night!

Very tired, our delegation returned to our hotel around midnight, but got up early this morning, because our breakfast speaker was U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. Former Congressman Larry Denardis, who all those years ago (1980) beat Lieberman in his run for Congress, had asked Lieberman last night if he would come to address the Connecticut delegation, and he graciously accepted.

We will head back to the convention hall mid-afternoon for the final session and the nomination and acceptance speech of John McCain.

That's all for now...

Republicans energetic in St. Paul

State Sen. Leonard Fasano comments on Tuesday events:

Ok, I am a little behind in my blogging, but Tuesday night turned out to be a long night. Although there were no protesters to deal with, the night was very eventful. The crowds were much larger than previous nights and the entire spirit of the convention was filled with energy.

The night began with some routine speakers, but then the appearance of President Bush (the father) and BarbaraBush excited the crowd and caused a spontaneous applause. This was the beginning of a Republican Convention that was about to inspire an enormous amount of voters.

Following tearful and moving stories about Sen. McCain’s heroic actions and a salute to all, veteran Laura Bush, the first lady, gave her speech in a manner that is indicative of all her speeches. Her speech was warm, sincere and profound. Mrs. Bush's speech, coupled with a video from the president, resulted in establishing a base for the party for which Wednesday night will undoubtedly be a turning point in this election.

Also, U.S. Sen. Lieberman, I-Conn., gave a terrific speech. His emphasis on doing the right thing for this country, without regard to party, is the quintessential element of the McCain campaign. Lieberman layed out the elements that result in the only responsible vote is a vote for the McCain ticket. His logic and reasoning is solid. This speech ended the night in preparation for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech tomorrow

As you sit in the audience, with the hurricane fears behind the nation, you feel the energy and excitement building and you can feel the anticipation of really getting this campaign--and more importantly the campaign message--off to a running start.

I have some pictures of Tuesday's events, but not all of them came out the way I thought they would. I hope a few aren’t too bad.

Photo courtesy of state Sen. Leonard Fasano. U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., above, addresses those attending the Republican National Convention Tuesday.