Nick Vaugh's Twitter Crusade Against Addie Russell

Nick Vaugh, a candidate for New York State Assembly's 118th district, has taken to twitter to get his message out. And with a quick glance of his twitter page (@NickVaugh) it is clear that he is positioning himself to be the anti-Addie Russell vote. Heck, I would argue that the kid shouldn't run as a Republican. He should start his new party, the "Anti-Addie Party."

Upon review of Vaugh's twitter account almost all you can see is a blitz of charges against Addie Russell and company: corruption here and incompetence charges there, harassment regarding the soda taxes, upset about big state budgets, sportsmen are under Addie's thumb, she made cuts to local library funding, was against STAR rebates and wasn't there for us on education funding. The anti-Addie crusade goes on and on. But does anyone else see this kind of behavior juvenile? Is it going too far to write 37 negative tweets against a single candidate in under 4 months?

Then there is this post regarding the NY-23 race last year dated October 21, 2009:

Here in the 23rd we have three pitiful candidates10:41 AM Oct 21st, 2009 from mobile web

It's one thing to say you don't prefer a candidate and quite another to call all three candidates in a race "pitiful." It makes you wonder why Vaugh was against Scozzafava, Hoffman, and Owens. Where does he fall in the political spectrum? And what were the reasons for his acute disdain for each of these politicians? Are they too conservative, too moderate, or too liberal? Or is Vaugh just against any politician that isn't named Vaugh? His cluster of comments against Aubertine and Russell make him look like an obsessive maniac looking for any reason he can to get a political edge, not a fighter for real reform willing to work across the aisle to get things done. I sure would love to interview Vaugh so if anyone has his e-mail please send it over to whatsupny23@gmail.com.

Below are you'll find a collection of Nick Vaugh's anxious tweets on how Addie Russell is tearing our state apart:

Rally Against Albany's Soda Tax; Tell Addie Russell & Darrell Aubertine NO To Any of Their New Taxeshttp://bit.ly/cDAgez8:27 AM Feb 7th from Facebook

Say NO to Addie Russell's Tax Increase http://bit.ly/a1AF9G
10:15 AM Feb 4th from Facebook

Addie Russell Is a Rubber Stamp for Albany/NYC Political Bosses Like Sheldon Silver; Here's Proof http://bit.ly/bZXqjT
12:06 PM Jan 26th from Facebook

Two-thirds of State lawmakers Like Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine Refuse to Reveal Their Outside Incomehttp://bit.ly/6q1qDZ
8:05 AM Jan 25th from Facebook

Gov's Proposal Shows Just How Weak & Ineffective Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine Are In Representing the North Country http://bit.ly/7hZ4b6
7:00 AM Jan 20th from Facebook

Addie Russell’s Votes Target of Outrage for Hiking Costs for Licenses & Fees On Sportsmen & Other Outdoor Enthusiastshttp://bit.ly/7STCqj
2:41 PM Jan 14th from Facebook

State Legislators Like Addie Russell Continue to Abuse the People's Trust As The Cover Up Continues In Albanyhttp://bit.ly/82rWHZ
11:25 AM Jan 14th from Facebook

With NO Effective Results In NY, The Federal Stimulus Fueled Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine's Tax & Spend Agendahttp://bit.ly/5ffoAc
7:03 AM Jan 12th from Facebook

Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine We Are Tired Of Your Tax & Spend Schemes http://bit.ly/8MS27r
9:26 PM Jan 11th from Facebook

Where is Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine? NYS Cannot Afford This 'Reform' http://bit.ly/877Tbs
7:39 AM Jan 8th from Facebook

Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine Have Made New York's Fiscal Situation Worse http://bit.ly/7TjzUK

7:08 AM Jan 8th from Facebook

Addie Russell's Culture of Corruption & Addiction To Higher Taxes & Spending Must Come To An End http://bit.ly/6sBlGp
1:30 PM Jan 7th from Facebook

Addie Russell "Rubber Stamps" A Tax & Spend Agenda Running NY Into The Red http://bit.ly/5teUEk
9:31 PM Jan 1st from Facebook

Our State Legislators Like Addie Russell Are Unfit To Deal With NYS' Fiscal Crisis http://bit.ly/79l99O
8:52 AM Dec 30th, 2009 from Facebook

Aubertine & Russell's "Bigger Better Bottle Bill" Hurts Businesses Like Pepsi-Cola Bottlers & Also Consumershttp://bit.ly/5Dka0T
6:32 AM Dec 15th, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell Is Part of A Culture of Corruption In Albanyhttp://bit.ly/7iHE98

7:09 AM Dec 8th, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell Slashes North Country Librarieshttp://bit.ly/80tuNI12:57 PM Dec 6th, 2009 from Facebook

Tough Times Call For Tough Decisions; Unfortunately Legislators Like Addie Russell Just Can't Cut Ithttp://bit.ly/61hRn87:59 AM Dec 2nd, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell Lacks the Leadership & Political Courage Needed In Albany http://bit.ly/5M5rxn7:00 AM Dec 1st, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell Lacks the Political Courage to Completely Resolve the Midyear $3.2 Billion Budget Deficithttp://bit.ly/8wPn9X11:40 PM Nov 30th, 2009 from Facebook

The Albany Nightmare Continues Thanks to Addie Russellhttp://bit.ly/7G1mSv3:57 PM Nov 27th, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell Delivers a Disheartening Blow to Our Children's Education With Possible Midyear Education Cuts On the...http://bit.ly/56kfnN7:27 AM Nov 24th, 2009 from Facebook

Marist Poll: Addie Russell's Days in Albany are Numberedhttp://bit.ly/4NSxj711:06 AM Nov 23rd, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell's Drug Reforms Hurt the North Countryhttp://bit.ly/5zNlA3
9:05 AM Nov 23rd, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell Voted Against Your STAR Rebatehttp://bit.ly/6wWGEW
9:03 AM Nov 23rd, 2009 from Facebook

'Flip-Flopper' Addie Russell: I Was For It Before I Was Against It http://bit.ly/07O5oCT
8:54 AM Nov 23rd, 2009 from Facebook

'Albany's Finest' Addie Russell Continues to Waste Your Moneyhttp://bit.ly/07KdSzA
8:53 AM Nov 23rd, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine's Lack of Leadershiphttp://bit.ly/2jy2Z7
8:03 AM Nov 20th, 2009 from Facebook

'Out of Touch' Addie Russell Continues to Ignore Our Fiscal Crisis http://bit.ly/hHGyk
7:39 AM Nov 18th, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine Continue to Fail New Yorkhttp://bit.ly/NL9ir
7:23 AM Nov 17th, 2009 from Facebook

'Flip-Flopper' Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine: For It Before They Were Against It http://bit.ly/2GHwPn
8:20 PM Nov 16th, 2009 from Facebook

Sportsmen Outraged at Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertinehttp://bit.ly/3SG4Q

10:23 AM Nov 16th, 2009 from Facebook

Thank Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine For Our New License Plates http://bit.ly/3OcsuB6:36 AM Nov 15th, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine, Please Do Something About Our High Taxes http://bit.ly/27Ep3l11:00 AM Nov 10th, 2009 from Facebook

Addie Russell & Darrel Aubertine's "Bigger Better Bottle Bill," Another Blow to NY & North Country Businesses and...http://bit.ly/cMAEE

2:04 PM Nov 6th, 2009 from Facebook

ADDIE RUSSELL VOTES FOR BILLIONS IN TAX HIKEShttp://bit.ly/EW1Pf2:10 PM Oct 23rd, 2009 from Facebook
Addie Russell Voted Against STAR Rebates http://bit.ly/EW1Pf10:46 AM Oct 15th, 2009 from Facebook

“Out of Touch” Addie Russell Delivers Law Enforcement a Disheartening Blow: http://bit.ly/RFpYb10:12 AM Oct 8th, 2009 from Facebook

Dede Scozzafava’s Gay Pride Agenda

In an effort to use her national notoriety to further damage the Republican brand, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava has begun yet another crusade for change. It wasn’t enough for Scozzafava that the voters of NY-23 rejected her to be the Republican nominee for Congress last year. She wants the media spotlight back on her, and if history tells us anything it is that Dede will become, yet again, the focus of the mainstream media’s adulation (and ours).

Today it was reported in the Watertown Daily Times that Scozzafava will be the keynote speaker at a gay rights rally being held at SUNY Potsdam, sponsored by the Standing on the Side of Love campaign. The college’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Association (LGBTA) is helping to organize it. But don’t let the name fool you – LGBT may sound like a yummy sandwich, but their tactics are right out of the textbook of Michael Moore – make blanket generalizations and accusations about our country’s intolerance and bigotry to promote an extremist political agenda.

Here is some advice for Scozzafava as she prepares for her talk this week to the LGBT group. First, your call to action must go beyond President Barack Obama’s. Our President believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman – you need to go further to the left than the President who voted on June 7th of 2006 against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Second, on the issue of “don’t ask, don’t tell” you need to make yourself clear that the gay community is in favor of punishing military leaders if they try to discourage men from dressing in drag as they go into the foxholes of the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan as they fight radical Islamic terrorists.

Third, you need to oppose any attempt by the citizens to vote for this issue by referendum because we know that in almost every instance when the issue of gay marriage comes before the voters they are against it and the measure fails. In the year 2010, we cannot allow democracy to rule the day. The voters should not be given the choice to continue policies that so blatantly discriminate against men who leave their wives for other men and women who love other women, or transgendered persons. If you make a clear statement in opposition of allowing voters to decide for themselves on the issue of redefining marriage then we will know how pink your swastika really is.

Fourth, those in the homosexual movement do not want to leave out our brothers and sisters who have had sex changes. Don’t exclude the transsexuals and she-men. Make a clear statement – that these people should receive support from the federal government to pay for their sex changes and breast augmentations so that we do not hurt the transgendered people’s feelings or show our intolerance. They have every right to the same quality of health care as the rest of our citizens.

Finally, to build a credible rainbow coalition you need to be on the frontlines of promoting tolerance in our schools for LGBT people. We need to support groups like the North American Association of Men and Boys Love Association (NAMBLA), that seeks to promote the legalization of sex with young boys by older men. In addition, we should promote the queer agenda in schools throughout the country. If we aren’t willing to teach the same-sex marriage agenda to our children in public schools, then we aren’t really telling the truth about homosexuality to the next generation. Not teaching same-sex marriage in our schools would be like ignoring the history of slavery in our country.

If you care about the values of America you will follow through on these points. But if you can’t commit to these basic principles based on justice and equality then you have no place to lecture us about equal rights and human rights for all people. Is your swastika for gay marriage pinker than your infamous jacket? Only you can fight the lies and the bigotry of proponents of traditional marriage between one man and one woman.

Valentine's Day is coming quickly! Show your love and teach your children it is okay to come out of the closet because Dede says so.

Will Bill Owens Distance Himself from a Radical Group Called J Street?

Jude Seymour did a little post recently on J Street's endorsement of Congressman Bill Owens. The coverage was innocently reported, but not incredibly informative or well researched. Let me tell you why this endorsement is a major problem for Bill Owens, who describes himself as a moderate, and why Owens is making a big mistake by so closely associating himself with this particularly dangerous organization.

Mostly what we got out of Seymour's post report is that Owens, "will look to the leadership and principles of JStreetPAC to help inform his opinion on the Middle East conflict" and that Owens took money from the organization, which touts itself as a pro-Israel political action committee. However, you don't have to scratch much beneath the surface to see that J Street has created some serious controversy in the last several months that has been well reported and documented in the national press.

J Street is a very radical organization that is funded by Arabs who have a vested interest in keeping the US dependent on Middle Eastern oil and by Hollywood liberals with dangerous agendas. J Street has supported multiple federal candidates who are hostile to a peaceful US-Israeli relationship and has deep ties to George Soros, a liberal billionaire with anti-Semitic views. Furthermore, new reports were released that J Street has financial connections to Saudi Arabian oil interests and the National Iranian American Council, a group operating as a foreign lobby in violation of federal law and whose president has been called "the Iranian regime's man in Washington" and a man who "did a lot of leg-work for the Iranian regime."

When I looked at the leadership, the staff, and the donors of J Street I was shocked! J Street's leadership and principles are clearly at odds with mainstream thinking on US foreign policy. Ed Lasky at the American Thinker blog put it best when he said in a column that, "some officials note that this may be a smart way for Arab activists to try to influence American policy, because they can do so wrapped up in the shell of a group that can project an image of being a pro-Israel organization to Congressman less familiar with the reputation of J Street and who do not realize the Arab and Muslim backing J Street."

Even Michael Bronstein, a president of a prestigious Democratic political strategy firm in Pennsylvania, wrote that:

"I believe that J Street's public relations have misled the public by marketing the organization as something that it isn't. Many of my friends who were initially attracted to the group have left, disappointed because they felt that it was more anti-Israel than pro-peace. The situation has gotten so significant, in fact, that Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, has weighted in, calling J Street a "unique problem." I don't have political sympathies for the right, nor do I want to forward a leftist agenda on this issue. Some in the media are too eager to frame this as a left vs. right issue... With such fierce opposition to the Jewish state, coupled with relentless external threats to the country's security, we don't have the luxury to divide ourselves into factions, and there is certainly no room for grandstanding. The group seems not to understand this point. In my opinion, it should stop being so pro-J Street and start being a little more pro-Israel."

The point is that J Street is not really a pro-Israel lobby group it portends to be. My initial reaction to NIAC and J Street would be who cares, except for that fact that the agendas being pushed by these two organizations undermines our foreign policy and threatens the stability of the entire Middle East. They promote the Iranian regime, a despotic theocrazy that is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and whose leader has denied the Holocaust and called for the Israeli state to be annihilated. J Street and NIAC even took very a public position in opposing increased US sanctions against Iran, a vote that passed the U.S. House with 412 votes less than two months ago.

Does Bill Owens have any clue what J Street stands for or who supports them? Does he know that J Street takes money from attorneys who represented the Saudi Embassy? Does Bill Owens really want to take advice from an organization that has seen dozens of elected officials, including Senators Gillibrand and Schumer, publicly distance themselves from J Street's radical ideology? Will Bill Owens distance himself and return the blood money he accepted from J Street? And will Jude Seymour do a little more research before he writes such a ridiculous puff piece in his sorry attempt to pull the wool over our eyes?

It's Groundhogs Day

Rise and shine little campers. Because today is Groundhog's Day! Please welcome my animal friend Marmota Monax, otherwise known as Phil the groundhog, as he comes out today to potentially see his shadow, which will determine whether spring comes early or later? The question today on when winter will end reminds me of the political atmosphere we are in.

Will Republican candidates for NY-23 announce their real candidacies in 6 weeks or in 10? Will Andrew Cuomo get into the Governors race sooner or later? Will Ford be getting into a primary fight today or tomorrow? While I love the winters up here and I hope that it stay cold and snowy for a bit longer, I can't wait for the political storms to start brewing.

We will find out soon enough, but don't forget your booties though because it's gonna be cold out there today!

Matt Doheny's Special Ties to Wall Street Money is a Double-Edged Sword

The Politico has an interesting top page story about New York Insurgents Standing up for Wall Street. It's an interesting read and needless to say, there are clear political advantages and disadvantages to being on the side of Wall Street in 2010. If you are on the side of big bankers and powerful Wall Street attorney's you can pretty much count on some $2,400 checks to your campaign committee. Ben Smith of the Politico goes to say that, "The warm words for Wall Street have one clear political benefit: Money." Conversely, if you are against the big banks you can use that message to fight for the middle class and win populist support.

And in the race for NY-23 there has certainly been some discussion about campaign contributions coming in from Wall Street to candidate Matthew Doheny, who announced his 600K war chest on NewzJunky.com this week. In fairness, I can't say how much of that 600K is from Wall Street because it has been written that Doheny loaned his campaign at least 650K so far. But it is true that Doheny has only listed only three reportable donors on his FEC report with an address within the boundaries of NY-23 -- all of them were from Jefferson County.

What I do know is that in the summer of 2009 Dohey raised about $190,000 from individuals for the Republican primary. However, he returned all the donations he sought in July of 2009 after Dede Scozzafava won the nod from the GOP county chairs. Now having spent $175,000, Doheny has garnered roughly 2% name recognition across the district and is going through an incredible financial burn-rate that is usually reserved for the final weeks of a campaign.

A Doheny insider who is close to the action and asked not to be named for this report wrote to me that the campaign's goal is to intimidate Assemblyman Will Barclay out of the race with big name consultants, endorsements, and heavy financial backing out of New York City. But the aide said that some within the campaign are worried that Barclay won't fold if he sees Doheny's cash on hand number dwindle before the race even starts, ruining Doheny's strategy to take Barclay out of the race by mid-to-late spring. Hence the reason for Doheny's statement last week on funding. The source stated that Doheny hopes to have his cash-on-hand number above $1 million by the end of June in time for the second FEC report of 2010. And the campaign is working under the assumption that Doheny will have to loan himself another 400-600K to get there, putting his total personal investment in the race at over $1 million. In other words, he is trying to force Barclay out by buying the race early.

The unnamed source said that Doheny's willingness to loan more money to his campaign is dependent on how much Barclay raises next quarter. The source also said that many on the campaign were excited at the prospect of bringing on Cary Brick, Congressman McHugh's former Chief of Staff, but were also nervous that his high price tag might hurt their chances of keeping the cash-on-hand high enough to scare away young Mr. Barclay. But the all-in strategy is what Doheny is banking on because he recognizes his weak support among the grassroots across NY-23, even in his own backyard. Rumor has it that a dozen plus prominent Jefferson County Republican Committee members are set to announce their endorsement for Barclay in the next few weeks.

But still Doheny's communications team is pushing their candidate's image as a young man who pulled himself up from his bootstraps to make something of himself in the big city and who returned home because of his desire to enter public service. They frequently cite that the young attorney/finance guru drives a old beat up 94 Ford Explorer named "Bessie." It's a strategy meant to distract voters from his connection to Wall Street, an image the campaign is fearful may hurt at the polls. The Doheny source mentioned a Quinnipiac University poll from 2009 that found 79% of all New York voters backed taxes against those who earn more than $1 million a year. Worried that in 2010 voter sentiment against Wall Street is even higher now as people on main street remain frustrated with the current recession and double digit unemployment numbers, Doheny's team has sought to distance their candidate from his past.

However, Doheny's Wall Street connects will likely bring him some easy campaign cash, which will help in catching up in the name ID game. A quick glance at the FEC website shows that Doheny collected over 20K from Deutsche Bank last summer. Of the 120 individuals who have given to Doheny, over a quarter were finance lawyers, half of Doheny's donors listed addresses among the richest zip codes of New York City and an overwhelming majority were involved in the financial sector and private investments. But one of the most interesting highlights is that most of the donors on Doheny's report were consistent donors for Democrat backed organizations and powerful liberal members of the Democratic Party.

For example, Raj Bhattacharyya, who gave the maximum contribution allowed by law to Doheny also gave to Senators Gillibrand, Casey, Obama, Clinton, Specter, Feingold, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and several liberal Democratic house members from New York. Another donor, Michael Curreri gave to Representative Maffei and Senate Banking Committee Chairman, Chris Dodd. Josh Easterly of Goldman Sachs who donated to the DNC and President Obama also gave to Doheny. Doheny donor Mayar Lakhani, another Deutsche Bank employee, gave to Obama, Clinton, Menendez, Gillibrand, Specter, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recruiter, Representative Steve Israel. Doheny even took money from two employees at the Blackstone Group whose CEO, Steven Schwarzman, recently lashed out at US Government officials and threatened to tie up credit and loans unless they get their way politically.

In addition, Doheny found almost 10% of his donors from the law firm, Quinn Emmanuel Urquhard LLP. That law firm happens to represent funds and fund managers before the US Security and Exchange Commission, as well as other government bodies in the US and abroad. According to their website, "Quinn Emanuel's White Collar Criminal Defense and Internal Investigations Practice Group represents prominent domestic and foreign corporations, special committees and boards of directors, as well as individuals, in high profile criminal investigations, administrative enforcement hearings, trials and appeals... attorneys in this practice group are regularly retained to represent witnesses, subjects and targets of grand jury investigations, enforcement actions and criminal proceedings in industries ranging from securities, defense, and banking, to health care, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and technology." Some might question after getting almost $16,000 from the law firm's attorneys that should Doheny win a seat in Congress, he might use his political influence to help QEU's clients as they come before the SEC. Other notable donors listed TARP recipients, and big financial firms like Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and Bank of America as their employers. The list of big money makers from the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut goes on and on.

The real question for Doheny then becomes two-fold. First, is Doheny beholden to Wall Street interests and will he use his political influence, if elected, to benefit his donors and their clients? Second, why are so many of Doheny's close friends, associates and campaign donors so fond of the DNC, DSCC, DCCC, Obama, Feingold, Clinton, Gillibrand, Dodd, Specter, Israel, Richardson, Perriello, Menendez, Kerry, Casey, Arcuri, Maffei and others of the same ilk? Is it because Doheny has promised to be a strong voice for Wall Street over Main Street interests?

Can Doheny continue to file FEC reports without donors from NY-23 and remain relevant in a district that is suffering from the excesses of big bankers on Wall Street using TARP money to pay mega-bonuses to their corporate and financial heads? Will Doheny make a statement on his position on earmarks, the stimulus, TARP, bonuses on Wall Street and Obama's TARP tax proposal?

Why doesn't Doheny have a campaign website that lists his position on critical issues of importance to people across NY-23? Will Doheny continue to self-finance his race in an effort to scare Will Barclay back into his assembly seat? Will anyone in the mainstream media look at where Doheny's money is coming from and ask the tough questions?

The only answer we do know right now is that Doheny's Wall Street connections are a double-edged sword in his bid to become the Repubilcan nominee for NY-23.

Jessica, for the Love of Ray J Please Clean Up Ya Bookshelf

Could Jessica Crawford's 49th District State Senate campaign possibly be as disorganized as the bookshelf behind her? In her web videos I can't take my eyes off Webster's dictionary up top, the green thesaurus, a skinny biology text, and another half dozen used books scrambled horizontally and vertically, in an cluster mess of a shelf.

When I look at these videos come from the campaign I keep asking myself whether Jessica is trying to prove to me that she knows how to read or whether the whole display is made to look like the Mesozoic age on purpose. But alas, I keep coming to the same conclusion -- if Jessica Crawford organizes her campaign like her bookshelf, it is a safe bet that she is going to have a tough time at winning the nomination. As Mayor Graham would say, "the optics aren't good here."

In other Crawford news, word was leaked that the candidate was in our nation's capital visiting with her US Senate Offices. An aide from Senator Schumer's office e-mailed me to say that a close friend in the office took a private meeting and greeted Ms. Crawford and her small group from Central New York yesterday afternoon. The young staffer suggested that she didn't think Jessica was smart enough to try and pull a Scozzafava in the 49th district, but then again you never know. My readers like when I use Scozzafava as a verb, but I will withhold that kind of language until we find out more about the candidate. But for the love of Ray-Jay please clean up ya bookshelves.

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.