tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34189210843138688602024-03-13T14:59:27.137-07:00Upstate Poltical ReportLeft Coast Rebel's Sam Foster and the Right Perspective on the 2010 Upstate NY Congressional Electionsconservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-70596200011925811392011-12-21T21:04:00.000-08:002011-12-21T21:15:30.589-08:00Timothy Stampfler to Challange Matt Doheny for NY-23 Republican PrimaryAnother bumpy ride ahead in NY-23? <a href="http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20111221/BLOGS13/111229966/-1/blogs13">Watertown Daily Times reports</a> that Timothy Stampfler will be challenging Matt Doheny for the Republican nomination in 2012.<br /><br /><blockquote>Timothy Stampfler is a corrections officer in Dannemora, the paper reports.<br /><br />Mr. Stampfler has not responded to my requests for comment, but I spoke with Don Lee, the Clinton County GOP chair, two days ago. Mr. Lee told me that Mr. Stampfler had previously spoken to him about a run, but at the time, Mr. Stampfler had not made up his mind.</blockquote><br /><br />This complicates much for Matt Doheny, who is already looking at another possible two challengers in Doug Hoffman and possibly Kellie Greene. I'll have more on Stampfler in follow up posts, once I have a change to look more into his candidacy. <br /><br />Of course, redistricting may drastically change the map for NY-23.One thing is for sure, the more the committee chairmen in NY-23 like a candidate, the more resistance that candidate seems to attract from the party's base. Republicans may want to take notice.conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-35691651343440192902011-12-14T03:52:00.000-08:002011-12-21T21:04:45.496-08:00Will NY-25's Brianne Murphy be Against Wall Street After She was for It?Generally speaking, Democrat politicians are a walking contradiction. Wall Street is the latest example. Where many progressives and liberals have taken to deriding Wall Street and fat cat bankers, most congressional Democrats are counting on money from wealthy Wall Street donors.<br /><br />This bring me to Brianne Murphy, Democrat hopeful for NY-25. Where <a href="http://auburnpub.com/news/opinion/blogs/eye_on_albany/article_fffb0a52-d3c4-11e0-8648-001cc4c002e0.html">Democrat Dan Maffei's campaign strategy</a> is to claim he's moderate and hope voters forget that he voted down the line for health care (public option included), cap and trade and the stimulus, Brianne Murphy hopes to occupy the extreme left.<br /><br />So, with OWS and other anti-business rhetoric becoming the norm for far left politicians I'm wondering if it is only a matter of time before Murphy flip flops. Until she started running for congress, she was for Wall Street. <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/brianne-murphy/6/bba/96b">Her Linked In profile says so</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>The Murphy Group LLC is a full-service legislative and legal consulting firm with offices in Washington, DC and New York, NY, providing domestic and international clients with distinct perspective and creative counsel.<br /><br />Our diverse team of outstanding government affairs and legal professionals provide clients with comprehensive solutions for their legal, government and public affairs needs. Each of our consultants brings a unique subject matter expertise coupled with broad legal, legislative or media affairs experience. This comprehensive approach – strategically addressing the political, legal, and media implications of each client objective – distinguishes Murphy Group. The firm’s advocacy skills are unrivaled, providing clients invaluable assistance on Capitol Hill and in the courtroom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Whether you are a Wall Street Firm looking</span> for a finger on the pulse of Capitol Hill or an attorney representing a party to an agency accident investigation seeking advice on the process, Murphy Group is well positioned to meet your needs. Our team brings a wealth of substantive knowledge on cutting edge legislative developments as well as a deep understanding of the litigation, regulatory and investigative processes. Our blend of experience and extensive network make us an essential resource for anyone seeking the most up-to-date information and analysis regarding developments impacting their clients.<br />Specialties<br /><br />Legislative & Legal Consulting, issue areas include transportation, energy & the environment, labor & employment, and education.</blockquote><br /><br />I have yet to see an article reporting an anti-Wall Street positions as of yet, but it's only a matter of time. After all, her entire party is planning on running against Wall Street. It's only a matter of time before Murphy was for Wall Street before she was against it.conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-51422149737822085142011-08-14T11:28:00.000-07:002011-08-14T11:56:26.601-07:00Bob Turner's Stance on Medicare Posses a Problem in Run for NY-9?Democrat David Weprin's campaign has signaled that it is going to begin a strategy of mediscare. Today, his campaign released the following statement against Bob <a href="http://www.politickerny.com/2011/08/11/weprin-goes-on-the-attack/">Turner's views on Medicare</a>:
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<br /><blockquote>A news release out last night was titled, “Does Bob Turner plan to cut Medicare for the next generation or is he lying to voters?” and describes a group of seniors approaching Turner at a fundraiser last night and asking if he supported Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare.
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<br />“Nothing will change for people over 55,” Turner is said to have responded.
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<br />Per the release: ”He purposefully neglected any comment about the security of Medicare for the next generation.”
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<br />“Bob Turner continues to try to hedge his position on Medicare, but he can’t have it both ways,” said Elizabeth Kerr, Weprin’s spokeswoman. “Bob Turner either has to support asking millionaires and Big Oil to pay their fair share, or he has to admit he plans to cut Medicare.”</blockquote>
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<br />Will it work? We'll see. However, it has signaled two very important nuances to the race.
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<br />First of all, David Weprin is now elevating Bob Turner and recognizing him as a threat to his race. That's a significant development and a recognition on Weprin's part, that he is vulnerable in the race.
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<br />Second, Weprin's response means that we are going to get a full vetting of the messages the Parties hoped to run in 2012. Since NY-26, Democrats have hung their hats on the idea that Mediscare is going to be effective in retaking the House in 2012. Weprin hopes to right his sinking ship on this message. If it proves unfruitful, in a highly liberal district and fails to eclipse Bob Turner's message of "NY-9 as a referendum on Obama foreign policy", you can be sure that Mediscare won't work in 2012.
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<br />If not mediscare, if not the deficit, it is a real mystery as to what Democrats will run on; certainly not on any accomplishments.conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-84557463367218524982011-08-12T19:21:00.000-07:002011-08-13T12:12:57.888-07:00Obama NY Fundraiser: the day the messiah compared himself to Cuomo and King<a href="http://lonelyconservative.com/2011/08/obamas-in-negative-poll-territory-in-new-york/">Obama's numbers are in the red in NY</a>, but that's not half as interesting as how desperate and lost the President appeared at his own fundraiser.
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<br />Today, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2011/08/obama-visits-nyc-for-yet-another-fundraiser">Obama flew out to NY for yet another fundraiser</a>. Despite being amongst the most liberal of supporters, Obama tried hard to <a href="http://www.politickerny.com/2011/08/12/obama-compares-himself-to-cuomo-weinstein-calls-andrew-an-angel/">lift his own image in parity with others</a>:
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<br /><blockquote>Standing in Weinstein’s basement, Obama said his troubles are like the ones facing Cuomo.
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<br />“When I ran in 2008, I think that a lot of folks believed we elect Obama and suddenly we’re going to fix politics in Washington,” Obama said. “And Andrew is familiar with this, because everybody figures, well, we’re going to fix politics in Albany.”
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<br />“And then it turns out that there are a lot of bad habits that have been built up over time, and we’re also a big, diverse country and not everybody agrees with me; not everybody agrees with the folks who live in Manhattan,” he said, drawing laughter from the rich celebrities that filled the room. “West of here,” he said. “You guys may not be familiar with it.”
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<br />The comparison was something of a stretch. Obama is struggling to recharge the national economy amid an increasingly deadlocked capitol split along party lines, while Cuomo, for his part, isn’t struggling much.
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<br />He passed a budget without raising taxes or destroying social service programs, and passed a landmark bill legalizing same-sex marriage, turning the state government in Albany from “dysfunctional” to hyperactive, in under seven months. (Cuomo attended the fundraiser as an invited guest, and did not pay, according to a source.)
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<br />Before leaving, Obama likened himself to one more figure. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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<br />“I think that we forget when he was alive there was nobody who was more vilified, nobody who was more controversial, nobody who was more despairing at times,” he said.</blockquote>
<br />http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
<br />In 2008, Obama was stopping the rising tides and healing the planet. Hehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif basked in messiah comparisons. Flash forward to 2011 and Obama is hoping people mistake him for Martin Luther King Jr. or even just Cuomo. Unable to sell himself as himself, he's trying to sell himself as other people and doing a bad job of it if the tone of the Observer is any indication.
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<br />Completely gone is the once seemingly impenetrable brand and image of the Obama of 2008. Now the President of the United States highest aims are to somehow elevate himself to the level of a freshman governor.
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<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Update:</span>
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<br /><a href="http://www.memeorandum.com/110813/p24#a110813p24">A memeorandum thread</a>!
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<br />Welcome<a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2011/08/obama-im-being-vilified-just-like-mlk-jr/"> Legal Insurrection readers</a> and thanks for linking Professor!conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-11668131852137305692011-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:002011-04-06T15:06:48.714-07:00Chucky Schumer and “foot in mouth disease”<p>by Bill Claydon</p><p>Originally posted to <a href="http://www.libertyinkjournal.com/blog/2011/03/chucky-schumer-and-foot-in-mouth-disease/">Liberty Ink Journal</a> and <a href="http://www.redstate.com/billclaydon/2011/04/06/chucky-schumer-and-%E2%80%9Cfoot-in-mouth-disease%E2%80%9D/">RedState</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Chucky has an easy — and most importantly, GUARANTEED — job. As of 2009, he fully became the Senior US Senator from New York. Oh yes, he had that title since 2001, but let’s face it, it was in name only. He was lost in Hillary’s shadow after she parachuted in from Arkansas by way of DC. In 2009 she finally stopped pretending to represent New York (a mere intended stepping stone to the presidency) and moved over to the State Department. Her political future has been utterly ruined by being part of the Obama Regime. But, she was replaced by someone who can stand in Chucky’s shadow and serve as his “extra vote” 95% of the time. (On the rare occasions when Chucky’s rubber stamp wants to show “independence,” she gets into that very narrow place on the ideological spectrum —- to the left of him.)</p> <p><span id="more-2251"></span></p> <p>Chucky is still learning the ropes of what it’s like to be a Senior Senator. So, don’t blame him when his mouth, uh, gets the better of him. Afterall, with all of the money Obama is wasting, the United States can evidently only afford ONE teleprompter — and that goes to the empty suit at the top. (Hmm, maybe a non-government grant could be found to buy Chucky a teleprompter to keep him out of trouble? I mean, this USUALLY works for Obama, so we’ve got some data to justify the feasibility.) Anyway, Chucky hardly needs a teleprompter. His constituents are in ultra leftist New York. He just won by a landslide in 2010 so he doesn’t have to worry about another election until 2016. But even so, he’s got that magic “D” after his name. He’d win again no matter what. A majority in New York would vote for a cartoon character if it had a “D” after its name. (And considering how overhyped Obama was…)</p> <p>So, anyway, after a couple of humorous paragraphs, let’s get to the main point of this post. First, Chucky ran his foul mouth on a plane, rudely insulting a flight attendant because she asked an elitist such as him to abide by the rules. These rules should only apply to the American commoners who are beneath him. Then, on national television, he flubbed up the three branches of government. But now <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/knucklehead_chuck_CZpf1dHEUAC2e1r008Qy3J">he admits he lets others do his thinking for him</a>. Rather than have little snafus like this, can’t the Democrats buy him a teleprompter? Look, as one who doesn’t exactly agree with the Democrats’ plans, far be it for me to give advice here to help them. But really, Democrats at least ought to make sure the reporters aren’t on the line when they say stuff like that! Just a word of advice here.</p> <p> </p> <p>One of my favorite lines in the <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/knucklehead_chuck_CZpf1dHEUAC2e1r008Qy3J">article</a> is: “After apparently realizing his mistake, Schumer fell silent.” Um, what? Schumer fell silent? That’s utterly amazing. I’ve never heard of anything that could quiet Chucky!</p> <p>Chucky and his big government buddies want to continue spending like there is no tomorrow. Any attempt to put the brakes on runaway government waste is called “extreme” (though remember, if a conservative uses that word to describe what Chucky and his ilk do, it’s apparently “wrong”). They have no concern about enslaving several generations into the future with debt. As the article notes, the other Democrat Senators on the call marched to Chucky’s orders (like leftist zombies).</p> <p>At some point, it’s going to be time to pay the piper. We cannot continue to spend money and mortgage future generations for the unsaitiable appetites of the present generation. We hear all about how the answer is merely to “tax the rich” while Obama hangs out with all the globalist corporate elite and hands out appointments to the likes of GE’s Jeffrey Immelt. Ah, but Chucky has no need to concern himself with what will happen to future generations. He gets elected in New York…..a state addicted to big government, despite having accidentally elected a Democrat governor who seems to “see the light” about runaway spending. (Or, he at least realizes that if he cleans up New York, he would be formidable in any future presidential election.) Basically, if Chucky is going to call the Republicans extreme for trying to clean up DC, he’s also calling Andrew Cuomo “extreme” for cleaning up the disgusting mess that is New York State.</p> <p>But I digress. Chucky is useful for something. As one who is guaranteed reelection because he is an incumbent in a state that will vote for anything with a “D” after its name, he gives us a window into the elitist politician’s mindset. Whether it is true contempt for working people like flight attendants, or lack of interest in knowing what is in the Constitution, or considering fiscal responsibility to be “extreme,” at least we have someone like Schumer to use as a barometer of where the elite are coming from.</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-22601491005436642562011-04-06T14:55:00.000-07:002011-04-06T14:58:15.608-07:00Weiner Wants a Waiver for the Woefully Worthless ObamaCare<p>by Bill Claydon<br /></p><p>Originally posted to <a href="http://www.libertyinkjournal.com/blog/2011/03/weiner-wants-a-waiver-for-the-woefully-worthless-obamacare/">Liberty Ink Journal</a> and <a href="http://www.redstate.com/billclaydon/2011/04/06/weiner-wants-a-waiver-for-the-woefully-worthless-obamacare/">RedState</a><br /></p><p>Agree or disagree with her views, you must admit Michelle Malkin has a way with words. And her column about the obnoxious and extreme liberal Anthony Weiner and his desire for an ObamaCare waiver is a <a href="http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1318162">good example</a>.</p> <p><span id="more-2236"></span></p> <p>First, Obama exempted his big union fatcats and their thugs who do things like damage public property funded by taxpayers in places like, oh, I don’t know, Madison, Wisconsin. Then he started exempting the supposed enemies of the unions, selected big corporations. Well, why not? Like union fatcats, big CEOs such as GE’s Jeffrey Immelt are Obama’s buddies too. (Shh, don’t tell the left. They claim the Democrat Party is here to “protect” us from all those big corporate CEOs. Heck, it’s not like the top elected official in the Democrat Party isn’t buddy buddy with them.) Then Maine insurers get exemptions from certain provisions of this massive boondoggle. Nevada and Kentucky line up behind Maine, along with a bunch of other states.</p> <p>But now Anthony Weiner, ObamaCare champion, wants a waiver for his beloved New York City. New York City is a heavy voting bloc for Democrats. This would be the LAST place that should want or deserves to get any kind of waiver from ObamaCare. They made their bed and all that.</p> <p>Look, we heard impassioned speeches on the House floor about how wonderful this thing is, and villifying anyone (Republican politician or ordinary American) who dared speak against the Democrat will. The speechifying finished with the now shellacked EX Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying “Vote my darlings, vote.” The Democrats chose to ram this mess through on a party line vote without taking the time to hash it out and make sure the provisions were right for people. It seems like a show of lack of confidence in their work to be handing out waivers like candy at a parade (and what would Michelle Obama, self-appointed czar of “healthy eating” while simultaneously being a fan of barbecue and ribs, think of that??).</p> <p>The leftist leaning Media Matters <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201103240025">tried to do damage control</a> for the Democrats by claiming Weiner merely said the ability to grant waivers shows it’s “flexibility.” Actually, it just proves further that this is indeed government control over our health care. Bottom line is that it is an opportunity for the powerful to scratch the backs of their powerful. What is the process for getting a waiver? Who must one know to get a waiver? How much campaign cash must be given to Democrat politicians to get a waiver? How can I get a waiver? How can you get a waiver? Can’t we all just get waivers if we want them? Should the law have any meaning or can various well connected groups get a “get out of jail free” card like in the game of Monopoly (Obama edition, of course)? Do we get to collect $200 as we pass “Go” and have the government take it all away from us? Oh wait, the system Obama is pushing on us is like all of us being perpetually stuck on Boardwalk with a government owned hotel on it.</p> <p>The Democrats wanted a one size fits all “solution.” THE LAW IS THE LAW. There should be no exemptions, PERIOD. If this inconveniences unions or causes big corporations to shed more employees, so be it. This is what the Democrats wanted, this is what they wasted so much energy, time, and money cheerleading for, not to mention destroyed their political careers for in some cases, and they should deal with the consequences like responsible people. (Wait, I’m talking about entrenched elitist politicians. Responsibility doesn’t enter into the equation there.) There should be NO backroom deals to cover up the disastrous effects of ObamaCare. If jobs are lost or union workers have to pay more as a result of ObamaCare, well, that’s “change we can believe in,” just in time for Obama’s hopefully failing bid for a second term.</p> <p>By the time this thing is done, it will look like virtual swiss cheese. We’ve heard the “You might be a <insert something=""> if…” jokes. Well, let’s hear everyone’s ideas for “You might get an ObamaCare waiver if…” Oh and just to clear it up, no government funding for this. All responses must be the work of the writer’s own mind. No outsourcing of thinking to some government commission or committee (and heck, one probably already exists for this sort of thing), please…</insert></p> <p>But I digress. On another note, couldn’t Weiner have wanted a waiver in Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, or better yet, in Walla Walla, Washington? Certainly, conservative bloggers could have had even more fun with blog titles for that!</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-29508023469574791992011-02-28T14:51:00.000-08:002011-02-28T14:52:22.585-08:00Albany's Rally for Collectivism<p>by Bill Claydon<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the Capital Region of New York, one of the biggest “industries” is government of one form or another. The state is in a fiscal crisis due to decades of nearly limitless spending with no concern for the future. This is a state that would likely give a majority vote to a cartoon character for any statewide office if it had a “D” after its name.</p> <p>As then candidate Andrew Cuomo said, during the 2010 New York Gubernatorial Candidate Comedy Variety Act Starring Jimmy McMillan and Friends, aka the 2010 New York State Gubernatorial “Debate,” young people leave New York because there is no opportunity. A bloated government which wastes money like it’s going out of style will do that kind of thing. Young people who have nothing holding them to New York leave (they can always visit relatives who are “stuck” here because nobody wants to buy their home on a postage stamp sized lot with $4,000+ in taxes to fund the never satisfied appetite of government). The same is true of the “evil rich” who are in a position to easily get out even if it means taking a substantial loss on their property. Big government supporters never seem to quite get this. There aren’t enough private sector jobs and let’s face it, the government can’t just hire everyone. Despite the easy availability of welfare in New York, some people actually want something more meaningful than that kind of big government enforced hopelessness.</p> <p>So, when Van Jones had an “emergency” rally (great marketing for everything Van Jones) bringing all the various ultra leftwing groups together doing the best they could do short of building a time machine and taking everyone back to Woodstock, OF COURSE Albany, NY would have a large showing. Liberals cheered as if this is some sort of show of “strength” for collectivist unions. Look, the Capital District is home to gargantuan government that is deep in debt due to decades of wreckless spending. Is it any surprise there would be a huge turnout for this? Some have also pointed out that unionized college professors are getting students interested in supporting unions. If you stand outside in a rain storm, you get wet. And Obama is an “eloquent speaker” if it’s all laid out for him on his teleprompter. He’ll read whatever is there, complete with the dramatic pauses he has perfected oh so well. Do we celebrate the obvious? OF COURSE leftist college professors would promote collectivist unions to students when they’re typically fed all sorts of propaganda about other causes that run the gamut of leftwing activism. Par for the course. This is status quo, hardly anything surprising. Of course, as unions and their collectivist bargaining basically reward mediocrity and status quo the same way they do hard workers (with piddling and pathetic raises spread across the board for everyone), I suppose it’s no surprise that union supporters cheer the obvious.</p> <p>So, while there may have been a decent number in a state with one of the largest state governments in the country, the numbers were limited elsewhere, <a href="http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/02/fail-leftists-left-red-faced-as-protesters-fail-to-materialize-at-national-moveon-rallies/" _mce_href="http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/02/fail-leftists-left-red-faced-as-protesters-fail-to-materialize-at-national-moveon-rallies/">according to reports</a>.</p> <p><img src="http://www.libertyinkjournal.com/blog/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" _mce_src="http://www.libertyinkjournal.com/blog/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" alt="" class="mceWPmore mceItemNoResize" title="More..." /></p> <p>I understand that in changing times, liberals want their outdated causes to continue to seem relevant. Unfortunately for them, we are starting to realize the tremendous costs of their whims. People are deciding they do not feel like continuing on this unsustainable path and subjecting themselves and their great grandchildren (the ones not brutally aborted, that is) to unending debt. People do not have the money to support big six figure salary union fatcats who forcibly take money from workers and use it to create multimillion dollar commercials or send it to the Democrat party. Likewise, people will have to closely examine the high costs of other liberal boondoggles.</p> <p>We are in the midst of a shifting of historical eras. The failed policies of the past simply won’t be able to be sustained, now matter how many teeth are gnashed. The big UAW union got its bailout courtesy the taxpayers. Government employees were “stimulated” for a time, but that (failed) “stimulus” was not going to last forever. People cannot continue to pay for even more public debt. The gravy train is coming to an end.</p> <p>Ultimately, the more the unions keep this in the news, the more opportunity they give conservative groups to educate people on the many problems associated with collectivist unions, and their ties to the Democrat party. We have needed this conversation for decades. May the next big “sacred cow” liberal institution shine a spotlight on itself as much as the big unions have done. We’ll need a national conversation about that one too.</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-31459807130898551592011-02-17T16:06:00.000-08:002011-02-17T19:22:16.889-08:00FAILED "stimulus" anniversary<p>by Bill Claydon<br /></p><p>Today marks the second anniversary of the failed Obama (or maybe Pelosi?) “stimulus.” No sooner did Obama get nearly coronated after winning what was largely the equivalent of a national popularity or prom king election (complete with near expressionless zombies chanting “Yes we can”) then he started hawking a gargantuan “stimulus.”</p> <p>Obama wore the hat of “salesman in chief” well while people were still virtually drunk on the hope and change nonsense after his near coronation. But as time went on, he simply became a less charming version of the fictional character Mr. Haney from the 1960s show Green Acres. In fact, looking at Mr. Haney’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Haney_%28Green_Acres%29">Wikipedia entry</a>, I found this quote to be so perfect in describing what Obama tries to sell us:</p> <blockquote><p>He often took a piece of junk and called it by some outlandish name, suggesting that it has some use that it clearly does not and that it’s in some way valuable.</p></blockquote> <p>We were told that unemployment would go above 8% if we didn’t pass the stimulus IMMEDIATELY! Of course unemployment is hovering around 10% and underemployment is hovering at 20%. But it was so important to pass this thing that nobody in Congress had enough time to fully digest it. In fact, when Obama campaigned, he said that bills would wait for five days until he signed them into law. He broke that promise in just about a month after his near coronation. And despite our nation being in a severe economic crisis, Obama took the liberty of ordering that his taxpayer funded personal private jet be flown to Colorado, dumping untold amounts of carbon into the environment, for an unnecessary signing ceremony. (Cue the kneejerk “What about Bush?” comment. Answer: Obama was supposed to be better than Bush since he campaigned that way against term limited Bush. Further, Bush did not lecture the American people about carbon and global warming/climate change/liberal term du jour. But if it makes you feel better, you can blame Bush for Obama wasting taxpayer money and spewing carbon for his unnecessary Colorado signing ceremony.)</p> <p>I know some on the left will come up with vague and unprovable figures, saying “If we did not have the stimulus, it would have been worse.” Heck, why not just suggest something equally absurd: “If we did not have the stimulus, the moon would fall into the earth” or something. I mean really, if we want to do the chicken-little-the-sky-is-falling thing, let’s at least be creative with it. Speaking of creativity, HOW many jobs were “saved or created,” including all those short term census jobs that happened as a result of a Constitutionally mandated project every decade since 1790?</p> <p><span id="more-2220"></span></p> <p>Despite the FAILED stimulus shackling future generations (the ones actually not aborted — likely at taxpayer expense that is) to debt to pay off Democrat political interests, it had some interesting side notes. First, party identity challenged FORMER US Senator from Pennsylvania, “Benedict” Arlen Specter (who flipped from D to R and then back to D at the end) voted for this boondoggle. As did the two RINOs from Maine. Without their help, the “Stimulus” never would have been an excuse for Obama’s expensive signing ceremony in Colorado. After criticism, “Benedict” Arlen flip flopped back to his original party and the party that basically represents his voting habits. He knew he couldn’t win a Republican primary after that. (He then was primaried out by another member of the Democrat party, which was perfect.) On the House side, the now shellacked Pelosi wielded her majority to ram this thing through.</p> <p>But the drama surrounding the votes wasn’t even the most entertaining point. What was really fun were all the phantom congressional districts that supposedly got “stimulus” money. This after a multimillion dollar taxpayer funded project to construct a database to let taxpayers know where their future generations’ money was being wasted, um, I mean, spent. Districts like New Hampshire’s 00th or Arizona’s 84th supposedly received “stimulus” money and/or “saved or created” jobs. Hey, could someone tell me who won the 2010 congressional races in those and all the other phantom districts?</p> <p>Then we had the millions of dollars of large and expensive signs built which announced that a routine paving project was paid for with “stimulus” (or rather, the lengthy outlandish name they called it) money. Hey why not spend it? It’s not like it was coming from the politicians personally….it’s debt on the shoulders of future generations. Waste, baby waste! I’m not sure if they thought this would garner political points for the 2010 elections, but ultimately it just created a lot of negative publicity.</p> <p>After having just supported and voted for TARP, Obama turned right around and demanded another 700 billion from future Americans. Enough was enough with DC’s big spending ways and this was not the “hope and change” promised. So, while the tea was brewing with TARP, the whistle on the kettle blew when it came to the FAILED “stimulus.”</p> <p>Make no mistake. The “stimulus” and ObamaCare were two huge factors in the gigantic shellacking Pelosi received and the reduction in Democrat Senate seats. Outside of solidly Democrat New York, many Democrat held governor seats flipped to Republican. Others in Congress saw the shellacking coming and suddenly remembered after all these years that they had a family and needed to spend time with them.</p> <p>Had the “stimulus” actually worked, we’d see unemployment at or below 8% like Obama read from his teleprompter. The tea party may have dried up. People would not continue to be losing their homes as much. There wouldn’t be talk about extending unemployment indefinitely. There would be REAL hope. And let’s face it: Pelosi would still be Speaker and people like Andrew Cuomo would not have to at least talk tough. Chris Christie wouldn’t even get a political footnote as he would have been soundly defeated by Jon Corzine. Yes those things are fun to watch, but too bad our power hungry ruling class had to enslave future generations so much to get us there.</p> <p>Happy anniversary, Obama/Pelosi FAILED “stimulus.”</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-78659603283862906642011-02-11T22:18:00.001-08:002011-02-11T22:25:18.918-08:00Jimmy McMillan for President??!!??by Bill Claydon<br /><br /><p>Sales of CDs and Jimmy “Rent is too damn high” McMillan <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/10/28/rent-2-damn-high-candidate-mcmillan-becomes-doll/">dolls</a> must be down. Despite being someone who simply cannot even be classified on the ideological spectrum, he has <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/11/mcmillan-makes-cpac-appearance/">resurfaced at CPAC</a>! And better yet, he wants to run for president as a Republican! What? Is the “Rent is 2 damn high” party (of one) not big enough for national politics?</p><p>As an entertainer whose faux NY gubernatorial campaign focused on one issue — that rent is “too damn high” — he hasn’t really articulated himself on other, more pressing issues. Until now. He has announced (drumroll please) that the DEFICIT is too damn high! I’m not sure there is anyone who can disagree with that.</p> <p>Fun and games aside, he does make a good point. The youth are strapped down due to the shortsightedness and big spending ways of previous generations. Young people of today and future generations will be forced to pay for the lack of vision espoused by the previous generations who have grown government far beyond its Constitutional limitations. This goes for both major parties. We are simply on an unsustainable path and no amount of whining from big government cheerleaders representing the failed policies of the past is going to change that. The status quo cannot be maintained and we are facing a reckoning.</p> <p>However, such a reckoning, while upsetting in the short term, is very necessary to bring this nation back to its Constitutional parameters. We have drifted morally and in terms of abiding by the Constitution. The out of control spending by the current and previous presidential administrations just hastened what would have probably come a couple of decades later. Had the tremendous waste merely increased at a slower rate, we would have continued to drift. Things were not right under the Bush years (or those of the last several presidential administrations) and have simply declined faster under Obama. We needed that faster downward spiral to create a wake up call.</p> <p>The Founders instructed that ordinary people must pay attention to what is happening in government. Most ordinary people were “asleep.” The wake up call has finally begun to get people away from their distractions and more involved. Everything must be examined, considered, and tested as to its constitutionality. And no, the “general welfare” phrase (or as some ignorant types have called it the “good and welfare clause”) in the Constitution is not a catchall for every single big government whim that can be dreamed up so as to further enslave future generations with debt.</p> These are indeed exciting times and I for one am quite glad this reckoning is happening sooner rather than later. We were on the wrong path….and it will take decades to correct the mess that much of the 20th century created. It's better to get started now than to put off the necessary clean up job.Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-50075065091210272442011-02-04T13:47:00.000-08:002011-02-04T13:49:24.122-08:00Andrew Cuomo vs. the special interestsby Bill Claydon<br /><br /><p>I didn't vote for Andrew Cuomo, but it was a foregone conclusion he was going to win. While there are many positions he has with which I disagree, I must say that I find his economic statements to be interesting. If he means what he says, all I can say is that the special interests are really in a pickle. This is going to be a prize fight to watch, but the stakes are even higher with Cuomo being a Democrat and basically the "figurehead" of New York Democrats. But hey, disgraced ex-NY governor Eliot "the Steamroller" Spitzer <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/24/2010-09-24_disgraced_exgov_eliot_spitzer_says_andrew_cuomo_is_dirtiest_nastiest_political_p.html">told us during the election that Andrew Cuomo has brass knuckles</a>. (Oh and it should be mentioned that Spitzer made this announcement just as his CNN show was about to be launched. A nice contrived political firestorm is always good for ratings.) I'm going to enjoy watching this as a conservative.</p><p><img src="http://www.libertyinkjournal.com/blog/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" class="mceWPmore mceItemNoResize" title="More..." /><br /></p> <p>Cuomo has <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Cuomo-video-reveals-pay-freeze-for-workers-993483.php">already announced that the overly expensive sob story propaganda ads on television put out by the big unions will not deter him</a>. Whenever there is talk about a cut in one program or another, suddenly these ads pop up on television. Gosh, they are expensive. One would think if the various special interests have all this spare money floating around to run television ads, they could just roll that back into the programs near and dear to their hearts.</p> <p>It almost would have been better for the special interests if Carl Paladino had won. They could have a free for all running numerous ads vilifying him, calling him the scourge of the earth, making him into their virtual punching bag, complaining about Republicans, etc. They could have raised tremendous sums in donations from people just by bandying about Paladino's name. They could have had a field day with a Paladino governorship. Had it been a narrow victory, he would have been a great boogeyman for them.</p> <p>But, wait, what's this? A liberal Democrat is in office now, a member of New York's political dynasty (his father Mario Cuomo was a three term ultra leftist governor) no less, and he is claiming he is NOT going to play ball with, or be a puppet of, the special interests? How dare he!! For too long, Democrats were basically joined at the hip with the big unions and other massive special interests driving costs in New York out of sight. Where can they go now? 2014 is a long way away. And even so, they can't get behind a Republican. What do they have left? The Green Party and Howie Hawkins? Or perhaps his ideological twin Charles Barron who also had a "tax everything" mentality in the 2010 New York Gubernatorial Comedy Variety Show, aka "Debate"? Hey, speaking of comedy, maybe Jimmy "Rent is too damn high" McMillan could be talked into changing his message a bit? "Cuts are too damn much"?</p> <p><img title="More..." src="http://blog.timesunion.com/teaparty/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" alt="" /></p> <p>This is really entertaining. The special interests have to be a bit careful criticizing Andrew Cuomo, being that he is a Democrat afterall. Against the likes of Paladino, they had to support him. Criticizing him too much now would seem hypocritical. And yet he's at least talking about refusing to do their bidding. What can they do?</p> <p>New York is on an unsustainable path. Too many people are without jobs and too many people continue to leave the state for others with less regulation, more efficient state governments, lower property taxes (that's practically every state other than New York), less welfare, more opportunities, and a host of other reasons. The special interests can get out their violins and spend millions to complain all over television, but fewer and fewer people will buy it. And worst of all, they have to spend this money with an elected liberal Democrat in office! My goodness.</p> <p>Cuomo would not have to do anything if all he wanted was reelection. He could coast along, be friendly with everyone, do the bidding of the special interests, and win a landslide reelection as a Democrat and a sitting governor. But if he has any higher ambitions in mind for the future (like 2016 or 2020), he must make good on his statements. He cannot buckle. So, I'm going to get some popcorn and enjoy watching the epic battle between New York's entrenched political dynasty and New York's entrenched special interests.</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-22287672410683683642011-02-01T14:41:00.000-08:002011-02-01T15:14:44.472-08:00Does Schumer Need a High School Civics Refresher?<p>by Bill Claydon<br /></p><p>Okay, I know some believe in a “living Constitution” which means different things depending on what ends they have in mind on any given day, but this one takes the cake. Since high level big government politicians are never wrong, <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/01/31/schumer_three_branches_of_govt_are_house_senate__president.html">according to Chucky Schumer, the three branches of government now consist of the House, Senate, and the President</a>. Silly me, I thought there was a Legislative (consisting of the House and Senate), Executive (including the President and his collection of Secretaries and continuously multiplying Czars that write regulations which ultimately reduce the power of the Legislative branch), and the Judicial branch. In Schumer’s (frightening) world, the Judicial branch no longer exists, and the House and Senate are each a separate branch. Wow.</p> <p>Now, will Kirsten Gillibrand initially deny that Schumer said that, like she did with his little, um…..gaffe involving a flight attendant? I know I’ve complained about her lack of media appearances, but maybe she is the smarter of these two.</p> <p>Okay, fun time is over. Let’s face it: Schumer misspoke. But doing a quick Google search reveals that the only media which gave this any attention are conservative media and blogs. Can anyone imagine the level of (liberal) mainstream media feeding frenzy if Palin or Bachmann (cue all the nasty, angry statements about these two now that I’ve mentioned their names) said anything like this? It’s amazing to see how the mainstream media is constantly lurking for any gaffe by a conservative woman who does not hold elected office on one hand, or a conservative woman who is a mere US House member from way out in Minnesota on another. Yet, a high ranking ultra liberal Senator from a state with a high population utters a gaffe which gets very little attention by the liberal mainstream media.</p> <p>On the other hand, maybe Chucky really does want to forget about the Judicial Branch. Afterall, he and his minime, Kirsten Gillibrand, rubber stamped Obama’s power grab over individual rights known as ObamaCare. And now <a href="http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/230829-judge-strikes-down-obamacare-in-difficult-decision">a federal judge has struck that mess down</a>. It will ultimately wind up in the US Supreme Court. There are four liberals, four conservatives, and a lone swing vote justice who happened to be appointed by Ronald Reagan. And that justice, Anthony Kennedy, has <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/07/06/2010-07-06_holdin_court_at_73_justice_kennedy_tells_pals_hes_not_retiring_for_years__thats_.html">said he will not retire in Obama’s first term</a>. Obama’s disrespectful, petty, and totally unprofessional swipe at the Supreme Court during his 2010 State of the Union address probably did not exactly endear him to Justice Kennedy. A 5-4 decision is all it takes…</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-70766508114480449412011-01-23T21:39:00.000-08:002011-01-23T21:43:49.076-08:00Senator Gillibrand, Tear Down This Billby Bill Claydon<br /><br /><p>Recently, I <a href="http://www.libertyinkjournal.com/blog/2011/01/harry-reid-and-the-obamacare-squeeze/">blogged about</a> how Harry Reid, still leading the Senate merely due to a very slim Democrat majority, is preventing the American people from seeing a Senate vote on the measure to repeal ObamaCare as passed by a bipartisan majority in the US House. He is preventing Obama from possibly having to veto this bill since Obama must face voters in 2012. But as I noted in my previous blog, Reid is also allowing a handful of Democrat Senators up for reelection in 2012 from red or purple states to hide behind him while he, well, hides the repeal bill. Ultimately, Reid gives fodder to the opponents of both Obama and all the Democrat Senators up for reelection in vulnerable seats.</p> <p><span id="more-1767"></span></p> <p>But I never bothered to mention another Senator up for reelection in 2012: New York’s own Kirsten Gillibrand. As it stands now, it is my opinion that New York would vote for anyone with a “D” after their name. If it was the clown Jimmy McMillan (if you’ve forgotten that flash in the pan already, you’ll remember this: “Rent. Is. Too. Damn. High.”) running as the Democrat nominee for a US Senate seat, he’d easily take 60% of the vote. At least right now. That may not always be the case.</p> <p>Gillibrand is a chameleon. The Kirsten Gillibrand who represented New York’s 20th Congressional District was independent and outspoken. She was frequently in the media, voted against the TARP boondoggle, and let everyone know where she stood. As much as I may have disagreed with her on some issues, I admired that she would come out and make her case known. I even found a small number of areas where I agreed with her. When she was appointed Senator, I thought she would be the same person. Instead, she seems to just vote however Schumer (finally the real Senior Senator once Hillary went on to bigger things) does. When she wants to show some occasional independence, she votes to the left of Schumer, difficult as that feat is to accomplish. She almost never speaks out on why she voted. Media appearances seem to be focused more on things like spreads in Vogue.</p> <p>Under current circumstances, Gillibrand has a cakewalk to reelection. But so does another Democrat in a high position in New York politics: newly minted Governor Andrew Cuomo. The funny thing is that while Gillibrand is just towing the line of Schumer and others in the Democrat hierarchy, Cuomo is at least talking about and doing some occasional things to attempt to deal with New York’s problems. Cuomo really doesn’t have to, because as it stands now in New York, he is guaranteed reelection no matter what he does. Nobody beyond the Jimmy McMillans and others who participated in the New York Gubernatorial Circus Show last year needs to bother wasting their time running. But maybe Cuomo realizes things are in a mess and does not want to have a legacy of doing nothing. Maybe he even realizes that there is (shudder) the remote possibility that unless he does something in his first term, he might not actually be returned to the governor’s office for a second term. Of course, for Cuomo, he has to worry about 2014, not 2012. Political winds can shift quite a bit by then.</p> <p>While Gillibrand has an election coming up sooner, and while she is not a chief executive of a state, she should gather the courage to vote to repeal what is simply bad legislation. If, as a Senator, she lacks the backbone she once had in voting against the boondoggle known as TARP, she at least ought to push for a simple VOTE on repealing the boondoggle known as ObamaCare. She can still vote with Schumer on it and be in line with her Democrat masters.</p> <p>Although 2012 might be “just around the corner,” much can happen between now and November of next year. With Reid starting things off by blocking legislation coming out of the House, the Republicans can run on a national message that Reid is disrupting progress for the American people. Should they continue to pass decent legislation that just gets Reid’s “veto,” it’s a gift on a silver platter. If unemployment continues to hover close to 10% and the economy continues to stagnate, it may not be a “cakewalk” environment, even for a Democrat in New York.</p> <p>Gillibrand may have to actually fill the role of Junior Senator from New York, unlike her predecessor. But that does not mean she cannot be outspoken, actually defend each of her votes, appear more often on hard media (note: Vogue does not qualify) and show some leadership skills. She had them before being handed a “promotion” by former New York Governor David Paterson. She needs to remember them.</p> <p>While 2010 was a referendum on Obama and Pelosi’s “leadership,” 2012 will be an even bigger referendum on Obama. With John Boehner basically hamstrung by Harry Reid, he has far less power than Nancy Pelosi. Should there be no progress, the focus will be on defeating the incumbent president and flipping the Senate from the limited grip of his party. Gillibrand needs to distinguish herself and stand on her own, rather than just riding coattails of Obama for better or worse. Should the road to 2012 be a messy ride without real change, her reelection may not be a given. Not even in deep blue New York.</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-54627180833223257092010-12-21T22:06:00.000-08:002010-12-21T22:25:34.422-08:00Schumer's Advice for Obamaby Bill Claydon<br /><br /><p>A liberal commenter on another blog suggested that I salute Chuck Schumer for making sure the middle class can keep a tax credit for college tuition. And while I am not a class warrior and would prefer such a tax credit go to anyone paying for college, I can say that even if it’s got some income limit it’s still a good start. Considering the enormous expense of college what with all the six figure salary bureaucrats, some six figure salary professors, and a handful of departments offering majors that are politically correct but provide no serious job prospects (except maybe “community organizer” jobs —- which in modern times have been known to qualify at least one person for a part time US Senate position and even president) all who seem to want MORE money, poor college students are in a deep financial hole. Indeed they ought to get a tax credit for all the funding they’re giving these bureaucrats. If not for students, imagine the unemployment numbers! Besides, if the students become productive citizens who make money as college graduates, they can be demonized as part of the “evil rich” later on.</p> <p>But I think it’s more important to thank Chucky for something else: being himself. He recently got some sort of new position within the Democrat Senate hierarchy (likely with a bonus of additional tax money in salary while a number of Americans don’t know where their next meal, mortgage payment, or property tax payment is coming from). This was basically a consolation prize to avoid running against a weakened Harry Reid for the position of Majority Leader. It’s something to do with communications. We know Chucky is great at communications as demonstrated with a flight attendant. Schumer likes regulations for others, but evidently didn’t react as well when a flight attendant was doing her job enforcing safety regulations that happened to inconvenience him.</p> <p>But seriously, as the third ranking Democrat Senator, his um, uh, communications skills have a potential impact on other Democrat Senators facing tough reelections in red states. That ObamaCare vote did them no favors. And Schumer’s loud mouth won’t do them any either.</p> <p><span id="more-1352"></span></p> <p>Still, I have to hand it to Schumer. He says what he means and means what he says. You know what you’re getting. And he’s willing to stand up and defend his views. His minime, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, started out being like that (outspoken, defended her views, meant what she said, etc.) even if a little to the right of Schumer. Now she’s a virtual clone of Schumer (albeit a bit younger) and really doesn’t get around for too many candid conversations with either her constituents or the media. Hey, if she’s going to vote almost exactly like Schumer, she ought to fulfill the rest of the picture.</p> <p>But back to Schumer. He just cruised to reelection in New York. He won’t be up again until 2016, a few political epochs into the future. Besides, being in New York, anyone with a “D” after their name automatically wins in a Senate race. So, he can be as candid as he wants.</p> <p>Recently, Schumer <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46617.html">was candid about Obama</a>, saying Congressional Democrats are “joined at the hip” with Obama. That sure sounds like a ringing endorsement of Obama’s recent (triangulating) behavior.</p> <p>Schumer’s advice to Obama is not to give up his “core fundamental principles.” This is a perspective issue. See, Chucky can get away with that being a Senator from New York. He is guaranteed reelection for as long as he wants the job. He can be further left than Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, etc. and still win 60% of the vote in New York. Obama has a totally different political landscape to deal with. While Obama may personally be ultra leftwing, that stuff is no longer in. It never was, even during the end of the Bush era. What was in at that point? Bush fatigue. Bush as a Republican president doomed most Republican candidates in 2008. But that didn’t mean people embraced Schumer/Obama extreme leftwing ideals. They just bought into the vapid “hope and change” rhetoric read from a teleprompter because they were burned out.</p> <p>Still, as a conservative, I wouldn’t mind seeing Obama take Schumer’s advice. It’s far better for him to stick to the hardcore left. The country can endure it for a couple of years. Then November, 2012 can come around. The “wealth” of a good shellacking should be spread around. Pelosi got it big time. Reid got it a little bit, and Obama needs to enjoy it too. I’d like to see Obama up there with other one-term wonders like Franklin Pierce, Rutherford Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, Jimmy Carter, and George HW Bush. Wait, forget that. Hayes voluntarily announced he would be a one termer. As to the others besides listed Carter, the rest are forgotten (HW Bush is basically remembered by virtue of being the father of #43). And Obama is making Jimmy Carter’s presidency look good by comparison.</p> <p>So, I salute Schumer for his advice to Obama. Keep it coming. And if Obama could take that advice it would be great. But don’t let Republicans get complacent either. We want REAL change you can believe in, starting at noon on January 20, 2013.</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-26712693253962384622010-12-13T14:03:00.001-08:002010-12-13T14:03:18.185-08:00Ann Marie Buerkle of NY-25 has the kind of tax issues one wants to see in a politician<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">By <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Sam Foster</b></font></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><font face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/133395-dems-pressure-ny-rep-elect-buerkle-over-tax-troubles-"><font face="Calibri" size="3">One of the three best campaign blogs</font></a><font face="Calibri" size="3"> careening through the vast blogiverse has a story up on Ann Marie Buerkle's </font><a href="http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/state_says_newly_elected_us_re.html"><font face="Calibri" size="3">latest tax problems</font></a><font face="Calibri" size="3">:</font></p> <p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">The problem began when Video King, a former tenant in a strip shopping center Buerkle owns on Kasson Road in Camillus, incorrectly reported how it paid its rent for the property, Buerkle said.</span></i></p> <p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Video King filled out an IRS form showing it paid Buerkle "non-employee compensation" instead of correctly listing the payments as rent, according to Buerkle's accountant, Ken Cardarelli, of Onondaga Hill.</span></i></p> <p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">The mistake prompted the IRS to seek additional income tax from Buerkle. The IRS shared its information under a reciprocity agreement with New York state, which also sought additional income tax, Cardarelli said. He said Buerkle's efforts to clear her tax record were complicated because Video King was bankrupt and shut down its operations.</span></i></p> <p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">"Unfortunately, no one was available at Video King to remedy their error," Cardarelli said. "It took so long to get all cleared up. But the IRS eventually cleared the tax and any interest and paid her back some interest." He said the issue with the IRS was settled in the first quarter of this year, and the information was shared with New York state.</span></i></p> <p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Cardarelli said he was surprised to hear about the tax warrant filed Dec. 3 in the Onondaga County clerk's office. "The state said it was on hold, and they are reviewing the matter," Cardarelli said of his last contact with state tax officials. "It could take up to 90 days."</span></i></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Apparently, the DCCC is looking to capitalize on Buerkle's supposed tax error despite the fact that <a href="http://theothermccain.com/2010/10/18/ann-marie-buerkle-answers-dishonest-attack-ads-from-democrat-dan-maffei/">this has already been tried and failed</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">However, it is interesting to compare Ann Marie Buerkle's situation to those of prominent Democrats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Where Democrats are concerned, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg3-2009feb03,0,49616.column">tax issues involve fraud of the creative accounting variety</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet, these aren't the only kind of tax issues that can arise.</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Ann Marie Buerkle has the other kind of tax issues; the kind that one actually wants to see in a Washington politician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Buerkle's supposed "tax problems" are really nothing more than a result of a business woman being in business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is nothing less than proof positive that she knows what small businesses are up against.</span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Ann Marie's Buerkle's first blush with tax issues occurred as a result of a triple-net lease agreement she'd established with a tenant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This particular agreement assigns responsibility of tax payments to the tenant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, Ann Marie Buerkle's name is what pops up on the tax role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So, while this arrangement may sound risky, it's actually <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg3-2009feb03,0,49616.column">common practice with commercial leases</a> and they are often, widely lucrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Flash forward to today and Buerkle faces a separate issue relating to incorrect tax preparation from a tenant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The issue is easily resolved and probably more common for small business owners than you think which is why this latest ploy against Buerkle by the DCCC isn't likely to gain any political capital. </span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #444e5c; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Because, you can try and convict Ann Marie Buerkle of being a small business owner with small business problems, but you also can't concoct a better argument for her reelection.</span></p> conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-18073745305842280212010-12-01T06:56:00.000-08:002010-12-01T06:53:54.066-08:00NY-1’s close race gets closer as ballot challenges lowers Tim Bishop’s lead over Randy Altschuler to 221 <br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">By Sam Foster</font> <p><a href="http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2010/11/tim-bishop-plus-margin-of-democrat.html"><font size=2 color=blue face="sans-serif"><u>Amid evidence of voter fraud</u></font></a><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> discovered by Fox News yesterday, both Bishop and Altschuler camps took to the piles of roughly 2,000 challenged absentee ballots yesterday. Amid bipartisan agreement, some of the challenges were dropped thus diminishing Tim Bishop's lead slightly.</font> <p><a href="http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/page-1/bishop-lead-narrows-to-221-amid-allegations-of-voter-fraud-10257"><font size=2 color=blue face="sans-serif"><u>Sag Harbor Express reports</u></font></a><font size=2 face="sans-serif">:</font> <p><font size=3 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif"><i>This comes after the incumbent Congressman picked up a 235-vote lead against Altschuler after a rollercoaster of election results since election day when unofficial results gave Bishop a 3,500 vote lead, only to have Altschuler claim a 383-vote advantage after the county's new electronic voting machines were reread.</i></font> <p><font size=3 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif"><i>At the close of counting some 11,500 absentee and affidavit ballots, Bishop led the race last week 97,050 to 96,815, but according to both campaigns Altschuler has picked up a handful of votes in the counting of 71 military ballots, narrowing Bishop's lead to 221.</i></font> <p><font size=2 face="sans-serif">However, this rollercoaster ride of an election is far from over according to Randy Altschuler's spokesperson, who hinted yesterday that they expected to bring up more instances of fraud not yet reported. Perhaps, a taste of what the Altschuler camp has up their sleeves:</font> <p><font size=3 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif"><i>"This is exactly what we have been talking about," said Ryan on Tuesday. "These are the exact things we are taking a closer look at."</i></font> <p><font size=3 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif"><i>While Ryan acknowledged it is legal to vote in Suffolk County while maintaining a residence in New York, he questioned the legality of casting a ballot in a district outside of where one registers their car, or files for their New York State School Tax Relief (STAR) exemptions.</i></font> <p><font size=3 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif"><i>"They found people registered in both places and they have one person who voted twice, and I think they will have a couple of other interesting things to put out there before this is over," said Ryan of the FOX news report."</i></font> <p><font size=2 face="sans-serif">For now, we'll have to wait to see how this pans out, but please stop back often as I'll be covering this race up until the bitter, court pronounced end.</font> conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-65282286038718306182010-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:002010-11-22T13:13:32.847-08:00NY-1 absentee count seesaw: Tim Bishop leads by 14, then down by 10 to Randy Altschuler, now up by 17 and it’ll be different by the end of the day <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">By Sam Foster</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">The race in NY-1 is so close, that the leader has been changing back and forth all day and never above a double digit margin.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Tim Bishop started the day with a </font><a href="http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2010/11/randy-altschuler-campaign-confirms-tim.html"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>14 vote lead as officials resumed counting the remaining precincts</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"> in Brookhaven, NY this morning. By 10:30 am, NRO was reporting that </font><a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/253726/altschulers-no-wait-hes-down-no-wait-hes-again"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>Randy Altschuler had retaken the lead with 10 votes</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">. At noon, </font><a href="http://www.northshoreoflongisland.com/Articles-i-2010-11-18-86149.112114-sub-Bishop-holds-slim-lead-over-Altschuler.html"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>Time Beacon Record</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"> had Tim Bishop over Altschuler by 17.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">I'll keep with the coverage and hopefully be able to provide you with the final situation at the end of the day. </font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">There are of course several other factors to consider:</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">First of all, Randy Altschuler has challenged far more ballots than Tim Bishop. The Bishop campaign claims that </font><a href="http://www.northshoreoflongisland.com/Articles-i-2010-11-18-86149.112114-sub-Bishop-holds-slim-lead-over-Altschuler.html"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>most, if not all, these challenges will be overturned in court</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i>More significant than the slim lead is the growing disparity in the number of ballots challenged, said Schneider, who Monday noon put those numbers at 797 challenges by Altschuler and 567 challenges by Bishop. Schneider expects most of the challenges to be dismissed eventually and the ballots added to the candidates' respective totals.</i></font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Randy Altschuler </font><a href="http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2010/11/randy-altschuler-campaign-confirms-tim.html"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>claims that he carried 91% of the Brookhaven precincts on Election Day</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">. Thus the final precincts to be counted could be Altschuler votes.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Finally, there is supposed to be a bit of recanvassing completed today and could send some votes one way or another.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Check back for more updates…</font> conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-67385908306843706962010-11-19T18:29:00.000-08:002010-11-19T18:31:37.890-08:00Buerkle holds lead in NY-25 after Onondaga County Absentee Count will likely emerge victoriousBy Sam Foster<br />Cross-posted at <a href="http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2010/11/fog-over-ny-25-absentee-count-clears.html">Left Coast Rebel</a><br />Via <a href="http://www.memeorandum.com/101119/p102#a101119p102">Memeorandum</a><br /><br />It's nearly a "mathematical certainty" according to a spokeperson associated with Ann Marie Buerkle's campaign. Thanks to a recanvass of Wayne County and the final absentee count in Onondaga County. Dan Maffei has little chance in erroding Ann Marie Buerkle's lead.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?list=~%5Cnews%5Clists%5Clocal%20and%20state&id=541771">According to CNY</a>, Dan Maffei did win Onondaga County, the portion of NY-25 with the largest number of absentee votes (about 6,300). According to reports, Dan Maffei picked up 557 votes against Ann Marie, but Buerkle's lead was too much. She had 824 votes over Dan Maffei going into the count today and a recanvass of Wayne County moved an additional 144 votes into Buerkles column. She now leads by 411.<br /><br />The counting is not complete however, Wayne County still needs to finish their absentee count. However, the area is a Buerkle strong hold that she carried by a 25 point margin on election night. Dan Maffei would need to win by 83% of the vote.<br /><br />Burkle hasn't yet claimed victory, but its pretty much a formality at this point given the deficit Maffei is facing. In short, Ann Marie Buerkle has just emerged victorious in NY-25.<br /><strong><br />Update x1:</strong><br /><br />Headline from Buerkle's Campaing? <strong>"<a href="http://lonelyconservative.com/2010/11/will-rep-dan-maffei-concede-in-ny25-race/">Buerkle's Lead Can't Be Beat</a>"</strong><br /><br /><strong>Update x2:</strong><br /><strong><a href="http://www.theothermccain.com"><br />Expert Blogger and political writer</a>:</strong> Buerkle's win makes "<a href="http://theothermccain.com/2010/11/19/ann-marie-buerkle-win-in-ny-25-would-give-gop-biggest-majority-since-1949/">most Republican congress since 1949</a>"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Election Related:</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2010/11/alaska-judge-to-halt-murkowski-certification.html">Judge to halt Murkowski certification</a></span>?conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-3082991950937991412010-11-19T09:13:00.001-08:002010-11-19T09:13:22.143-08:00Rent is Too Damn High Jimmy McMillan sues NY Board of Elections $350 million for omitting “Damn”…Again!<font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">By Sam Foster</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Looks like Rent is <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://iowntheworld.com/blog/%3Fp%3D39717&sa=U&ei=xq_mTOiTJMSp8AaZ1NGJDQ&ved=0CA8QFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFAs-dqlqoye05u98khglNuny1ahw">Too Damn High mogul Jimmy McMi</a>llan is fixing to sue the Board of Elections for omitting the "Damn" from Rent is too Damn High" during two previous elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The board claims that the name was too [Damn] long to fit on the ballots.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Jimmy McMillan isn't buyong it and last year when the issue arose McMillan offered the <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/11/jimmy_mcmillan_would_like_350.html">following curse laced statement</a>:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="COLOR: black">"I would love to put on my website that the Board of Elections can suck my dick, I would love to do that, but I got little children going to my website, I can't do it, the motherfuckers. I would love to, before every one of them go to bed at night, suckin' my damn dick. That's what I'd love to put on my website. Every fuckin' one of them, you know."</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">A judge threw out an earlier $50 million lawsuit and my guess is that Jimmy thought it was because the suit wasn't "too damn high" enough.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></p></font> </font> conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-62285033587808123332010-11-17T12:03:00.000-08:002010-11-17T12:00:42.383-08:00Courts rule on disputed ballots in NY-25; Ann Marie picks up another 95 votes and now leads Dan Maffei by 824 votes <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">By Sam Foster</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">I've been keeping a keen eye on this race. I hope to hear what the total count is in Wayne County's absentee count that started yesterday. I suspect we won't hear anything until tomorrow though. Onondaga County also started counting absentees today. The results will likely take many days to emerge.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">However, Ann Marie Buerkle and Dan Maffei did battle it out in court over some 200 absentee's that Dan Maffei disputed from Monroe County. The judge has aloud many of them to be counted boosting Ann Marie Buerkle's lead to 824 votes.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Via </font><a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20101117/NEWS01/101117011/1002/NEWS/Judge-rules-on-absentee-ballots-objected-to-in-Monroe-County"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>Democrat and Chronicle</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">:</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i>Ann Marie Buerkle widedned her lead by an additional 95 votes today after Monroe County absentee ballots were opened.</i></font> <p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i>The ballots were opened in a courthouse in Onondaga County after a judge ruled that because the ballots did not have specific objections, he had nothing to rule on.</i></font> <p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i>Buerkle is now 824 votes ahead of her opponent Rep. Dan Maffei, a </i></font><a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20101117/NEWS01/101117011/1002/NEWS/Judge-rules-on-absentee-ballots-objected-to-in-Monroe-County\l#\t_blank"><font size=3 color=#824200 face="Times New Roman"><i>Democrat</i></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i>.</i></font> <p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i>State </i></font><a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20101117/NEWS01/101117011/1002/NEWS/Judge-rules-on-absentee-ballots-objected-to-in-Monroe-County\l#\t_blank"><font size=3 color=#824200 face="Times New Roman"><i>Supreme Court Justice</i></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i> Brian DeJoseph in Syracuse ordered today that about 230 absentee ballot envelopes objected to in Monroe County be opened.</i></font> <p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><i>The ballots are part of the ongoing count in the tight race in the 25th Congressional District between Maffei, D-DeWitt, Onondaga County, and Buerkle of Onondaga Hill, Onondaga County. </i></font> <p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Until Wayne County is counted, it is difficult to speculate. However, with every vote gain by Buerkle sends the potential for a Dan Maffei come back further out of reach. At over 820 votes Dan Maffei will need to win Onondaga County by about 15%, despite the ballots leaning Republican.</font> conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-31475105623680086442010-11-12T14:12:00.000-08:002010-11-12T14:09:55.086-08:00NY-25 Update for Nov 12: Ann Marie Buerkle picks up 24 votes and now leads Dan Maffei by 711 as Cayuga County finishes absentee count <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">By Sam Foster</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Today, Cayuga County officially finished their absentee vote count, the first county in NY-25 to do so. According to the </font><a href=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/ann_marie_buerkle_picks_up_14.html><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>Post-Standard</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">, she picked up an additional 24 votes:</font> <p><font size=2 color=#4f4f4f face="Verdana"><i>Republican Ann Marie Buerkle picked up 24 votes today in the undecided race against Rep. Dan Maffei, D-DeWitt, after Cayuga County finished counting its absentee ballots.</i></font> <p><font size=2 color=#4f4f4f face="Verdana"><i>When the counting finished this afternoon, Maffei had received 35 absentee votes and Buerkle 59 absentee votes, according to Cayuga County Election Commissioner Kate Lacey. </i></font> <p><font size=2 color=#4f4f4f face="Verdana"><i>The difference means that Buerkle has now widened her overall lead in the four-county district to 711 votes, according to unofficial election returns. </i></font> <p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Cayuga County had the fewest number of absentee votes to count, around 123. Monroe County started their count today. The other two remaining counties will begin on the 17<sup>th</sup>. Given the lead Ann Marie Buerkle has acquired, incumbent Dan Maffei will be hard pressed to emerge victorious. Despite an winning Onondaga County by 8 points on election night, by the number Buerkle has put up so far, he will need to go better than a 10 point margin just to pull even.</font>conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-28880876056312847012010-11-08T14:31:00.000-08:002010-11-08T14:29:11.121-08:00Let the voter fraud begin in NY-25: Dan Maffei campaign actively trying to disenfranchise absentee voters prior to vote count <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">By Sam Foster</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">We all knew it was bound to happen, but it looks like NY-25 is degrading into a whole new level of nasty. </font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Democrat Incumbent Dan Maffei is down 700 votes to Ann Marie Buerkle, so naturally, it's time for the Democrats to get down in the muck. </font><a href="http://www.capitaltonight.com/2010/11/buerkle-cries-foul-on-absentee-ballot-contact-effort/"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>YNN is reporting</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"> that Dan Maffei is actively contacting absentee voters in an effort to create a tally of how people voted ahead of the actual count. Bill Carey of YNN was astounded by the effort, reporting that he'd never heard of a campaign using such tactics. </font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Ann Marie Buerkle points out that the purpose of this tactic could be used to disenfranchise absentee voters by disqualifying eligible ballots before they are even counted. Buerkle's campaign writes:</font> <br> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"While the reasons for this effort are unclear – many agree it could be an attempt by some to identify who each person voted for in an effort to disqualify certain eligible ballots from being counted. I would like the public to know that my campaign is not connected to this current effort."</i></font> <br> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"Further, no American – in Upstate New York or anywhere – is in anyway under obligation to provide information to anyone on how he or she voted in any election, including my own."</i></font> <br> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"If anyone is contacted in this effort please know that your vote is privileged, and under no circumstances should an individual be pressured in to revealing how their vote was cast. If you are contacted, ask them to provide their full name, for whom they work, why they are seeking this information and if you are required to provide this information."</i></font> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"> </font> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">However, instead of being ashamed at the audacity of contacting voters and in effect, intimidating residents into revealing how they voted on a secret ballot, the Maffei campaign defends its disregard for voter rights.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"In an election as close as this<b>, it is more important</i></b><i> than ever to ensure the integrity of the process. As we continue to gather information, we have discovered some possible inconsistencies in the election night reporting in addition to some absentee voters who may have been deceased."</i></font> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"We will turn over any information we discover to the Board of Elections for further review and our efforts are ongoing."</i></font> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"> </font> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">There are a number of issues here. Let's begin with the obvious. It is completely out of line for a congressman to be asking people how they voted before their ballots are even counted. While it may be a form of soft intimidation, Maffei is using an office of power to disenfranchise voters. What YNN missed in all their reporting was point of all of this is chicanery, which is to create an atmosphere of uncertainty so that Maffei can through legal fiat, create as many possible objections to the election results as possible thereby increasing his likelihood of stealing the election through judicial activism.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">This reeks of desperation on Maffei's part and that could be positive or negative. Clearly, Maffei is very uncertain that he can prevail in the absentee vote count, which is a highly unlikely outcome since he needs to beat Ann Marie Buerkle by more than a 10% margin district-wide just to erase her lead. This makes a win via judicial decision the most likely strategy Maffei has left. </font> conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-77222190556405616762010-11-06T08:35:00.000-07:002010-11-06T08:37:24.875-07:00Reid, Murray, Boxer, Schumer, and Gillibrandby Bill Claydon<br /><br /><p>Would I have been happy if any or all of the first three had been defeated on Tuesday? Of course. Obviously the last two were totally out of reach with them being Democrats from New York. If Jimmy McMillan with his useless platform (which accomplished precisely what it was designed for….to launch his entertainment career) had been the Democrat nominee for either US Senate seat in New York, he’d have won by a million vote margin too.</p> <p>But is it really that bad that all five of these extreme leftists managed to be reelected? Not at all. Actually, let me correct myself. The first four are leftists and the last is a rubber stamp for leftist #4. The rubber stamp was independent during her days as a Congresswoman and is now mostly a puppet.</p> <p>So why is it not so bad? Boxer (CA) and Schumer (NY) are utterly obnoxious. Reid (NV) might be less obnoxious than either of these two, but he still has his own level of obnoxiousness. Being the Senate Majority Leader, he has high visibility. Murray (WA) is fairly quiet but definitely extreme, and has high seniority within the Senate. Gillibrand is quiet too, because she generally just votes with Schumer. In that sense, he may as well be speaking for both of them.</p> <p>So why should we not mind obnoxious and extremist types in the Senate? With the exception of Reid, these come from states that consistently elect these types. So, it’s a given that the Senate is going to have someone like Boxer from California or Schumer from New York. Washington is also fairly liberal too. The bulk of Democrats in the Senate are holdovers from the 2006 and 2008 elections.</p> <p><span id="more-1721"></span></p> <p>Both Barack AND Michelle Obama campaigned for Harry Reid. Barack Obama campaigned for Patty Murray and Barbara Boxer as well. He’s associated with them. They’re his problem. Obama is up for reelection in 2012 (unless enough people “convince” Hillary to change her mind about not running in 2012). Any attempts to seem more centrist or reasonable as we get closer to the election can easily be matched with statements from the likes of Reid, Boxer, and Murray, who personally don’t have to worry about another election for six years. Boxer, after beating back a challenge from Fiorina where the polls occasionally put Fiorina ahead, may come out with another entertaining gaffe like “Call me Senator; I worked hard for that title.” In reality, she happened to be a Democrat and get nominated for US Senator from California. It’s California. So, whenever Barbara “Call me Senator” Boxer wants to be reelected, she will be. Maybe she had to “work hard” to push her way through other Democrats to get the nod way back in 1992. But after that, Boxer will continue to retain her job for as long as she wants it. Afterall, she has a “D” after her name.</p> <p>Defeat would have meant that these people would step into history and eventually be forgotten. But now they will continue to be in the spotlight. Further, had Angle and O’Donnell been elected, they could have been lightning rods for Obama to play against in his reelection campaign. (Note: I did not include Coons in my title only because he is not an incumbent. But Obama campaigned for him too and I’m sure he will provide gaffes with which Obama can be associated.)</p> <p>But let’s shift focus to the US Senate for the moment. In 2012, there are several Democrat Senators from centrist or right-leaning states (or states which just elected a Republican governor and/or Senator) who will be up for reelection including:</p> <p>- Claire McCaskill (Missouri)<br />- Bill Nelson (Florida)<br />- Ben Nelson (Nebraska)<br />- Bob Casey, Jr. (Pennsylvania)<br />- Jim Webb (Virginia)<br />- Debbie Stabenow (Michigan)<br />- Jon Tester (Montana)<br />- Sherrod Brown (Ohio)<br />- Kent Conrad (North Dakota)<br />- Joe Manchin (West Virginia)<br />- Herb Kohl (Wisconsin)</p> <p>Barring new scandals, Republicans have potential liabilities in the following:<br />- Scott Brown (Massachusetts) — likely will flip since it’s Massachusetts<br />- Olympia Snowe (Maine)<br />- John Ensign (Nevada)</p> <p>The eleven Democrats can be tied to Obama and Reid. Just a few turnovers among them, even if Massachusetts and Maine are lost, could amount to narrow Republican control of the Senate. I’d suggest that Ben Nelson, Jon Tester, Sherrod Brown, Kent Conrad, Jim Webb, and possibly Claire McCaskill and Bob Casey, are ripe for defeat under current circumstances. Should Republicans keep their current seats, lose Massachusetts and Maine, and flip six of these Democrat held seats, they get narrow control of the Senate. Obviously if they keep Maine, they only need to flip five.</p> <p>Reid, Boxer, Schumer, and other obnoxious Democrat Senators like Kerry, Durbin and Harkin, could be useful in this effort. They (especially Reid as Majority Leader) can be tied to these vulnerable Senators. If Al Franken wants to be loud too, that would make it even more fun. And if Coons mixes things up a bit, even better. In fact, one of the presumed “safe” Democrat seats up in 2012 could flip.</p> <p>The eleven named Democrats will need to be more centrist and some would even need to be “fake conservative” to meet the leanings of their states. They will not be able to just march in lock step with the likes of Reid, Boxer, and Schumer, all of whom won reelection and don’t have to worry about another election for six years. None of these eleven want to be the next Russ Feingold (WI). And if they start to see the handwriting on the wall, they could be the next Byron Dorgan, meaning that the Democrat running in their place would likely face defeat.</p> <p>But if the obnoxious colleagues of these eleven were not enough, then there is Obama. He’s not popular in most of the states represented by these eleven Senators. His name will more than likely be on the ballot in 2012….along with these Senators. He could be problematic for down ballot candidates. 2012 could indeed be another year of “change we can believe in.”</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-64573301849997423302010-11-05T13:34:00.000-07:002010-11-05T13:31:18.932-07:00Paging lawyers to NY-25: Republican Ann Marie Buerkle leads the vote count so naturally Democrat Dan Maffei is fundraising for a legal team <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">By Sam Foster</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">On Wednesday</font><a href="http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2010/11/breaking-ann-marie-buerkle-takes-lead.html"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>, I broke the news</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"> that Ann Marie Buerkle had assumed the lead in NY-25 after the final vote count was completed. There are still a large number of absentee ballots to be counted and Ann Marie Buerkle is leading by a slim 700 votes, but that certainly hasn't stopped Dan Maffei from flailing desperately for a legal team.</font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Dan Maffei has sent out the following conspiracy laden fundraising plea. Via </font><a href="http://www.capitaltonight.com/2010/11/maffei-to-supporters-dont-let-them-steal-this/"><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>Capital Tonight</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">:</font> <br> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>It's been a long few days, but I wanted to give you an update on my race," Maffei wrote. </i></font> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"While it still has not been called, we are neck and neck, with thousands of absentee ballots to be counted. National Republicans are already starting to send folks up to my district – and as Florida in 2000 showed us, they will do anything to win."</i></font> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"We need to make sure that every vote is counted. Can you contribute today?" </i></font> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"We need your help right now. We are in the process of assembling our team to help ensure that every vote is counted, but this is a costly process. We need to raise $25,000 by Monday to make sure that we have the strongest team possible."</i></font> <br><font size=3 color=#4f4f4f face="Times New Roman"><i>"Your generous support has gotten us to this point – but we need your help to ensure Republicans can't steal this election…This process could take days, possibly weeks, but I have every confidence that we will come out victorious."</i></font> <br> <br><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Apparently, Maffei is part of the "George Bush stole the election" conspiracy crowd, but his charges that Ann Marie is trying to steal the election is capricious and more than a little unhinged. However, it is clear that Dan Maffei is not confident that he will come out victorious and is hoping to accomplish through legal teams what he failed so egregiously on the campaign trail. Please consider donating to </font><a href=http://www.buerkleforcongress.com><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><u>Ann Marie Buerkle's post election fund</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"> so that she can fight off Dan's legal election team.</font> conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-167199704145049342010-11-04T18:45:00.001-07:002010-11-04T18:45:59.469-07:00Belated Congratulations to Chris Gibson!<p>by Bill Claydon<br /></p><p>With this blog entry, I would like to offer a belated but heartfelt congratulations to Chris Gibson for winning the congressional election for New York’s 20th Congressional District! This was an amazing double digit point win. Gibson will enter Congress with a mandate. The people have clearly spoken and said they want real change.</p> <p>This was a hard fought battle as is any battle where an incumbent is involved. An incumbent has name recognition and the ability to continuously generate publicity via his/her office’s press releases and mailings to constituents. The act of doing one’s duties in office creates media exposure. The opponent must work harder to get his or her name out there and get people excited about supporting them. This is a tough hill to climb.</p> <p>Some might dismiss this victory as merely being from a district with an advantage in terms of Republican registrations. I think that assessment is plain wrong. For three elections in a row, the district went to a Democrat candidate. The shift in the 2006 election is understandable because John Sweeney was the incumbent at the time. But based on 2008 and 2009, this district could hardly be classified as a “safe Republican district” regardless of registrations. Colonel Gibson beat an incumbent with roughly three times as much money in campaign funds who had support of major political celebrities like Bill Clinton and Andrew Cuomo.</p> <p>Having spoken with Chris Gibson a number of times, he struck me as fresh, personable, genuine and someone with whom I could trust to mean what he says and say what he means. I firmly believe he will truly represent the people. Kinderhook is his hometown. And, as one who did not simply enter the district as a millionaire and run for Congress a short time thereafter, he understands the concerns of the ordinary people he will represent. He held numerous campaign events with the people (not just the politically connected) and was willing to take questions and engage with those who do not necessarily share his positions. He will represent both those who voted for him and those who did not.</p> <p>Listening to Colonel Gibson at length about his solid in-depth knowledge of the history of our nation’s founding and deep understanding of the meaning of our founding documents, I was greatly impressed. Unlike various other campaigns in this country, this was not someone who just cherry picked certain favorite amendments of the Constitution and zeroed in on those. He spoke from the perspective of being totally immersed in the full picture and rich history of the founding era and early years of the republic. As a student of history myself (though with a major focus more on the years of 1820-1860), I am especially looking forward to seeing that perspective in action in Washington, DC.</p> <p><span id="more-1714"></span></p> <p>But above all, there was one thing that I felt was most important. In one of his appearances that I attended (and I’ll bet he said this at many others I did not happen to attend), Colonel Gibson asked us to hold him accountable. He asked us to hold his feet to the fire and vote accordingly should he not stay on the straight and narrow. This is precisely the kind of attitude we need from our elected representatives. This is the attitude of someone who does not feel he “deserves” office or “owns” the office. He recognizes that it is the people’s seat. He realizes that the people can and will give it to someone else if the people lose trust in the seat’s officeholder.</p> <p>Obviously, the ground game was most important. Gibson had an excited group of supporters. While I did not have as much time to attend all of the rallies, I did go to a small number. The energy was fantastic, most especially during the Gibson rally when Bill Clinton unsuccessfully campaigned for Scott Murphy. While there were many sign waves for Gibson throughout the district, election day was certainly THE day of sign waves. Spending a little bit of time participating myself, I was heartened at the enthusiasm from drivers and the very limited negative reactions. I drove near Scott Murphy’s campaign office expecting to see at least a few people waving signs for him. There were none. Murphy simply did not seem to have an enthusiastic group of volunteers, despite the claims of a limited number district residents who said they supported his votes. Where were they when it came to trying to keep Murphy in office?</p> <p>While I agree with many of Chris Gibson’s views, as most people know, I am pro-life and do not agree with his views on abortion. As the Declaration of Independence states, we are endowed by our Creator with the right to life. However, I voted for him. I will pray for him for all areas of his work but especially this. His position is far better than that of Scott Murphy’s. Further, as Gibson has said he would promote efforts for adoption and vote against taxpayer funding of abortion, I can support that. During Scott Murphy’s partial term in office, a vote came up to remove taxpayer funding (to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per year) of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business. Murphy voted against this. Forcing taxpayers to subsidize domestic abortion businesses, or to fund organizations overseas that promote or provide abortions, is hardly “pro-choice.” As our nation continues to pile up debt for future generations and we need to examine ways to reduce spending, this seems like a logical item to cut. Nothing stops individual abortion supporters and big corporations from continuing to donate to abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood.</p> <p>In addition to congratulating Chris, I want to congratulate the campaign staff and volunteers for running/supporting an excellent campaign! But I’d like to particularly recognize Patrick Ziegler, Kate Better, Dan Odescalchi, Brad Littlefield, Steve Bulger, and Brandon Myers. Each of them did a tremendous amount of work.</p> <p>Some have laughed off this victory, gleefully suggesting New York’s 20th congressional district will be axed when redistricting happens. My response? The best idea is to take things one step at a time. We can debate what the future may hold when it becomes more clear. Starting in January, we will have Congressman Gibson. We will watch his time in office. THAT is what is certain now, and THAT should be the focus.</p> <p>Once again, congratulations Chris!</p>Bill Claydonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294925874277186577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418921084313868860.post-43072347541072356592010-11-03T19:18:00.000-07:002010-11-03T19:21:35.203-07:00Ann Marie Buerkle claims lead in NY-25By Sam Foster<br /><br />I regret for the short post here, however there are a number of stories I'm covering and I've been posting my coverage at <a href="www.leftcoastrebel.com">Left Coast Rebel</a>.<br /><br />Let me cut to the chase. After Wayne County was finally counted this afternoon, Ann Marie holds less then a 700 vote lead. I have full coverage at Left Coast Rebel and will be doing up a larger post, which will be cross posted here.<br /><br />Please read my <a href="http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2010/11/breaking-ann-marie-buerkle-takes-lead.html">NY-25 Too Close to Call coverage HERE</a>!conservative generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10614578478747561732noreply@blogger.com0