Food for thought

For a lengthy period of time I’ve wondered about the support of Senators Clinton, Lieberman and other Democrats for staying the course in Iraq.

Kuhl/Massa Vote by County and Other Election Stuff

Related articles:

Massa won’t acknowledge Kuhl win
Kuhl keeps congressional seat
Kuhl declares victory, Massa is not conceding

Notes

First - to the jerk who sent me the spam/virus “Best Buy Order Confirmation” for a SONY VAIO email, I wish a very special kind of karma for you. You put me through a hell that I just didn’t need to experience this morning.

I immediately thought that I was a victim of credit card/identity theft. That really sucked, especially since I’m running on about 3 1/2 hours sleep. You wasted over 1 1/2 hours of my time dealing with this between phone calls and virus scans already this morning.

If any of you receive this email, Best Buy Customer Service says: don’t open the email, delete it. If you did open it, do not click on the link/attachment. That will start the virus. I didn’t click the link/attachment, and that saved me. But I did run a few different scans to be on the safe side.

Now, to business. I understand that the Kuhl/Massa race has been called for Kuhl (51%-49%); however, Massa has not conceded.

NY State 147th District - Burling
NY State 149th District - Giglio
NY State Senator - Clinton
NY State Gov/LT - Spitzer/Patterson
NY State AG - Cuomo
NY State Comptroller - Hevesi
Cattaraugus Co. Dist. 5 - Couture
Allegany Co. Sheriff - Tompkins
Seneca Nation - Seneca Party takes every major office

I will post later today with additional county and Seneca Nation results and the available numbers.

Clinton/Massa Event in Rochester 10/30/06

I was not there, so I’m left to news reports for some information. The choices were slim.

Hornell’s The Evening Tribune has: Hillary praises Massa in Rochester campaign stop: Visit by former first lady follows last week’s stop by another first lady, Laura Bush

Judging from the title, you’d think that the article’s coverage of the events was split between the two events. It is not. The whole article is about the Clinton/Massa event, save one odd paragraph stuck in the middle regarding the Bush visit. The paragraph references that this event was free, while the Clinton event was a fundraiser. (Which, although not mentioned in the article, cost the attendee $25 to attend.)

Clinton Spencer Debate from 10/22/06

Below are my notes from the above debate, shown on C-Span on Monday evening, 10/23/06. I missed the first 8-10 minutes of the broadcast. Transcription is not verbatim. (Note - this is a very long post.)

Here is a news account of a segment that I had missed:

Spencer, a conservative who has repeatedly accused Clinton of focusing on national ambitions and shortchanging New York concerns, startled observers when he praised Clinton’s experience and qualifications for higher office, including her years as first lady.

Canandaigua VA Hospital

Recent developments at the Canandaigua VA Hospital regarding the closure of an in-patient acute psychiatric unit by November 30, 2006, have triggered strong reaction from local veterans, Senator Clinton, and Congressional Candidate Eric Massa. Earlier this year, the hospital was deemed to be a “Center of Excellence”, one of three across the country.

IAVA Ratings

The group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America recently released their ratings for congressional members:

Each IAVA Congressional Rating is based on a given legislator’s voting history on issues that affect US Troops, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and military families.

Clinton/Spencer, Cuomo/Pirro Polls and News

“The latest New York poll, from Siena College’s Research Institute, showed Clinton leading Spencer 59 percent to 32 percent. A September poll from the Albany-area institute had Clinton leading 62 percent to Spencer’s 33 percent.”

Kuhl and Clinton on Foley Scandal

Yesterday, I posted regarding WNY elected officials response to the ongoing Mark Foley House Page scandal. I had noted that Representatives Kuhl and Higgins, and that Senators Clinton and Schumer had not commented anything publicly regarding tis situation. Today, I present what I have been able to source regarding Representative Kuhl and Senator Clinton.

WNY Legislators’ Reaction to Mark Foley Scandal

We all know about this, so let’s take it local. How do our WNY elected federal representatives feel about this?

If you are anywhere in the Buffalo TV market, you’ve no doubt seen Tom Reynolds (R-26) coverage on the newscasts. Because he is the Chairman of the NRCC, he can’t escape the media. (Why did he have to surround himself with a number of children during a press conference?) On the issue, “Reynolds says he believes Foley’s actions are unacceptable and believes he should be held accountable”. Much more can be written here regarding Reynolds’ involvement, but chances are you’re already informed of his statements that contradict Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert’s remarks. (You can read the Buffalo News, or read/watch video clips at WGRZ, WIVB, and WKBW if you missed any of the coverage.)

Clinton on US/Canadian Trade Restrictions

(UPDATE:  Senator Clinton’s report, “Barriers Faced by New York State Agricultural Producers to Trade with Canada”, can be viewed at this link.)

Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton released a 14-page report yesterday that details Canadian trade barriers, especially in relation to New York products. In her speech, she outlined how this is impacting New York businesses who produce fruit, dairy, and additional products, and spoke of the reverse impact on Canadian producers in relation to trade laws.

Clinton/Spencer Debate

One debate will be held for the senate candidates:

Clinton and Spencer will meet in an hourlong debate at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20, which will be telecast on Time Warner cable stations throughout the state.

The debate will be held in Rochester.

Latest Quinnipiac Poll Numbers

“From August 15 - 21, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,556 New York State registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The survey includes 464 likely Democratic primary voters with a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percent, and 469 registered Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent.”

Clinton vs Tasini 86% - 10%
Clinton vs McFarland 64% - 24%   June: 58% - 31%
Clinton vs Spencer 62% - 26%      June: 57% - 33%

Clinton Approval/Disapproval Rating:  58% - 34%
Schumer Approval/Disapproval Rating:  59% - 23%

Clinton - Tasini Debate

Chances are, it’s not going to happen even though Jonathan Tasini has gathered 40,000 signatures, (15,000 is required to be placed on the ballot), and is polling at 13% (NY1 requires just 5%). 70% of NY Democrats cite the Iraq war as an important issue, and Tasini and Clinton have differing views on the subject.

Hillary Clinton/Charles Schumer Senate Votes (week ending 7/21/06)

The following list contains information related to Senate Votes for the month of July, 2006. Senators Clinton and Schumer voted YES on the following items:

7/20/06 Vote 212; H R 9: Passed, 98-0, with 2 not voting.

Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006

7/18/06 Vote 206; H R 810: Passed, 63-37.

Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005

7/13/06 Vote 197; Rejected, 38-62

On the Motion: Motion to Waive CBA Re: Dodd Amdt. No. 4641; To fund urgent priorities for our Nation’s firefighters, law enforcement personnel, emergency medical personnel, and all Americans by reducing the tax breaks for individuals with annual incomes in excess of $1,000,000.

7/11/06 Vote 193; H R 5441: Rejected, 32-66, with 2 not voting.

Clinton Amdt No. 4563; To establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency as an independent agency, and for other purposes.

7/11/06 Vote 191; H R 5441: Agreed to, 68-32

Vitter Amdt. No. 4548, As Modified; To prohibit the United States Customs and Border Protection from preventing an individual not in the business of importing a prescription drug from importing an FDA-approved prescription drug.

For complete information on Senators Clinton and Schumer’s Senate votes held this month, click on their votes database link located under the Blogroll category at the right of this screen.