10 New York Dems Vote For Lawlessness, Monarchy

by: phillip anderson

Fri Jun 20, 2008 at 14:18:47 PM EDT

There's so much to despise in the bill these 10 NY Democrats voted on today, but Glenn Greenwald tries to pick the worst:

Perhaps the most repellent part of this bill (though that's obviously a close competition) is 802(c) of the telecom amnesty section. That says that the Attorney General can declare that the documents he submits to the court in order to get these lawsuits dismissed are secret, and once he declares that, then: (a) the plaintiffs and their lawyers won't ever see the documents and (b) the court is barred from referencing them in any way when it dismisses the lawsuit. All the court can do is issue an order saying that the lawsuits are dismissed, but it is barred from saying why they're being dismissed or what the basis is for the dismissal.

So basically, one day in the near future, we're all going to learn that one of our federal courts dismissed all of the lawsuits against the telecoms. But we're never going to be able to know why the lawsuits were dismissed or what documents were given by the Government to force the court to dismiss the lawsuits. Not only won't we, the public, know that, neither will the plaintiffs' lawyers. Nobody will know except the Judge and the Government because it will all be shrouded in compelled secrecy, and the Judge will be barred by this law from describing or even referencing the grounds for dismissal in any way. Freedom is on the march.

Is that what a democracy looks like? Are you telling me that we stood down a Soviet Union with tens of thousands of nuclear warheads aimed directly at us but that some half literate cave dwellers have driven us to basically gut the Fourth Amendment and bless the ones wielding the knife? And don't even get me started on how this whole vote went down.

When Democrats took over the Congress, they issued a document vowing to "end the 'dead of night' special interest provisions that turn bills into special-interest giveaways" and proclaimed: "Lawmakers must have the opportunity to read every bill before they vote on it. It's common sense."

Today, the House leadership has set aside a grand total of one hour to debate the FISA/amnesty bill, and gave its members less than 24 hours from the time it was released yesterday until they have to vote on it today. That's the same bill which the NYT this morning calls "the most significant revision of surveillance law in 30 years." They're going to enact massive changes to our spying laws without having the slightest idea what they're voting on. All they know is that the President demanded this, and that's enough, because -- as Kit Bond says -- "when the government tells you to do something, I'm sure you would all agree that I think you all recognize that is something you need to do." In this formulation, "the government" means "The President."

Disgraceful.

The following Democrats should remove me from their lists:

Ackerman (NY-5)
Arcuri (NY-24)
Bishop (NY-1)
Crowley (NY-7)
Engel (NY-17)
Gillibrand (NY-20)
Higgins (NY-27)
Lowey (NY-18)
McCarthy (NY-4)
Meeks (NY-6)

NY-24: A GOP Challenger For Arcuri

by: phillip anderson

Thu May 15, 2008 at 09:35:02 AM EDT

Hanna to run for Congress

The race is on.

After several months of waiting, local businessman Richard Hanna will formally announce his candidacy for the 24th District Congressional seat today, a news release from his campaign stated.

Hanna, a Republican, will run against first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica. Arcuri won the seat in 2006 after longtime U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-New Hartford, retired.

In a previous interview, Hanna characterized himself as, a "self-made businessman and philanthropist," and "a social moderate, a fiscal conservative, and just as importantly to me, an environmentally progressive person."

He has residences in Barneveld and Cooperstown and is the owner of Hanna Construction.

Like most other GOP challengers this cycle, he'll have to largely self finance. The NRCC just blew most of the cash on three successive losses in what they believed to be "safe" seats. They aren't likely to put a dime into this race. Richard Hanna will be on his own.

Novak Pessimistic On GOP Chances in NY, Says Powers Favored in NY-26

by: phillip anderson

Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 16:39:25 PM EDT

The more recent spate of Democratic pickups has been in upstate New York, in blue-collar cities surrounded by rural counties. These are some of the most economically depressed parts of the country, with voters who are more socially conservative. The three-seat pickup last year and the two to three seats likely to go Democratic this year suggest that the Bush Administration, the Iraq War, and recent Republican incompetence and corruption play a real role here.

The upstate districts -- in their demographics and in the issues that helped Democrats win -- mirror much of the turf Democrats conquered in 2006, such as the Ohio River Valley seats. Cast in terms of the presidential election, this is Clinton country.

While Republicans will probably have only three or four U.S. congressional seats in New York after the 2008 elections, things can certainly get worse. The three safe New York Republican representatives this year -- Peter King in Long Island's Nassau County, Vito Fossella of Staten Island, and John McHugh from the Northern end of the state -- all occupy seats that could go to Democrats upon these GOPers' retirements.

Although they face real troubles these days, thanks to disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D), Democrats in Albany could control both legislative chambers and the governorship in 2010. Redistricting that year (which could involve the loss of a seat in reapportionment), could bring New York's Republican congressional delegation down to zero.

...

New York-24: Republicans held this district two years ago, but they now appear to have given up on it. Freshman Rep. Mike Arcuri (D) picked up this sprawling Upstate district after the retirement of Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R). Not a single Republican has announced to run here yet. While there is still time before the July filing deadline, for the foreseeable future this district will be represented by a Democrat. Likely Democratic Retention.

New York-25: The matchup appears set in the race to replace retiring Rep. Jim Walsh (R), and it still looks like a Democratic takeover in this Syracuse-based district.

Former Capitol Hill staffer Dan Maffei (D) barely lost to Walsh in 2006, and he is the Democratic standard-bearer right now. Maffei has strong liberal backing and is a skilled campaigner who now has experience. Currently, he is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

The only Republican in the race right now is former state fair director Peter Cappuccilli (R). Cappuccilli is inexperienced, and there are murmurs that the National Republican Congressional Committee is giving up on this district to focus on stopping losses elsewhere.

Although held by a Republican in recent years, this is really a Democratic district. A third of the population lives in Syracuse, which is a Democratic town. Walsh benefitted from his family connections -- his father was Syracuse mayor and a congressman -- but still, in his narrow '06 win over Maffei, Walsh lost the city and won on the strength of the rural vote, which has benefitted from his pork-barrel spending.

In short, any Republican but Walsh would be hard-pressed to win this district, and Maffei is a strong candidate. Maffei is a favorite now, and by the fall, he could be a shoo-in. Leaning Democratic Takeover.

New York-26: Rep. Tom Reynolds (R), perhaps facing electoral defeat, will retire this year after an ignominious stint as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Fittingly, he looks to be leaving his district to the Democrats.

Reynolds' district in Western New York voted for Bush in 2004, but Reynolds barely held on in 2006 after revelations about his handling of the Mark Foley scandal.

Democrats have two strong potential candidates: wealthy businessman and two-time candidate Jack Davis, and Iraq War veteran Jon Powers, who was already engaged in a challenge to Reynolds. Davis could fund his own race, and Powers has backing among liberal bloggers who showed real success raising funds in 2006.

Republicans failed to get their top candidate, State Sen. George Maziarz. State Assemblyman Jim Hayes is currently the leading Republican. Republicans have an enrollment edge here, but the sagging economy and the Democratic cash advantage tilt this one towards the Democrats. Leaning Democratic Takeover.

New York-29: Rep. Randy Kuhl (R) could be the next New York Republican to fall. His Western Tier district spanning eight counties is largely rural and basically Republican, but that's no guarantee he can hold it.

This year he faces a rematch against his 2006 opponent Eric Massa (D), who outraised him and lost by only 6,000 votes. In the past, Kuhl has had trouble garnering support from conservatives here (Conservative Party nominee Mark Assini picked up 17,000 votes against Kuhl in 2004), and his personal problems, stemming from ugly incidents in his divorce papers, continue to plague him. Massa will have serious support from the liberal blogosphere and the DCCC and will likely outspend Kuhl.

The district's makeup, however, gives Kuhl the edge. If he could hold on in his first re-election -- by far the hardest historically -- in such an awful year, he should be able to hold on in 2008. This is no sure thing, however. Leaning Republican Retention.

For Republicans, if even Novakula has given up on you, you're probably screwed.

Oh, and notice his repeated mentions of "liberal bloggers" and the "liberal blogosphere?" I like that.

NRCC Memo: Gillibrand and Arcuri Are Targets, Hall Is Not

by: phillip anderson

Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 14:09:25 PM EST

NRCC Memo Reveals 24 Democratic Targets (Sub req'd)

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting 23 Democratic incumbents, including several freshmen, and one open seat, according a memo obtained by Roll Call that was prepared by the NRCC for a March 5 briefing to political action committee officials.

The memo, titled "Two Dozen Reasons the NRCC will Pick Up Seats in 2008," shed some light as to where the NRCC might direct its limited resources in the fall, although the seats included on the committee's target list come as no surprise. The NRCC used the memo to highlight pickup opportunities in the November elections and urge PACs to donate to the committee and help Republicans take back the House.

The full list, which is heavy with freshmen in districts won by Bush in 2004, is in the extended entry...

NY-24: Has The GOP Found a Challenger For Arcuri?

by: phillip anderson

Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 09:28:17 AM EST

GOP says it may have candidate to challenge Arcuri

With time running out to find a challenger to freshman Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, for the 2008 election, Republicans said today they may have a candidate.

Richard L. Hanna, an Oneida County businessman, is giving serious consideration to running on the Republican ticket for the 24th Congressional District seat, a party spokesman said. The 11-county district includes parts of Oneida and Cayuga counties, and all of Cortland County.

Hanna, owner and president of Hanna Construction Inc. in Barneveld, did not return phone calls this evening.

Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee in Washington, D.C., said Hanna has been considering a challenge to Arcuri.

...

"Michael Arcuri has become a willing accomplice in the Democratic-led Congress's effort to raise taxes and hike up spending," Spain said. "With these kinds of far-left policies, and a plummeting approval rating for this incompetent Congress, it should come as no surprise that an accomplished individual like Richard Hanna is strongly considering running against him."

...

Arcuri has more than $458,000 cash on hand for the 2008 campaign, according to disclosure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

"The NRCC has been saying for months that they would have a candidate to challenge Congressman Arcuri, and the reality is they can't find anyone willing to challenge such a strong member of Congress," James said. "Congressman Arcuri isn't worried about what inaccuracies the NRCC is spreading right now; he is focused on fighting for Central New York families in Congress."

Something tells me that Hanna wasn't exactly their first, or even fourth choice.

Where Do You Stand, Kirsten Gillibrand? UPDATED

by: phillip anderson

Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 11:02:04 AM EDT

Now I read over at MyDD that you may be one of the Blue Dogs who can't bring themselves to vote for a bill that sets a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Granted, Matt added in an update that rumor has it that you want to see the bill first. Fine. But, I want to know just where you stand on this issue.

And, yeah, I know. I get it. I know you are in a marginal district. I know it can't be as easy to stand up to this idiot president from the 20th as it would be in other places. I also know that the president is going to do whatever he damn well pleases no matter what Congress does. But, damn it, Kirsten, you and many others were sent to DC for a reason and ending this god forsaken war was certainly a large part of it. I and most of the country have had enough. Take. A. Stand.

Where do you stand, Kirsten Gillibrand?

UPDATE: I just got a call from Gillibrand's Chief of Staff and he informs me that Kirsten will indeed be voting FOR the supplemental and that it was "never in question" that she would do otherwise. This is very, very good to hear. Cheers to you Rep Gillibrand.

BREAKING: Reps Hall, Gillibrand and Arcuri Added to DCCC's "Frontline" Program

by: phillip anderson

Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 13:15:03 PM EST

From the press release:

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Frontline Program, said: "Our Frontline Members inspired the confidence of their constituents during their campaigns for Congress. They made the commitment to move our country in a new direction. They are our Majority Makers. The Frontline program will build on their strengths, providing them with the money, message and strategy they need to successfully position themselves for reelection in 2008."

...

The Frontline Program is a partnership between the DCCC and Members which lays the ground work for the 2008 cycle by supporting and expanding their fundraising and outreach operations. This competitive program requires members to meet aggressive fundraising goals, accelerate volunteer and recruitment efforts, and increase on-line networking.

The full roster on the flip...