Flanagan opens the door

On: By: admin

Under pressure from Governor Cuomo and squishy RINOs in his own conference, Senator John Flanagan has opened the door for returning the Senate to Albany for a special session:

“… The pinball game that is New York politics lit up anew on Wednesday with State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan telling The Point that he would consider calling his conference back for a special session by September, including to consider abortion legislation.  “I am not averse to coming back,” Flanagan told us. “But first there has to be a legitimate agreement with the governor and the speaker on all outstanding issues,” he said …”

Abortion might be the main issue, however, Cuomo is still running ads demanding action on his “red flag” gun control proposal. That could come up as well.

Ryan running for Broome Sheriff

On: By: admin

The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports:

“Former Binghamton mayor Matthew T. Ryan is running for Broome County Sheriff in the November election, challenging incumbent Sheriff David Harder, who is seeking a sixth term. Ryan, a Democrat and Binghamton resident who has no law enforcement background, will be running for sheriff under the Working Families Party ticket …”

Ryan was a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.  Unless the Democrats endorse him I don’t think he’s that serious about running.

Newsbits

On: By: admin

Thursday’s Newsbits:

At 11:00am New York City Public Advocate Letitia James announces plans to fight gun violence in New York if she is elected state attorney general, Harriet Tubman Memorial, St. Nicholas Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Manhattan.

Elections:

Legislation:

Politics:

Schmitt looking for campaign volunteers

On: By: admin

Colin Schmitt is looking for campaign volunteers for his Assembly campaign in AD-99 covering parts of Orange and Rockland counties.

Contact the campaign at colin@colinschmitt.com or by phone at 845-245-3068.

Cobb caught lying

On: By: admin

Democrat Congressional candidate Tedra Cobb was recorded saying she supports gun bans, but won’t say so in public as it would damage her campaign:

“… “When I was at this thing today, it was the first table I was at, a woman said, ‘How do you feel about assault rifles?’ And I said they should be banned,” Cobb can be heard saying in the video recorded by one of the attendees. “And I said, you know, people were getting up to go, to go get their lunch because it was a buffet, and I just said to her, I want you to know Cindy, I cannot say that.” …”

I decide to be helpful and send copies of the story to the Legislative Corespondents Association.

Republicans jump on Cobb:

As the video starts becoming more popular, the public is reminded that Cobb took a pledge to run an honest campaign:

“NY-21 Democratic congressional candidate Tedra Cobb has formally committed to The Post-Star‘s no-lies pledge … “I have proven myself to be honest and forthright and I will continue to be that way,” she said …”

Gun control advocates take umbrage at the suggestion they told Cobb to keep quiet:

NRA gets in on the act:

Brett Kavanaugh

On: By: admin

Trump has nominated D.C. Circuit Court Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh as his choice for SCOTUS.

He appears solid on gun rights as the L.A. Times reports:

“… [Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh] will move the high court to the right on … gun rights … Kavanaugh appears to support broader gun rights under the 2nd Amendment. In 2011, he filed a 52-page dissent when the appeals court, by a 2-1 vote, upheld a District of Columbia ordinance that prohibited semiautomatic rifles and magazines holding more than 10 rounds … But Kavanaugh said the ban on semiautomatic rifles was unconstitutional because the weapons are in common use in this country. “As one who was born here, grew up in this community in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and has lived and worked in this area almost all of his life, I am acutely aware of the gun, drug and gang violence that has plagued all of us…. But our task is to apply the Constitution and the precedents of the Supreme Court, regardless of whether the result is one we agree with as a matter of first principles or policy,” he wrote …”

Antigunners are not happy:


Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo, who had already been attacking Republicans over his “red flag” proposal, started attacking them over abortion:

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a gaggle with reporters on Monday in Brooklyn said he plans to call out individual Republicans in the state Senate over the issue of abortion rights in New York. “I’m going to call them all out by name — all out by name,” Cuomo said. Cuomo’s targeting of individual GOP lawmakers is part of a years-long break for him and the Senate Republican conference. The relationship was once a productive one for the governor and the GOP lawmakers who controlled the chamber …”

This relationship was doomed from the start as Republicans never brought anything to the table except themselves. If Judge Kavanaugh is what finally puts an end to Republican “control” of the Senate so be it.

Learn from this

On: By: admin

From a syndicated Washington Post article, “Organizers of pro-gun rallies lament low turnout“:

“Student-led rallies around the country on Saturday aimed to show support for gun rights, though their effort drew smaller-than-expected crowds in a bid to counter the well-funded and organized youth gun-control lobby that emerged after the massacre in a Florida high school earlier this year …”

Organizers made two mistakes here.

First, not recognizing the gun control marches were organized by professional astroturf and their media allies and not a genuine expression of student support.  There was no way they could duplicate them using only grassroots. The appropriate response would have been to call fraud from the start to delegitimize them.

Second, assuming that rallies are an effective form of political action.  They are not.  I have covered this many times before.  Politicians don’t pay much attention to them as they go on all the time.  Only people who can organize votes and money around an issue are taken seriously. Elected officials do not go around asking for people to hold rallies, they ask for help with their election campaigns.

Some examples:

Truitt For Assembly – Dutchess Campaign Kickoff!

An evening in support of our next Assemblyman Colin Schmitt

8th Annual Sheriff Moss Pig Roast

Politics is not difficult to understand especially when elected officials come right out and tell you what to do. They want gun owners to help them get on the ballot, come to their fundraisers and give money. The students should learn from this.

Newsbits

On: By: admin

Friday’s Newsbits:

Elections:

Jurisprudence:

Legislation:

Politics:

Proposed Nassau storage law

On: By: admin

I have obtained a copy of the proposed Nassau Co. mandatory firearms storage law.

The legislative clerk’s office insisted I file a FOIL before they would give it to me which was absurd.  I was able to get a copy from a legislative aide.

Here it is in PDF format.