On the Campaign Trail: A ‘Walk in a New Direction’
Westport News, Thursday, July 03, 2008
By David Hennessey
Appropriately labeling his "steamy 22-mile walk" from Greenwich to Bridgeport a metaphor for the undoubtedly arduous political campaign trail to come, Democratic candidate for Congress Jim Himes made a pit stop for a barbecue in Ryan Park in South Norwalk last Saturday to speak with voters and address some of their concerns.
The purpose of the walk was to demonstrate the interconnectedness of district towns and, Himes' supporters said, to emphasize the need for change in Washington. That's why Saturday's event was dubbed "Walk in a New Direction."
Himes' journey -- which he completed with an entourage of enthusiastic supporters -- began bright and early in Greenwich, continued through Stamford and Darien before it stopped briefly in South Norwalk, and then traversed Westport and Fairfield before finally ending after 8 p.m. on Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport.
Nearly 100 supporters came out to Ryan Park for the event and listened to Himes' words before the Rhodes Scholar turned NPO exec continued through hot and humid Fairfield County on foot.
"We are carrying the torch of patriotism. We are Americans and we are back," Himes said, seemingly unfazed, halfway through the 22-mile trek.
He went on to emphasize the need for universal health care and the crafting of a sensible energy policy, a problem on the minds of most local citizens with prices at the pump reaching $4.50 per gallon.
"We need to keep on marching from this walk, right up to Congress," said Norwalk Common Council President Fred Bondi. "Jim is the right man to do it."
In a phone interview Sunday, despite fatigue from the previous day, Himes said he was excited about the prospects for his campaign and the upcoming months.
"The underlying idea behind Saturday's event was to emphasize that our district is not that big and, with new leadership, we can accomplish the goals we want to accomplish," he said.
"Without a doubt, the question I hear most concerns our energy and gas situation, particularly the costs of heating oil for the upcoming winter," Himes added, citing an "utter lack of leadership" as at least part of the reason for the current state of affairs, and labeling a decrease in dependence on foreign oil as an absolute must.
Himes also briefly addressed the apparent problems of No Child Left Behind.
"While the underlying idea is good and whole, the implementation has been a disaster," he said. "It is ethically and economically intolerable that we have children growing up without adequate education."...
