Dennis House taped “Face the State” with former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley on Thursday evening, and by Saturday Foley had sent out an email to supporters telling them not to miss his appearance: he would lay out “four examples of improprieties that are typical of the way the Malloy administration does business while shafting average citizens!” The contents of the program were embargoed , but this missive did not go unnoticed by some members of the news media. By the time the program aired Sunday morning at 11, reporters were watching. (The line “I’ve heard and people believe these to be true” was a personal favorite.) Many stories were written about Foley’s allegations; we think reporters will relate to what a Journal Inquirer editorial calls “Foley’s Insulting Attack on Journalism”:
Tom Foley, running again for the Republican nomination for governor, insulted journalism in Connecticut with his televised attack Sunday on Gov. Dannel Malloy. Asked in an interview on WFSB-TV’s “Face the State” program about his charges that Malloy administration insiders are getting “special deals,” Foley declared that his charges “meet journalistic standards.” But then he repeated what he acknowledged to be only rumors that he had not verified, and he provided no evidence for them. Does Foley really think that responsible news organizations operate this way? There probably isn’t even one news organization in Connecticut that would have published or broadcast his specific assertions on its own without checking them out first.
“he (Tom Foley) repeated what he acknowledged to be only rumors that he had not verified, and he provided no evidence for them” – Chris Powell
Mr. Powell notes the very point that undoes Mr. Foley as a competent or trustworthy candidate for the office of Governor.
How disappointing when it seemed so important to watch and carefully listen to Mr. Foley he delivered an unsupported list of vague opinions and accusation.
No thank you Mr. Foley. Governor Malloy is far less than inspiring or effective in his stewardship (with some blunders, like the ridiculous busway) but he is no John Rowland.
Mr. Foley by presenting little more than a whisper campaign deflates any interest Nutmeggers might have had in Foley’s brand of tough but fair management.
If, with nothing to prevent a factual reasoned indictment of the sitting Governor, Foley instead delivers a limp balloon of innuendo, then please, care enough about the responsibility to do your homework and present a real choice and real solutions.
Otherwise why seek the office he seems so disinterested in?