Bridgeport native John Ratzenberger’s face is familiar to millions from his decade-plus run on “Cheers” as bar know-it-all Cliff Clavin.
His voice is familiar to millions more through his many roles in the animated films of Pixar Studios, most notably the “Toy Story” franchise.
On Monday a few dozen Valley residents became familiar with Ratzenberger’s political views as he stumped for Ansonia Board of Aldermen President Phil Tripp’s state senate campaign against Democratic incumbent Joseph Crisco.
Ratzenberger campaigns frequently on behalf of Republican candidates, but called Army Reserve veteran Tripp “a real life hero” while saying he’d support him regardless of his political party.
Why?
“Because I love this country,” Ratzenberger said at the beginning of about six minutes of remarks Monday inside the St. Sebastian Club on Father Salemi Drive.
“I grew up loving that America, the America of parades, and how you’d get goosebumps when a flag marches by in a parade,” he went on.
He says people aren’t as patriotic nowadays.
“That’s what I’m afraid we’re starting to lose,” Ratzenberger said. “We don’t have patriotism being taught in schools. They’ve certainly taken God out of schools. It’s not a secret to anybody that we’re heading down a wrong road in this country.”
He said Tripp, who served in the Army Reserve for more than three decades, is the kind of person voters should elect, by virtue of his military service.
“We need more people with his background in government, because the people in government now, they seem to ride unicorns to work,” Ratzenberger said. “It’s like a make-believe world they live in.”
Tripp, who works at Home Depot, is a practical man who knows the value of people employed in skilled labor, Ratzenberger, who was “kept alive” by carpentry work early in his career, said.
The actor hosted a show called “Made in America” on the Travel Channel and says there are still manufacturing jobs in the country for those who want them and have the skills required.
He solicited for volunteers and counted hands before delivering a conservative rallying cry on Tripp’s behalf — which he ended by flubbing on Tripp’s first name, but hey, he had a long day.
“That America we all love and hold dear is still there, we just need people in office like the lieutenant colonel that remind us that this is the greatest country on Earth,” he said while accusing Hollywood liberals and President Obama of “denigrating” the nation.
The actor also posed for pictures with fans and signed autographs, and after his speech even volunteered to do impressions from his Pixar roles for the dozen or so kids in the audience — though he did throw in a trademark “Hey there, Sammy” from the Cliff Clavin repertoire for the adults.
Ratzenberger was born in Bridgeport and lives in Connecticut.
Ratzenberger had a brief role in “The Empire Strikes Back” in the early 1980s. Here is a fan video imagining Cliff Clavin in the role:
About 50 people turned up for the event.
Republicans are hoping Tripp is the candidate to win what they see as a vulnerable seat for Crisco, who was first elected in 1992.
Click here to visit Crisco’s campaign website.
Tripp faces an uphill battle.
Crisco won re-election in 2012 by more than 16,000 votes over Derby resident Anthony Szewczyk, tallying majorities in every municipality in the district, which includes Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck, and Woodbridge.
Tripp has roots in both Ansonia, where he lives, and Hamden, where he grew up, GOPers point out.
Chuck Pyne, a Woodbridge resident and member of the Connecticut Republican Party’s central committee who is helping with Tripp’s campaign, said that while Democrats have a registration advantage over Republicans in the 17th State Senate District, Tamath Rossi, who ran an aggressive campaign against Crisco in 2010, did well among unaffiliated voters en route to losing the race by about 4,000 votes.
“The state’s had four more years of getting in worse shape (since then), and those are the folks who show up and vote,” Pyne said, adding that Tripp has gotten a “great response” while campaigning door-to-door.
“And it’s not like we’re hanging out with a bunch of Republicans,” he said. “We’re going to people who vote no matter what the party is.”
