Debate Crowd Came To Support Their Own

The first time a visitor to Monday's political debate realized this was partisan politics with a capital "P" came when the visitor saw the crowd of 100 standing outside the Portuguese Cultural Center.

A third of the crowd dressed in red to support Chris Murphy, the congressman representing the fifth congressional district. The other half carried blue Sam Caligiuri signs and when Sam himself showed up at the front door, that group started chanting, "We want Sam," over and over again.

Finding people who were not on a Republican or Democratic town committee from somewhere was tough. Almost everybody was connected to some political party in one way or another.

Mary Anne Andrade, born and raised in Danbury, said she thought the two biggest issues facing the country was its recent turn toward socialism and her problems with the U.S. media.

"I learn more about what's going on in the United States on the BBC than I do on our own media," Andrade said. "I think we have to establish a national language or prettty soon, we'll have to learn another language just to talk to people."

For Hugh Kline Jr., the problem with the economy tops the list of problems, which was a common theme. Kline hires about 200 security guards in the Danbury area, and he said right now he has the highest quality guards he's ever had, because so many trained and qualified people are out of work.

"They used to show up in T-shirts and jeans. Now they're showing up in suits," Kline said.

Doug Kenyon, a physical engineer, who runs an engineering consulting business in Danbury, said the big issues are the economy and health care.

"We need to get the economy moving forward," Kenyon said.

For Jonathan Perkins, the issue is health care, and the devastating impact serious health problems can cause a family without health care.

"The whole issue doesn't get any more human or personal than it does if you can't provide for your family. It isn't about jobs or cap and trade or education or anything else when you're going through one of those catastrophic illnesses," Perkins said.