NY-23 GOP Primary Race Starts Today

Paul Maroun has made it public that he is out of the race for NY-23. That leaves two candidates for the GOP primary in NY-23. Doug Hoffman and Matt Doheny, who today is "officially announcing" his entrance into the race. His campaign website, www.dohenyforcongress.com, is still under construction, but I am sure it will be up in no time.

Mayor Graham says he is hoping for a William Jennings Bryan pitchfork speech where Doheny will promise not to "crucify us upon a cross of gold," a reference to the July 9, 1896 speech at the Democratic National Convention where Bryan essentially promised "free Obama bucks" (in those days silver coins) to artificially increase inflation so that freeloaders could pay back their mortgages on rocky farm land. Believe it or not, the Democrats thought it was trendy to be populist and down with Big Government back in the late 19th Century, too.

Forgetting for a moment that the silver-to-gold ratio policy was a Big Government precursor to today's bailouts and Pelosi stimulus dollars, I still don't believe that Doheny has the rhetorical repertoire or the policy knowledge to make a populist case for the Republican nomination. The mayor is right though in his assessment that Doheny needs to catch lightening in a bottle and gin up the grassroots. But if I had to guess the jabs of red meat the Mayor will hear will be directed mainly at Owens for his vote on health care and card check.

But herein lies the problem: Doheny is not capable of making the populist case for supply-side economics or defeating the old establishment guard, which is what he would need to do if he wants to win. That's Hoffman's conservative turf and its an unfamiliar arena for a Wall-Street Banker-Lawyer like Doheny to seriously contend in. If Doheny attacks Hoffman it will likely be on the issue of Hoffman not promising to commit to the winner of the GOP primary in September. But there is an easy and reasonable response to that line of attack which I am surprised nobody has been talking about. The response is simple -- the winner needs to win the respect of the voters, not the other candidates.

There was an interesting quote I read in a recent article on the Republican primary for the Iowa Governor race that compares similarly to Hoffman's strategic decision to not commit to supporting the Republican nominee in NY-23 race. For background, Bob Vander Platts, a Hoffman conservative, is running in the GOP primary for Governor against former Governor Terry Branstad, an establishment Republican. Vander Platts, like Doug Hoffman, has been noncommittal about supporting whoever wins the GOP nod in Iowa. Vander Platts says, "Whoever wins the nomination needs to authentically earn the support of his peers... blind allegiances [to party] really play out in taking another candidate's base of support for granted, and I don't think any one of us can afford that."

That statement is very true and is something the Republican party in NY-23 should seriously reflect upon in the coming weeks ahead. Blind allegiances, smoke and mirror politics, and back room deals are no longer accepted practice in politics today. Voters want humility, transparency, a candidate who sides with the people instead of with the media, a fresh candidate like Hoffman.

Candidates like Doheny and establishment Republican guru's have no business making threats, or taking entire blocks supporter for granted, whether they be ideological groups of people, geographic regions or counties, or otherwise. And if you thought 2009 was the year of the grassroots insurgency in NY-23 just wait until the fall. 2010 is the year of the Tea Party and the grassroots Republican-Conservative majority. May the best candidate of the people win, and may the winning campaign not bury the voters under fragile stones encrypted with broken promises.

Janet Duprey Running as the Party of No

Our unscientific poll asking whether Janet Duprey should do an interview is officially over and we are taking down the poll. The results were pretty much predictable. On the question of "do you think Janet Duprey should complete Buggs Buddy's interview?" the results are 58% think yes and only 42% think no.

Hopefully Janet will come around and reconsider doing an interview with us so that the people can learn more about her record and accomplishments. It was kind of pathetic that she couldn't list any accomplishments for us, or even tell us what the main thing she wanted voters to know about her in the 114th Assembly District. Below are the questions we proposed to Janet that she couldn't answer. We can say though that at least Assemblywoman Duprey is taking her cues from the Republican Party in one respect: she is continuing to make Republicans look like the Party of No.

Buggs Buddy Question: Assemblywoman, thank you for agreeing to taking the time to participate in our interview. I am sure our readers are very interested in learning more about your agenda for 2010 in the Assembly. Can you give us some insight into what issues you will be working on and why?

Janet Duprey Response: Not able to answer.

BB: Why did you initially decide to run for state office and what do you count as your most significant accomplishments?

JD: Not able to answer.

BB: What do you think are the main differences between yourself, Paul Maroun and David Kimmel? Why should someone consider voting for you rather than these other two candidates in the Republican primary?

JD: Not able to answer.

BB: You are obviously running as a Republican but some people in the GOP want to move the party in two different directions: the moderate direction or the conservative direction. You followed the NY-23 Congressional race closely last year. The candidacy of Doug Hoffman in NY-23 against Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava and Bill Owens resulted in a very public debate that seemed to pit generic Republican voters into two competing Republican camps in 2009. What place do you think there is for moderate or more liberal Republicans in the GOP today? Can conservatives and moderates coexist within the Republican Party moving forward?

JD: Not able to answer.

BB: There are a lot of challenges in New York state today. But, unemployment and the poor economic environment are on the minds of a lot of people, what can Albany do to bring more jobs and economic development to Northern New York?

JD: Not able to answer.

BB: What do you think about social issues like gay marriage and abortion in the New York State legislature? Do you think the state has a role to play in governing morality? What level of priority do you think we should we give to issues that often divide people in both major political parties?

JD: Not able to answer.

BB: What is the main thing you want voters in the 114th to know about you and your candidacy? Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you and this race?

JD: Not able to answer.

BB: Do you have a favorite candidate for NY-23 in 2010 or a favorite candidate for New York State Governor? If so, why do you think they are the best candidates? If not, what kind of candidates do you think the people of NY-23 and New York State are looking for?

JD: Not able to answer.

BB: Did you have a New Years Resolution for 2010?

JD: Not able to answer.

Maybe some of our readers can try to answer some of the easy questions we posed to Janet Duprey in the comments section. We would love to hear your thoughts.

Chris Collins in Plattsburgh Last Week

So the NFL playoffs and the Bachelor have taken me away from you the last two days. I meant to post something about the feedback from the event put on by the Barie family in Plattsburgh last week for Chris Collins. I thought the event went okay, but to be honest I wasn't entirely impressed.

I think I probably forgot to write anything on it because it was such an underwhelming affair. I'd say there were about 100 people in total. I overheard someone say that Bob Butler was pee'vd that he didn't get a shout out, even though an out-of-county legislator, Paul Maroun, did. Some of the other people I spoke to after Collins finished his remarks called the man "ill informed" and "incredibly blind-sided and cold." Apparently, Collins' remarks about the elderly having to go without medical care if costs rise too much struck a certain chord with some of the UNYTEA Party members. His waffling on prison closures was also a subject of discussion. The only other things I got out of it was that he is a business guy, for competition and vouchers in education, pro-choice, anti-gay, and wants to lower spending and taxes (but doesn't have a real plan to do it yet besides getting leaner by taking away government phones and vehicles). Unfortunately, I missed the event the next night in Malone, but I heard Collins was also unable to attend.

After Plattsburgh I was really hoping to learn more about the guy and see what he was really like because he has gotten a pretty bad rap in the press downstate for some misstatements. The Buffalo News took a deep shot at the guy recently when they started a piece this way, "Some say Chris Collins' aspirations to become governor of New York evaporated last October when, in a self-acknowledged poor attempt at humor, he compared Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to Hitler and an Antichrist. Even more said the Erie County executive should drop the idea after he suggested a woman acquaintance could find a seat during the State of the State address in exchange for a 'lap dance.'" Below is some of the TV press that resulted.

While some say Collins' "off color remarks" in the past few weeks have already cost him any legitimate shot at the seat, at least people in NY-23 can say he made the effort to come to Plattsburgh. I wouldn't count on Collins coming back to meet with 100 people again any time soon though. That's a small crowd for a Gubernatorial candidate running in a state as big as New York. He is planning on making a final decision to run in the next few weeks.

Doug Hoffman Smokes NY-23 & Leaves Competition in the Dust

Doug Hoffman just laid down the gauntlet and set the stage for his entrance into the NY-23 race with the release of a new poll showing him in a very comfortable lead among Republicans of all shapes and sizes from all across NY-23. It looks like there are only 4 candidates in the mix for NY-23 at this point. Within that group the numbers look incredibly favorable to Doug Hoffman in the primary and the general elections. While I haven’t taken sides in the primary or the general yet, I think these might be convincing reasons to reconsider a Hoffman candidacy if you are not already a supporter.

	4-way ballot	Hoffman v. Barclay	Hoffman v. Doheny
Hoffman	56%	56%	69%
Barclay	22%	24%	na
Doheny	1%	na	6%
Maroun	4%	na	na
Undecided	18%	19%	24%

Nearly 75% of the Republican primary voters believe Doug Hoffman should run again for Congress. There is no spinning that impressive figure, or his impressive showing as a Conservative on Line D last year. I don't remember a third-party candidate ever doing as well as Hoffman did last year in the last several decades, anywhere in the country.

And based on my knowledge of the poll numbers released today and taking into account Hoffman’s favorable/unfavorable ratings, his ID is worth upwards of $900,000 in 2010. In fact, Hoffman’s polling was so strong that 71% of Republican primary voters agree that if he runs with the Republican and Conservative lines he can beat Democrat Bill Owens – only 13% of respondents didn’t think Hoffman could win. It would be interesting to see how many Independents and Democrats think Hoffman could beat Owens if he had an R and a C at the end of his name next fall.

The fact that 58% of Republican primary voters prefer a conservative candidate over a moderate candidate is also very good news for Hoffman. The only thing better is that 62% consider themselves conservative and 64% say they are pro-life. These numbers bode well for Hoffman who is aligned with a clear majority of Republican primary voters who consider themselves conservative. As evidence of this, today’s poll shows that in the 4-way ballot Hoffman did 56 times better than Doheny and 2 ½ times better than Barclay.

These figures also put two of Hoffman’s potential primary opponents, Will Barclay and Matt Doheny who are both on record as pro-choice candidates, at a significant disadvantage on social issues. Even if one of these candidates were to drop out of the race they would still be in the minority among NY-23 Republican primary voters.

Barclay is clearly at a disadvantage because of his association with the failed New York State Legislature. Doheny, who has been in a defensive posture from the very beginning, has clear negatives due to his association with investment banking in New York City and he is in 4th place in today’s poll. What’s worse for Hoffman’s competitors is that both Barclay and Doheny would presumably be competing for voters in the same ideological wing of the GOP and also from the same geographic regions in Oswego and Jefferson Counties. It is still early, but I find it very hard to believe that any amount of money can make up that difference we see today, less than 10 months out from the Republican primary.

Paul Maroun, a conservative and the only other potential Republican candidate in NY-23 besides Hoffman with military experience, has not announced his intention to run for NY-23. There have been no signs of Maroun making a bid in NY-23 over the past several weeks and the shorter the schedule gets the harder it will be for Maroun to raise enough money to be competitive. My guess is that if he does not announce his intention to run for Congress, he will either support Hoffman or likely not endorse any other candidate. Either scenario makes it harder for a challenger to beat Hoffman for the Republican nomination as Maroun conservatives rally behind Hoffman.

Hoffman laid out an impressive case today that if Republicans in NY-23 really care about beating Bill Owens in 2010 they can do it by rallying political support around him. I suspect that if the Republican Party were to do so early they would greatly diminish the likelihood of an expensive and damaging Republican primary while simultaneously improving Republican chances of beating Owens this fall. If they don’t, all bets are off and NY-23 leans a Democrat hold.

	Doug Hoffman	Will Barclay	Matt Doheny	Paul Maroun
Favorable	63%	37%	2%	8%
Unfavorable	19%	11%	1%	3%
No Opinion	15%	26%	19%	16%
Never Heard of	3%	26%	78%	73%

The desperate spin being pushed by Barclay and Doheny on Newzjunky.com this afternoon is indicative of a politics of yesteryear, and an indictment that conservativism is alive and on the rise again this year. To put it bluntly, Barclay and Doheny's reaction to today's poll just reaffirmed that Hoffman is the only viable conservative in the race and the man to beat.

Neither potential challenger made even a vague reference to their desire to reach out to the conservative base of the party which will determine who the nominee will be, instead we read that "Hoffman got what he paid for" and saw another tired appeal to represent our "diverse" interests.

Exclusive Interview with Candidate David Kimmel

Here is our first exclusive interview with a 2010 candidate for NYS Assembly, David Kimmel. We hope to continue this conversation with Kimmel and get a chance to interview other candidates all across NY-23. We thought this interview included some fascinating information. To find out about Kimmel's New Year's Resolutions, his thoughts on Janet Duprey and Doug Hoffman, how he thinks NYS CO's should be treated, and his musings on dirtbag politicians, read on below!

Buggs Buddy Question: Mr. Kimmel thank you for agreeing to take the time to participate in our interview and congratulations on your decision to run for public office. I am sure our readers are very interested in learning more about your issues and your priorities, but first we need to know who you are as a person. Can you first give us a little bit of background on who you are, where you grew up, what you do now, and tell us what your first experience in politics was?

David Kimmel Response: I’m a city kid. I grew up in Downtown Flint, Michigan. I lived across the street from a house of ill repute and next door to a half-way house. I got mugged more times than I can count until I learned to fight for myself. We moved from there to a little town called Owosso and from there to Lansing. I spent most of my adult life in the military – first the Marines and then the Army. I served in special operations in both branches. My post military jobs have been in technology. I currently own and operate my own technology integration company. My first experience in politics was volunteering for a mayoral campaign for a woman in Evansville Indiana. I worked the phones.

BB: What made you decide for run for the New York State Assembly?

DK: I’m tired of sending people to Albany who have no vision and can’t get anything done. I decided to run for Assembly because I have a vision and can get things done. At some point I would love to expound on this idea of “vision” for your readers.

BB: Karen Bisso, your campaign manager, told us that your intention in this race is to "shake up business as usual" and "offer the citizens of the 114th District a common sense, real solutions option the North Country can be proud to send to Albany." Can you tell us what your core message will be? What are your common sense, real solutions to our problems we face today? Specifically, I am sure our readers would like to know what three issues you want to work on.

DK: You bet. Like I state on my bio page, I have seen New Yorkers respond to crisis. I have seen the best in our folks. We’re not the problem. Government is. I know that sounds like campaign rhetoric, but it’s true. My core message is three-fold.

1) Shrink the size of government. There are different ways we do it, but one way in particular is to privatize routine information technology tasks. I will discuss others later in the campaign.

2) Create a business friendly environment. We have to send a clear signal to the business world that we are open for business. Apparently Albany didn’t get that memo. Albany lawmakers decide who the winners and losers are through incentive. This is a Socialist principle, not a free-market one. Another way is to freeze fees. I will announce an initiative to address this Monday night. This is so important to small businesses that it can’t wait until the election. While this flies in the face of convention, I’m going to reveal a no-brainer opportunity that my opponent should not pass up. It’s so important that I don’t even care if she tries to claim it as her own idea.

3) Market the 114th Assembly District. I have a very specific plan to accomplish this. It is at the core of my message on vision. I will reveal this within the next 120 days.

BB: We understand that you have just started your campaign. Can you tell us what the response is like so far and what do you have planned on the campaign trail for the rest of the winter? Do you anticipate that you will be able to raise the necessary campaign funds to win? Have you raised any money since starting your campaign?

DK: Sure. The response has been very positive, so much so that I’ve asked my team to be leery of the possibility of groupthink. The response has renewed my belief in the great people of the North Country. I mean literally only one guy said he wanted to see literature before making a decision about whether he would support me or not. I’m going to spend the next 90 days visiting small groups and individuals. I’m going to open my home to anyone who wants to sit down over a cup of coffee and tell me what’s on their mind. I’ve already booked some radio shows, and have most of the next two weeks booked for engagements. I anticipate that I will raise a lot of money. I’ve raised about $1100 so far, and really believe that we will continue to see success in our fundraising efforts.

BB: What do you think are the main differences between yourself, Paul Maroun, and Janet Duprey? Why should someone consider voting for you rather than these other two candidates in the Republican primary?

DK: I don’t want to speculate concerning Paul Maroun since I don’t believe he has stated his intentions publicly. (Goodness knows I wouldn’t want anyone throwing me in the ring if I hadn’t made a decision.)

As far as Janet Duprey, our views on social issues are dramatically different. However, there are so many things to fix in the fiscal realm that my campaign will lead with a fiscal agenda of necessity. Janet has painted herself as a fiscal Conservative; however, her support of Dede cannot be reconciled with her claims. Dede supported card-check. That is not only anti-business, but anti-American. (Well, she claimed to be against it, but in an AFL-CIO survey she said she would support it.)

Janet lacks tenacity. Our next Assembly member should aggressively advocate on all fronts for the North Country. As recently as January 2nd she is quoted in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise as saying she's helped constituents deal with serious problems with state bureaucracy. That's not tenacity, that's making time. What she should be doing, and what I will work for, is the elimination of state bureaucracy. We can either work to reduce and eventually eliminate bureaucracy, or we can help people navigate it. I would focus on eliminating it. She introduced so-called tough legislation which she billed as part of her plan to clean up Albany stating: "If you commit a crime you won't get a dime." The bill, A01057, looks good but only addresses tow of the most difficult sections to convict in the penal code. You can apparently Rape, Murder, molest children, and engage in or with a prostitute. This is feel-good election year legislation. It doesn't even address two crimes committed by people the North Country previously sent to Albany.

BB: You are obviously running for the Republican nomination for state assembly, but you also describe yourself as a conservative. Can you tell us what conservatism means to you? What core conservative principles do you subscribe to, and what, if any, place do you think there is for moderate or more liberal Republicans in the GOP today?

DK: What I mean by Conservatism is that I don’t want the government meddling in my personal affairs. I should be free to worship God as I understand Him. I should be able to own as many weapons as I want, automatic or otherwise. If I own my house outright, I should not have to pay the government on an annual basis to live there (property tax). Our men and women in uniform are heroes. I’m talking about our CO’s, our troopers, our sheriffs, our police, and our firefighters, and our military. We should pay them commensurate with the incredible sacrifice they make for us each and every day, because they are the keepers and sustainers of our liberty and freedom. We should be especially embarrassed by the paltry amount we pay CO’s and sheriff’s deputies.

I believe that unfunded mandates, whether from the federal government, or from the State deny us our 10th amendment rights. I believe we are a great beacon of hope for the world, and we naturally attract the disenfranchised and down-trodden. We should welcome anyone who loves liberty and freedom, but we should do so while asserting our sovereignty. This is especially important since we have ten U.S. Land Ports of Entry within the 114th Assembly District.

I believe it is the duty of government to pass laws that open markets and enable free trade instead of restricting them. I want judges to support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and not rewrite them or legislate from the bench. I believe our founders got it right some 200 years ago. I embrace the sanctity of life and the traditional definition of marriage. Finally, I believe it is the responsibility of government to promote the general welfare of the people, not to provide it.

The second half of your question is more about party politics. My focus is going to be on providing real solutions and real results for all the people of the 114th Assembly District. The views that I hold will inform some of my solutions, but they are not the sum total of my parts. What I mean is: I really think we can get a lot done if the people are our first and only priority. I can find common ground with just about anyone, even if they don’t share all of my views and values. I want to start there. I’m going to let the Party bosses figure out how to address the philosophical issues within the Republican Party. I won’t be taking my marching orders from them anyway. I’ll be taking them from the people. Someone accused me of being naïve about this. I’m not though. Some of the most Conservative people in New York are Democrats in Central New York. The idea that I should take marching orders from party politicians won’t fly. It can’t. Janet Duprey’s support of Dede Scozzafava is a perfect example of why that approach doesn’t serve the people.

BB: What is the main thing you want voters in the 114th to know about you and your candidacy? Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you and this race?

DK: I will provide real solutions and real results because I believe first and foremorest that it is possible. As I will state substantially in my announcement on the 4th, I have the audacity to believe that détente is not a foregone conclusion. People called Reagan a fool when he stated his belief that Soviet Communism could be defeated. Lincoln’s Cabinet said he was off-track when he shared with them his desire to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Our leaders must have faith in the extraordinary and the vision to see it through. Otherwise we should not send them to Albany.

BB: Do you have a favorite candidate for NY-23 in 2010 or a favorite candidate for New York State Governor? If so, why do you think they are the best candidates? If not, what kind of candidates do you think the people of NY-23 and New York State are looking for?

DK: I worked on Doug Hoffman’s race. I think he’s a good man. I’ve said that publicly, so I’ll say it again. I thought John Faso would have been an excellent choice for Governor in 2006. I think he’d be a good choice now too. He seems like a good egg. For now though, I’m going to stay in my lane. The folks in the 114th Assembly District deserve all of my attention.

BB: A lot of people are apathetic to politics whether they are registered as a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or not even registered to vote. Why do you think that is? How do we begin to solve our states problems in Albany? Do you think it is possible for public officials and state leaders in Albany to regain the voter’s confidence, and how would you do that?

DK: This one is easy. Career politicians often turn out to be dirt-bags. We’re all tired of it. They’re often so careful that it’s hard to actually know what they stand for. About the time you think you have them figured out, they pull a fast one, and you realize the person you thought you were voting for is not the person in office. Now before anyone gets worked up about this, I’m not saying my opponent is one.

My opponent thinks we should have a Constitutional Convention. So does Minority Leader Kalb. I think that the career politicians would start abusing the new Constitution even before the ink is dry. This sounds cynical but please we’ve institutionalized corruption so much here in New York that we actually plan to re-write every twenty years. Our US Constitution has served us well for over 200 years, but New York’s solution is to change the rules. This is sort of like changing laws to accommodate criminals. So I’ve got a better idea. When our politicians screw up, let’s hold them accountable. When they screw up repeatedly, either through wrong action or inaction, let’s throw the bums out. I think if we do that a few times it would help restore voter confidence.

BB: Did you have a New Year’s Resolution for 2010?

DK: More like goals… 1) Read the Bible every day, 2) Tithe 10% of my income consistently, and 3) Win the 114th Assembly race!

Buggs Conclusion: Mr. Kimmel, Thank you again for your time and for answering our questions. We look forward to following your campaign in the weeks and months ahead. You can learn more about Mr. Kimmel and his candidacy by visiting his website, www.votekimmel.com. Best of luck to you and your team!

UPDATE: We heard from Karen Bisso, Kimmel's campaign manager, that their kick-out announcement was a real hit tonight. Karen said Kimmel "tackled big government, government bureaucracy, taxes and fiscal responsibility. An added bonus... a surprise guest was there." I wonder who the guest was?