Early Morning at Electric Boat

Christopher and Betsi Shays spent today in Groton at Electric Boat shipyard where an enormously talented team of thousands build the finest submarines in the world. They were outside the shipyard gate for hours, starting at 5:30am and again at 2pm, thanking employees for their hard work and service.

The first of many Electric Boat employees who gave Christopher’s hand a hearty shake said to him, “It’s nice to have someone here who knows what they’re talking about.”

Electric Boat, the New London Submarine Base and the Dominion Power Station are part of an industry that pumps $4 billion dollars into the state’s economy and employs 31,000 people statewide.

At midday, Christopher was joined at the Submarine Veterans Club by Groton Mayor Heather Somers, Former Groton Mayor Jane Dauphinais and Groton’s State Senator during the 2005 BRAC, Cathy Cook. During the conversation, Christopher made his intentions clear regarding the future of the New London Submarine Base.

“Southeastern Connecticut is a center of excellence for submarine building and nuclear generation. This center of excellence is imperative for our country and we are blessed it’s here in our state. If I am the next United States Senator, I will not be supporting a BRAC, like Linda McMahon said she would,” Christopher said. “She’s clueless about the process. I don’t know how to say it any clearer than that. She doesn’t have the experience or the knowledge to fight this process.”

Christopher’s remarks were in reference to Linda McMahon’s statement last week that she would support a BRAC (Base Realignment And Closure) if she knew what the proposed cuts were in advance. The problem is Congress votes to begin a BRAC process many, many months before specific bases are recommended for closure. Her remarks proved that Linda McMahon is not qualified to be a United States Senator.

Somers, Dauphinais and Cook were very clear about why Christopher Shays needs to be Connecticut’s next United States Senator.

“Chris has a wealth of knowledge,” said Mayor Somers. “He will work with both sides of the aisle to save the sub base.”

“[McMahon] made an ignorant statement,” said Frmr State Senator Cathy Cook. “She said she’d wait and then vote. That’s not how this works. You can’t buy influence with the Pentagon no matter how much money she has. It would be dangerous for us in Connecticut certainly — and for the nation — to send Mrs. McMahon to the Senate.”