UPR Interview: Who are the Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour?

By Sam Foster

Smart and catchy messaging can have a huge impact on the campaign in the politics of today. For example, California unions are paying to have two actors follow around Republican candidates Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina dressed as alter egos Queen Meg and Princess Carly. Google Queen Meg, you'll find thousands of hits. The crass, but catchy titles have leaked their way into every major California publication.

So it's a real pleasure when a local conservative campaign synthesizes a uniquely impressive, satirical messaging campaign. I stumbled upon the Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour late last week and was quickly impressed with their content and slick political marketing.

The group's shtick is that Republican challenger, Nan Hayworth, needs your help to defeat incumbent Democrat John Hall in November's election so that in losing his congressional job, John Hall will be compelled to rejoin his band Orleans. For those of you not hip to 70's pop rock, congressman John Hall was the lead singer and writer for the song "Still the One."

Michael Knowles, a local Yale student, is the leader and founding member of the Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour campaign. I caught up with him for the following interview:

How did you get involved with politics and what do you hope to be doing after you graduate from college?

I've been interested in politics for as long as I can remember. The earliest memory I have concerning politics is sitting at my grandparents' dinner table, repeating the new phrase they had taught me: "Read my lips, no new taxes." That was in 1992, and I don't think my views have changed too much since. After college, I actually plan on becoming an actor. But then, I guess politics and acting aren't all that different.

How did you get involved with the Hayworth campaign?

I became involved with the Hayworth campaign in early April. I've known Nan Hayworth since I was about nine years old. I can honestly say that she is one of the most intelligent, talented, and energetic people I've met in my life--truly the perfect candidate. This election is certainly the most important of my lifetime. Many people my age see the United States heading down a dangerous path and believe that we need to change direction before it is too late. When I heard that Nan was running for Congress, I knew I had to put any other summer plans on hold and help out in any way that I could.

What’s your specific goal with the site?

As we say in our mission statement, the Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour seek to reunite the '70s rock band Orleans in order to get John Hall on the road and out of Congress. When John Hall was the lead singer of Orleans, unemployment, the national debt, and the national debt as a percentage of GDP were all at reasonable levels. After his four disastrous years in Congress, unemployment has hit 9.5%, the national debt is over $13 trillion, and the national debt is almost equal to GDP. John Hall's misguided votes have directly contributed to all of these increases. Great musician, terrible legislator.

How do you plan on getting voters to notice your site and remember your message?

Our first week online has been very encouraging in terms of visitors and subscribers to the website. I think the message and the messaging resonate well with people. As early as June, the John Hall campaign was hawking negative YouTube ads, which distorted Nan's positions and sought to instill fear in the voters. I think this is really the wrong approach. That's why the Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour hope to win support for our cause with something that's become all too rare in politics: a little humor.

John Hall’s band is hypersensitive about your group, what are your thoughts? Is it a sign that you have a catchy message? That you are an insufferable annoyance to the Hall campaign? Both? Neither?

We received the first angry emails from Orleans the day after we took the site online. My first thoughts were, "Wow! The guys who sang 'Still The One' hate my website enough to email me!" I think they just don't know how to react to clever advertising. They really should be flattered--the entire message of our organization is that we love Orleans' music and hope they reunite as soon as possible!

Any new projects in the works and how do you see your site evolving in the next few months?

We're always working out new project ideas. We have a great group of young voters working to get Nan elected, so we're fortunately never without new ideas. Over the next few months, the Young Voters plan on bringing you more videos and commentary on the election, Nan's campaign, and how we plan to win in November.

How can other young voters show their support for Nan?

I'm glad you asked! There are a few ways other young voters can show their support for Nan. They can purchase Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour merchandise at our new online store, http://www.printfection.com/orleansreuniontour. They can sign our petition to reunite Orleans at http://www.orleansreuniontour.com/?page_id=36. And, of course, if they would like to help out in a more hands-on way, they are encouraged to email me at michael@youngvotersfornan.com.

Are you a clandestine member of Yale’s secret society, Skull and Crossbones? If yes, were you inducted by George “the most unholy President of all time" W Bush? If not a member, would you tell me if you were?

As far as I understand, Skull and Bones comprises only seniors, and I am headed into my junior year. IvyGate Blog publishes a list of members every year, so I imagine it wouldn't be too big a deal if word got out. Of course, at a school like Yale, people are much more secretive about their affiliations with, say, the College Republicans than they are about any senior societies.

What is one thing that I didn’t ask you, but should have?

Q: Where did the idea for an Orleans Reunion Tour come from?
A: One of our Young Voters thought of it while we were sitting in a Dunkin' Donuts one morning. We had just finished greeting commuters at a train station and were talking about how we liked Hall's music, even though we thought his politics were driving our country off a cliff. The Young Voter responded, "Let's kill two birds with one stone and kick off the Orleans reunion tour." We'll let you know when it comes to pass.

Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour are off to a great start. Below is their first YouTube video, which was picked up by news site, NY Daily News:



The media may not be willing to corner John Hall and ask about his $1,000 donation to ethically deprived Charlie Rangel, but the Young Voters for an Orleans Reunion Tour were.



I can't wait to see what Michael and the group come up with next!

NY Dems run from Obama's mosque speech

By Sam Foster
Via the Politico

First they ran from Charlie Rangel and not one week later Obama gives NY Dems another reason to run.

Maggie Haberman reports:

With the exception of Rep. Jerrold Nadler, I haven't gotten a single response from the N.Y. congressional delegation I reached out to about the president's speech, but but I have heard from multiple Democratic sources that some have privately expressed a sense of discomfort about the topic, and to some extent, the mosque project.

Chuck Schumer's office didn't respond to e-mails. Kirsten Gillibrand's aides didn't give a statement, although she did apparently tell a reporter at a public event that she found the speech "thoughtful."

ADDED: I emailed a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo, who has been unequivocal in supporting the mosque under religious freedom, about the president's remarks, but didn't get a response. I didn't get one from a NY Democratic Party spokesman either.

Rep. Joe Crowley, a Blue Dog Dem, was "out of pocket." Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who's facing a primary, didn't put out a statement about the president, although an aide referred to her past support for the project.

In three heavily Republican districts, the issue is being raised by rivals.

In the famed NY-23, where the phrased "Scozzafavaed" was born, I didn't get a response from a top aide to Rep. Bill Owens, the Democrat who won the seat, thanks to a massively split ticket between the Conservative Party and the Republicans.

In NY-13, where Democratic Rep. Mike McMahon won a seat in a district that voted for John McCain in 2008, three aides to the congressman didn't immediately respond to repeated requests for comment or didn't get back to me at all. One of his rivals, Michael Allegretti, slammed the president for the speech, although not McMahon specifically.

In NY-1, Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop has been hammered by his rivals over the issue, including today in the wake of Obama's speech, but he has been quiet. Aides to Rep. Steve Israel in NY-2 also didn't respond to a request for comment on the speech,

Same for an aide to Rep. John Hall (NY-19), who's facing Republican Nan Hayworth.

I wonder if it has anything to do with how voters feel about the Ground Zero Mosque?

What’s in it for John Hall: The political payoff for alleging fraud

By Sam Foster

The race for NY's 19^th congressional district is sure to heat up now that Democrat incumbent John Hall has accused challenger Nan Hayworth's campaign with petition fraud in their bid for the Independence Party line.  The story makes for juicy headlines in the newspaper, but the real question is, is there any substance to the claims?  

To be honest, there are large potential benefits for John Hall in making such allegations, regardless of whether they are accurate or spurious.  There is the obvious damage caused in linking Nan Hayworth's campaign to fraud.  Still, there are two larger incentives for doing so:  

John Hall's campaign has been avid in their attempts to knock Nan Hayworth off of the Independence Party ballot line.  In NY, there are a large number of third parties, so there is often a large battle between candidates to claim as many ballot lines as is possible.  Simply holding a spot on a party ballot can carry large benefits.  Last November, Dede Scozzafava drew 5% of the NY-23 vote despite the fact that she'd dropped out of the race.  

Nan Hayworth has more cash on hand than John Hall.  Allegations of fraud could have a freezing effect on Hayworth's fund raising as potential donors wait for a legal outcome.  Meanwhile, John Hall will likely use the allegations to solicit money from Democrat donors.

Clearly, John Hall has much to gain from making allegations and it certainly explains why the Hall campaign "doth protest too much."  Just how solid are John Hall's allegations?  

John Hall Campaign Manager Patrick McGarrity called the allegations "A work in progress."   That's an interesting way for a campaign manager to describe John Hall's claims.

John Hall himself is no bastion of ethical purity hailing from the political pearly gates.  Despite the fact that Charlie Rangel has long been suspected for numerous ethics violations, John Hall held onto Rangel campaign contributions.  That is until public outcry threatened his campaign.

Writing in his diary at FireDogLake, nutroot John Hall supporter Cliff Weathers wrote:

Hicks, the manager of the GOP hopeful in New York's 19th Congressional District, is scheduled to appear in court on September 25. At question are petitions carried by Hayworth's notaries for the Independence Party, a minor New York party. Petitions must either be carried by members of the party or by notaries, public servants appointed by state government to witness the signing of important documents and administer oaths. Typically, notaries are used for signature gathering because of a scarcity of party members willing to carry petition sheets…

…According to New York State Law, a notary public who practices fraud by issuing a document knowing that it contains a false statement or false information is guilty of a Class E Felony and may be imprisoned up to 4 years.

The way Cliff is writing, you'd have thought that the FBI helicopters had just touched down, but someone ought to tell Cliff he can rest his shrill cries of wolf for the time being.  The case is being taken to a civil court.  Nan Hayworth's campaign explains:

…the Board of elections won't take up such matters, those issues must be decided by a court.

Meanwhile, Nan Hayworth's campaign has rallied behind campaign manager John Hicks to show their support:

"The allegation that John Hicks is somehow involved in and directed fraud is beyond the pale. Anyone who knows John Hicks, and I've known him for years, knows it's laughable. This is nothing but desperation politics on the part of the Hall campaign.  I hope they have miscalculated the mood of the district as badly as they've miscalculated John Hicks' character. His reputation is beyond reproach, and the district has had it with the results that John Hall and his Washington buddies are serving up. Come November, voters will choose his replacement."

A compelling allegation of fraud would have originated from Independence Party members whom the Hall campaign claims was defrauded.  Instead, all we have are the accusations of one campaign against another.  In other words, it's far too early to make a judgment.  The first real indication will be which campaign tries to stall the court, since the innocent party has a large incentive to conclude matters quickly, while the guilty will want to prolong.

Updateed: Schools agree with Chris Gibson, Murphy’s Education Jobs Bill won't help

By Sam Foster
Via Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Congress made a special appearance in Washington earlier this week.  The emergency session was held so that congress could enact the FMAP bill or Federal Education Jobs Bill before the November elections.  The purpose?  To give Democrats what they hope will be some much needed pork spending to aide their national election difficulties this year.  

Scott Murphy followed the DNC talking points without faltering.  Capitol Confidential reported Murphy's statement:

The bill will help our local schools by staving off the choice between layoffs or local tax hikes.  This is about setting priorities.  I feel strongly that we should not be forcing our local governments to raise property taxes or choose mass layoffs of teachers.

Republican challenger Chris Gibson fired back:

This is about setting priorities, and priorities should be budgeted for. This is the first time since 1974 that Congress has not passed a budget. Without a budget you cannot set priorities, create jobs and rebuild our economy. Congress has merely increased our debt and deficit, and further hampered our economy's ability to recover.

Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports that many NY schools are skeptical that congressional Democrats latest boondoggle will provide any help for them.

Saranac Lake Central School District Superintendent Gerald Goldman said he thinks it already might be too late to have much of an impact.

"We already passed a budget, we already have staffing plans, we already have schedules done," Goldman said.

He said it looks like the funding will be restricted to retaining jobs, rehiring fired teachers or hiring new employees rather than adding to a district's fund balance or reducing its tax levy. Adding teaching staff this late in the game, however, with less than a month before school starts, is difficult because it's next to impossible to change class schedules once they have been set.

Goldman said one possible use for the money would be hiring staff to help with students in need, since a recent change in grading of state evaluations means more Saranac Lake students are falling in the range of kids considered in need of academic intervention. But he said he doesn't want to commit to a way the district will use the money until he knows more about it.

"I think the jury is pretty much still out on how useful it's going to be, if it's ever going to arrive here, if it's going to arrive and something else is going to be taken away," Goldman said. "You just don't know."

Tupper Lake Central School District Superintendent Seth McGowan said he's also concerned about not having enough information yet.

"This is like playing tennis with invisible balls," McGowan said. "You just don't know what you're swinging at, and they're coming fast."

Tupper Lake had an especially rough budgeting year, faced with a $2.2 million deficit that was partially dealt with through the elimination of about a quarter of the district's instructional positions. One of the biggest reasons for the deficit was a significant reduction in expected state aid.

McGowan said he's not sure he can rehire teachers or hire new ones based on the funding, since it's likely to be a one-time boost.

"It's money, and we'll take it, but it doesn't do anything for the long-term solution," he said.

It would be a problem if the district gets caught on a funding cliff where the money drops away next year, McGowan said.

He also shares Goldman's concern that it's too late in the year to be hiring new teachers or dealing with budget issues.

"I wish this was happening in March or April," McGowan said.

He said he doesn't know yet which option for funding distribution would be best for Tupper Lake, since the current funding formula didn't help the district this year and the district probably doesn't fall within Title One limits.

"Those formulas for Tupper lake take a very odd twist, or at least did this year, so I'm cautious about any level of enthusiasm," he said.

McGowan is also nervous about potential mid-year cuts that have been threatened by the state, he said.

Scott Murphy also made claims that the bill was deficit neutral.  In fact, the nonpartisan CBO said the bill added $12.6 billion in deficits.

Update:

Today, via Memeorandum, NY Times has come out with a story about how schools across the nation agree with Chris Gibson's stance.

NY Times reports:

As schools handed out pink slips to teachers this spring, states made a beeline to Washington to plead for money for their ravaged education budgets. But now that the federal government has come through with $10 billion, some of the nation’s biggest school districts are balking at using their share of the money to hire teachers right away.

With the economic outlook weakening, they argue that big deficits are looming for the next academic year and that they need to preserve the funds to prevent future layoffs. Los Angeles, for example, is projecting a $280 million budget shortfall next year that could threaten more jobs.

Challenger David Malpass Slams Gillibrand for attending Rangel's Birthday Party

By Sam Foster

NY Times writes…

The timing of Mr. Rangel's party could not have been worse for many Democrats across the state: they face a brutal campaign climate. Many complained that the event, a few weeks before their party's primary, had forced them to choose between their allegiance to a venerable colleague and their own shot at re-election this fall.

Of course, many of NY's top Democrats paid their respects to congressman Rangel without regard to his numerous ethics violations.  Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was one of the many attendees.  Republican Challenger David Malpass released the following statement and video:

"Senator Gillibrand's priorities are seriously out of whack," said Mr. Malpass. "New Yorkers are suffering due to Washington's massive tax and spend policies that are killing jobs, yet our senator is more concerned with attending fundraisers at the Plaza with her big-government friends. She has refused to answer my call to donate the $29,000 she has received from Congressman Rangel, but she will have to answer to the voters in November. I don't know if she's done much talking with New Yorkers these days, but this is exactly the kind of behavior they are fed up with."

Details of Matt Doheny’s BUI emerge

By Sam Foster
Via Adirondack Daily Enterprise

The curious race for NY's 23^rd congressional district has not been short on drama.  I reported last week that Republican candidate Matt Doheny had been detained for BWI in 2004.  The details turn out to be far more damaging.

First, Doheny's two incidents were within two weeks of each other.

Second, Mr. Doheny had become belligerent during his first incident and had to be handcuffed.  

Statements from the Coast Guard officers who boarded the vessel on July 10 say Doheny yelled at them and made threatening movements, questioned their authority to board the boat, refused to say whether he had been drinking but was stumbling and had slurred speech. He pulled away as they tried to handcuff him and was still combative when state police arrived on the scene. Doheny failed three of the seven field sobriety tests and then failed to take the breathalyzer correctly after several tries, not blowing enough air into it.

The second time, Doheny admitted to having drunk five beers and one vodka with Red Bull earlier, according to the officers' statements. Both boarding officers said he was cooperative. They brought Doheny onto the Coast Guard boat and docked Doheny's boat to allow his guests to disembark before conducting the field sobriety tests. Doheny also failed to blow into the breathalyzer hard enough after numerous tries, but ended up doing it and registering a blood alcohol content of .096.

Matt Doheny's past is going to be hard to swallow for voters sensitive about candidate misconduct as a result of ethics investigations of well-known NY congressman Charlie Rangel.

UPR Interview: 2006 gubernatorial candidate John Faso on Chris Gibson’s run for NY-20

By Sam Foster

I recently had the pleasure of corresponding with the esteemed John Faso, 2006 Republican candidate for NY’s gubernatorial election and UPR reader. Since, John and Chris Gibson hail from Kinderhook, NY and know each other, I asked for John’s take on the upcoming election for NY's 20th congressional district. Please read my interview with him below!

1. Pundits have debated over how much trouble Scott Murphy is in, what’s your take and what are Chris Gibson’s odds at taking the election?

I think the odds are good, but this will be a hard-fought, competitive race. The incumbent has a large campaign warchest, primarily funded by DC PACS and unions. However, Gibson outraised Murphy in the second quarter and is really connecting with people in the district. Unlike Murphy, he has real roots here.

2. What are Chris Gibson’s biggest strength’s and weaknesses in his campaign for NY-20 and what does he need to do to win the seat?

His biggest strength is his background and accomplishments as a career military officer and as a scholar. Chris also relates very well to the average person and businessowner in the district; he grew up here and his views are very much in tune with where the district is right now. People are opposed to more power and decision-making authority going to Washington DC; they are petrified of the deficit and the debt. They see Murphy as strictly a "yes man" for the Obama and Pelosi agenda.

His main weakness, that he has never run for office, is also a strength in 2010.

3. Have you any sort of feeling about what issues Chris is most passionate about? If so, what are they?

He is most passionate about a federal government which has become too large; too powerful and too invasive in its role in the economy. He is also passionate about the need to better coordinate the national response to the terrorist threats.

4. What is one thing voters aren’t likely to know about Chris Gibson, but should?

Good question: I think the biggest challenge any non-incumbent has is just getting known. So the one thing voters need to know is that Chris Gibson is very talented, very smart and extremely dedicated to the Nation and the well-being of our citizens.

5. Chris Gibson has achieved several impressive accomplishments in his first 3 months of campaigning; he outraised Murphy by a large margin and out petitioned him 2 to 1. Are these achievements a telling indication of the mood of NY-20, a well run campaign, both, or neither?

Both: people in the 20th, like many other places around the country, disagree with the direction the federal government is taking. That is why he is going to win this November in the 20th.

6. What is the likelihood I’m going to have the pleasure of voting for you again on a state-wide ballot?

One can't predict the future so while it is probably not likely, you "never say never". We can at least say with certainty that our campaign was correct in everything we said in 2006 about the state and how to fix its economy! But, I've been honored to have the chance to run and have no regrets.

Please learn more about Chris Gibson or donate at his campaign site!