Republican Candidates, Mr. Softee Target Greenwich Seniors

Ramping up their respective campaigns as they enter the final stretch to the November elections, Republican candidates Linda McMahon, who is seeking retiring U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman's seat, and Steve Obsitnik, the GOP's pick to run against incumbent Democrat Jim Himes for the Fourth District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, stumped before a packed house at the Greenwich Senior Center last Friday.

McMahon, former CEO of Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment and a Greenwich resident, said she has a proven track record of creating jobs here in Connecticut.

"That's what we need in Washington — we need people who understand what is necessary to grow our businesses and grow our middle class," she told the crowd of about 50 seniors who gathered in the Senior Center's lunch room on Sept. 14.

McMahon, who spent about $50 million of her own money on her 2010 bid for former Sen. Chris Dodd's seat, only to lose to Democrat and fellow Greenwich resident Richard Blumenthal, touched on the major components of the "six point plan" she developed prior to coming into the current campaign.

"It starts with a tax cut for the middle class," McMahon said, adding that putting money back in workers' pockets is the path to stimulating the economy. "Second it reduces business taxes from 35 to 25 percent, to make us globally competitive and keep our jobs here. Third it rolls back overburdensome regulations: We spend $1.75 trillion in regulations today — I know we need regulations, we'd run amok without them — but they're overburdensome."

"... I'd cut spending 1 percent from what we're spending today," McMahon continued. "Now when I say that, people always ask 'Where will that money come from?' Well, the Government Accounting Office every year shows duplicative and overlapping programs in government. Now we're scheduled to spend $1.3 trillion in the upcoming budget. One percent of that is $38 billion. And I think we can find $38 billion without draconian cuts — I'm not going to make cuts to education and things that are important for all of us to grow."

McMahon said the 1 percent in savings would be derived from consolidating duplicative services.

"We spend $200 billion a year for these duplicative and overlapping programs," she said. "… 47 programs for job training, 88 programs relative to training for financial education programs… we really don't need all of this."

Referencing the fifth component in her plan, McMahon said the state needs to focus on improving secondary education and training in order to build a more skilled workforce.

"During my recent job tours through the state I visited almost 250 companies — and what I've found is that may of them have jobs — they just don't have a workforce coming through the door that is trained," she said. "We need to make sure we are working with our vocational schools, community colleges and technical schools, and matching the curriculum to the jobs that are available. We're rapidly turning out a generation that has no skills."

Finally, McMahon said she would pick up the fight "to fully develop our energy policy so we are energy independent."  She said the U.S. must continue to drill for oil and gas "while we develop alternative energies like wind, geothermal and solar. We need to protect our environment — and we can be successful in doing it all."

"I would be honored to serve as your United States Senator," McMahon told the seniors. "I can tell you that I will fight hard to make sure we get our economy back on track, because our economy is the foundation of everything we are doing in this country."

"We can't have a strong foreign policy if we don't have a strong economic policy here at home," she added. "It's really difficult to negotiate with people around the world if they own a good part of your debt. It's really hard to negotiate treaties if you are in a beholden position."

Next up was Obsitnik, a Westport resident and decorated Navy lieutenant who piloted nuclear attack submarines. He's now CEO of Quintel Solutions, a provider of wireless antennas for mobile communications based out of Rochester, NY.

"I'm running for Congress because I think you deserve better, Connecticut deserves better and the United States of America deserves better than what we've had over the past four years," Obsitnik told the seniors. "I'm running against Rep. Jim Himes — and we deserve better than what he's provided."

"We need jobs in Connecticut — we need to address out fiscal mess — and most importantly we need some courageous leadership in Washington," Obsitnik said. "Because this next Congress is going to deal with more change than we've had in the past 30 years. So it's going to come down to: Who do you trust? You have a Congressman there now who really believes that big government and stimulus and all these things from the past few years are the path to prosperity for us and our kids."

Obsitnik grew up in Stamford and attended Stamford High School. He graduated from the US Naval Academy and spent five years in the US Nuclear Submarine force, he said.

"I used to chase Soviet submarines under the polar ice cap — and I spent a lot of time in the Mediterranean," he said. "I've been on the front line — and I understand what that means."

Obsitnik said after his discharge from the Navy he went into business, mainly working in the technology industry as a business executive in both Silicon Valley and Connecticut.

Obsitnik related a story about how his five-foot tall grandfather from Germany, who came to the US in 1928, got fired from Merck and Co. after the first day "because they realized he didn't speak English."

"So he did what any good German would do — he picked himself up and he started his own precision parts shop," Obsitnik said. "Soon he had his own lathe and drill press… and next thing you know he started to hire some people."

"And in 1982 one of the proudest moments of my life was watching [my grandfather] the 'short little German guy,' walk into the Rose Garden in Washington DC and [President] Ronald Reagan give him an award for Best Small Business in the United States of America," Obsitnik said as the seniors launched into applause.

"My grandfather used to say to me 'Steve you know the problem with your generation? My generation put dessert at the end of the meal — but your generation started to put dessert at the beginning of the meal,'" Obsitnik said. "This is a guy, who, when I was 13 and I was working in the machine shop, on the drill press, he'd pay me three bucks, and I'd go to put it my pocket and he'd say 'Whoa, whoa, you have to pay 30 percent to taxes.' And I'd say 'Who is this FICA?' 'What are these taxes?' I mean I was 13 years old… So, he was an inspiration to me."

Obsitnik said when the economic downturn hit hard in 2008, his manufacturing business took a hit when "the bank called me up and said you're line of credit has been cut in half." He said the challenge in that situation is "you still have to make payroll — and balance budgets — and make hard decisions — and be a leader. That's when you learn about your values and who you are."

Obsitnik said he has the courage to be accountable in Washington.

"It starts with the simple things I learned in business," he explained. "In business you have a strategy — and then you convert that strategy into a plan — and then you put metrics on that plan — and then people hold you accountable for that. That's how our families work, that's how our businesses work. But unfortunately that's not how the United States Congress works."

"I'm running because you deserve better. I want to go down there, solve big problems, and I want to be accountable," he said. "And if in two years or four years, I don't meet your standard and I don't make life better here, then I don't deserve to be there."

Following the event the seniors enjoyed ice cream and other treats provided by Mr. Softee.