House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero is not pleased that President Barack Obama’s visit to Connecticut will shut down Sherwood Isle State Park In Westport today.
“It is the arrogance of power and crass partisanship to shut down Sherwood Isle at the height of the summer vacation season and dislodge all these families,” Cafero said in a press release. “It is outrageous that the Democrats turn Sherwood Isle into a personal heliport for the president so that he can be ferried back and forth to hobnob with millionaires and billionaires for the day.”
Republican Party Chairman Jerry Labriola said Connecticut is not a place where the president is going to meet with the public and talk about the issues or even hold a campaign rally like he did back in 2008.
“No, our state is just cash cow for the President, a short lay-over with enough time to grab a couple of bags of money,” Labriola said in a press release.
Obama will attend a $35,800 per person fundraiser in Westport at the home of movie producer Harvey Weinstein. The pricey event is expected to attract about 50 people, including celebrities such as Anne Hathaway and Aaron Sorkin. But first, Obama will stop in Stamford for a larger $500 per person reception at the Stamford Marriott.
Both of the fundraisers will benefit the “Obama for America” campaign, and neither is associated with any official presidential business.
Elizabeth Larkin, spokeswoman for the Democratic Party in Connecticut, said that’s an honor when any president Democrat or Republican visit’s the state. She said she recognizes there’s an inconvenience associated with the visit, but “it’s a short one.”
