The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-07-20
A Thought for Today
State Political Affairs

We respect the political wisdom of Republican state leaders and we dareSay that they do not entertain the blind con- ftdence held by many COP prognoStica- tors in Waterbury that the coming fall election is a conceded Baldwin victory based on the theory that the "soon-to-be' Democratic candidate Attorney Leo V. 0affney of New Britain is a political mo- body.
 It is political suicide to ever underesti- mate the potentialities of any candidate who is backed by a powerful, smoothly administered organization; such as the one in back of Gaffney. Proof of this may be found in recalling the success of former Governor Wilbur L. Cross, who at the time of his candidacy was adiudged a little boy on a mans errand and who subsequently, proved. to the Republicans, to be quite big lad for his age.
 Despite the fact that it is almost a political maxim that the party in power, the incumbent party, has an advantage entering an election campaign because of it's past patronage powers and such psychological factors as its being fore most in the publicity front due to its administrative activities, nonetheless, the coming fall Connecticut campaign tends to discard such a rule by virtue of the widespread tentacles of power injected into the state by the Roosevelt admins tration and its gigantic political organ ization. While the Republican voters have proven that in an off-year vote they could overcome the personality of Roose- welt as a e-gatherer, by the same token the Roosevelt administration has proven that 1t can, from a distance away, play havoc with the best laid plans of Con- necticut COP. powers; and has already served notice that its intentions are such this fall.
 4 party may be comprised of various factions within the whole which become a solid, hard driving, unified force when thrown into action against outside OppO- Eiti0n. Such is the case in Connecticut with the Maloney-Smith faction having whipped into shape other lesser groups whose aims may digresS somewhat from the former but who, as party wise and faithful adherents, are aware that the means must be the same to attain an all conclusive beneficial end; and the latter is the resumption of top power in connec- ticut by the Democrats.
 The Maloney-Smith faction will com- mandeer the national Democratic forces for Connecticut and has already proven its power again this year in whipping the party into shape, It is not perching- on-the-limb to say that within the next few days there will be-the0retically at leest-but one Democratic gubernatorial candidate in the picture. and that is proof Of party power of this faction. In turn, as further proof, it is safe to say that there is little likelihood of a down the line fight nov shaping up for the state convention next month.
 Such a display of unified, crushing force is not conducive to the ease-of-Inind attitude on the part of any opposition and Republican state leaders are fully prepared for a bitter contest in the eom- Ing fall election
 Therefore 1t is safe to reaffirm the statement that # is political suicide to brusll-0ff candidate because he does not have a widely publicized political back. ground, We do not have to go outside Of Waterbury t0 witness what well admin igtered organization can do, and although the allegOry may not be true one 70 comparing state and Waterbury politics, n0netheless, we have witnessed here on prominent occasions what can be done Tor a candidate by the organization,
 Attorney 6affDey has proven himself e capable man in past administrative fe' aponsjbilltles and there IS now no reason t0 be gkeptieal Of what he could do as governor Of Connecticut The Republi' cans certainly cannot attack him along such lines or else they leave Mir Dewey wide open to the same criticism,
 The pagt-0f should we sag regarding such a skeptlcaI basis, the lack Of political past-ig soon forgotten about any candidate lf the weight of the pres, ept is made heavy enough; and N is only reasonable to be aware that one Of the principal functions Of campaigning organization Is to concentrate on the present and play up Us l9medlaey "TIAere Is no time like the pFeseDt'-f0f any aspiring candidate,
 TO sum lt up more pr0saically, it must be pointed out that we have witnessed past proof 0f the political saRaeily Of the Maloieyssmith faction and other Demo. cratic groups and lt Is foolish to say that they are. iil this l044 campaign, which may be the last one Of the Roosevelt era. going t0 play around with stFaw-Illen as fhelg candidates for stakes that are so high. # follows then that any pre.Iudg. ing Of Attorney daffney aG 6 etrawsnaFl -~a political anonymlty-ls, Ike most DFeslu0ement, erroneous.