Take Back Congress - New York

Fossella attacks the President's lack of strategy for military victory

2006-10-20T20:16:00.000-04:00

"I have a responsibility to all Americans as we make these difficult decisions. But [the] President has failed the test of leadership since this military action began. In the past, I have supported the President as Commander in Chief in military actions against Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq and Yugoslavia. But in this matter, he has avoided articulating a strategy that will ensure victory, prevent a nightmarish quagmire or provide permanent security...

The President has a responsibility to articulate America's long-term strategy before placing even one soldier in harm's way. He has asked the Congress and the American people to follow his lead, but he has shrouded in darkness where that road will take us. Leading military and foreign policy experts have questioned why the Administration won't define the mission and what plans are in place for us to withdraw."

Fossella said that after only six weeks of military action, the American people are already seeing the fallout of the Administration's ambiguous strategy and failure to plan for victory.

"...It begs the questions of whether the Administration was caught off guard or of it lacks a clear vision of how we will wage and win this war."

Fossella said Congress has a responsibility to the American people to provide a check on the President's ability to unilaterally escalate the military action.

"It would be unwise for Congress to issue the President a blank check to wage war," Fossella said. "We learned only to well the dangers of gradual escalation. The 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution started a bombing campaign against North Vietnam that resulted in an 11 year quagmire, over 57,000 Americans killed in combat and some 600,000 American ground troops. That resolution became President Johnson's blank check to troop waves of new soldiers into combat. To many Americans, the war ... bears striking similarities to Vietnam. The President must have a frank discussion with the American people as to what our military's mission is, when victory will be achieved and how it will be achieved."

This of course is from April 30, 1999, when Rep. Fossella attacked then President Clinton on the NATO led war in Serbia. If only Clinton were still President so that Fossella could realize what a colossal failure this administration is and how disastrous of a situation they have gotten us into. The absolute hypocrisy to attack the 'ambiguous strategy' of 1999 and have no criticism of the war in Iraq today is is disgusting at the very least. This after numerous military leaders in our forces and our allied forces have vociferously condemned the President's failure to have a plan and successfully protect our forces. Fossella is a failure who can't even pass floor resolutions about a postal stamp, so I expect international policy and military related legislation is too complicated for him to understand.

Cross-posted at NY-13

Watch the Video James Walsh Wanted to Be Censored!

2006-09-13T22:34:00.000-04:00

James Walsh has a terrible record on Iraq. Congressman Walsh has been a big bush loyalist from the start on the Iraq issue. Before the war, I personally went with a delegation of MoveOn activists to Walsh's office in Syracuse to ask him to not to vote in favor of allowing George W. Bush to start a war in Iraq. Walsh not only rejected the request, he wouldn't even meet with us. He didn't think it was important enough.

Representative Walsh's irrational support for the Iraq War has continued from that time on. Walsh continues to follow the tired old PR talking points from the White House, and he won't stand up to President Bush and demand answers for the repeated failures in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, this week, an independent group got the money together to produce an ad for TV calling on James Walsh to end his shameful record on Iraq and start doing his job of congressional oversight. And what did James Walsh do? He had the ad censored.

No kidding. Congressman Walsh actually called up the people at Syracuse ABC affiliate WSYR and told them to take the anti-Walsh advertisement off the air. And what did the people at WSYR do? They did what Walsh told them to do. They took the advertisement off their station, just because Walsh didn't agree with what the advertisement said.

They ought to be ashamed of themselves. The United States of America is not supposed to be the kind of country where politicians can bully the press into censoring messages that embarrass the government.

Well, Congressman Walsh, I've found out that that video is now online. I'm posting it here to teach you this simple lesson: The more you try to censor the voice of dissent, the stronger that voice will become. While you're at it, pass the message on to your friend, Mr. Bush.

Revisiting Fossella's Illegal Activities

2006-09-05T20:18:00.000-04:00

Back on August 13th, the NY Daily News ran a follow up on Rep. Vito Fossella's illegal/inappropriate usage of tax payer created photographs in campaign materials.

U.S. Rep. Vito Fossella has a new explanation for why his photos with constituents - and Elmo from "Sesame Street" - were improperly used in congressional mailings and campaign literature.

Although the photos used in both instances appear to be exactly the same, the Staten Island Republican now says they are actually different snapshots.

Fossella's campaign responded claiming that identical photographs used in both tax payer funded Congressional mailings and in re-election campaign literature in reality are two different photographs taken seconds apart. In an attempt to legitimize his claims he submitted a report by Ronald Sartini a susposive photography expert from Brooklyn. The campaign refused to acknowledge if Sartini was paid for his report or if he was paid did that money come from his Congressional accounts or his re-election campaign coffers.

Fossella made his unusual claim in response to an investigation being conducted by the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, which is looking into possible violation of rules that prohibit a member of Congress from using his office to benefit his reelection campaign.

Essentially Fossella claims that one of his staff members, Craig Donner, took several photographs seconds apart. Mr. Donnor claimed to have used his own (not a campaign owned) Sony DSC-P100 camera.

Greg Smith, the reporter covering this story seems to embarass Fossella's flimsy string of excuses in just one sentence;

But Donner did not respond to written questions about how he was able to take campaign and congressional photos within seconds of each other without violating the rule barring staffers from doing campaign work.

Let's just be clear about what happened here. Rep. Vito Fossella's campaign potentially acted illegally in using tax payer funded photography in both his official and re-election communications. Further he did act illegally in allowing his paid Congressional staffer to violate these rules by working simulaneously on both campaigns, while being a tax payer paid Congressional staffer.

Personally I find it ridiculous that an elected member of Congress is reduced to this kind of avoidance and lack of accountability. If he wants to clear up this issue in an acceptable manner that does not include covering his ears and saying la, la, la, la when these accusations arise, he can turn over the memory stick from his staffers Sony camera. Doing so would address four indisputable issues, as you can see in two sample screen shots I uploaded from my own camera and iphoto:

1. the file names of the two differing photos used in each instance
2. the shutter speed of the camera to show that they it was possible to take identical photos seconds apart
3. the camera name which will show it was in fact a Sony DSC-P100
4. the exact time down to the second each photo was taken (image 2)

[note there is an hour difference on my camera setting, however the dates are the same and the time is essentially the same with exception to the hour differntial]

These are simple and quick solutions to this potential illegal activity by a sitting member of Congress. He can clear up at least part of the issue, the potentially illegal use of the same photograph in Congressional mailings and campaign election mailings. But should he avoid it, like many other things (debates!) he has not escaped the fact that his campaign broke the law by allowing a Congressional staffer to be working on his re-election campaign while being paid by tax dollars in his Congressional staff role.

Cross posted at NY13.blogspot.com

Recapturing the Northeast

2006-08-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

A Washington-Post ABC News poll this month found Bush's approval rating at 28 percent in the Northeast -- 12 points below his national average. The Republican Congress fared no better.

Republican losses in the region could echo well beyond the 2006 campaign. Because much of the region is tilting Democratic, history suggests Republicans would find it hard to recapture seats once lost.

via Raw Story (via the Washington Post)

Changing the Course of Our Nation With Bob Johnson and the Democratic Party

2006-08-12T01:13:00.000-04:00

It didn't take long for the Republicans and the Connecticut for Lieberman Party to exploit the news of the terror plot in London.

“If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England,” Mr. Lieberman said at a campaign event at lunchtime in Waterbury, Conn. “It will strengthen them and they will strike again.”
- Joementum in the New York Times

-----

"I'd rather be talking about this than all of the other things that Congress hasn't done well," one Republican congressional aide told AFP on condition of anonymity because of possible reprisals.

"Weeks before September 11th, this is going to play big," said another White House official, who also spoke on condition of not being named, adding that some Democratic candidates won't "look as appealing" under the circumstances.
- AFP

What they are unwilling - or unable - to understand is that Americans are sick of the War in Iraq and they want a New Direction for America.

Future leaders of the Democratic Party, Bob Johnson and Ned Lamont, understand that we need real solutions, not Republican rhetoric.

This crisis actually shows that the Republican policies have not made us any safer. The terrorists apparently received training in Pakistan, which continues to be a terrorist safe haven. Since we took our eye off the ball in Afghanistan to go on the ridiculous Iraq misadventure the region has been sliding back toward anarchy.

After five years of Bush's Terror War the same region of the world continues to produce 9/11 style plots. Maybe if Reagan and the Republicans hadn't trained and funded the Mujaheddin to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan we wouldn't have Al Queda today. Regardless, it is clear that the current Bush Republican foreign policy of "Lie and Die" creates terrorists faster than we can possibly kill them.

The Republicans and the Connecticut for Lieberman Party claim to be about values, but it is Democrats like Bob Johnson who understand what real American values are.

Democrats are standing up for our values. I'm running for Congress in New York's 23rd district because I believe in Democratic values. I believe that an individual life has value, and that people have dignity beyond their economic worth. I believe that hard-working Americans shouldn't have to go without proper health care. In fact, I don't believe any American should go without health care and that a hospital has an obligation to treat whoever passes through its doors. I believe that going to war is a profound moral decision, a decision in which the entire country needs to be involved and listened to. I believe that Americans have a right to feel secure when they talk on the phone. I believe that government should be open, accountable, and effective. I believe that science has a positive role to play and should not be stifled by government ideology. I believe that we have an obligation to the next generation and that he who has the most toys does not win the game. I believe that we are not in this alone, but together and that helping others requires sacrifice and not just lip service. My values command me to love and help my neighbor and not denigrate them. I believe in paying my debts and staying within my means. These are Democratic values. They are American values.
- Bob Johnson, future US Congressman, on Daily Kos

Bob Johnson will be traveling the around the district with renowned actor Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings, History of Violence, Hildago) discussing how we need to change the course in America, I suggest everyone who can to join him.

The Democratic Party of today is strong and we understand that America's future depends on finding new dynamic solutions based in reality. The Republicans and the Connecticut for Lieberman Party foolishly cling to the mistakes of the past - like the War in Iraq - they feel reality has a liberal bias.

Today, America is no safer, Israel is no safer, Iran is more dangerous, Osama bin Laden is still at large, and our brave troops are stuck in the middle of a bloody civil war. I believe that those leaders who got us into this mess should be held accountable.
Looking forward, I salute the patriotism and wisdom of Congressman Murtha and others who emphasize that “stay the course” is not a winning strategy for Iraq or America. Our best chance of success requires that the Iraqis take control of their own destiny. America should make clear that we have no designs upon their oil and no plans for permanent bases. While we will continue to provide logistical and training support as long as we are asked, our frontline military troops should begin to be redeployed and our troops should start heading home.
- Ned Lamont, future US Senator

Vito Fossella and Bush are Best Friends

2006-08-11T11:29:00.000-04:00

"More sobering for the GOP are the number of voters who backed Bush in 2004 who are ready to vote Democratic in the fall's congressional elections 19 percent. These one-time Bush voters are more likely to be female, self-described moderates, low- to middle-income and from the NORTHEAST and Midwest.

SNIP

The number of voters who say their congressional vote this fall will be in part to express opposition to the president jumped from 20 percent last month to 29 percent, driven by double-digit increases among males, minorities, moderate and conservative Democrats and NORTHEASTERNERS." [emphasis mine]

via ABC News

Maybe this is why Rep. Vito Fossella is scared to even admit he is a Republican.

Working Families Party Hustles for Michael Arcuri

2006-08-09T07:43:00.000-04:00

From Take Back New York's 24th

Hats off to the Working Families Party - those folks are working like hell to get Michael Arcuri elected. Anyone who ever said that the progressives don't amount to much in this District ought to be eating their hat right now.

As Carrie Berman from the Working Families Party Take Back Back Congress - New York campaign is wrapping up a series of meetings around the district this week, the Working Families Party is also putting advertisements up on radio stations that slam the Republican Party's crass poison pill attack on minimum wage legislation.

The text of the message is below. You can also hear an MP3 of the radio ad on the Working Families web site.

"There they go again... Instead of just raising the minimum wage, the Republicans in Congress are playing more political games. Last week they said they’d raise the minimum wage but here’s the catch: it has to be coupled with a big inheritance tax cut for the very rich. Make that the very, very, very rich. Because only the 8,000 wealthiest families in America qualify.

While Congressional salaries keep going up and up, it’s been nine years since Washington increased the minimum wage. And the Republicans still refuse to raise it unless heiresses like Paris Hilton get a tax cut.

That’s just not right.

This November, vote your values. Vote for Democrat Mike Arcuri on the Working Families Party line. Arcuri supports raising the minimum wage. Health care we can afford. And Social Security we can count on. "

Why is Democrat Bob Johnson on the No-Fly List?

2006-08-05T09:36:00.000-04:00

Up in the North Country, Democrat Dr. Bob Johnson is fighting a hard scrabble, grassroots campaign against incumbent right wing Republican John McHugh. 23rd District bloggers like Bob Aubin have been helping in Johnson's struggle, pointing out John McHugh's weaknesses - McHugh's support for special tax loopholes for people like Paris Hilton, heirs of multi-million dollar fortunes.

A mystery has recently arisen in the race that is putting a crimp in Dr. Bob's mobility. Someone, it seems, has placed Bob Johnson's name on the anti-terrorist No Fly List.

Who did it? Why would somebody put the name of a respected physician and candidate for Congress on a list of possible terrorists?

This much we know: Congressman John McHugh may not have personally put Bob Johnson's name on that No Fly List, but McHugh has been a big suppporter of the bureaucracy that makes these kind of Homeland Security screwups all too common. The system is broken, and John McHugh's right wing agenda is part of what's making it broken.

We can do better. Bob Johnson can do better.

New York - Republican's Waterloo in 2006

2006-07-22T04:30:00.000-04:00

As the Spitzer tidal wave combines with the "Throw the Republi-bums Out" mood of the nation, New York is shaping up to be the critical battleground in election 2006.

Unfortunately NY state isn't yet getting the national attention it deserves in my opinion. I don't think people outside of New York quite get how high of a Democratic wave is approaching on the New York horizon.

Take a look at the numbers from the most recent WNBC/Marist Poll:

Governor - John Faso (R): 20%, Eliot Spitzer (D): 69%
Senator - John Spencer (R): 34%, Hillary Clinton (D): 61%
Iraq - Candidate Pro-Iraq War: 21%, Candidate Anti-Iraq War: 48%
Bush Job Approval - 26%

In NY-23 Bob Johnson has been reaching out to the online community. With the right amount of attention and money this race could very well shift into the realm of possibility.

Bob Johnson's opponent, Neo-Con Republican John McHugh, voted with Bush on the Stem Cell research bill and this should be a factor in the election as well. Unlike McHugh, many Republicans in Congress joined with almost all the Democrats to get this bill passed. In a stunning display of ignorance, Bush used his first and only veto in five years as President against a bill sixty percent of Americans support! This completely unacceptable vote by McHugh and arrogant veto by Bush will deny hope to millions of Americans looking for help with life-threatening diseases and injuries.

In an effort to boost the rising blue tide the Working Families Party is pledging to double contributions made to the Working Families Party's Take Back Congress -- New York Federal Committee.

Every $1 you give will translate into $2, so your $20.06 donation - for victory in 2006! - becomes $40 and a $50 donation from you becomes $100 that we can spend to elect Democratic-Working Families Congressional nominees in target districts.

Donate now to Take Back Congress and your donation will be effectively doubled.

Donate now: http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/support/

Polls show Republican incumbents across the country and here in New York are losing support. Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Rodham Clinton are headed to overwhelming victories that will give the Congressional candidates on the ballot with them a boost on election day. But the election is less than 120 days away, and you can be sure that Karl Rove and the Republican incumbents will not leave quietly. They will do whatever they can - including some nasty, dirty campaigning - to hold on.

Some relevant history. In 2002, votes on the WFP ballot line were the margin of victory when Tim Bishop beat Republican Congressman Felix Grucci in Suffolk. In 2004, we did it again with Brian Higgins in Buffalo. In 2006, Bush is more unpopular than he's ever been - and more Republican-held seats are facing serious challengers. This is the chance we've been waiting for.

The past six years of George W. Bush have been bad, even disastrous, for our country and the world. Bush is in office until 2008, but we don't want him to have two more years to inflict more damage. We need to Take Back Congress and put an early end to the Bush Presidency.

Let's seize this opportunity - make a donation today.

Donate now: http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/support/

Thank you,
Steve Perez
Working Families Party Online Organizer

Also National Journal has bumped up the ranking for some of the New York House races.

Bob Johnson second quarter fundraising numbers

2006-07-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

This post is part of a larger effort by local bloggers across the state to cover New York's Congressional races and the release of the second quarter fundraising numbers today.

Working Families Party endorsed Democrat Bob Johnson has a steep hill to climb to unseat right-wing Republican John McHugh, as was evidenced by the second quarter fundraising totals released today. That said, the campaign for the largest congressional district east of the Missippi is starting to heat up.

The biggest obstacle Bob faces is the fact that few people are really paying attention to McHugh and his record. Bob Johnson shares the values of most New Yorkers, John McHugh does not. McHugh is given a pass by many because of token throw-away votes on pro-labor positions that unfortunately lacked support in Congress, and his long incumbency (though some - myself included - consider that more of a liability). McHugh voted with President Bush 82% of the time, voted the GOP party line 91% of the time, and he voted with disgraced former House leader Tom DeLay 88% of the time (through 3/31/2006).

Bob Johnson has raised $69,157 for the year with $9,030 cash on hand while his Bush-Republican opponent McHugh has raised $333,746, mostly from out-of-state PAC's, and has $385,381 on hand. McHugh has only raised a tiny portion of his campaign spoils from individuals ($68,200). The fact that he has spent little of his overall funds is not really surprising as McHugh prefers to use tax-payer funded mailings to do his campaigning, so he can use his campaign funds to boost his Republican cronies - including $1,000 to Cheney's buddy Ray Meier.

McHugh acts as a conduit from the PAC's to the Congressional Republicans, something some of those PAC's should consider carefully when they contribute to him from now on - he has contributed $25,000.00 to the National Republican Congressional Committee!

More data on the district:

Status: Republican incumbent John McHugh seeking his 7th Term
Voter registration: Republican - 183,916 (44.30%), Democratic - 121,566 (29.28%), Other -109,691 (26.42%)
2004 Presidential vote: BUSH 51.03% , KERRY 46.86%
2004 House vote: John McHugh (R) 71% def. Bob Johnson(D) 29%
2006 fundraising totals: Johnson $69,157, McHugh $333,746
2006 cash on hand: Johnson $9,030, McHugh $385,381

For analysis of the top Congressional races around the state see:

CD13 NY13 with bonus coverage of CD26
CD19 Daniel Millstone at Daily Gotham
CD20 Democracy in Albany
CD23 Bob Aubin
CD24 WFP Blog
CD25 Walsh Watch
CD26 Work Related
CD29 Rochester Turning

UPDATE (9PM): There is a great post on Daily KOS about the NY Congressional Races. with detailed analysis.

Vito in Vail

2006-07-14T22:51:00.000-04:00

Staten Islanders,

Vail is amazing! I have been trying to figure out what to do with my tax breaks the President has been so gracious with, so I decided to take the family on vacation. Fortunately my campaign had a little extra cash so as long as they pretend to be working for the campaign I can write it off. Bobby Ney is a hoot when you get a little tequila in him and put him on some skis. And you should see our lodge, it is bigger than any house you guys can afford back home. But don't worry it is full of lobbyists, so I am keeping myself busy. It is hardly a vacation with all the talk of Indian tribes. Wish you were here...

V.

ps; my lawyer wanted to make sure I let you guys know that Jack Abramoff just happened to be vacationing here at the same time, it is just a coincidence alright. And yeah that hat freaks me out too. How does he ski in it?

Ray Meier Will Not Hold Bush to Account

2006-07-12T07:50:00.000-04:00

Republican Ray Meier will never vote to impeach George W. Bush. Michael Arcuri might, if the circumstances are right.

The case for the impeachment of President George W. Bush recently got a lot stronger. The New York Times has obtained a letter that Congressman Peter Hoekstra, a Republican from Michigan who is the chair of the Intelligence Committee in the United States House of Representatives, sent to President Bush a few weeks ago. In that letter, Representative Hoekstra wrote:

"I have learned of some alleged intelligence community activities about which our committee has not been briefed. If these allegations are true, they may represent a breach of responsibility by the administration, a violation of the law, and, just as importantly, a direct affront to me and the members of this committee who have so ardently supported efforts to collect information on our enemies."

There you have it. Peter Hoekstra, a Republican member of Congress, is accusing President Bush of "a violation of the law". This is no minor crime either. It is against the law for the President not to keep Congress informed of domestic surveillance programs of this type, and, according to Peter Hoekstra, there more secret programs in addition to the several we have already learned about that involve massive spying efforts against the American people, without the search warrants that are legally required by the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.

When specific information about these programs to spy against Americans is made public, it will make the case for impeachment that much stronger. We don't know whether a Congressman Arcuri would vote for impeachment, but we know for certain that Congressman Meier would not. Meier is a follow-along Republican, and won't challenge the crimes of his party's President, no matter how serious they are.

Fossella scared to discuss Iraq

2006-07-11T22:54:00.000-04:00

Rep. Fossella, our favorite Independent from Staten Island appears to not believe that our foreign policy or on going war in Iraq is a policy worthy issue, or so that is what you may gather if you try to find his thoughts on it. His campaign site has a total of three references to Iraq.

One is a news article discussing mail subsidies for families to send mail to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One is a piece by Fossella criticizing Lebanon for their role in fighting terrorism.

And the third is a piece on legislation Fossella sponsored 'to ensure that federal and local officials don't send mixed signals to the public during terror emergencies'.

It is staggering to try to understand how incompetent Rep. Fossella is in regards to taking a stance on a war he openly voted to allow our President to enter into. It is not as if Fossella promotes a stay the course attitude akin to most Republican responses. Instead it is such a non-issue to him that it doesn't even garner recognition in his campaign to his constituents. Maybe if he ignores it, it will go away.

2,500 American deaths in Iraq, and Rep. Fossella manages to muster up THREE mentions of the war. If only one of them was a plan to support our troops with something more than mail.

Dear John...

2006-07-11T05:30:00.000-04:00

I recently got a slick little taxpayer-funded mailing from John McHugh trumpeting his votes to extend the Republican tax giveaway to the rich. Obviously McHugh is getting a little worried about his strong Democratic and Working Families challenger Bob Johnson, and McHugh should be, but why didn't John want to promote his other votes in the congress?

McHugh recently voted to support an open ended policy in Iraq, while also voting against expanding healthcare for our troops and voting in favor of awarding contracts to Haliburton after they where shown to be fleecing the military for millions.

While gas prices spiral out of control John McHugh voted to give the oil industry billions and voted against cracking down on their price gouging. This just goes to show the $13,035 they gave him has been a smart investment for them.

The time has come for the voters of the 23rd Congressional district to give our "representative" a "Dear John" letter, and get a REAL representative that shares our values, Bob Johnson.

For more on McHugh's mis-representation of New York check out: http://www.dccc.org/gopauctionhouse/members/JohnMcHughNY-23.html

For more on our next Congressman Bob Johnson check out:
http://www.johnsonforcongress.org

Why is Mike Arcuri's Campaign Calendar Empty?

2006-06-05T07:23:00.000-04:00

Remember, back when the Democratic voters of the 24th District still had the chance for a choice - to pick their own candidate on primary election day? Remember what all the Oneida County Democrats kept telling us about how a primary would be bad for the chances of the eventual Democratic nominee, and so all the other candidates should just step out of the way and let Michael Arcuri run?

If only Mike Arcuri didn't have to fend off Democratic challengers, they told us, he could run a strong campaign for the seat, focuising his fire on the Republicans. A primary battle would bog Arcuri down, they said. Being free of primary challengers, they said, Arcuri could put on his jogging shorts and run full force, unencumbered by democratic competition, campaigning hard from now right up until Election Day in November.

Well, look around you. Michael Arcuri doesn't have any Democratic competition any more. So, have the predictions of the Oneida County Democrats come true?

Sadly, no. The Arcuri for Congress campaign doesn't seem to be running a campaign so much as it is sitting on one. Arcuri hasn't put on his jogging shorts. He's still wearing his campaign pajamas, sleeping in, getting some rest, going back to his day job as District Attorney.

Take a look at the campaign calendar on the Arcuri for Congress web site. It tells the whole story. Nothing for the rest of May. Nothing for June. Nothing for July. For the rest of the campaign, no events, no speeches, no rallies. Nothing.

Now, I'm sure some smart alec from the Arcuri for Congress campaign would come up with the following retort: "Well, that's just the campaign on the web site. The real Arcuri for Congress campaign calendar that we keep locked up and secret in our offices is chock full of events!"

If that's the Arcuri campaign's excuse for an empty calendar, it's a pathetic excuse. First, it shows that Michael Arcuri is not particularly interested in reaching out to voters. Even without any Democratic challengers, Arcuri is withholding information about his campaign from the voters, as if the more that voters hear about what Arcuri is doing, the less likely they would be to vote for him. Is this the kind of Congressman Michael Arcuri would be, communicating with constituents only when he absolutely had no choice but to do so?

A truly active campaign will have a public calendar full of events. They won't keep it secret. They'll work to share the calendar with voters, so that people can know when the candidate will be appearing, to find out more, and so that they can begin to volunteer to help the candidate.

Besides, I just don't believe that Michael Arcuri has a calendar full of campaign events, just kept in secret somewhere. If the Arcuri for Congress campaign calendar is really active and full, then how come it's been three full weeks since there has been "breaking news" on Mike Arcuri's campaign web site? How come it's been 19 days since the Arcuri campaign even put up a press release online?

Where is the vigorous campaign we were promised?

Where is the tough campaign they said we'd get if all the other Democrats just surrendered and let Arcuri be the candidate?

It's starting to look like the presence of Democratic rivals was just an excuse for plain old laziness.

Memo to the Arcuri campaign: Wake UP! This is a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats. If you don't get up off your butts and start running hard and strong now, Arcuri will lose.

Then who will you blame? Without any rival Democrats to slow you down, whose fault will you say it was? Will you blame the newspapers for not running the press releases you didn't send about the activities that you didn't have?

A photograph of your candidate in jogging shorts is not enough. If you have to win, you have to run. Start. Now.

-------

From Take Back New York's 24th

Shortchanging Our Security

2006-05-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the House voted on the bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Jimbo had a field day voting to shortchange the security of the American people every opportunity he had. Here's a few of the things he opposed:

$15 million for an increase in training and technical assistance.
$40 million for Emergency Management Training Grants.
$50 million to beef up security on innercity subways.
$5 million to increase Immigration and Customs enforcement (Jimbo was one of only 70 some congressman to oppose this one).
$36 million for Domestic Nuclear Detection (!!!).

Jimbo, just how out of touch are you?!

Crossposted at The Walsh Watch.

Jimbo Gets Rolled

2006-05-22T14:40:00.000-04:00

Recently Jimbo has been spouting off about how important and powerful he is:

I'm a senior member. I chair a subcommittee on appropriations. I have the ability to affect legislation and policy.

So the question is, why did a two-term Congressman roll the all powerful 9 term subcommittee chair?:

The conservatives, led by Representative Jeb Hensarling, Republican of Texas, used parliamentary procedures to delete about 20 projects worth $507 million from the $94 billion spending bill for the 2007 fiscal year, which will begin Oct. 1.

This was Jimbo's bill from Jimbo's subcommittee and Jimbo was in charge of getting it past. After getting embarrassed, the all powerful Whiney Walsh went on to ask for some cheese with this statement:

Representative James T. Walsh, a New York Republican and chairman of the subcommittee that wrote the bill, criticized Mr. Hensarling, saying, "He does not understand that we are at war."

The sad thing is, Jimbo would be even less powerful come 2007 when Democrats control the House.

McHugh Caught Red Handed

2006-05-11T01:22:00.000-04:00

CROSS-POSTED @ BOBAUBIN.com

According to MoveOn.org soon after the Republican's Part D Disaster medicare drug bill passed with John McHugh's vote, McHugh got an $8800 check from the drug companies. We are going to issue a new big check to Rep. McHugh, in public, so everyone will know about the $8800 the McHUGH DRUG DEAL. Jim King and some other members of North Country DFA are working in concert with MoveOn.org on this project.

Caught Redhanded Check Delivery
Federal Building front lawn Brinkerhoff & Margaret Streets
Thursday, 11 May 2006, 12:00 PM

To sign up for this event, click here:
http://political.moveon.org/event/medicare/8525

Les Roberts to Speak Tonight in Trumansburg

2006-04-28T06:19:00.000-04:00

Tonight, at 7:00 PM at the Fire Hall on Main Street in Trumansburg, Democratic congressional candidate Les Roberts will be giving a talk about his experience working on the ground in Iraq. The title of the talk will be: Civilian Casualties: The Untold Story.

The event is a follow-up to Les Roberts' appearance on the Al Franken show this week. It is sponsored by the organization Back to Democracy and will include the opportunity to ask Les Roberts questions about his work in Iraq, his other work with the U.S. government and non-profits, and about his campaign for Congress.

The talk is free and open to the public, so anyone from within the 24th District or from elsewhere who is curious about the Les Roberts campaign is welcome to attend. That includes the people who read this blog, whether they're Roberts supporters or not.

Visit the Back to Democracy web site to find out more about the organization.

Funding our races, part II

2006-04-25T22:22:00.000-04:00

Two entries down I wrote part I about how we can start to fund the races in New York that will help us win back the House. The moral of the story is that in the majority of our congressional districts in New York we have very safe Democratic seats, with incumbents collectively with millions of dollars in the bank and yet they are not contributing to the races we need to win to take back congress.

As noted in part I, only 8 of 20 Democratic members of Congress donated to Frank Barbaro's campaign, the nominee for NY-13, so I took a little spin around some FEC filings and see where PACs associated with New York members of congress sent their contributions in 2004. I have listed contributions to other Democrats running for Congress in New York state.

via Opensecrets.org; Leadership PACs
Carolyn Malloney NY-14 (Carolyn's PAC) - $1,000
Swett, Katrina (D-NH),

Swett ran for NH-02 on 2002 however does not appear to have run for office in 2004. Her donation is listed in parenthesis, which is not explained, so this may not be a donation. By the way do not look up Katrina at work, as her old campaign site appears to have since become a porn site.

Nita Lowey NY-18 (Cmte for Leadership and Progress) - $102,000 given
Barend, Samara (D-NY) $1,000
Bishop, Timothy (D-NY, incb) $7,000
Higgins, Brian (D-NY) $5,000

Joseph Crowley NY-07 (Jobs, Opportunity and Education PAC) - $39,000 given
Bishop, Timothy (D-NY, incb) $1,000
Higgins, Brian (D-NY) $2,000
Owens, Major (D-NY, incb) $1,000
Serrano, Jose (D-NY, incb) $1,000
Clinton, Hillary (D-NY, incb) $4,000

Charlie Rangel NY-15 (New Leadership PAC) - $364,000
Owens, Major R (D-NY, incb) $6,000

Hillary clinton (HillPAC) - $312,500
Schumer, Charles (D-NY, incb) $10,000

I have placed text in bold where these candidates contributed money to incumbents who did not even have competitive elections and direct need for financial contributions. Rep. Major Owens who garnered contributions won his election with 94% of the vote. Statistically I believe that is called a "safe" seat. Owens had a hard fought primary receiving 45% of the vote in a four way race. Regardless of the outcome this seat would not have flipped parties leading one to wonder if that financial contribution would not have better served it's purpose in a contested general election race.

Rep. Crowley donated to Rep. Serrano's re-election (NY-16) which he barely squeaked out with 95%, managing to do even better than Rep. Owens. Even more astounding he made his largest contribution to Sen. Clinton, who at the time was two years away from her 2006 re-election race. Finally, continuing on this thought of reckless and irrational contributions, Sen. Clinton gave $10,000 to Sen. Schumer's re-election. Meanwhile Clinton only managed to make half the legal maximum contribution to Higgins (51%), Barend (41%) and Barbaro (41%).

As we fight to take back the House and Senate I propose that;

• Sen. Clinton and Schumer shall release any Democrats from the assumed pressure that they pay their dues and line their coffers and in return that their past donors give instead to a contested Senate or House race. Since both Senate seats in New York are safe, that leaves many viable House races.

• Any elected Democrats from New York shall not make any financial contributions to incumbents that are not up for re-election in the upcoming year

• Any elected Democrats from New York shall not make any financial contributions to incumbents in a race where there will not be a competitive general election; meaning a safe Dem seat, until they have made contributions to Democratic challengers to Republican held seats. This essentially would means Higgins and Bishop should be the only incumbent recipients. Higgins currently does not have a Republican opponent and Bishop does not have a financed opponent (as of yet).

• All donations should be prioritized to top tier and second tier House races in New York

• Each Democratic Representative from New York shall be expected to make financial contributions to both top tier and second tier races. Should this not be possible for what ever reason they should be expected to use their donor network to raise an equivalent amount for those candidates.

updates:

2006 ~~useless~~ PAC contributions; Sen. Clinton (HILLPAC)

Carper, Tom (D-DE) $5,000
Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) $5,000
Kennedy, Edward M (D-MA) $5,000
Lieberman, Joe (D-CT) $5,000

Having thrown around a bunch of numbers, let me address my basic take away from this information. Majority control of the House is within our grips, and as Chris Bowers shows flipping seats in the Northeast is key to our victory. (Yeah I just name dropped a big time blogger, sorry). While individual small contribution donors is the best way to juxtapose the Democratic strategy versus the Republican, our elected Democrats need to acknowledge these races with their support. Futhermore our elected Dems need to be involved in financing races with Democratic challengers. Rep. Rangel can no longer be the only member of congress from New York that knows how to use his PAC and support our bench of candidates.

Originially posted at NY13

Dr. Johnson speaks at large peace rally

2006-04-24T17:27:00.000-04:00

CROSS POSTED WITH PHOTOS @ BOBAUBIN.com

Saturday in Plattsburgh, NY (in the North-East corner of NY), around 250 concerned patriots gathered with North Country Democracy for America to speak out for peace. We marched from Plattsburgh State University into downtown Plattsburgh where we had many eloquent speakers and music by Mike Pedersen.

Dr. Bob Johnson, Democrat running for Congress in New York's 23rd District to unseat the right-wing Republican John McHugh, gave a rousing speech about the need for change in our war obsessed foreign policy and against the Republican Culture of Corruption.

Plattsburgh City Councilor and North Country DFA member Bill Provost reminded us of Eisenhower's farewell address where he warned against the military-industrial complex. He noted that the current regime in Washington is virtually a direct representative of that military-industrial complex we warned against so many years ago. Bill recently sponsored a resolution in the Plattsburgh City Council in support of HR 635, calling for the investigation of the Bush Administration. The findings of this investigation could result in the Impeachment of the Bush/Cheney Administration. We are currently working to support similar resolutions around New York State and I encourage all New Yorkers to get in touch with us for more information.

We where proud to be joined by a number of Veterans who spoke out against the Bush reckless war policies. Dr. Bob Johnson himself served in the Army Medical Corps during the first Gulf War, and I was proud to serve in the Navy under the Clinton administration during peacetime. The most moving event came when a sign was displayed formed of the names of the first 2000 soldiers killed in Iraq into the word "WHY?" We observed a moment of silence in honor of the fallen, but we will never be silent in our opposition to the unjust and misguided Iraq war and Bush's plans for attacking Iran.

Many of the speakers noted that the only real way to stop the war in Iraq, and a future war in Iran, is by taking away the Bush rubber-stamp Congress and cleaning out the Republican Culture of Corruption infesting our government. North Country Democracy for America will continue organize and mobilize people here in New York's North Country to Democratic victory in November and beyond.

Check out the North Country DFA's Peace Rally page for more photos and a great article from the local press about the rally for more information.

Funding our races

2006-04-21T12:42:00.000-04:00

Over at NY-13 I have been taking a look at fundraising numbers from the Democratic nominee, Frank Barbaro, in 2004 to get a better understanding of how we can fund a race in this district and win. I approached this from the perspective of the New York City political community, but most of these figures we can extrapolate out to the rest of the congressional seats that are in play.

There are 20 Democratic members of Congress from New York state, of those 12 are in New York City. In 2004, 8 of the 20 donated to Barbaro’s campaign, 6 from New York City. Of those twenty only two, Higgins NY-20 and Bishop NY-01 faced a competitive race winning with 51% and 56% respectively and had a dire need to keep their funds and fundraising efforts within their own district. No other members were re-relected with less than 63%. Excluding Higgins and Bishop, the 18 other members of Congress have a combined $7.21 million cash-on-hand.

Outside of NY-13, the next closest election in the city last time around was Rep. Weiner winning with 70%. That leaves NY-13 as the only New York City centric race for our elected candidates and donors to get behind. As opposed to 2004 however, this time they need to actually support our nominee.

In 2004 these members of Congress gave a combined $12,750 to Frank Barbaro’s campaign. $7,000 of that coming from Rep. Rangel's PAC.

Down the political hierarchy, New York City is represented by 22 Democratic State Senators, yet only outgoing State Senator Seymour Lachman (seat currently held by Diane Savino) gave to Barbaro’s campaign. And finally there are 63 Democratic Assembly members in NYC, yet only 7 made a financial contribution to the race. In 2004 New York members of congress, state senators and assembly members combined for a total of $17,900 in donations to Barbaro's campaign.

Winning this seat starts with party discipline from the officials we put in office.

Funding the race, part I
Funding the race, part II

updated: fixed the links

Oil Wrong

2006-04-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

Here are a few things Jimbo voted against in last year's special interest give away, Energy Policy Act of 2005:

Voted against an amendment to put alternative fuels in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Voted against an amendment to end big oil subsidies and reinvest them in the development of alternative energy.
Voted against an amendment that would raise fuel standards and cut gas use by 10% over 10 years.
Voted against an amendment that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission more ability to punish companies engaging in Enron-like tactics.
Voted against an amendment that would have looked into using mustard seed for biodesiel.
Voted against an amendment that would have taken away MTBE's free pass to pollute.

Whose side is Jimbo on, ours or big oil's?

Crossposted at The Walsh Watch.

Right Wing John McHugh Throws Money at Ray Meier

2006-04-17T08:05:00.000-04:00

From Take Back the 24th

Congressman John McHugh is one of the meanest members of the U.S. House of Representatives. A genuine right wing radical, McHugh has voted to allow federally funded programs to fire workers just because they don't belong to the same religion as their boss. McHugh has voted to give the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to overrule American laws. McHugh has voted to hobble the Endangered Species Act. McHugh voted to kick American-born babies out of the country. The list of nasty right wing votes goes on and on.

John McHugh represents New York State's 23rd District, where he is facing a tough antiwar opponent, Dr. Bob Johnson. So what does McHugh have to do with us here in the 24th District?

John McHugh is the only member of Congress to give any money to Ray Meier's campaign - one thousand dollars. The hundreds of other members of the House and Senate won't have anything to do with Ray Meier. So, Ray Meier's one friend in Congress is a right wing extremist. That tells a lot about what we can expect from Ray Meier if he gets elected.

Republicans Were Pro-War. Was Mike Arcuri?

2006-04-12T17:23:00.000-04:00

On his campaign web site, Michael Arcuri now declares that when George W. Bush started the Iraq War, "The President made a bad, unnecessary decision."

I agree. But then again, everyone this side of Jerry Falwell now agrees with that statement.

For the 2006 campaign, the relevant question is this: Where did our candidates stand in March 2003?

March 2003 is when this terrible war was started by George W. Bush, along with the approval of many politically established Democrats. Was Mike Arcuri one of those Democrats?

Michael Arcuri claims to be a leader. Well, leaders use their power to make a difference on the issues that they care about. Did Arcuri care enough in 2003?

In early 2003, did Michael Arcuri use his powerful voice in Oneida County to support those of us who were marching in the streets begging George W. Bush not to start a war with Iraq? Or, did Mr. Arcuri abdicate his leadership and support George W. Bush's war? Even worse, did Michael Arcuri say nothing either way, remaining safely silent while American soldiers were sent to their deaths?

To all these questions, the only answer I can honestly give now is I don't know.

I've searched what news I can find of the time, and I can't find a single instance of Michael Arcuri making any public statements either way. Of course, that doesn't mean that Arcuri did nothing against the war. It just means that there's nothing on the record.

This issue is not about Monday morning quarterbacking. It's about whether the candidates did the right thing when it counted - when America had the chance to choose not to go to war.

Any Democratic candidate who did not oppose the war before it began, but now criticizes the war as a mistake, has serious credibility problem. Voters are going to notice the discrepancy, or the silence about it, in the general election, so it's best that New York's 24th District Democrats hash out the issue now.

If Michael Arcuri did support the Iraq War in 2003, and he gets into the House of Representatives in 2006, how do we know he won't make the same mistake again, and vote to approve another bloody, costly, pointless war just because it is the politically easy thing to do?

We deserve to know where ALL the candidates stood on the Iraq War before it began.

We can be pretty sure that Ray Meier and Brad Jones supported starting the Iraq War in 2003. After all, they still support keeping the Iraq War going now.

Les Roberts opposed the Iraq War before it began.

Bruce Tytler isn't running any more, but before he dropped out, Tytler openly admitted that he supported the Iraq War in 2003. He admitted that was a mistake, but was open about it.

As far as I can tell, Michael Arcuri hasn't said where he stood on the war in 2003.

If I'm wrong on this, and Mike Arcuri has made any public statement about his pre-war position on invading and occupying Iraq, then let me know. If there are any old sources showing Arcuri's position, I'd like to know of those too.

I've Googled, and gone through old newspapers, and looked around everywhere that I could - but just because I can't find anything doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

Of course, Arcuri could just make a clear and simple statement to the public explaining his position, right?

Many people say that, as a District Attorney, Mike Arcuri simply couldn't take a public position on a political issue like the Iraq War. That position is clear and unadulterated BULL.

Michael Arcuri is District Attorney right now, and he's taking plenty of positions on plenty of issues, local, national and international.

So, if Arcuri can take these public positions now, as a part of his own self-promotion campaign to Congress, how come he didn't take a position back in 2003, when it really counted?