A satirical country song has Connecticut’s two gubernatorial hopefuls locked in a head-scratching war of words.
CT Mirror reports the state’s current Democratic governor, Ned Lamont, tweeted out an 18-second clip of the song “First Ever Connecticut Country Song” that bemoans how barely anything rhymes with the state’s name. The singer, Rusty Gear, then notes how marijuana and gambling are some of the state’s perks.
Republican Bob Stefanowski wasn’t laughing and is now accusing Lamont of breaking state law because, apparently, it’s illegal to use state money to advertise the use of cannabis. He sent a letter to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong demanding he investigate if any laws were broken — mainly if “taxpayer dollars” were used to make the video.
The offending lyrics? “Back home we thank the governor for the blessings that we got/ We can gamble on the internet and it’s cool to smoke some pot/ And so y’all come visit my state/ And mind your etiquette/ I guarantee you’ll be welcome in Connecticut.”
Lamont’s communication director, Max Reiss, has come out to say the video didn’t use any state funds and it was made for fun by the governor’s staff.
Some people have pointed out the song is nearly four minutes long and Stefanowski is basing his outrage on a clip that’s less than 20 seconds long. But some Republicans are siding with the gubernatorial hopeful because they say that snippet was chosen in poor taste.
House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, a Republican, says the governor should have chosen a different snippet of the “cute song,” adding, “I really don’t know what they were thinking.”
The real news is that out of all the things Connecticut politicians can be arguing about, this fight is over a darn country song.