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In mid-December, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told reporters that during his second term, he would abandon his habit of reflexively pinning Connecticut’s problems on Republican former Govs. John G. Rowland and M. Jodi Rell. “At this point, four years into this, I own this stuff,” Gov. Malloy said.
In the nearly four months since the governor made those remarks, Connecticut has had its share of trouble.
Budget deficits have been projected for fiscal years 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17, continuing the state’s long tradition of messy finances. If you believe Senate Minority Leader Leonard A. Fasano, R-North Haven, there are no good options for plugging the 2014-15 hole. Meanwhile, Gov. Malloy’s proposed 2015-16 and 2016-17 budgets have come in for criticism from advocacy groups and politicians of both parties. By the Malloy administration’s own admission, the 2015-16 side runs afoul of the spending cap set by the state constitution.
Connecticut’s economy is depressing, too. While the state gained jobs in January, it runs behind the rest of the country in regaining jobs lost during the 2007-09 Great Recession. Indeed, in February, Connecticut lost nearly 4,000 jobs.
Gov. Malloy hasn’t attempted to blame Mr. Rowland and Mrs. Rell for these difficulties, but he hasn’t taken responsibility, either. It doesn’t surprise that he is taking this mushy middle ground.
The governor’s December comments got a lot of play, and he knows as well as anyone that Rowland/Rell blaming at this point would be thrown back in his face. At the same time, Gov. Malloy is quite arrogant, and it was too much to expect him to take explicit ownership of Connecticut’s sorry shape.
With speculation about the governor’s national ambitions increasing, I doubt we will see him man up any time soon.
