NY-21: Burridge To Endorse Brooks Today; Brooks To Deliver Petitions

by: robert.harding

Thu Jul 10, 2008 at 09:31:32 AM EDT

According to the Tracey Brooks campaign, Burridge will endorse Tracey Brooks at an appearance today with Brooks at Marra's Pharmacy in Cohoes.

Brooks will also deliver her petitions to the Board of Elections at 10 a.m. this morning. She will be joined by Ellen McNulty Ryan (Rep. Mike McNulty's sister) and Jack McNulty.  

NY-21: Brooks Endorsed By Town Of Coeymans, Village Of Ravena

by: robert.harding

Wed May 21, 2008 at 15:41:43 PM EDT

Congressional candidate Tracey Brooks today announced that she has been endorsed by the supervisor and entire board in the Town of Coeymans, as well as, by the mayor and all trustees in the Village of Ravena.  

"I'm proud to stand with all of my colleagues to enthusiastically support and endorse our friend, our neighbor, and hometown Congressional candidate Tracey Brooks," said Coeymans Supervisor Ronald K. Hotaling, Jr.

"Tracey Brooks has demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of life for ordinary citizens and has worked hard to secure investments in our community and in local communities throughout the Capital Region," Hotaling continued. "Tracey Brooks can relate to the struggles of hard working middle-class families trying to pay for college, get quality health care, or earn a living wage because that's the type of family and community she comes from - a place where 'everyone knows your name' and where people matter."

"It's an honor to have unanimous support from my hometown leaders in Coeymans and Ravena," said Brooks. "With the help of our dedicated, local supporters from Coeymans to Colonie, from Ravena to Rotterdam to Amsterdam, I look forward to engaging voters as a leader with a different kind of experience, a clear vision for our future, and a focus on the right priorities to make real change happen for our families and local communities."

This was probably a no-brainer for the members of government in Coeymans and Ravena. Brooks has received other endorsements, including a big endorsement from Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings and has also received backing from labor unions and EMILY's List.  

NY-26: Three More Endorsements For Powers

by: robert.harding

Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 12:23:40 PM EDT

Powers is very appreciative of these endorsements.

"I am honored to stand with these men and women.  They understand that this area is yearning for new leadership and a representative who will fight for real solutions," said Jon Powers, former captain in the U.S. Army, Iraq war veteran and Democratic candidate for Congress.

The list of committees, unions and important individuals who have endorsed Powers is growing. Here is the full list:

Powers' Endorsements:

·Niagara County Democratic Executive Committee
·Genesee County Democratic Committee
·Livingston County Democratic Committee
·Orleans County Democratic Committee
·Wyoming County Democratic Committee
·Town of Clarence Democratic Committee
·Town of Lancaster Democratic Committee
·SEIU 1199
·United Food and Commercial Workers
·Communications Workers of America
·International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
·United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers Industrial Union District 4
·International Union of Painters & Allied Trades
·International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 86
·AFSCME Local 264
·VoteVets
·VetPAC
·General Wesley Clark
·Senator Bob Kerrey
·Senator John Kerry

ON THE WEB:

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Buffalo News endorses Sen. Hillary Clinton for President

by: robert.harding

Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 09:52:02 AM EST

Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Clinton is a New York senator, well versed in the problems of Western New York and the economic issues that are critically important to this region. She brings an impressive intellect and more experience than her rivals to this race, along with the toughness to tackle the challenges of the Oval Office from Day One.

...

But Clinton's equally historic candidacy, which has not been helped by the racial overtones of this campaign nor by the rhetorical aggressiveness of a husband who happens to be a former president, really centers on a candidate with a decided advantage in policy experience, impressive analytical skills and worldwide recognition that could do much to repair the damage done to the American image over the past seven years.

High praise from Clinton. This wasn't too surprising, but it's a major editorial board endorsement.  

NY-26: Powers picks up huge endorsement from local SEIU

by: robert.harding

Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 16:28:56 PM EST

From the press release:

"The healthcare workers of 1199 SEIU are proud to endorse Jon Powers for Congress," stated George Gresham, President of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.   "As an Iraq war veteran and schoolteacher, Jon's passion and commitment will be a welcome and much needed change from Congressman Tom Reynolds' failed leadership.   From his blind support of the Iraq War to his senseless vetoes of children's health insurance, Reynolds has proved time and again that his loyalty is not to the people of Western New York but to President Bush - Western New Yorkers deserve better from their elected leaders.   We look forward to having Jon as a strong voice for working families and we'll do everything we can to make sure he's elected."

1199 SEIU plans to direct mail, phone-bank and go door-to-door to all its members in the 26th congressional district.

"The men and women of 1199 SEIU know what it means to lead by example," said Powers.  "They do it every day, with their hard work, their commitment to serving others, and their dedication to a job well-done.  I am profoundly grateful to have earned their endorsement.  And, in Congress, I'll strive every day to offer a style of leadership by example worthy of these hard-working Americans."

Kudos to Jon. This is a big endorsement. I'm sure more will follow.  

Des Moines Register Endorses Clinton, Boston Globe Chooses Obama

by: phillip anderson

Sat Dec 15, 2007 at 21:15:43 PM EST

The Register's caucus endorsements: McCain, Clinton

The choice, then, comes down to preparedness: Who is best prepared to confront the enormous challenges the nation faces - from ending the Iraq war to shoring up America's middle class to confronting global climate change?

The job requires a president who not only understands the changes needed to move the country forward but also possesses the discipline and skill to navigate the reality of the resistant Washington power structure to get things done.

That candidate is New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

From working for children's rights as a young lawyer, to meeting with leaders around the world as first lady, to emerging as an effective legislator in her service as a senator, every stage of her life has prepared her for the presidency.

That readiness to lead sets her apart from a constellation of possible stars in her party, particularly Barack Obama, who also demonstrates the potential to be a fine president. When Obama speaks before a crowd, he can be more inspirational than Clinton. Yet, with his relative inexperience, it's hard to feel as confident he could accomplish the daunting agenda that lies ahead.

...

Unfortunately, for many Americans, perceptions of Clinton, now 60, remain stuck in a 1990s time warp. She's regarded as the one who fumbled health-care reform as a key policy adviser to her husband, President Bill Clinton, or as a driving force in the bitter standoff between the "Clinton machine" and the "vast right-wing conspiracy."
Her record in the Senate belies those images. Today, she's widely praised for working across the aisle with Sam Brownback, Lindsey Graham and other Republicans.

...

The times demand results. We believe as president she'll do what she's always done in her life: Throw herself into the job and work hard. We believe Hillary Rodham Clinton can do great things for our country.

In another major coup, the Boston Globe endorses Senator Barack Obama.

The most sobering challenges that face this country - terrorism, climate change, disease pandemics - are global. America needs a president with an intuitive sense of the wider world, with all its perils and opportunities. Barack Obama has this understanding at his core. The Globe endorses his candidacy in New Hampshire's Democratic presidential primary Jan. 8.

Many have remarked on Obama's extraordinary biography: that he is the biracial son of a father from Kenya and a mother who had him at 18; that he was raised in the dynamic, multi-ethnic cultures of Hawaii and Indonesia; that he went from being president of the Harvard Law Review to the gritty and often thankless work of community organizing in Chicago; that, at 46, he would be the first post-baby-boom president.

It is true that all the other Democratic contenders have more conventional resumes, and have spent more time in Washington. But that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government's constraints. Obama is more open to its possibilities.

D&C: Albany Dysfunction & Seeing the Light

by: bythepeople

Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 22:15:10 PM EST

Well, I was all excited. WAS. You may remember, that after frequently mentioning the need for reform & change in Albany, the D&C last fall endorsed every single state leg incumbent except Susan John. You may also remember I was incensed enough to write a rebuttal that stopped just short of using the words heck and darn.

When I saw this on the D&C editorial blog a couple days ago, about a meeting they had with Seymour Lachman, author of "3 Men In A Room" (about Albany dysfunction), I was excited:

After years of reading and writing about the dysfunction in Albany, I must admit that I've come to think that I've heard it all. But Lachman unleashed new furor in me and those who sat around the table listening to story after story of how the power-mongers operate.

Like Adam Sandler on that plane in the movie "The Wedding Singer", I wanted to say "Even Billy Idol gets it!"

Then today, I read this on their blog:

...look for a Sunday editorial that explores what it could mean if Democrats takeover the Senate. After Democrat Craig Johnson of Long Island won a seat in a special election this week, Democrats are just two seats a way from a takeover.
Frankly, we're concerned. Just look at what's happening in the Democratic controlled Assembly. It's downstate-centric. If ever there was any doubt, the results of the comptroller's vote this week should have been evidence enough.

Aaaaaaaaaaugh! (Sound of Charlie Brown repeatedly banging his head against wall.) As Exile said in the comments on a recent post:

What’s immensely disappointing is that the D&C, which constantly whines about how its readers don’t care what happens in Albany, is telling its readers to be wary of turning the Senate over to Democrats. How can they be so foolish as to not see that the only way things can change is if Spitzer can get an ally in the State Senate?

Look, individual assemblycritters or senators are NOT going to stand up to current power-brokers Bruno and Silver, and they will continue to electe them to the leadership posts. They hold the purse strings and will dole out the "allowance" to their "kids" in order to enforce loyalty. This allowance will continue to be used to buy votes and keep incumbents in office.

I'm open to other ideas on how we can change this killing inertia in Albany, but for now, the best path I've seen to desperately needed reform is to flip the senate. We need to change owners of this "Republican Institution", the place "where reform goes to die".

I'm not giving up hope on the D&C editors though! They're smart folks, and they'll come around. I can feel it. Then again, I heard Dick Cheney once described as "A really smart guy who's come to all the wrong conclusions." Uh-oh.... :-)