State Democrats react

Connecticut Dems react to Biden taking office, Trump leaving

Connecticut Democrats looked forward with hope Wednesday to a new political era as Republican Donald Trump departed Washington.

HARTFORD — Connecticut Democrats looked forward with hope Wednesday to a new political era as Republican Donald Trump departed Washington after four years on the day that Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46 th president of the United States.

Ever since Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton four years ago in a bitter battle, hardcore Democrats had been seeking to oust Trump from office and block him from a second term.

In both style and substance, Biden is sharply different from Trump — as Democrats look ahead to healing and a change of pace in national leadership.

“I’ve been waiting for this for four years — long overdue as far as I’m concerned,” said Gov. Ned Lamont, a strong and early supporter of Biden’s candidacy. “This is the country that we recognize again and know and love. That’s what we saw.”

With Democrats controlling the executive and legislative branches, Lamont said it is time to move forward.

“Let’s not squander this opportunity,” he said. “We have friends in the White House now. We have two Democratic senators —[Chris] Murphy and [Richard] Blumenthal — who are now in the majority. This is our opportunity to get things done. We don’t overplay our hand, but we play our hand. ... This is a time for us as a party and we as leaders to show that we can lead.”

Lamont added, “I’m sleeping a little easier tonight.”

In Connecticut, Lamont and House Speaker Matt Ritter of Hartford are hoping that the new Bid en administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress will send more money to Connecticut in order to help balance the state budget that is projected to have deficits of morethan$1 billion in eachof the next two years. In the current fiscal year that ends on June 30, the state is expected to have a growing surplus of nearly $140 million, officials said.

Lamont did not predict the precise amount of money that might come to Connecticut, but Blumenthal said Connecticut would benefit from direct aid as well as money for items like vaccine distribution that will help both state and local governments.

Both Lamont and Blumenthal said there is now a better chance that Biden and the Congress could change or eliminate the $10,000 cap on state and local taxes that is knownas the SALT cap, which was signed into law in 2017 by Trump and disproportionately impacts high-tax states like Connecticut.

Wednesday was a historic day as former U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California becamethe first woman, the first South Asian-American and the first Black vice president in the nation’s history.

On a conference call, several Democrats said they were crying or had tears in their eyes on an emotional and historic day as power changed hands in Washington, D.C.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, the state’s chief elections official, said 2020 had been difficult with major controversies surrounding the elections in a year that was also marked by the coronavirus pandemic.

“For me, today was very emotional,’’ Merrill said. “I found myself crying a lot — not only with joy for the fact that the day had come but also with an enormous amount of relief that we were finally here. ... This has been a long, difficult year for those of us who manage elections in Connecticut, but particularly across the country. I thought of all my colleagues, secretaries of state, in these swings states where they were really defending democracy day after day, month after month. Without their fortitude, I would say we wouldn’t be here today.”

Many Republicans are still upset about Trump’s departure, and many believe his false claims that the election was stolen from him due to fraud. Among Republicans surveyed recently by Quinnipiac University, 73% said they believe there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. On the other hand, only 5% of Democrats and 36% of independents said there was widespread fraud in November’s election.

But House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford said that both Republicans and Democrats need to move forward to restore respect for democracy. As soon as Trump was sworn in, the opposition began, and a huge protest march was held in Washington on the next day in January 2017.

“Unlike what we saw four years ago, I am willing to accept President Biden as my president,” Candelora said. “I hope he succeeds because failure is not an option for this country. ... We don’t have to embrace the president’s policies, but we have to embrace the president.’’

Biden has a chance to bring the country together, Candelora said. But he added that Biden’s speech after the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 had not healed the country.

“I don’t think it was unifying,” Candelora said of the speech. “I think it poured more salt in the wounds.”

On a day of ceremonies, lawmakers were also looking forward to policies that will impact millions of Americans across the country.

“On the public policy front, I’m glad he’s looking to extend the hold on payments of student loan debt,” said Sen. Cathy Osten, a Sprague Democrat. “I like his plan to spend $400 billion on ‘Buy American’ goods and materials. I support his desire to increase access to the Affordable Care Act and expand access to Medicaid, and of course, I applaud his plan for millions of coronavirus vaccinations. I think Joe Biden is committed to getting our schools and businesses reopened, which is really going to help our national economy and job creation.”

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a New Haven Democrat and the influential chair of the House Appropriations Committee who said she is “a stoic person,” described herself as “very emotional” on Wednesday.

“You don’t realize the oppressiveness of the last administration — every day and every way, dividing people, pitting people against one another, creating hate and lies and deception,” DeLauro said. “When [longtime husband] Stan [Greenberg] and I got back to the house, we started crying because we didn’t realize how much of a pall Donald Trump had on us.”

An often-fiery speaker, DeLauro said, “My God, we are listening for the first time in four years to someone who gives us a vision of hope for the future, rather than dragging us down in just chaos and lies. It was a great day, my friends — a glorious day.’’

Blumenthal said that he, too, was emotional.

“There were tears in my eyes,” Blumenthal said onthe Democratic conference call. “My heart was in my throat. ... It restored my faith in American leaders.”

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the day was particularly historic and memorable for women because of the election of Harris as the first woman vice president.

“Like so many women and girls, I always dreamed of seeing a woman elected to serve in the White House,” Bysiewicz said. “So many women have helped to pave the way to shatter the glass ceiling — women like Shirley Chisholm, Hillary Clinton, and Ella Grasso, the first female governor elected in her ownright. ... This is about all the young girls at home who are watching with their family and friends. It’s about showing girls and young women across our country that they, too, have the power to change the world.”

U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes of Wolcott, a Democrat and the first Black woman elected to Congress from Connecticut, also remarked on Harris’ history-making inauguration.

“Millions of Americans can now look to the White House and see themselves in the eyes of the vice president,” she said. “Her presence in the White House provides an incalculable level of validation and empowerment to millions of Americans who have never seen someone who looks like them hold such power and responsibility.”

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said it was “hard to describe that feeling” on a special day of important breakthroughs.

“As an Asian American, this is a really important moment,” Tong said. “As the son of immigrants, this was an urgent day that we get here so that we can resume being and feeling like Americans after all the hate that has been directed at Asian Americans since the onset of this pandemic.”

Sen. Christine Cohen, a Guilford Democrat, said she hopes that Biden and Harris can unite the country and make progress on various issues as many businesses are still struggling from the effects of the pandemic.

“There is a sense of focus around the issues that concern us all and unite us as Americans: fighting the coronavirus, delivering financial relief to families in need, growing jobs and the economy, expanding access to health care and creating a cleaner environment,” Cohen said. “I have high hopes for this incredible team to bring our nation together, repair foreign relations, heal open wounds, and bring us toward a brighter, healthier and more pros