Matt Doheny Uses Scozzafava's Insider Tactics and Buys Supporters

If you thought the backroom deals and insider political maneuvers that were exposed in the aftermath of the NY-23 GOP Special Election last summer were over, think again!

The Republican Party has just launched another major offensive against the Conservative-Republican candidate, Doug Hoffman, in retaliation for his entering the NY-23 congressional race last fall as an alternative candidate to liberal Republican Dede Scozzafava and Democrat Bill Owens. Tonight, just days after George Joseph resigned from his position as Chairman of the Oneida County Republican Party, the local Republican party quickly organized a Monday night meeting to offer its endorsement to rival candidate Matt Doheny. The county endorsement is perplexing to those who will remember that Hoffman ran up the score in Oneida County with 3,225 votes to Owens' 2,243 and Scozzafava's paltry 459. But apparently the Oneida Republicans want to give it away in exchange for something else.

And so again, it appears the fix may in with the establishment good old boys club in NY-23. The news came to us from a local Republican activist who just called and said he heard that the whole meeting was set without even giving Doug Hoffman a hearing, and that he overheard a conversation where it was discussed how Hoffman was purposely not even invited or made aware of the meeting with the county committee so he wouldn’t be able to make his case to the members.

The local activist went on to say that, "the endorsement proceedings I just witnessed over here in Oneida County were the least transparent I have ever seen on the local level. I knew that backroom deals and shady political operations like this existed, but never have I seen something quite like this happen within our own committee. The whole affair tonight wasn't even an honest attempt to be fair. What were the local Republican leaders thinking? It was like some of them were acting like Democrats trying to write a health care bill behind closed doors in the dead of night. Why were the local county officials so afraid of inviting Doug Hoffman so he could make his case? There is obviously something else behind the endorsement that people didn’t know about yet, and it has got to be exposed."

In fairness, the Oneida County Republican insiders weren’t the first Republican leaders to prematurely throw their hat in Doheny’s corner. Just this past week, right as Doheny officially announced his candidacy, he took the endorsements of three other county chairmen in the district, Ron Jackson of Essex County, Donald Lee of Clinton County, and Donald Coon of Jefferson County, who were part of the Scozzafava crowning last fall.

And the local ring-leader of the 2009 Special Election Circus, James Ellis of Franklin County who set up the process for Scozzafava's victory last summer, just so happens to be publicly supporting a registered Democrat, Steve Levy, for the New York Gubernatorial race. Ellis is always doing his best to throw Hoffman under the bus each and every chance he gets near a reporter. So it is clear there is an organized effort by the county Republican leadership to block Hoffman organizationally and in the media.

The public support of inside party leaders is a function of at least two things that we can identify at the moment: 1) a resentment of conservatism in general and Doug Hoffman in particular, a man who utterly embarrassed and exposed the shady backroom dealings of the local Republican establishment, and 2) money.

Not only have Republican leaders been looking for an alternative to Hoffman in 2010, but they have now found an alternative who is willing and able to float large checks to local candidates and party leaders in exchange for public support. Public records show that Doheny has written nearly $30,000 in checks to county chairs, local elected officials, and the state party to gain influence and early momentum in his bid to beat Hoffman for the Republican nomination.

Another source told me that, "Doheny is willing to hand out money to anyone who is willing to help him, a sort of political quid pro quo. He likes to give money to candidate he thinks will help him down the line. And by looking at his records it shows he doesn't have any principles. Why else would he give Dede Scozzafava $2,400 for her election bid?" In other words, some are making the subtle claim that Doheny is aiming to win a congressional seat the old fashioned way – he is going to buy his seat.

But there are clear disadvantages to running a campaign on the inside lane. First off, the local Republican Party has failed miserably to win the 48th State Senate seat and the 118th Assembly seat. And the Oneida County Coup tonight is really a stunning example of what voters rejected last year and what helped propel Doug Hoffman into the national conservative spotlight. For a local county party like Oneida's, that can only boast nearly 7,000 Republican voters, to quickly circle the wagons make a public endorsement on behalf of all its members for Doheny's campaign shows a remarkable ability to throw the rules out the window and forget their 2009 debacle.

For those political animals who want to look to the history books on how we ended up with Scozzafava it started the same way. One report of the cussed up nomination process last year stated that it was, “orchestrated by two powerful liberal members of the local Republican Party organization, and was aided and abetted by several politically inexperienced local county leaders who failed to grasp the tactical significance of shunning the Conservative Party and did not fully understand the details of their nominee’s record, or her potential vulnerabilities…”

Unfortunately, those who forget history are often times bound to repeat it. And this post is just barely scratching the surface on how some local Republican leaders in NY-23 are up to their old antics again this year. The real significance of the Oneida County Coup is that now voters and Republican party activists are willing to speak out against the county leaders who got us into this similar mess with Scozzafava in 2009. And I’m being told that those Republican activists are not willing to go down without making a stink about the sausage making factories that are the local Republican County Committees. These kinds of strong arm tactics and secret endorsement meetings are not the way for Republicans to win elections in 2010.

NY-23 GOP Chairs Realize It's Hoffman or Owens

Today the Watertown Daily Times has another piece up about Doug Hoffman having the Conservative line for the 2010 NY-23 congressional race. It's a great story for Doug, but I can't help but think the Watertown Daily Times is beating a dead horse. We have read this same story about 100 times over the past few months and it hasn't changed a thing -- Hoffman is running for Congress whether the local Republican leaders sitting in the Ivory Tower want him to or not. This fact was so obvious to Assemblyman Will Barclay that he dropped out of the race for NY-23 because he recognized he couldn't win so long as Doug Hoffman was at the table.

Nancy Martin, the St. Lawrence County GOP Chair, may be the smartest of the Republican bunch who understands that the Republican Party now has an important choice to make. Today she stated clearly that, "Our primary objective is to beat Bill Owens. We can't do that with a split between the Republican line and the Conservative line." And as long as people like Martin continue to concede defeat to Owens unless the Republican and Conservative lines are merged, that means the Republican Party only has two options.

The choice is clear: Republican leaders can run with Doug Hoffman and unite the Republican and Conservative parties to beat Democrat Bill Owens, or they can pick Matt Doheny, a moderate carpetbagger, and know they are handing a victory to Owens. It took poor Don Coon, the Jefferson County GOP Chair, until today to say what Republicans everywhere in NY-23 are thinking. He said simply, "Put Doug Hoffman on the line -- or lose... the fix is in." In fairness Donald Coon doesn't like his choice, but at least he is being honest in his assessment.

The Republican chairs know Hoffman is running and they can't legally stop him from doing so. That's a beautiful thing for American democracy. Does the Republican Party really have any business in telling someone whether they can or can't run as a Conservative anyways? Do the NY-23 Republican leaders want to be remembered as the clan who gave Owens his path to victory in 2010 after having voted for ObamaCare twice?

The holdouts like James Ellis, the Franklin County GOP chair, should just give up their crusade to tear down Hoffman by saying things like, "If you choose otherwise (i.e. Matt Doheny), Doug Hoffman is going to make sure the GOP candidate loses." That's some great spin by Ellis, but does he think voters are stupid? People know that what Ellis is really saying is, "If we pick someone other than Hoffman we are most likely going to lose and it will be all our fault, but I don't want to take the blame so I am setting up Hoffman to be the fall guy."

What Ellis needs to understand is that a lot of people want Hoffman to run as a Conservative if he doesn't run on both party lines. There are a lot of people who would be infuriated with Hoffman if he abandoned the very people who have donated, volunteered, and supported him over the last several months. It's not so hard to understand Hoffman's position when you think it through. It just makes you wonder if Ellis wants Owens to win because he has an ulterior motive.

What Martin and Coon are willing to admit, but what Ellis still refuses to accept, is that Doug Hoffman out-played them in this technical game we call politics. And because Hoffman has the people on his side, he has no reason to abandon them or the Conservative Party. Hoffman is looking to win by addition. Hoffman haters want to force him into losing (and by extension themselves) by subtraction. No one can credibly blame Hoffman for his decision because it is, in fact, the only winning strategy.

Those who don't understand it, or refuse to accept it, just need to get over themselves because the race will be won by Hoffman or Owens. And if the race for NY-23 turns into a 3-way race and you are unhappy with the result look no further than James Ellis and the other holdouts in his tiny corner. The choice is clear and Republicans get to make it.

Owens Gives Away His Vote to Pelosi & Betrays the People of NY-23

Today, the race for NY-23 just lost another candidate, incumbent Congressman Bill Owens, who told Nancy Pelsoi she could have his vote for Bigger Government this morning. Owens made his decision before he even finished reading the bill. You can read Owens' justification here. When you read it you almost have to wonder whether Owens' staff could write it with a straight face. At least now we really know how liberal Owens is, and now we know he is more liberal than his Democratic colleague, Michael Arcuri, who said he is voting no tomorrow.

I must admit that there was never actually any doubt in my mind about where Owens stood on this issue, but some people thought he would at least listen to his constituents and realize that a large majority of people are against this plan. But Owens chose a partisan path and people are continuing to ask themselves, "Where are the jobs and how will our state survive?" With his decision today, Owens basically just told every person who called him, visited him, wrote him or met with his staff to go bug off. So tomorrow Owens is voting to spend your tax dollars on the bribes we wrote about earlier this week: the Louisiana Purchase, the Cornhusker Kickback, the Gator-Aid and the Husky Hospital. But what did Owens get for NY-23? He got a commitment from Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama for some extra campaign cash and union assistance this coming November.

Saying, "the math is sound on this bill," Owens continues to claim that this bill will lower premiums and that Medicare beneficiaries will see their coverage improve. Both of these statements are patently false though. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office makes it clear that this bill requires 10 years of tax increases and 10 years of Medicare cuts to pay for just 6 years of benefits. The American people don't want this bill and they realize that 10 years of payments are not worth just 6 years of benefits. They know there is a better way -- a bipartisan way. You can ask the Democratic Whip of the United States Senate who spoke very clearly on these issues: Medicare cuts and premium increases. Senator Durbin confirms that the Medicare program will be cut. In the second video clip, he also confirms that your premiums will rise.

After you see a fellow Democrat expose Bill Owens on these issues ask yourself if this Big Government take-over is the right thing for our health care system, our children and our grandchildren. Do we want to bankrupt the Medicare program and tax our middle class to pay for a government take-over of our health care system? Ask yourself if you want to continue down this path of reckless spending and higher taxes. We should shelve this bill and start fresh. We can do that just as soon as we shelve Bill Owens and put someone else in his office to do the job of the people. Remember this weekend this coming November.

Facts About ObamaCare That Will Scare You

Special deals, higher premiums, massive taxes, unfair mandates, soaring deficits, lack of transparency, deal-making, job-killer... Those are just some of the terms that have been used to describe this massive government takeover in the health care industry over the past few weeks. The fact remains, the bill before the House this weekend is not good for NY-23.

This health care bill over the next decade will tax the American public for 10 years, but we will only see 6 years of benefits. That's like buying a car and paying it off over four years and then getting your car. Who does that? And who wants the government to run our health care system that way? Several Democrats in Congress have even admitted that when this bill passes health care premiums will rise. Ask any private practice doctor how they feel about government intrusion into our health care system, and they will tell you that it just doesn't work. Most health care patients agree that they want their doctor to make their decisions about health care, not a politician in Congress or a Big Government bureaucrat.

On top of that, this bill includes a ton of special deals for other states and districts, but New York as a whole gets left out in the cold. Congressman Bill Owens' Democrat colleague, Michael Arcuri, in NY-24 is voting against the bill because he said small businesses would be negatively affected and that economic and job growth would suffer immensely. The ObamaCare bill, according the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office assumes that 8 million employees will lose their insurance coverage. That assumption is derived from the thought that employers will save money by taking a government penalty or fee to drop their employer sponsored health insurance. The Wall Street Journal also believes this bill will be a job killer and a tax-hiker. Once employees are forced off their employers plan, everyday Americans will be pushed in a plan that rations care to save costs for the government. The New York Times admitted that much in this piece this week.

As things stand today, Medicaid repayments are currently assessed against certain applicants. But what is worse is that under this new plan, Medicaid and Medicare will place tax leins against capital gains from sales of assets like homes, snowmobiles, ATVs, cars, land, jewelry and other physical property. One implication of the House passing the Senate health care bill is that thousands of property owners in upstate and central New York will be forced onto the expanded Medicaid. People with low-to-mid income levels who may own hereditary property, 2nd cars, collections, ATV's and other properties will likely wind up having those things taken away from them.

That is an outrage because many people in Northern New York rely on earned income credit tax credits every spring to get their houses painted, pay for the car repairs and other credits. However, with the changes in the taxation status of the health benefits from their employers, many low-to-mid income families in NY-23 may very well find themselves move out of their tax brackets, resulting in a lot of people getting tagged for more taxes to the fed.

But ObamaCare won't just tax individuals and employers if they don't comply with these heavy mandates. New reports are showing that the IRS will begin taxing everyday products to continue to pay for the health overhaul. Medical devices, prescription drugs and other health benefits and services will be considered fair-play for new taxes by the federal government. These are just some of the facts that ordinary Americans didn't want to hear. Just wait until we finally find out everything else in the 2,400+ page bill that surely stands to bankrupt the federal government. A vote for health care is a vote for higher taxes, fewer benefits, higher premiums and bigger deficits.

Is Bill Owens More Liberal Than Michael Arcuri?

Congressman Michael Arcuri of NY-24 is a sophomore Democratic House member who represents the district just south of NY-23. Today Arcuri went public that he is against Big Government ObamaCare. Just like Owens, Arcuri was a yes vote last year. You can see Arcuri's reasons here. Arcuri says, "I have talked to small business owners from Herkimer to Geneva who desperately needs health care reform but, uniformly, they tell me this new proposal will hurt them and their employees across the board. I've listened to my constituents and have heard their concerns clearly."

This puts incredible pressure on Bill Owens, who is still undecided on how he will vote. NY-23 and NY-24 are similar districts demographically and politically. The people of NY-24 don't want a government take-over of health care just like the people of NY-23 don't want it. And now the public is learning about the sweetheart deals in this bill that benefit other states. The Senate health care bill that the House is preparing to vote for on Sunday contains the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, the Gator-Aid and the Husky Hospital. On top of that it cuts Medicare for seniors by more than half a trillion dollars, uses the taxing-power of the federal government to pay for other people's abortions and adds new mandates and taxes on individuals and small businesses. New Yorkers are already saddled with huge debts and we are sick of the lack of transparency in government.

Here is a brief analysis of the avalanche of sleazy deals that is killing this bill:

The Cornhusker Kickback: A Nebraska Senator got a special deal where no one in his state would ever have to pay Medicaid taxes ever again. In exchange for a critical Senate vote, Nebraska's Medicaid costs would be paid for by the other 49 states. That is included in the 2,400+ page Senate bill all the House members will be voting on.

The Louisiana Purchase: A Louisiana Senator got $300+ million for new medical projects in exchange for her vote to pass the Senate bill. That $300+ million would come from taxpayers in the other 49 states.

The Gator-Aid: Somehow Florida, the Gator state, was able to keep the Medicare Advantage program for its almost 1 million seniors. No other state in the union would keep the Medicare Advantage benefits many seniors across the country rely upon. If this bill passes the House on Sunday, seniors in NY-23 will lose their Medicare Advantage benefits, but Florida seniors will keep theirs.

The Husky Hospital: The Senate bill has $100 million allocated for a new hospital in Connecticut, paid for by taxpayers across the country. Why doesn't NY-23 get its own new hospital?

On top of those hand-outs, Obama and Pelosi are sweetening the deal for other members of Congress to get this thing passed at the 11th hour. Human Events reported on these goodies today: "Rep. Bart Godron (D-Tenn.) who announced his retirement from Congress has been promised the job of NASA administrator in exchange for his vote, and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), another retiring Democrat, has been promised an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in exchange for his vote." Ask Owens what he got for NY-23, besides the bill for the taxpayers and some campaign contributions from Obama and company. Ask him if he is going to vote for the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, the Gator-Aid and the Husky Hospital for Connecticut.

Why would someone elected to represent our interests vote for our tax dollars to go to special deals in other states? Does Bill Owens really expect the voters of NY-23 to forgive him if he votes to make us pay federal taxes that go to benefit other states, but not our own? Right now the whip count stands at 205-202 in favor of the good guys. Owens is still undecided and to pass the Big Government take-over Obama needs 216 votes.

Watch the 90-second video below, which describes the whole process with some humor, and ask yourself why Bill Owens is more liberal than the Democrats south of NY-23. So much for hope and change. The only change NY-23 should be looking for is Owens to change his vote on health care. Our freshman congressman, Bill Owens, should follow his neighbor Michael Arcuri's lead on this big issue.

Bill Owens' Silence Will be Broken Soon

You just can't pin some people down for whatever reason. Congressman Bill Owens is considered a major swing vote on the huge health care bill that will result in a government take-over of almost 1/5th of the American economy, and he won't say where he stands. If you are wondering why Owens hasn't made a decision yet we might have an answer for you - politics.

A campaign organized by national Republicans called Code Red that is tallying the votes says our congressman is going to vote yes, but there is no public record anywhere that shows Owens as a committed yes vote for Obamacare, yet. The real reason why Owens doesn't have a public statement on Obamacare: he doesn't want to go on record either way, he thinks he can keep all sides happy.

A commentator at National Review quotes John Fund from the Wall Street Journal who wrote, "Rounding up the votes for health care has also proven difficult. House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn told McClatchy Newspapers that final consideration of the bill may not occur until Easter (April 4) or later. He is dealing with dozens of members who refuse to commit to a firm position in hopes their silence will force the leadership to pull the bill and move on to other issues. 'Just say nothing,' is how one Democratic staffer explained the strategy being taken by many members. 'Maybe it will just go away, and we can avoid a tough vote this close to the election.'"

Initially, the deadline for passage was March 18th. Now it looks like we might see a vote on Sunday or early next week. How is that for courage? It makes you wonder why Bill Owens voted for health care last year. Could it be that the Obama administration offered him a quid pro quo? Promise to vote for health care and we will raise you some money and campaign in NY-23. Promise to vote for health care and we will get you Dede Scozzafava's endorsement by offering her a cozy job in the administration or in the state government when Cuomo becomes Governor.

Bill Owens has gone radio silent on the biggest domestic issue in a generation. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal summed it up nicely here. The writer, Fred Barnes, believes, "America will be in a constant health-care war if ObamaCare is enacted. Passage wouldn't end the health-care debate. Rather, it would perpetuate ObamaCare as the dominant issue for decades to come, reshape politics, create an annual funding crisis in Congress, and generate a spate of angry lawsuits. Yet few in Washington seem aware of what lies ahead." You can run, but you can't do it well with flip-flops.

For those who don't think the health care debate is a big issue have been missing the forest for the trees. The people of NY-23 know that you can't put deodorant on cow manure and call it dirt, and they also know that you can't be silent on this critical issue forever. Holding out and waiting to commit on health care, and potentially coming out to be the deciding vote on either side of this very public debate, may only end up adding greater insult to a great, great injury.

Bill Owens Wearing Flip-Flops in March???

Congressman Bill Owens just found his name on a list he really does not want to be on. An AP article linked on the Drudge Report lists Owens as a top-tier, vulnerable target among a group of candidates which grassroots activists think they can flip from a yes to a no vote on health care reform. The news confirms the poll on Newzjunky.com this week showing over 70% of people against the bill. What Owens now knows is that the people, by wide margins, don't want this government take-over of health care. A group of Tea-Party activists even stood outside of his campaign office in Watertown with homemade signs to make the point loud and clear.

For Owens, you are damned if you do and you are damned if you don't. The problem is Owens put himself in this moldy political sandwich because he broke his own campaign promise and voted for health care the day after he was sworn into office. He has made himself a national symbol of the Democrats 2,400+ page health care reform package. In fairness, Owens owed his first vote for health care reform to Pelosi, Obama and company because the administration campaigned hard for him last fall.

Unfortunately for Owens, the unions and the Obama machine are threatening to withhold a campaign visit and political money to any Democrat who refuses to vote in favor of socialized medicine. The unions and some liberal interest groups are even threatening to push a challenger into races if incumbents like Owens vote against the Senate version of the health care bill this week. The Working Family's Party would certainly have to withdraw their support of Owens.

The best Owens can hope for is to try and convince the House leadership to shelve this health care bill so he doesn't have to go on record again. That's a long shot, and despite the pressure from the left we are predicting that it won't be long until you see Congressman Bill Owens wearing flip-flops around NY-23 in late March. On a positive note at least the newest member of Congress will be trying his first pair of sandals on in DC and not Plattsburgh.

Call Bill Owens & Tell Him NY-23 is the People's Seat, Not Obama & Pelosi's

The White House self-imposed Thursday, March 18th, as the date when the House should vote for the Senate version of the health care reform bill. That doesn’t mean the President or the folks in the House won’t move the goal posts again, but it is a pretty safe bet that the end of March is last battle cry for the Democrats to carry on this looney tune fantasy to socialize our medicine.

The conventional thinking goes like this: expect that the House will be taking up the Senate-passed health care reform bill any day now. This bill is not good for Northern and Central New York. If you are reading this blog then we expect that you should already know the reasons why. It costs $2.5 trillion and for what? It will not create a single job for a single person in NY-23. It will increase our debt. Seniors will lose their Medicare Advantage plans. Your money will go to pay for other people’s abortions. Washington bureaucrats will be getting between you and your doctor and their meddling will have a significant impact on the health care delivery options you are entitled to. Premiums will go up. Rural hospitals and health centers will be consolidated. Medical liability will continue to drive up costs, resulting in less access for patients and fewer incentives for better-trained medical professionals to enter the health care field.

The whole thing is a precursor to Bigger and Bigger and Bigger government. Ladies and gentlemen, this is simply not what we signed up for. Now is the time to tell Washington.

Can anyone talk to Congressman Bill Owens about this, please? Ask him why he is still undecided. Ask him how many jobs this monstrosity will create. Ask him how he expects our children and our grandchildren to pay for the costs. Ask him why he wants to take our money to pay for abortions. Ask him if he is so concerned with our debt why he wants to spend more money on a government run system that would force small businesses to comply with new bureaucratic red-tape or else face fines and new taxes. Ask him why he is so in the bag for Obama and Pelosi.

There is only one solution to this nightmare: we must start over and work out a bipartisan solution. Tell Congressman Bill Owens, who voted for the House Health Care Reform bill when he was first elected to office last year, that we need his help. Even though he lied about his true position to the people of NY-23 on the campaign trail he is now evolving on this issue. If Owens gets enough pressure from his constituents we can make a difference. In recent news reports Owens says he might flip-flop on health care. Tell Owens that just because he owes his seat to Pelosi and Obama who raised him buckets of money last year, the NY-23 seat is still the people's seat. Afterall, Owens does have to answer to us next fall.

You can call his DC office today at 202-225-4611. You can call his Watertown office at 315-782-3150. You can call his Plattsburgh office at 518-563-1406. You can call his Mayfield office at 518-661-6486. And you can call his Canastota office at 315-875-5115. Then you can e-mail his office by going to this link. And if you really want to make sure he gets the message you can e-mail his campaign aide, Gary Whidby, at gary@billowensforcongress.com. Ask Owens to go public in the news. Demand that he represent the people of NY-23 instead of Obama and Pelosi. This bill is bad, but we don't even know all the problems that are in it because even the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, doesn't even know everything that is in it.

Winners and Losers

We felt like it would be fun to point out some of our recent winners and losers in New York State politics over the last several days. We hope many of our readers will concur with our assessments. Feel free to add others to either category in the comments section, or debate why we are wrong in our analysis.

Biggest Losers:

Governor David Paterson - Putting Tiger Woods aside, we don't think anyone can deny that this guy wins the gold medal for the biggest loser. Our 55th Governor of the State of New York has racked up a long list of stupidness: pending ethics violations over accepting World Series tickets, covering up sexual abuse scandal with state resources and direct calls to police to save his body man, rumors of various affairs including one with a state employee that he admitted when he first came to office, proposed tax increases on all sorts of goodies, appointing Kirsten Gillibrand to a US Senate seat and a general gross mismanagement of the state's runaway budget deficit. Paterson's story is playing out like a bad scene from the Jersey Shore. Good riddance.

Congressman Eric Massa- Rumors are abound that the House ethics committee will investigate whether Massa had sexually abused a male staffer and will be retiring at the end of 2010. Just wait for the attack dogs and Democratic colleagues alike to call for his resignation. A special election like the one in New York 23 might be just around the corner.

Congressman Charlie Rangel - Rangel is caught up in some compromising ethics violation(s). Politico reported that, "the catalyst for Rangel's removal came last week, when the ethics committee ruled that he had broken House gift rules by accepting corporate-sponsored travel to the Caribbean." He has now lost his chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee that writes tax policy after serving the House for 39 years. Is there anymore to say about that? Owens is counting his lucky starts that he didn't have to vote on removing Rangel of his chairmanship.

New York State Democrats - How many Democratic Governors can New York blow through without looking ridiculous? Spitzer, Paterson, State Senator Monserrate, Massa and Rangel have seriously damaged the party brand in New York. Are these leaders a reflection of the Democratic party as a whole? The budget is a mess, taxes are high, businesses are moving out of state, party leaders getting greedy and Harold Ford said he got out of the primary race because the party in New York State Democrats aren't strong enough to deal with the pressure and still win. All bets are off in 2010.

Congressman Bill Owens - Our new representative is talking about jobs recently, but he is about to lose his own for voting for socialized medicine that includes all sorts of perverse carve-outs for other states, increased taxes and cuts to Medicare. If he flip-flops on the health care vote he will discourage his base of Democrat supporters. If he votes for it he loses the election to whatever candidate(s) that run against him. It is a tough spot to be in, but Pelosi and Obama are the ones who got him to Washington and he owes it to them. Ironically, Pelosi and Obama, the same people who got Owens elected, are the same people who are going to get him run out of office.

Assemblyman Will Barclay - His campaign will not answer our questions and the candidate is not being open with the public. Michael Baucus of the Barclay campaign responded to an e-mail request to get 3-5 of our 20 questions answered with this lame response: "Will Barclay would be more than pleased to answer each of those twenty questions if he becomes a candidate for Congress. If you live in the 23rd Congressional District, all you have to do is attend any scheduled candidates debate, stand up, identify yourself and state your question. Will Barclay would, of course, afford any district voter the same opportunity." So for our readers -- feel free to ask your questions when you see Barclay on the campaign trail. But good luck getting your questions answered.

Mayor Jeff Graham - If Mort Zukerman had given up control of his media empire to run for US Senate, Jeff Graham could have made a quick move to cut into the media mogul's huge national market. Graham is still doing well with his blog and radio show. But had Zukerman officially gotten into the race, Graham could have capitalized and made it big.

USA Men's Olympic Hockey Team - Team USA were the underdogs, no doubt. We played hard but only got the silver medal -- unfortunately, second place is the first loser. And you lost to Canada!

The Watertown Daily Times - The Times falls into the loser category because they are awful almost every week. Any objections?

Winners:

Andrew Cuomo - Love him or hate him or just don't care, this guy is undoubtably going to be the Democratic nominee for Governor. For the sake of our state, lets just pray he is better than Spitzer and Paterson.

Harold Ford Jr. - He got out of the Democratic US Senate primary just in time. The New York Democratic establishment was about to eat the guy up and spit him out. He saved his reputation and now maybe he can make a run for Charlie Rangel's seat.

Bruce Blakeman - Media mogul Mort Zuckerman is pulling out of the US Senate race against Gillibrand and that opening gives Blakeman a clearer shot at the GOP nomination. Gillibrand's negatives are so high that the Lewis county dog-catcher could make it a competitive race in year where Republicans were able to win in Massachusetts.

Ann Marie Buerkle - We haven't talked about our neighbor district to the south-west, but they have a battle brewing for the congressional Republican nomination to challenge Representative Dan Maffei in NY-25. Buerkle is winning Republican and Conservative endorsements for her race at a blistering pace. What's Up NY-23 isn't offering its endorsement yet, but is predicting Buerkle is on the best path to become the GOP nominee for that race.

Darrel Aubertine - Getting beat up by New York City press for opposing a liberal farm workers bill isn't always a bad thing for an upstate Democrat. He is also now a member of the fiscal watch force. Let's see what he does with it.

Mike Long - The Conservative Party Chairman has been gaining credibility across the state and has to be taken seriously by Republicans at every level because of the fusion voting system in the state and the conservative movement's ability to tap into voter discontent.

Patty Ritchie - Even though Ritchie has been attacked on the Lewis and Oswego blogs, she is still the frontrunner for the 48th Senate district race. Whoever gets the nod could make it a race for the ages against Aubertine. There is still a lot of time left, but Ritchie has positioned herself and it doesn't look like Matt Doheny is going to jump races as we move into the spring.

Assemblywoman Janet Duprey - Duprey seems to be handling her competition for the GOP nomination with stride. David Kimmel has yet to make the kind of impact that conservatives had hoped for, which may leave the door open for Paul Maroun or another candidate to jump into the race at this early stage. There is still time for Kimmel to make his case for the nomination, but each day that Kimmel lags is another day Duprey is counting her blessings.

NewzJunky.com - Just because they are better than the Watertown Daily Times.

SU Men's Basketball Team - First time the Orange have been ranked #1 in years. Congrats and Go Orange!

Will Barclay Wants to be a Looney Tune?

As Buggs Buddy I think I am in the best position to say this: State Assemblyman William Barclay’s knee-jerk reactions and absurd press releases are making him look like Wile E. Coyote trying to chase down the one he will never catch, Doug Hoffman, the one who looks more and more like the Road Runner speeding to victory in NY-23.

Tonight Barclay became the newest looney tune running for federal office when he issued an attack on Doug Hoffman. Barclay’s expensive new media consultant, rumored to be former unknown Congressman Fred J. Eckert of Eagle Communications, e-mailed the statement tonight at 8:16 pm to multiple news outlets.

In the release Barclay reveals his desperation by “urging” Doug Hoffman to renounce the idea of Ron Paul running for President in 2012. Not that Hoffman has any connection to the idea after having been endorsed by several other potential 2012 presidential hopefuls including: Governor George Pataki, Governor Sarah Palin, Senator Fred Thompson, Congressman Mike Pence, Governor Tim Pawlenty and others, but it is kind of silly to read Barclay’s disunity rant.

If you read between the lines of everything that Barclay sends out (the stuff that comes in complete sentences at least) all you find is negativity and knee-jerk reactions. It’s the kind of stuff that fills the Assembly Chamber in Albany where Barclay was infected with this vitriolic incumbent disease I like to call “Albany insider-osis.”

The positive press attention Doug Hoffman received from the Syracuse paper, National Review Online, several prominent Republican bloggers and the Washington Times, has clearly demoralized the Barclay camp. But to Barclay’s credit at least he realizes the need to do something to shake up this race quickly. He can only get away with being the guy who lost Republican control of the State Senate, to Darrel Aubertine, for so long without losing people’s attention.

However, the fact that Barclay chose to attack Ron Paul instead of (oh… I don’t know) Bill Owens or Barack Obama speaks volumes about what kind of Republican he is – a Republican of disunity, a looney tune Republican. Barclay’s attacks are a function of four key things that all voters should consider.

First, Barclay is consumed with the idea of purging Republicans instead of beating the Democrats in 2010. What Barclay doesn’t understand is that his recent call for a unity pledge in NY-23 was completely undermined when his next move was to call for a purge of any fellow Republican who he disagrees with on one particular issue. In this case it is Ron Paul’s opposition to the War in Iraq. Next week it will be his opposition to Tim Pawlenty’s position of being pro-life. The week after that it will be something else absurd. The real question is: why does Barclay want to make the GOP smaller instead of uniting Republicans of all stripes behind a common goal like winning back the House in 2010?

Second, Barclay’s focus on the 2012 presidential elections shows his priorities are in the wrong place. He should be focused on winning in 2010 and bringing prosperity and economic growth back to NY-23. Barclay’s attacks are a distraction from his lack of solutions and focus on what people really care about today: better jobs, lower taxes, less spending, more credit, improved education and market-based solutions to health care.

Third, Barclay’s attacks are a sign of desperation. Doug Hoffman has the lead on money raised, grassroots support, national endorsements, online media, local press, an organized campaign team and about every other metric that could possibly be used to judge a candidates viability in a Republican primary.

Finally, Barclay’s release was absurd on its face. To insinuate that Doug Hoffman is weak on terrorism is pretty lame. After all, Barclay never spent any time in the military. Hoffman has. Hoffman’s campaign website is clear on this issue.

“We are past the point of pointing fingers over how we got to where we are in Iraq and Afghanistan. The question for us now is where do we go from here? I believe we must continue to try and turn the security and governing of Iraq over to the Iraqis. I also believe we need to continue to go after the terrorist strongholds and training bases wherever they are located. The war against terror is not over and the terrorists’ goal remains the destruction of the United States and our way of life. We must never forget this fact.”

Hoffman understands the threats we face and is committed to being a strong defender of American interests. Unlike Barclay, Hoffman was never fed by a silver spoon and he wasn’t an heir to political power like Barclay was from his father’s hard effort. Unlike Barclay, Hoffman had to make something of himself. And Hoffman is the only candidate who has military experience. That is something that military families in Fort Drum will recognize and it is an insult that Barclay would attack a veteran with such vitriol.

Barclay should apologize for throwing other people under the bus to further his own political future. Barclay does not have a campaign that can win. It could have been, but it is evolving into a campaign in desperation mode, running out of fuel. And for that reason we are moving him back to the third tier of candidates with the rest of the other looney tunes.

Ambassador Scozzafava to the Rescue?

Like a cold and wet blanket, conservative bunnies everywhere were sickened by the neverending Dede Scozzafava junk that comes across our desk. In her latest interview she labeled Conservatives as Sexist, a zinger that would make Keith Olbermann proud. It is about par for the Dede course, but is she talking about the same sexist who drives a thousand miles and waits 15 hours in the cold outside a bookstore just to get a glimpse of the former GOP VP candidate, Sarah Palin? (I never thought I would have to remind my readers that Palin is a female who also happens to be beloved by Conservatives.)

I'm predicting that the next line out of Scozzafava's mouth after she reads this post will read something as incredulous as "all Republican Rabbits are Racist."

You can read about it all in this stellar profile piece, "Dede Scozzafava's View, From a Small Office on the Fifth Floor: Lonelier, frustrated and still a bit bitter, the woman whose name became a verb reflects," by Chris Bragg at the Capitol.

Poor Dede is so far in the dumps that she is begging the President through the media to make her the next Ambassador to Haiti. Of course Dede doesn't think she will get the assignment because, "people in this business have short memories" and she now seems to be questioning whether the national Democrats even remember her endorsement of Bill Owens in the critical final hours of the NY-23 special election last year.

But the problem isn't really the short memory of the current administration. It is that the President is actually smart enough to not put a person of such colossal incompetence in such an important diplomatic position. Being an ambassador requires something called loyalty, which hasn't exactly been Dede's strong suit of late. And if you think Haiti is messed up now just imagine if Dede were there running things. For crying out loud, I can see Dede's solution to the problems in Haiti right now: more government spending and abortion on-demand services in every working telephone booth around the country. This woman has already proven she can't deliver anything short of a pepperoni pizza or an embarrassing press conference under pressure.

And because I am so sick and tired of Scozzafava's rants I am going to say something that someone should have said a long, long time ago. Dede should just stop playing footsies with the Democrats already. Everyone is sick and tired of it. As a rabbit concerned with the future direction of our country, I am asking politely that she just leave the Republican Party and stop pretending to be something she clearly is not. Dede should just leave the GOP and spare us her paranoid delusions. When she is done with that, conservatives everywhere are ready to hear her apology. Addressing controversy is about all Scozzafava is good for these days, besides a good laugh.

Hoffman Making Big News At CPAC Today

We heard several reports today by e-mail and news stories that Doug Hoffman was in Washington today building support with conservative activists at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Mr. Hoffman even won an award tonight, "Courage Under Fire," at the national conference which draws thousands of conservative activists and donors from around the country.

In addition, we learned that Doug Hoffman joined Dick Armey to launch the Contract From America, an effort that emulates the Contract for America that Newt Gingrich promoted upon the Conservative Revolution in 1994.

Below are two links to stories we found online from Hoffman's participation at CPAC today. It looks like Doug Hoffman might be the first candidate to make his true intention to run for Congress in NY-23. He does so making the case that he is a uniter of the various fractions of the Republican, Conservative and Tea-Party movements and he also offers a smart alternative to Representative Bill Owens, who Hoffman says is vulnerable because of his votes on government take over of health care and higher spending.

National Review Online - Hoffman Cometh

"Owens has violated every one of his campaign promises. From health care to spending, he's vulnerable." Hoffman points to Scott Brown's Senate win in Massachusetts as proof that conservatives can win in the northeast this year. "But he wasn't the first guy to drive a truck on the trail... Look for me in my '55 Chevy."

Washington Times Article - CPAC News: Hoffman to announce candidacy for NY-23 in coming weeks

"We feel very very good about it [the Hoffman campaign for the 23rd]. I think the fact that Bill Owens violated three campaign promises the day he was sworn in, like voting for the health care bill, is going to give us a lot of leverage. I intend to reunite the Republicans, Conservatives, the teaparty groups and the other activists in defeating Bill Owens this year."