Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has beat the Democrats to the punch on this one.

Yesterday, McCain for President head honcho Rick Davis sent out an e-mail to the Faithful pushing a new set of McCain for President wares - the “eco-friendly” product line.  You can now purchase your “unstructured organic cotton canvas” hat or a tote bag, the description of which is: “5 ounce organic cotton, lightweight and affordable, is woven in the United States where each part of the process can be certified organic”.  Neither Sen. Clinton nor Sen. Obama have such featured items yet.  It is a heady day for Republicans, who have often been far behind the curve when it comes to 100% organic cotton onesies.

Less heady by far for the GOP was the surprising special election loss in Mississippi’s rock-ribbed Republican 1st Congressional District.  In the low-turnout special, Travis Childers, a “Democrat” whose policy positions actually make him more conservative than many New England Republicans, won a 54%-46% victory over Republican Greg Davis.  Fortuitously, the National Republican Congressional Committee is on the second floor of the RNC Building, so those jumping out the window this morning won’t have far to fall.

With this loss, and the continued jitters in some circles about the portent of a Barack Obama candidacy, some Republicans are already starting to eulogize the 2008 election season as a wipeout.  We finally discover who were those people that bought into that “permanent Republican majority” talk of not so long ago.  Add this all up, then pile on the “John McCain hates Global Warming” messaging from this week from Camp McCain and you quickly get the Old Guard looking for the exits. 

But while they are running away, cooler heads are starting to wonder if this year’s Republican primary voters had looked into their crystal ball and seen what was coming.  McCain’s big breaks with President Bush over global warming, Gitmo, and pork barrel spending may be just what the doctor ordered for Republicans in 2008.  Generic balloting is all doom-and-gloom for Republicans - if you haven’t heard “1994 in Reverse” yet, just wait a bit - but McCain is competitive in battleground states across the nation. 

So stop snickering - order your 70% bamboo, 30% organic cotton, biodegradable t-shirt now.

In her acceptance speech Monday night before Third District Democrats, nine-term incumbent Rosa DeLauro praised herself for “making the tough decisions,” as the most liberal member of Congress. She said the “middle class is being squeezed like never before,” and promised continued vigilance against big oil and mortgage lenders.

One of DeLauro’s recent “tough decisions” was her leadership on the issue of horse meat, or rather the “slaughter” of horses who have come to the end of their lives in the pen or prairie.

According to the Jim Santomaso of the Livestock Marketing Association, the ban creates a humanitarian problem since there is no way to properly dispose of horses who are dying or head to the final grazing area in the sky.

DeLauro’s Agriculture subcommittee ending funding for oversight of three horse slaughtering facilities in the country, effectively ending the practice. You, know, a day doesn’t go by when someone from Derby or East Haven calls this office to complain about horse slaughtering and how cruel it is. But that is the DeLauro mindset. Turns out this policy, a priority for someone who represents a district with a few horses grazing in maybe Orange, has consequences.

“We told the lawmakers that horse owners want and need a legitimate, practical and humane way to dispose of their horses that have come to the end of their useful life, but still have value as a slaughter animal,” Santomaso said.

The “terrible result” of legislation banning this slaughter, he said, “is to close legitimately operated food processing plants, based solely on cultural and emotional arguments. And that sets a very dangerous precedent of banning a legitimate meat product for reasons other than food safety or public health.”

Supporters of the ban, Santomaso said, have been successful in framing the issue “as an emotional one, similar to a person dealing with an ailing pet. What we told members of Congress, and their staffs, is that the horse slaughter issue can, indeed be an emotional one. But it’s much more than that.  It encompasses humane animal treatment, private property rights, and economic rights.  LMA’s member businesses are the marketing agents for thousands of U.S. horse owners.

So, while people struggling with higher energy prices, pay more taxes than any other state in the union and watch the equity in their homes evaporate, Rosa DeLauro continues her quest for animal justice.

There has to be a joke in there someplace.

Arguably the most interesting storyline of the 2008 Congressional Conventions was in the 5th Congressional District face-off between former State Rep. Anthony Nania and State Sen. David Cappiello.  Sen. Cappiello announced his bid for Congress and had already raised a significant sum of money when rumors began circulating about a Nania challenge in August ‘07.  Speculation continued to run rampant as website domains were reserved and Republican Town Committees were visited during the winter months. 

In recent weeks, however, the effort seemed to wane as the fundraising tallies for the two gentlemen headed in opposite directions - with Cappiello’s coffers growing while Nania’s fell flat.  It still came as a surprise, however, when former State Rep. Nania informed Chairman Healy that he would not be mounting a Convention challenge to Cappiello yesterday.  His gracious exit from the race clears the way for Cappiello’s nomination tomorrow.

Republicans all across Connecticut will gather in their various Congressional Districts this Saturday, May 10th, to nominate candidates for Congress.  The First Congressional District Convention will be held at West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium, at 10am.  It is anticipated that West Hartford Councilor Joseph Visconti will be nominated.  Former Commander Sean Sullivan will stand for nomination in the 2nd Congressional District.  And in the Fourth District, Congressman Christopher Shays will be re-nominated for another term in Congress.

The folowing is a statement by Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy concerning the Fifth Congressional District and candidate Anthony Nania’s decision to end his canddiacy:

“Today, Anthony Nania formally informed the Connecticut Republican Party that he is withdrawing for the Fifth Congressional race. Mr. Nania has also told us he intends to support our nominee, State Sen. David Cappiello, during the campaign, and after his recuperation from major orthopedic surgery.”

“Republicans are now more united than ever in purpose and action to support and elect Sen. Cappiello as our next Congressman for the Fifth Congressional District.”

The Democrat controlled Legislature mercifully ended the second year of the 2007-2008 session Wednesday night, turning its backs on the citizens of Connecticut while promising to pursue several initiatives in a Special Session that further drive businesses and residents from our borders.  Gov. Rell skipped the end of session speech which speaks loudly on the performance of the majority Democrats.

“I decided that everybody’s temper is just getting a little too short right now,” Rell said about six hours before adjournment. “By midnight, I think everyone’s going to be a little tired.”

Despite efforts by the House Republican “Fighting 44″, the Democrats refused a vote on the GOP’s alternative budget that would have eliminated taxes on estates and businesses, reduced the gas tax at the wholesale level and provide an early retirement plan for 4,000 state employees that would save $160 million.

House Speaker James Amann, D-Miflord, eyeing the door toward an early retirement, blocked all efforts to have the Republican budget called.

Senate Democrats approved a health care bill that would open the state health plan to small businesses and municipalities.  The bill, backed by the public sector labor unions, would be the first step to state control of private health insurance. Gov. Rell has expressed deep skepticism about the proposal as has OPM Secretary Robert Genurario. All Senate Republicans and one Senate Democrat, Joan Hartley of Waterbury opposed it, so a veto would be sustained.

Democrats pledged to come back in a Special Session to push for more staffing at nursing homes that would bankrupt nursing homes, push again for pension revocation for public officials (but not those covered by collective bargaining) and to extend the Conveyance Tax on the sale of homes.

House and Senate Republicans will hold a press conference at noon today to discuss the session and offer their insights into what this means for Connecticut.

With just a few hours remaining in the Legislative Session, the Capitol is abuzz with activity.  The lobbyists are in the hallway, staffers are running around frantically, and the legislators are busy talking their lives away.  The Connecticut taxpayer has, to this point, avoided the worst of the Legislative angst, but there are still several hours until the clock runs out.

Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party Chris Healy has released an audio message on the Republican “Do Something” Budget that has been proposed by the House Republican Caucus and the Senate Republican Caucus.  You can find that message by clicking play below.

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Hartford Republican Town Committee Chairman and State Central Committee Member Mike McGarry wrote an Op-Ed piece for today’s Hartford Courant, entitled, “Tax Burden Crushing LIfe Out of City Businesses”.  Some of the highlights are posted here.

“Most Hartford residents understand two basic facts about the city: Hartford’s responsibilities outweigh its resources and its government has shrunk (some departments are just shells). Nevertheless, Hartford’s Republican Party has a responsibility to comment on this year’s budget and its potentially dangerous outcomes.

The most startling and underreported statistic is the continuing overtaxation of small businesses — the heartbeat of the city. A bakery in the South End will see a property tax hike this year of more than 30 percent on top of a 20 percent increase last year — obviously unfair. Such increases are self-defeating.”

. . .

“Of course, the answer to all this, according to the tax reform task force, the mayor and the council, is more state aid. Well, sorry, folks, the man behind curtain is just that, a false hope. Hartford already gets much more state aid than any other city — $38 million more than New Haven. With this year a fiscal train wreck and next year’s state budget a potential meltdown, our city has to either reduce expenditures or raise taxes just to keep afloat. And we’ve seen the effect of overtaxation: shrinking business investment in the tools that create wealth.”