The Lady Vanishes.
A Doug Dubitsky pitch infuriated Janet Peckinpaugh at the end of a 2nd congressional district Republican debate Thursday night. State Senator Tony Guglielmo moderated the 90 minute event featuring the 2 candidates (party-endorsed Daria Novak did not participate) at the Vernon Town Hall.
The extended evening included written questions from an audience of about 50. Dubitsky waited until his closing statement to remind the audience that Democrats are sure to bring up Peckinpaugh’s association with subprime mortgage company Lend America. Peckinpaugh was not pleased that the otherwise cordial encounter concluded with a sour wind up by the Chaplin lawyer.
As Peckinpaugh, famous for her sunny disposition during her decades as a television news anchor, exited the debate, she encountered Dubitsky campaign manager Jen Harvey, who’d brought her 12 year old daughter Elena to the event to see Peckinpaugh. With Elena standing with her mother, according to Harvey mere, Peckinpaugh delivered a fusillade. Peckinpaugh called mother Harvey “a f——- ass—-” twice followed by a parting “ass—-” over Dubitsky’s reference to Lend America, according to Harvey. Daughter was in tears, mother in a fury over Peckinpaugh’s tirade, she says.
Peckinpaugh and her campaign manager left the building, leaving a hubbub among the small world of the region’s Republican activists. Peckinpaugh placed a post-meltdown call to Harvey’s home Thursday night. She also sent an email to Harvey apologizing “for my anger at you for Doug’s words.” Harvey has declined to reply to Peckinpaugh, though she wasn’t reluctant to talk about the incident for this post.
Peckinpaugh denies deploying the f-bomb. Tired and hungry at the end of a long day of campaigning, Peckinpaugh admits she was “snippy and harsh” with Harvey, who Peckinpaugh says unsuccessfully sought a paid position on her campaign. Harvey also worked on Matt Daly’s unsuccessful bid for the GOP nomination in the 2nd. A more interesting story, the former television personality asserted in a cheerful conversation this morning, would be about Dubitsky and his wife’s failure to vote over the fullness of time.
42 comments
Doug Dubitsky’s wife is not a US citizen Janet, therefore she cannot register to vote. It’s the first question on the voter registration card.
Janet should talk, when asked by Dennis House who she voted for in 2008 for Congress, she mumbled and lied saying she “didn’t remember” who she voted for. Janet, YOU DIDN’T VOTE AT ALL IN 2008 as proven by a review of the voter checkoff sheets on file with the Essex Town Clerk.
Another candidate meltdown?
The Connecticut Statewide Voter Database, maintained by the Secretary of the State, shows Janet Peckinpaugh voted in the 2008 Presidential Election.
Well Tom, that conflicts with the voter check off sheets which is where the information comes from.
Janet Peckinpaugh better hope that the Dubitsky Campaign does not have tape of her hurling her F-BOMB toward’s Jen Harvey’s 12 year old daughter
Ed….
Take that up with the Essex Registar Of Voters. SOS database says otherwise.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ted Mann, MEVD. MEVD said: RT @thetrough: And… all hell breaks loose in the 2nd District. http://bit.ly/91dhZy #ct02 #ctpolitics […]
I feel bad if her daughter had to be there to witness what Janet said, if what Harvey says is True and they have video of it then kiss Janet goodbye forever in CT politics . Harvey though from what I understand is no easy person to talk too or get along with (very two faced from what I hear from people involved in CT-2), it wouldn’t surprise me if she provoked this in a effort to get a response from Peck and to give Dubitsky’s a boost to his no chance long shot campaign.
BTW, Harvey also worked for Daria Novak… so she’s certainly made the rounds of the 2nd Congressional District campaigns. It is well known in the district that both Daly and Novak fired Harvey because she was impossible to work with.
Have you ever met Jen Harvey? Have you ever heard her vocabulary? This is the pot calling the kettle black. Those who have dealt with Harvey will tell you that she is notorious for being verbally abusive– she regularly drops f-bombs and yells at others.
If Janet Peckinpaugh was smart, she would send a tracker around to video Ms. Harvey’s interactions with others. That would be a truly valuable treasure trove.
I don’t like or support Janet Peckinpaugh at all— but this incident is being blown out of proportion.
I don’t support Janet Peckinpaugh at all– but I have to say she was very smart not to hire Jen Harvey. Ms. Harvey is negative in the extreme— all she wants to do is tear down those who she thinks have wronged her: Daria Novak and Janet Peckinpaugh.
It’s very clear that Janet Peckinpaugh is the liberal republican in the race. The fact that Ms. Harvey sought employment with Peckinpaugh and yet works for Dubitsky is very telling— it shows that she is a mercenary who sells her services to the highest bidder; not a committed conservative.
By the way, RyanC is absolutely right. Jen Harvey has a notorious reputation for being two-faced and untrustworthy.
WHOA, WHOA, WHOA everybody………I have known Janet for more than 25 years……she is s close friend and I seriously doubt she spouted profanities……what a cheap shot by you, Ms. Harvey-Harney! (Which is it by the way? It was spelled it two different ways in the article!)And shame on you Ms. Harvey-Harney! I think, quite honestly, the only “swear” I ever heard Janet utter was “heck!!!” And I am sure those who know her well would agree 100 percent…….I am so disappointed by Ms. Harvey-Harney…….These false allegations clearly signal a desperation move by the Dubitsky camp…..SAD!
By the way, anyone who is lucky enough to know Janet’s son, Alex, also knows he was raised in such a wonderful environment by a loving mom with strict values. If anyone ever swore in front of Alex, you can be sure Janet would politely tell that person that his/her kind of speech is absolutely not going to be tolerated and demand an apology….By the way, Alex is now at Harvard and is someone ANYONE would be proud to call their son!
Something else everyone should know is that when Janet was hired to do the spot for Lend America, is was a reputable business….she would have never “pitched” a company — or anything — in question. She was, quite frankly, a hard-working mom facing huge tuition bills. And, it paid off…….So please Ms. Harvey-Harney go bark up some other tree and stick to the facts…….The article had it right, Janet’s well-know sunny disposition and it is straight from the heart…….
Unfortunately, candidates cannot be selective with their resumes. If Ms. Peckinpaugh wants to run based on her years as a newswoman in this state, she will also need to own her experience with Lend America.
Are citizens of the 2nd district honestly going to send a subprime pitchwoman to Washington after those sort of loans nearly crippled our national economy?
Finally, if you think Dubitsky is having fun with the Lend America experience, wait until well funded Joe Courtney takes a crack (if it were to even get close enough to make a negative ad worth his while).
Lily..
You better reconsider your comments about what happened last night.
Janet Peckinpaugh used objectionable language last night, and you know it. Why did she call to apologize? Not for saying heck!!
Peckinpaugh better hope a tape of the incident does not show up.
Note to Tom: I’m sticking by my guns; no need to reconsider…….No threats necessary on your part either. I am quite confident that Janet is the victim of Ms. Havery-Harney’s vivid imagination……I think her (Ms. H-H) questionable character has been put into play by some of those posting comments. So, let’s stick to the facts and not let someone (whose ethics are in questions) spread false accusations…N’est pas?
As far as Janet and Joe squaring off down the road…….Janet would be the first to welcome and fair and balanced race. You won’t see her groveling and firing cheap shots……..
And one more little “P.S.-er”: I find it interesting that both “D’s” (Daria and Doug) constantly sling stuff at Janet but never hurl against each other……..I mean those actions speak for themselves, right? I think we can all assume the obvious………
Well, this does not seem to come under ‘any press is good press’.
My understanding is that Ms. Peckinpugh recently (late April?)registered as a republican is Essex. I suppose she was registered to vote either unaffiliated or as another party previously, OR she was registered in another town in Connecticut, and that way did not vote in Essex, but elsewhere in Connecticut in 2008.
Who someone voted for in 2008 is really no one’s business but the voter. However, to act as if you do not recall instead of saying, “I consider that a private matter.” is interesting in and of itself.
If 2nd district Rs get behind the winner of the primary ( I hope Daria gets this one!!), then we can make a conservative contest against Joe, who only won by a few votes. Not such a given result as you may think.
Towing a party line for Dems, leading us as they are, is not a good stance for 2nd district. We have many thinkers here.
First off I am not in the CT-2 but if I were, I’d be supporting Janet. I find her to be a bright, articulate, intelligent woman who has a vision and the common sense to do a good job in government.
Second, in terms of lauguage in front of children, while it is NOT the best thing in the world, it’s hardly going to scar the girl for life. WE ALL use these words and we ALL get angry and say them out of turn on occasion.
Talk about making mountains out of mole-hills. Jesus F’n Christ have we all gone batty?
What’s you next story Kevin…Mike Fedele’s changing the brand of his spray tan? Oh wait…you’d never write that since you’re so afraid to tell the truth about the Lt. Hypocrite…
@ M Beck
If you had met Ms. Peckinpaugh and had asked a couple of relavent questions in the race, you’d know she has pat answers now, recently learned and if not the best person to represent eastern CT in DC.
She does appear to be a nice person, but not in touch with issues until very recently. She was talked into the idea she’d make a good candidate after registering as a republlican for the first time about April/May 2010.
It is an affront to all of us who have been watching the race develop to have someone sweep in a week prior to the convention and announce that she is the best candidate.
Then she had no idea of what issues are pertinent to the 2nd district.
Looks like miss harvey is at least consistent…she played dirty politics while working for Novak, Daley and now Dubitsky.
It took doug two months to finaly say something news worthy…he and Jen Harvey were met for each other.
Janet is a liberal at best, everybody knows that. Jen Harvey is certifiably insane. She has been fired from every campaign in the 2nd so far except Janet who was wise and never hired her. Doug will come in third because he hired her. Dumb move Doug.
Jen Harvey is basically the worst person at every aspect of life. She is ignorant and a terrible liar. I don’t like Janet by any stretch of the imagination (I support Daria, who in this equations was the adult that didnt show up to childs play) but I would assume Jen Harvey is the terrible liar in this scenario, not Janet.
I bet that Joe Courtney is have a good laugh at all of this…..
@Truth Seeker
You are over the top. Get a grip. This is not open season.
You say you support Daria, great and fine, that does not give you the right to trash anyone in such a manner in a public forum, especially a fellow republican.
You are guilty of what you judge others to be.
You claim your candidate didn’t show up at this child’s play, yet your taunts would find a place at any 2nd grade school play ground. Hopefully we won’t judge your Candidate Daria by your avowed support.
Since when is letting the voters listen and hear the candidates’ answers “child’s play”?
Clean it up “Truth Seeker” or find a playground.
I agree Bob C….
The Novak people must be so insecure about their candidate that they have to go after Jen Harvey.
You people are all wet about Mrs. Harvey. She may curse like a sailor, but she runs a tight ship. Just look at how far she has risen Doug Dubitsky to the top! All is fair is love, war and politics. And this is not the proper forum to “talk trash” about someone.
Fact is, Ms. Peckinpaugh spoke out of anger, which is very unprofessional – do we want a representative like that? No. We need real people who own their history, not become “emotional” about it. Another fact is Daria declined the debate with the other two – not her first time. Bad, shows fear. Daria Novak also rose a dead President from the grave to endorse her! Not good marketing for her reputation. Final fact, Dubitsky showed good timing. Good quality. Addendum fact, Mrs. Harvey spoke to the press. Good managing.
Now, dry up people. This is a political campaign. Dog eat dog. And we want the best dog to compete against Courtney.
You go, Jen Harvey, and let the naysayers be damned! You may be the only REAL politician in the bunch!
Having met Ms. Harvey several times at various fundraisers and meet and greats one thing comes to mind…crazy. I wont attack her personally but I have to agree that Doug hiring her was a very bad move, she is going to be the undoing of his campaign. It strikes me as odd that she has moved around from pretty much every campaign in CT-2, is she a opportunist or a impossible person to work with? these are the type of questions that need to be asked, id be very interested in knowing why Peck wouldn’t hire her…where there’s smoke there’s fire and there seems to be more to this story than first reported..
“Harvey has declined to reply to Peckinpaugh, though she wasn’t reluctant to talk about the incident for this post.”
To reiterate my point from my earlier post about this being a set up, Dubitsky gets no mention at all in the CT-2 race, hes the underdogs, underdog. This just seems like a scheme to get Doug some free publicity, but all it has done has brought out the skeletons in ms. harvey’s closet, i mean hell these comments are more based around Harvey than the candidate she represents, when the campaign manager gets bigger than the candidate that’s never good. Also it doesn’t surprise me at all that she wouldn’t respond to Janet, but was eager to talk to the media..hence my feelings on this being a set-up.
“dog eat dog” is one thing when you focus on the proposals…
But what we’re seeing here and in nearly every GOP/Dem race is character assasination or avoidance of debate as if no one will even try to salvage what chance could be left for an intelligent, reasoned discussion.
In the 2nd, the GOP had its chance to win, and all the candidates declined that chance with full knowledge of what they did. Good people, but that’s what happened.
However you slice it, the GOP has turned into a circus lucky to pull off 35%. Name your race.
What may appear to be a primary is actually the intermediate phase of a party-wide meltdown. The beginning phase was before the convention, and it’s not like there weren’t people sounding the alarm on this.
I’ve met Jen Harvey and Janet Peckinpaugh, found them both to be quite reasonable, and have heard the gossip about them both. That aside, we must pick a candidate on Aug 10.
As I understand it, Daria Novak is the only candidate that has been a registered Republican for more than a year. (1976 convention delegate) Having taught the Constitution at the university level and worked in the Reagan administration, I am satisfied with her competency to represent us in Washington. All due respect, I find Janet Peckinpaugh largely un-informed (find her campaign appearances on Youtube) and Doug Dubitsky too well rehearsed, yet, inconsistant when answering my questions.
Choose wisely
@jim young CT does not need more politicians we need principled citizens to represent us in DC.
Miss harvey is toxic to the 2nd district race. She and doug are unable to win on the battlefield of ideas, so they play in the gutter. Those that sling mud WILL NOT win the primary.
@fuzzy
What mud did Doug sling?
The article is about Janet P having an issue.
Again you say, Doug is slinging mud, back that charge up with facts.
Why are the Novak folks making an issue of the campaign staff? And not talking about issues and differences between the candidates?
Why are the Novak folks running a distraction strategy?
Again, you have made the charge Doug is slinging mud
Back it up.
I agree with Braemar about Ms. Peckinpaugh only recently learning about the issues. Have you ever searched for “Janet Peckinpaugh Plainfield?” See her Youtube responses from way back in May – two months ago. They all start or end with I don’t know but I’ll learn.
Dubitsky brought up the facts:
Janet Peckenpaugh worked with a company that provided sub-prime mortgages. (fact)
Daria Novak is missing debates. (fact)
Daria Novak is claiming an endorsement from a dead guy. (fact)
Dubitksy is rather careful about what he states. (Its all that lawyer training he got :})
Just for my part -one that is not taking sides in this- I have a hard time believing that someone who has been a TV personality for decades hasn’t learned the art of holding their tongue. She may have been testy and not happy with an attempt at character assassination, but to resort to crude language just doesn’t seem plausible. It also seems far fetched that these two were alone -save a 12 year old girl- after a debate. These debates are attended by party faithful who want nothing more than to spend as much time as possible with these candidates. So until I hear third party reports of this, I am going to look at the most realistic scenario that Peckinpaugh may have groused about the question but nothing more.
Wow, this is all the story Dubitsky and Harvey can come up with! Jen Harvey is a caustic bit##. She swears like a trooper and will conive in any fashion to get her own way–a real political whore. She worked for Novak, then Daly, then tried to move in on the Peckinpaugh campaign and now Dubitsky. Shows Dubitsky’s character in hiring her and Peckinpaugh’s intelligence to stay clear. My vote is for the one candidate who has not been affiliated with Harvey. My vote is for Janet Peckinpaugh.
@Delirious Daria
Any one who would use such language is not deserved of a public forum.
Nor should be they be listened to, they have truly gone over the edge.
If you are basing your vote on such things, it says volumes about you and little about the candidates.
You are the one whose character is being exposed.
To Bob C
You should hear Jennifer Harvey talk, this at best hearsay. This was an apatheic political ploy on let part of Harvey. Good grief! I’m basing my vote on the intelligent and electable candidate. So far Ms. Harvey is 3 for 3 in backing the wrong horse!
No more lawyers in DC!!!!!
And a chicken in every man’s pot.
Dan Reale, you’re a bitter, bitter little man who no one takes seriously. How many votes do you think you’ll get running for Congress in the 2nd CD as a petitioning Libertarian? You’ll be lucky if you crack the 1% threshold which means you losers will have to petition your way back on to the ballot in 2012 if you’re that desperate and that stupid to try it again.
Just because you have freedom of speech doesn’t mean you have to use it. You’ll get your ass kicked in November and it will be fun to watch!
” Ed….
Take that up with the Essex Registar Of Voters. SOS database says otherwise.”
Tom, I’m not taking it up with anybody. The tally sheets are the official record, the Registrars keypunch that information into the CVRS. Just because the CVRS is wrong doesn’t mean you’re right. You go take it up with the Town Clerk in Essex. The Town Clerk has custody of the official, original check off lists, not the Registrars as you wrongly stated.
To Kevin Rennie & Mitch Beck: as a Christian, I find Mitch Beck’s expletive: “Jesus F’n Christ” to be offensive and sacrilegious. Mitch: please refrain from this blasphemous language. If you don’t believe in the Son of God, many of us do. I am asking you, Kevin, to please remove posts like this, and to caution those who use such language and then bar them from this site if they continue to be offensive. Thank you.
I can’t speak for Doug, but I know for a FACT, that Daria never slung any insults at Janet or at Doug for that matter. Unlike other politicians, Daria ran a very clean campaign and only talked about what she would do if elected. That’s the way it should be. We don’t need to know why a candidate doesn’t like another candidate. We need to know what a candidate believes and what they will do to change things.