Thank Bush

On: By: admin

I had many problems with George W. Bush’s administration, but his choices of Sam Alito and John Roberts for SCOTUS were dead on and will benefit us for generations to come.

Likewise Chairman Zero’s nominations will haunt us for generations to come:

“The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, clearing the way for President Barack Obama’s second pick for the high court to be confirmed by early August …  Republicans also have raised concerns about memos she wrote as a law clerk to former Justice Thurgood Marshall. In one 1987 memo, she urged Marshall to vote against hearing a Washington man’s appeal in a gun control case. She said she was “not sympathetic” to his claim his rights were violated when he was convicted for carrying an unlicensed pistol …”

I don’t see NRA as being able to stop this either despite their broadcast and print advertisements against her nomination.

Lazio-Paladino primary set

On: By: admin

Rick Lazio is not challenging Carl Paladino’s petitions so there will be a Republican primary on Sept. 14.  That’s a bit surprising since petitions gathered by challengers running against candidates blessed by the political machine are routinely challenged on any and all grounds.

Anybody but him

On: By: admin

Latest polling shows Kathleen Rice is far ahead of the pack in the race for the Democrat nomination for state Attorney General.  As long as Eric Schneiderman loses that’s all that matters.

Parment retiring

On: By: admin

Bill Parment will not be running for re-election this year.  That means big game rifle hunting will likely be expanded to the county in the next year or so.

Loser Lazio

On: By: admin

Rick Lazio has less than $700K in campaign account.  For a statewide candidate that’s pathetic.  On the positive side with no money he won’t be inundating the airwaves with annoying ads for the next couple of months until primary day.

Here is a good quote from Carl Paladino’s campaign which sums things up nicely:

“… “He can’t raise money, he has no message, his campaign is in disarray and it’s time for him to take a second look,” Paladino campaign manager Michael Caputo said of Lazio …”

All of which happens to be true.  Lazio is a joke and has been from the start.  There is no way the Republicans cannot have noticed this.  According to Fred Dicker they haven’t:

“… Many GOP insiders predict the hard-driving Paladino, who promises to spend $10 million of his own money and has strong ties to the highly motivated Tea Party movement, can beat Lazio in the primary …”

Andrew Cuomo is now even publicly entertaining the possibility Paladino will be his opponent as reporter Jimmy Vielkind notes over at CapCon:

“… “Jimmy, one of the opponents is a multi-millionaire who has said he can put his hand in his own pocket and spend millions of dollars,” Cuomo said … It’s interesting to me that Cuomo is now acknowledging Paladino may be his opponent in a general election …”

If they were smart, which is a very big if, the establishment Republicans would take a good hard look at the way Paladino is running his campaign.  Sure, he’s rough around the edges and no, he won’t appeal to all people, but at least he takes positions on issues and tries to organize people around them.  All Lazio seems to do is attack Cuomo.  I do not see him giving anybody a reason to vote for him.

Primaries

On: By: admin

Carl Paladino gathered 28,000+ signatures which, assuming they withstand the inevitable court challenges, is enough to put him on the GOP primary ballot against Rick Lazio.  Lazio meanwhile is late in filing his July campaign disclosure report.  This race is starting to remind me of 1990 when the GOP put up Pierre Rinfret.

All five Democrat candidates for state AG have plenty of cash on hand which should ensure a nasty primary where they try to kill each other off.  If Eric Schneiderman goes down in the fight I’ll be happy.

Gun control donations

On: By: admin

U.S. News & World Report had a posting on their site yesterday “Gun Rights Groups Out-Donate Gun Control Groups.”  Of note:

“… Individuals and PACs associated with gun control groups have given far less money this election, with $5,050 total. Over half of this money has come from one PAC–the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence Voter Education Fund … Kirsten Gillibrand has received the most gun control money, $3,300, followed by … Michael McMahon and Daniel Maffei … with $250 each …”

Add to this $250 from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence to Michelle Schimel last month.

If either of these groups had a real grassroots they would have been able to raise a whole lot more.  These are not large donations by New York standards.

Dennis Henigan on McDonald decision

On: By: admin

Dennis Henigan is an insane man.  The Brady’s got their clock cleaned and no matter how they try to obfuscate the issue they lost big time.


A disaster for McCarthy, not us

On: By: admin

Much teeth-gnashing from Carolyn McCarthy in the Times story, “Beyond Guns: N.R.A. Expands Agenda“:

“… “The last two years have been a disaster for us,” said Representative Carolyn McCarthy, a New York Democrat and a longtime advocate of increased gun control. “A lot of members are just afraid of the N.R.A.” …”

No, they are afraid of the voters who will come out and punish them if they support the antis agenda.

“… Ms. McCarthy said the group drew its power from its money — it has donated more than $17.5 million to federal candidates, mostly Republicans, since 1989, and spent millions more in lobbying — and the fear of political retribution …”

It’s not the money.  Never has been.  It’s the votes.  NRA has said in the past that around 25 million people consider themselves to be members even though actual dues paying membership is 4+ million.  I have an old media brochure I picked up at the ’08 NRA meeting which says “Polls show that between 10 and 15 percent of voters consider themselves an NRA member.” That is a substantial amount to bring to the table on election day.  The antis can’t claim anything remotely like this.

If their agenda was really that popular with mainstream America, the Brady Campaign would have as many members and supporters as NRA.  They don’t and it is reflected in Congress where McCarthy is pushed further and further out on the lunatic fringe.

Not a conservative issue

On: By: admin

Some conservatives are upset over the possibility that the NRA may endorse Harry Reid for re-election.  Over at Red State Erick Erickson whines:

“…  these days I cringe when I see good conservatives with their lifetime member sticker from the NRA on the back of their cars …”

This may come as a shock to some, but the NRA is not a conservative group nor do conservatives own the gun rights issue.  This is especially true in New York where top ticket candidates Rick Lazio and Dan Donovan, both of whom have been endorsed by the state Conservative Party, are flaming antigunners.  I know Democrat party functionaries who are members of NRA and who support liberal candidates.  They are as much a part of the NRA family as the next guy and ought to be treated as such.

The NRA is a single issue advocacy group.  Like it or not Harry Reid has been generally supportive of gun rights during his tenure in the Senate.  I would not personally endorse him as I think he’s going to lose badly, but if NRA does go with him as a Patron Life Member I’m not going to get bent out of shape over it.