Peter King + Karl Rove= Best Friends Forever

Newsday:
Karl Rove left without even a goodbye.

That's how Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) recalled his first meeting more than seven years ago with President George W. Bush's top political adviser, who resigned Monday.

The two men went head-to-head on "Meet the Press" over then-Gov. Bush's speech at Bob Jones University during the 2000 election campaign. King, supporting Sen. John McCain, criticized Bush for not speaking out against the school's "anti-Catholicism," while Rove defended him.

I guess King forgot to mention his objection that whole "no interracial dating" rule they had at Bob Jones.. musta slipped his memory.

"It got pretty heated. Afterward, he basically walked out without saying goodbye," King said Monday. "But we've come a long way since then."

Far enough, in fact, that King joined Rove at the White House two weeks ago for the signing of a Homeland Security bill. King said Rove didn't tell him of any plans to resign, but said they've remained in touch since their initial debate.

"He is not just a political operative. He's a historian. He can compare the election of 2004 to the election of 1896," King said. "Some Democrats ... think he was too partisan, but I think people in both parties admire him, even if you don't agree with him."

Oh, Peter King.. I bet he's going to miss his buddy, Karl Rove. Read the full article for Long Island's Democratic delegation smacking down ole "turd blossom."

Video: Peter King and George Bush, So Happy Together

"Artwork" for Peter King's New Website!

A zany and fun submission for Peter King's new website.

The quote is legit, the smiles are priceless. And yes, I have too much time on my hands.

Pictures for Peter King's Website!

Peter King has a new House website, complete with a photo section, coming soon..

I figured I'd help him out, since I've compiled a few favorites:

Peter King with George Bush, "thanking God" for the Bush presidency.

Peter King with Vito Fossella (NY-13) and George Bush, happy together on Air Force One.

And of course, Peter King and the fam, eating up Dick Cheney's every word.

I really hope Peter King takes into consideration these lovely photos for website, especially the Cheney one, which formerly graced King's website. It'd be a shame to see that nugget disappear.

Thank You, Senator Dodd

Chris Dodd just went on the Factor and gave windbag O'Reilly the ole smacketh down on DailyKos.


Thank you, Senator Dodd, for speaking truth to power.


What a head of hair on that man. The best part was seeing Dodd reduce O'Reilly to calling a U.S. Senator a "propagandist" and yelling "you should apologize to Lieberman!"

Peter King's Prez Pick Rudy Giuliani Picks a NeoCon Wingnut in Podhoretz..

It makes more and more sense that Peter King would endorse Rudy Giulani
for President. I mean, they've both built their reputations on talking tough on war stuff while screwing up in just about every conceivable way.

Now, the New Jersey Star-Ledger's Paul Mulshine has more juicy details
as to how batty Rudy really must be. He's just chosen Norman Podhoretz as a foreign policy advisor..

On a recent luxury cruise sponsored by National Review magazine, Podhoretz got into a dispute with NR founder William F. Buckley about the Iraq war. Buckley, the dean of American conservatives, termed the war a disaster. But Podhoretz, who like most "neo" conservatives has his roots in leftist politics, disagreed.

"It has been a triumph," said Podhoretz. "It couldn't have gone better."

The man is clearly off his rocker. Yet Giuliani seems blissfully unaware of that unpleasant fact. How could this be?

Wow.

...the so-called "war on terror" was not a defensive war but an intellectual fantasy, the goal of which was, as Podhoretz put it in 2002, "not just to clean up al Qaeda cells but to effect regime changes in six or seven countries and to create conditions which would lead to internal reform and modernization in the Islamic world."

Yeah... about that regime change thing.. it's not really working out so hot, see? And the American people are wising up to it.. too bad Rudy Giuliani hasn't figured that out. Even leading conservative William Buckley, the creator of the National Review, gets how disastrous the Neoconservative world view has been in reality:

"The neoconservative hubris, which sort of assigns to America some kind of geostrategic responsibility for maximizing democracy, overstretches the resources of a free country."

Word. Too bad Peter King and Rudy Giuliani haven't gotten the memo just yet.

Peter King Has NO CLUE on Osama, Part II

Chertoff remark more reminder than warning to security officials

Rep. Peter King of New York, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said there was intelligence indicating an increase of activity without any specific evidence of a threat.

"The biggest message is for Americans to realize we have to assume we can be attacked any day," King said. "The fact that there is more talk out there heightens our vigilance. ... It's like chasing ghosts."

Does Peter King even believe the words that come out of his own mouth anymore? I do, in fact, assume we can be attacked whenever.. but only because Osama bin Laden is still on the loose! If we could dismantle al Qaida, we wouldn't have to live in this constant state of fear that Peter King seems to relish. What has he done lately to help capture Osama? NOTHING.

"Chasing ghosts", huh? If by 'ghosts', King means Osama, then yes, let's drop this Iraq nonsense and get on with it. The only 'ghost' Peter King seems to be chasing is his own political future, since all he seems to do is keep people afraid and compliant with his, uh self-proclaimed "expertise" on the subject of terrorism.

I'm not on the House Homeland Security Committee like King, but my "gut feeling" is that we'd all be a lot safer if Osama bin Laden were captured and eliminated. Give up on the ghosts of Orwellian fear and go after bin Laden, Peter King!

Peter King Has NO CLUE on Osama and Iraq

Officials say Al-Qaida strongest since 9/11

WASHINGTON - A new U.S. intelligence assessment concludes that the al-Qaida terrorist network has rebounded and is at its greatest strength since it was expelled from Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. officials said yesterday.

Calling al-Qaida the most potent terrorist threat to U.S. national security, the classified draft makes clear that the Bush administration has been unable to cripple Osama bin Laden and the violent terror movement he founded.

The US Intel community is reporting what we've known for a long time. Al-Qaida is the real threat to American security. Bush had the chance to rope them in years ago, but dropped the ball and got us into the Iraq quagmire instead. In the mean time,Al-Qaida's now stronger than ever, and Bush lackeys Michael Chertoff and Peter King don't have a clue what to do about it:

Rep. Peter King said intelligence "chatter" monitored by government agencies is at levels as high as those seen in the summer of 2001, when officials described the system as "blinking red" before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"The chatter, the noise that's out there is similar to what it was in the summer of 2001," said King, of Seaford, ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. "It's more than it was several months ago. It could be coming from questionable sources trying to throw us off. Or it could be very serious. But based on the history, it's being taken very seriously."

King and several homeland security officials stressed there was no specific or credible evidence of a planned domestic attack...

There's "chatter" from Al-Qaida, but we don't know anything about it, and there's no planned attack or anything. (Al-Qaida's just been using up those anytime minutes a lot lately..)But you know, be afraid! says Peter King.

Seems to me like Osama bin Laden is the perfect Bogeyman for George Bush Republicans like Peter King. Since Osama's a credible threat, why isn't the entire US military scouring the desert for him? Oh, that's right, that war that has NOTHING TO DO WITH AL-QAIDA, IRAQ:

The U.S. intelligence community's assessment of the al-Qaida threat comes as more bad news for President George W. Bush.

Bush has repeatedly tried to cast the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq as part of the struggle against worldwide terrorism.

But many of the government's own counterterrorism analysts say the Iraq war has fueled anti-Western militancy and served as recruitment aid for bin Laden and like-minded Islamic extremists.

Whoops, my bad. The old Iraq didn't use to have anything to do with Islamic extremists, but now that Iraq's destabilized, we've created a prime recruiting ground for Al-Qaida.
Is Peter King supposed to have any credibility here? I mean, King's been with Bush 100% on Iraq, and now Bush's own Intelligence community says he screwed up when he gave up on Osama and destabilized Iraq.

Peter King had a chance to redeem himself yesterday, but instead he voted for more war, more quagmire.

I've got a question for Peter King: Why should your constituents believe anything you say? You've built your image on being "tough on terror", yet your muddled world view, force fed to you from on high, has done irreparable damage to the security of the United States.

Admit it: like George Bush, you're too stubborn to admit that Iraq is a quagmire, that it's distracted us from actually defeating Al-Qaida. Right now all I hear from you is endless talk of "chatter". I'm sick of you driving fear into the hearts of Americans, when all you do is make things worse in Iraq.

We could've had Osama years ago, if Peter King and George Bush didn't drop the ball and get us into the Iraq quagmire.

One of These Pols is Not Like the Other

Steve Levy (D), Tim Bishop (D), Ed Koch (D), Steve Israel (D), Carolyn McCarthy (D), Peter King (R), Tom Suozzi (D).

Hmmmm..

long island

i kind of dig it.

LIVEBLOGGED: Matt Stoller In the Building

LIVEBLOGGED. more to come.

Please Help FREEP Peter King Poll!

Hello friends. Peter King is featured in this week's "Naked Ambition" Poll run by Newsday, where basically they pick a few dumb quotes from the week and vote on which is most ridiculous. Help make it Peter King, especially since his quote is overblown rhetoric about why we need to keep brown people out of America.

PLEASE VOTE FOR PETER KING HERE NOW

"they're stealin' ar jebs!!" (has anyone else seen that south park? i thought it was pretty hilarious.)

Republicans are great at irony..

It just occurred to me; there's the slightest bit of irony to the fact that Republicans deify the man from their party who said "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!", yet many insist on constructing a literal fence across Mexico?

Is this just a matter of semantics, the former instance denoting Republicans' distaste of walls, whereas the latter instance represents their preference for fences? A bit of a conundrum.

We'll have more on Peter King's fencecapades, and his "amnesty" broken record.

Peter King Absent on Voting Security

From ReformNY we learn that Peter King is one of only 9 NY representatives who have not co-sponsored a key piece of Voting Reform legislation:

Twenty-one out of New York’s 29 Representatives are cosponsoring Congressman Rush Holt’s bill that would establish minimum security requirements for voting systems and minimum procedural requirements for the administration of elections. Most significantly, the bill would mandatevoter-verifiable paper ballots and spells out detailed guidelines for conducting post-election audits. More details in this Press & Sun-Bulletin editorial.

Read the post and the editorial to find out why King ought to support to this measure, if he supports a healthy democracy.

Newsday Reports, One Month After Us...

Maybe they got around to reading Nasty Letters, because Newsday is finally reporting on Q1 fundraising numbers, over a month after we did:

Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) raised $87,571, four times as much as he did in the first quarter, but had the least cash on hand among the local delegation.

King attributed his $287,090 in the bank to a tougher-than-usual re-election race last November and his decision to pay more expenses early.

Peter King was outraised by Steve Israel, who has a safer seat, and has much less COH than safe Democrats McCarthy and Ackerman.

Of course, they also neglect to parse the details as thoroughly as Nasty Letters; King actually spent more than he raised this last quarter, so he LOST almost $17K, not to mention the fact that he's down 500K from this time last cycle.

But hey, at least they got around to reporting a good story.

Peter King and Dick Cheney: Best Friends Forever?

This is precious..


Peter King, gazing intently at Dick Cheney, featured on King's own website. Now, if King were thinking logically, he'd probably scrub that picture a long, long time ago. Dick Cheney's approval ratings tend to reside in the low 20's or so. But then, Peter King shares one thing in common with Dick Cheney: they both "thank God every night that George Bush is our President."

Peter King: No Hurry on Homeland Security

Joshing Politics has some choice words for King's latest, uh, "triumph".. namely, getting a WMD unit for NYC, so now that we're on par with places like Topeka, Kansas...

The two Republican Congressmen from the area, Vito Fossella and Peter King announced at a little press conference to strut their stuff. They claim to have jumped several Congressional hurdles to introduce this, but it seems like a no-brainer to have brought more security to the NYC area immediately following 9/11.

He's definitely on to something here. Peter King loves to portray himself as Mr. Homeland Security, especially now that he's fairly irrelevant with the Dems in charge of the Homeland Security Committee. But the truth is, in the years after 9-11, when it really counted King was nothing more than a lapdog for Bush.

Now that Democrats run the show, no-brainers like the 9/11 Committee recommendations see the light of day. Still, King's taking credit for acting like he's in control.

Except, well, he didn't even introduce the legislation to establish the NYC WMD Unit..

The key move was an amendment, offered by Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., of Watertown, to the House's 2008 Defense Authorization bill, providing funding for a second team in Gotham.

Peter King: A day late, a buck short, taking credit for other people's work.

Peter King Declines; Dave Mejias Ascendant

Peter King Watch caught the story about Long Island Press' annual Power List of the 50 Most Influential Long Islanders.. Turns out Peter King dropped 22 spots:

27. Peter King

Last year #5

U.S. Representative

Since the Democrats won the House of Representatives last November, this Republican congressman representing South Nassau lost his seat as chair of the Homeland Security Committee, a significant blow to the clout he once held. But King is still a seasoned lawmaker nonetheless. Among his most notable achievements is securing funding for the Long Island Rail Road’s East Side Access project, which is still years away, but will save many commuters about a half hour daily once completed. Sure, he’s a polarizing figure who doesn’t let criticism roll off as easy as some, but he is still on the committee he once chaired and lobbies for more security funding for the region.

So basically Peter King isn't nearly as powerful as he used to be, but hey, he still does his job, so kudos from the Press..

The real point of interest is the surge by Peter King's '06 Challenger, Dave Mejias. He went up 3 spots from last year, besting Peter King by 5 places:

22. David Mejias

Last year #25

Nassau County Legislator

Don’t misconstrue this perennial Power Lister’s failed attempt to unseat U.S. Rep. Peter King last year as a failure. Many thought this to be a quixotic attempt when in reality, Mejias took his shot for Congress only after fellow Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) dropped out of the race. Within only a few months, Mejias proved to be a superb campaigner and (perhaps more importantly) a powerhouse fund-raiser. The first Latino to be elected to the Nassau County Legislature, Mejias is a valued advocate in the Hispanic community and a successful businessman with high-powered connections throughout the state.

Good on Dave Mejias, I say. Really hoping for a rematch. King's going down in '08, if he gets a strong challenge, and Mejias is just the guy we need. If I were Dave, I'd be sure to rally the Hispanic Community around this race, given King's regressive and unworkable immigration positions..

Rep. John Murtha: A True Patriot

Compare Peter King's bluster to somebody who fought in the trenches of 'Nam:



Jack Murtha kicks ass. Seriously.

Peter King: How Dare GOP moderates Rethink Iraq?!!? GOP Shill Agrees..

From Newsday: King assails war detractors

WASHINGTON - Rep. Peter King attacked as "disgraceful" yesterday Republican moderates who warned President George W. Bush on Wednesday that his handling of the Iraq war threatens to damage the GOP's future.

"Members of Congress, whether in my party or the other party, who supported the war and are now turning against it because it's unpopular, that to me is disgraceful," said King. "If you can't take a political hit, then you can't send soldiers into war to take real bullets."

King, who shouldered his tightest re-election campaign ever amid last year's Democratic landslide, acknowledged he is feeling the heat as he continues to back the president despite growing public disenchantment with the war.

So Peter King calls it a "disgrace" that members of his own caucus would dare to defy Bush's marching orders; so much for the marketplace of ideas, free expression, all that jazz. King's marching in lockstep to Bush's orders so much that he can't fathom anyone seeing Iraq for what it really is: an intractable quagmire.

King acts as though his blind support for the war is a principled stance; anyone who changes their mind is simply worried about the "political hit". But even King acknowledges that he "feels the heat" from voters. Does he think they're just blowing hot air? Peter King's so far over the deep end he no longer... LISTENS TO HIS CONSTITUENTS. You know, the people he's supposedly... REPRESENTING in Washington.

Good thing for King that Newsday found someone who's on his side:

Political consultant Michael Dawidziak said King is not likely to be hurt by his continuing support of the president's war position because his district is particularly conservative.

Too bad he's a Republican Hack.A simple Google search reveals much about "Political consultant Michael Dawidziak". His business, Strategic Consulting, has a client list that reads like a Who's Who of the GOP:

Presidential	U. S. Senate
Bush-Quayle 1988	Lazio - New York
Bush-Quayle 1992	Roth - Delaware
Dole-Kemp 1996	Coats - Indiana
Forbes 2000	Grassley - Iowa

A man with a PhD. gives the smackdown:

But Stanley Klein, a C.W. Post political science professor, said King could suffer politically.

"There is only one kind of politician who is above the polls," Klein said. "And that's an ex-politician."

And on that note, I leave you with an '06 Dave Mejias ad that sums things up perfectly..

Peter King on Electoral Integrity, 2004

From the archives, a choice Peter King snippet:



"It's all over but the counting, and we'll take care of the counting."

Also, do take note of King's buddy GWB, and King's keg cup...

Blogswarm!

I came across this 2005 column called Netroots activism arrives on CNN.com. It reflects on the effect bloggers had on the OH-2 special election, and the Democratic candidate, Paul Hackett A quick read but definitely a few choice quotes:

Democrat Paul Hackett, running in a special election for an Ohio congressional seat that most national Democrats wrote off as hopeless.

But Hackett, a Marine who served in Iraq, showed fight.

"We have to say it loud that we are proud to fight for what this great country stands for," he said...

The bloggers raised a lot more money for the Hackett campaign than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"We raised around $500,000 from the netroots, which means we outspent the National Republican Congressional Committee and we're three times as relevant as the DCCC in terms of cold hard cash," Brigham said.

On the final day of the campaign they needed $30,000. "So Bob from Swing State sent out an email, made phone calls, said, 'Here is what we need, we need $30,000 in a very short period of time.'" Schechner said. "And the next day, ActBlue delivered a check for $60,000."

Peter King: So Very Wrong on Immigration

A blog called Dos Centavos has some choice words for House Republicans, Peter King included, and former Republican Heath Shuler. See Peter King and this gang oppose the bipartisan bill under consideration in the Senate, which would provide a means for illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens.

From The Hill :

Another swipe at the Senate’s compromise came from across the Capitol, where several border-first House Republicans, along with Democratic freshman Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.), released a terse letter to their counterparts in the upper chamber.

“”It’s important that the Senate know that now there is strong opposition in the House of Representatives. It’s bipartisan opposition to amnesty,” Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) told reporters.

Yeah, so I'm not sure a bunch of right-wing Republicans and one former Republican qualify as "bi-partisan", per se.

Regardless, King's position is incredibly short-sighted, as illustrated by a recent study calculating the benefits of Latino immigrants for Long Island's economy:

Some of the nation's most virulent anti-immigrant proposals have erupted from Long Island's elected officials, from Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy to local Congressional Representative Peter King, co-sponsor of the harsh and unworkable immigration bill H.R. 4437...

The report, which is not yet available online, finds that Long Island Hispanics contribute nearly a billion dollars a year in taxes and other revenues to local government, far more than they use in public services, producing a net benefit to the public of $202 million a year. Consumer spending by Hispanics produced an additional $5.7 billion impact on the Long Island economy, creating more than 52,000 jobs.

Even Newsday's conservative columnist Raymond Keating gets the picture:

Locally, it's time for some groups to stop kicking around immigrants, and instead start recognizing the role they play in keeping Long Island's economy afloat. Common-sense economics and basic human decency dictate welcoming immigrants and aiding their assimilation.

Meanwhile, our congressional representatives should be pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. Yes, tighten up the borders for national security purposes, but also expand legal avenues for immigration to keep our economy chugging along. It's clear that immigrants are not an economic burden, but instead a blessing.

What does DMI have to say about the legislation Peter King co-sponsors?

The bill receives a D in this category rather than an even lower grade because of the implausibility that this effort will succeed: the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice do not have the capacity to prosecute, incarcerate, and deport 10 million people, suggesting that a large number will continue to live and work in the United States whether or not this legislation becomes law. The bill's objectives are so impracticable that it could not completely undermine the economic contributions of the undocumented immigrants it targets.

It's time Peter King got real about immigration reform; so far all he has to offer is "Send them all back!" and "Build a fence!". I'm not going to hold my breath on this one, though.

Woops. Cheney Surprise Party STILL ON! WOOO.

My bad; looks like I spoke too soon on my last post. Evidently I was referring to the surprise-free AP story, and not the New York Times' own coverage, which is joyously entitled "Cheney Makes Surprise Visit to Baghdad".



Surprise!! Dick Cheney's here!! Now the party can really kick it w00000h..

P.S. Baghdad is still just like Manhattan (with roller coasters and flower markets!), in case you were wondering..

Surprise!! Dick Cheney's Baghdad PARTY wahoo..

So Dick Cheney is making a visit to Baghdad this week. Thankfully, the Times coverage is calling it an"unscheduled" visit. A polite euphemism to be sure, but much better than the "surprise" these photo-ops have been called in the past.

I mean, let's be honest here, it's not like Dick Cheney and Condelezza Rice get the zany idea to pop up on Maliki.

They FREAKING SNUCK IN, by the cover of night, to avoid GETTING BOMBED.


Update: Wait, nevermind. I definitely forgot this, but Baghdad is TOTALLY like Manhattan, you guys!! LOLZ

NY-03: Video of Dave Mejias Interview from Massapequanews.com

This is a month old by now, but I just came across a good interview of '06 Democratic challenger, Dave Mejias. No mention of plans for a rematch unfortunately, but some solid progressive wisdom from Mejias. Why did he enter politics? To paraphrase, "because not everyone can afford to attend a high-priced fund raiser, and those people should be heard too".

Are you getting this, Peter King?

It's strong progressive vision like this that makes me hope we'll see more of Dave Mejias in the future. Check out the video:

You Want Acess to Peter King? You Better Pay Up $$$

Peter King had two gigs on April 11th and 14th at the posh Garden City Hotel and the Cherry Valley Club, respectively. At the fabulous Garden City Hotel, Peter King was the keynote speaker for a luncheon given by the Garden City Chamber of Commerce. At the Cherry Valley Club, he addressed the "Colonel Aaron Ogden Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution".

The Garden City Chamber of Commerce represents a town that is "renowned for its upscale retailers, it is also the financial, legal and governmental hub of Nassau County" according to its website.

The Daughters of the American Revolution is no doubt one of the one most elite social clubs in America, open only to those able to trace their lineage to colonial Americans.

What will it cost to gain such access to the "people's representative", noted for his "blue collar appeal", Congressman Peter King? $65 a pop for non-members of the Chamber, and a more modest $35 for those not genetically pure enough to be "daughters" of the American Revolution.

Now, as we've reported previously, Peter King doesn't have much of any info on his website. But as far as I've seen there or elsewhere, there is no information listed about any sort of public forum he had or will be having.

Our blog friends at Rochester Turning have been documenting NY-29's John Kuhl's forays into town halls. His answers are often pretty whack, but hey, at least you can meet him face to face, for free. Peter King? No such luck, unless you're a connected individual ponying up hard cash. Shame.

Something is terribly wrong when the only way to hear your elected official speak is to pay for a pricey fund-raiser.

UPDATE: According to Peter King Watch's J, Peter King has never held a Town Hall meeting. Not once in 14+ years? Impressive!

Happy Mission Accomplished Day!

Happy "Mission Accomplished" Day, everyone! A day to celebrate indeed. Four years ago today, Bush declared the end of "major combat" operations in Iraq. Since then, it's all been a haze. Peter King and George Bush seem to have forgotten about this little publicity stunt, since they insist we stick around indefinitely.


I guess I can see why Peter King "thanks God every night that George Bush is our President".. He looks so courageous in a flight suit!

Heckuva job, Bushie! And Peter King too!

Will Peter King Save Net Radio? ACT NOW

Recently got this email from Pandora.com , a great site that lets you stream your favorite artists and bands along the same lines. Great way to hear new music. Only thing is, internet radio like this is under attack from the recording industry. These giant corporations are bleeding dollars fast, and in their greed, they're now going after great resources like Pandora.com . Call Peter King and tell him you're against this power grab from the RIAA. Go to www.savenetradio.org for more info.

Hi, Tim again,

First, I wanted to thank you again for the support last week. It was absolutely overwhelming. More than 200,000 Pandora listeners contacted their congressional representatives! The entire fax infrastructure on Capitol Hill ground to a halt. We had to deliver faxes manually - literally boxes full of them were delivered to every office in the Capitol building.

The result has been swift and dramatic: more than a million people have already joined the cause! There is now a bill just being introduced called the "Internet Radio Equality Act, H.R. 2060" to fix the problem and save Internet radio -and Pandora- from obliteration.

I'd like to ask you to do one more thing which is to call and ask your Congressperson, Peter T. King, to co-sponsor the Internet Radio Equality Act, H.R. 2060:

Peter T. King's phone number: (202)225-7896

This fight for our life is not over, but there has been a marked shift in momentum. Thanks to your efforts, this vital channel for musical diversity has a hope of finally being treated fairly and being allowed to grow and nurture a newly empowered class of independent musicians.

Your opinion matters to your representatives - so please take just a minute to call.

Visit www.savenetradio.org to continue following the fight to Save Internet Radio.

Thanks again for being such a wonderful supporter.
-Tim Westergren(Pandora founder)

Do you enjoy listening to internet radio stations? Then please call Peter King at (202)225-7896 or your member of Congress. We'll let you know if Peter King sides with independent media and artists, or the recording industry corporate fathers.

Sunlight Foundation: Peter King's Website Scores 16% on Transparency

The Sunlight Foundation, a group I wholeheartedly support, has done an interesting study on House Members' Websites and the level of information they provide. No surprise here, but Peter King failed miserably, scoring 16% on measures of transparency.

Want to find out what bills King is sponsoring? NOPE.
What statements Peter King puts into the Congressional Record? SORRY!
How about a schedule of what King is up to? FORGET ABOUT IT!!!

As Peter King Watch has noted, King barely updates his site; so much for using the Web to connect with your representative...

Peter King Strapped for Cash:Raises NEGATIVE $16,700

In the crucial test of political fund-raising, Peter King flunked out this quarter. He reports
a low $99,005 in receipts, with $115,700 spent, for a grand ANEMIC total of -$16,695. That's right, he LOST MONEY this quarter!

Granted, some of the expenses doubtless relate to tying up the '06 Campaign. But still, for a newly competitive district, King did not raise impressive numbers this quarter. Perhaps most significantly, he currently has only $287,090 Cash on Hand. At this point in the last election cycle, King was showing $776,990. In other words, he's down $489,900 from this time two years ago, or nearly $500 K.

From a progressive standpoint a strong challenge to King, such as a Dave Mejias rematch, can go head to head on fund raising. King's '06 victory, despite being down in numerous polls, can at least partially be attributed to his 2 to 1 spending advantage; he spent over $2.1 Million in the '06 Cycle. This time around, unless he ups his game hardcore, he won't be so lucky.

Peter King *Proud* Recipient of "Muzzle Award" for Restricting Free Speach

For calling upon the Justice Department to seek criminal sanctions against a newspaper and its staff for disclosing publicly the existence and extent of covert, warrantless surveillance by the National Security Administration, a 2007 Jefferson Muzzle goes to… U. S. Representative Peter King (R., N.Y.)

There can be no serious doubt that current conditions warrant heightened scrutiny of genuine threats to national security, and that the interception of some communications may be warranted to a degree not applicable in more tranquil times. Yet, a procedure presumably existed through which judicial approval for secret warrants could have been sought through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court. There had been no proof that such requests for emergency authority would have been unavailing.

"Announced on or near April 13 — the anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson — the Jefferson Muzzles are awarded as a means to draw national attention to abridgments of free speech and press and, at the same time, foster an appreciation for those tenets of the First Amendment..."

According to Newsday, King's only disappointed he didn't get any actual trophy:

"If they give me a medal, I’ll wear it," said King, who also said that he’d saved space on his wall for a hanging trophy.

"They’re using my good name to boost their popularity, and they’re too cheap to even give me an award," he complained.

I'll let them handle the factual smackdown:

Now for the reality check: Times executive editor Bill Keller wrote in a letter to readers that the decision to publish the story "followed weeks of discussion between Administration officials and The Times", after which the newspaper staff concluded that revealing the program would not endanger its existence.

Keller argued that banks would continue to co-operate if the program was legal and effective, and that the U.S. Treasury Department had already been vocal about its efforts to track terror financing.

Peter King, never one to let reality get in the way of truthiness. We'll see what we can do about that trophy, Peter.

Peter King: Imus Helps Me Connect with People...

You know how Don Imus called the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team "nappy-headed hoes"? Peter King's not certain there's anything wrong with that. At least, that's how it appears:
Via Newsday: Pols must decide if show is worth risk

Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), who said he has been on the program at least three times, said he would evaluate Imus' on-air behavior before deciding whether he will continue his guest appearances.

Apparently this incident of blatant racism is not enough to sway King. But since he's already been on the show three times, surely he knows this is not an isolated incident. Imus is known for his bigotry. Thanks to Slate, a hi-lite reel: The Wit and Wisdom of Don Imus

"Boner-nosed … beanie-wearing Jewboy." (Description of Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post, a frequent guest.)

"Knuckle-dragging moron." (Description of basketball player Patrick Ewing.)
etc.

I'm not sure why any rational politician would ever go on this show. But King's got his reasons:

"To be honest, it is a media opportunity to go over the head of Newsday and the New York Times and to speak directly to people," said King.

Ahh, ok. I knew Peter King wore a tin-foil hat and believes that real media are always out to get him. What I didn't realize, though, is that his alternative is to go on a show that preaches intolerance and hate.

Dave Mejias said it best: Peter King "practices the politics of hate and fear." Going on a show like Imus' is right up his alley.

Hillary Clinton '84

Nice. (h/t New York Post)

Your $ at Work:Peter King Buys Reelection, Influence for Rudy Giuliani; Skimps on Staff Salary

Via Newsday, we learn a few things about how Peter King spent the $1M your federal tax dollars helped finance. First off, King's cheap when it comes to paying staff salaries:

King (R-Seaford) was the most frugal of the local members, paying his staff a total of $659,391 in 2006.

Nevertheless, King runs an office of bloat, racking up the highest costs on Long Island:

Rent, telephone and office supply bills ranged from a total of $180,784 for McCarthy to $304,696 for King.

Not surprising that a Republican like King would undervalue those that actually run the halls of Congress on a daily basis, while also spending way too much. King doesn't scrimp when it comes to ensuring his own reelection though:

King and Bishop (D-Southampton), who both faced tougher re-election bids than other local members, spent much more on sending mail.

Bishop spent $131,772 and King $157,889...

You know those glossy fliers you throw straight into recycling? Well, campaigns spend good money for those, and $158K is a HUGE mail buy. Except this time, YOU pay the bill for "King '06".

Buying reelection with your money is one thing, but can you believe King is buying political clout too?

His smaller staff payroll included $17,000 for two family members of 9/11 victims to act as homeland security advisers during his tenure as the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Firefighter Ken Haskell and former president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association Jimmy Boyle are longtime friends of the congressman and were the most vocal 9/11 family members supporting President George W. Bush in his 2004 re-election campaign.

King said the pair attended and coordinated meetings and homeland security training sessions for him, provided information on the needs of the firefighting communities and acted as a liaison for other families of 9/11 victims.

Aand cue the freakin' alarm bells.. Active Bush campaigners? Smells like patronage to me. More importantly, the major conflict of interest at play. As Chairman/Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, Peter King relies upon First Responders for credibility. Using YOUR $, King provided $17K to a well-connected former Union Boss. Peter King plays a prominent role both in his capacity as Ranking Member of Homeland, and leading the push for Rudy Giulani's Presidential campaign. Given this, it's highly unethical that he provides a salary, at your expense, to a powerful constituency for both himself and Rudy Giuliani.

Today Peter King has the gall to suggest:

""I think I'm protecting the integrity of the committee"

by working to keep Rep. Jefferson, FBI-investigated Democrat, and congressman from Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. I do agree with King that an ethically challenged Congressman has no place sitting on Homeland Security.

That's why Peter King should STEP DOWN IMMEDIATELY. He is buying influence from firefighters, and last year denied the fact that his family lobbies for a firm involved with business in front of the very committee he chaired. Peter King's ethical lapses are just too much to risk when it comes to Homeland Security.

Peter King and Rudy:St. Patrick's Day Slight to FDNY??

Apparently Peter King marched in today's NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade with his fearless leader these days, Rudy Giuliani.

Now, I wouldn't expect a conservative Republican like King, or a pandering-to-the-right quasi-Repub like Rudy, to pay much mind to the fact that the parade's organizers have refused to allow gay and lesbian Irish-Americans from participating in the parade.

However, we all know that King has draped himself in the American flag, and frequently invokes 9/11 to endorse all sorts of terrible Bush ideas. Rudy is even running for President because of his "extensive experience with terrorism", aka he happened to be Mayor on 9/11.

So of course I'm interested to see how the duo reacts to this years Parade Politics. Via the Empire Zone:

This year’s main parade controversy involves the decision of the parade’s planning chairman, John Dunleavy, to move the firefighters to the middle of the parade — from their place of honor in the front — reportedly because they held up the parade last year, and because they showed up drunk. If he doesn’t relent, Mr. Dunleavy could very well be facing the jeers of a boo coalition organized by a city councilman.

They "held up the parade" to allow New Orleans Firefighters to join them, by the by. Mayor Bloomberg had this to say to parade organizers:

"I guess my advice to the guy running the parade is look, nothing’s perfect, lighten up. You have rules, rules are there to be guidelines, don’t enforce them at this level…. They’re our bravest, they protect us… Why dis them? I can’t understand why the guy’s doing it.”...

He said he would spend most of the parade tomorrow marching with firefighters to “stand up for them.”

Mayor Bloomberg saw how much of a slap in the face this is to NYC's Bravest, and took a stand to march with them in solidarity. I've heard no reports of a similar sentiment from either Peter King or Rudy, though I'll stay alert.

In the absence of a statement in support of the firefighters, or better yet, marching with them in the middle of the parade, King and Giulani are complicit in this callous move to degrade our bravest public servants.

Given Giulani's "tenuous relationship" with FDNY, and King's glorification of the heroes of 9/11, I cannot interpret this silence as anything other than brazen grandstanding on the part of those all too quick to comodify bravery for political gain. Shame on you, Peter King and Rudy Giulani.

(Was anyone there? Find any news reports about where they marched? I hope I'm wrong on this one.)

UPDATE:King on the record

http://www.firefight... : Marching beside presidential hopeful and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Long Island Rep. Pete King declared that Dunleavy "is just wrong." "The parade is not about John Dunleavy," he said. "The parade is about New York, and the FDNY personifies the spirit of New York. But fortunately not many people pay much attention to John Dunleavy." Unfortunately, King is wrong; a lot of people did pay attention to Dunleavy's actions, and that's why he should've come out in support of the firefighters much sooner. Now what about Giulani? Why wasn't his press secretary all over this days ago, and where did they march in the parade?

Racial Profiling for Dummies: Peter King Edition

Remember how Peter King's brilliant answer to terrorism is "Profile all the brown people at airports"?.

Yeah, I had my doubts too, but don't worry, the Washington Post tells us "it's totally legit, we can definitely catch the bad guys that way!":

Terrorists Proving Harder to Profile

"..terrorism suspects from atypical backgrounds are becoming increasingly common in Western Europe. With new plots surfacing every month, police across Europe are arresting significant numbers of women, teenagers, white-skinned suspects and people baptized as Christians -- groups that in the past were considered among the least likely to embrace Islamic radicalism."

I know I personally feel safer under Peter King's 'leadership'.. Heckuva job, Petey!

Fox News: On the Case (As Usual)..

(h/t to Daily Kos)

Telling Fortune Cookie?

"Your career is moving more and more towards service to others"

Power Elite, here I come!

Dem. Homeland Chair: Peter King a Republican Hack

Q&A: New homeland security chairman gets tough with Bush administration

Q. Will you expect the committee to be more active than it was under your predecessor, New York Republican Rep. Peter King?

A. Absolutely. I think that what I saw former chairman King subjected to was a micro-managed chairmanship by the Republican leadership. He couldn’t really bring any legislation forward without being told, chapter and verse, what it had to include.

New Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson makes public something we've all suspected for some time: for all his rhetoric about being an independent-minded Congressman, when push comes to shove, Peter King takes his marching orders from George W. Bush and Co. When Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer came to campaign for Dave Mejias last fall, he claimed that as Homeland Chair, a Democrat from Mississipi (Thompson) would do a better job protecting New York than Peter King:

In response to a question posed by a Newsday reporter about whether New York would be better off with a chair from another state, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that King (R-Seaford) hasn't done enough to make sure that security-related dollars are directed to cities based on threat.

Let's connect a few dots here. Despite his frequent allusions to the tragedy of September 11th, King was strangely unable to prevent 40% cuts in funding to NYC and D.C., two prime terrorist targets:

The announcement that the two cities targeted on Sept. 11, 2001, would suffer 40 percent reductions in urban security funds prompted outrage from lawmakers and local officials in both areas, who questioned the wisdom of cutting funds so deeply for cities widely recognized as prime terrorist targets.

Of course, King acted outraged at these cuts, for one because they made him look irrelevant. But really, he had very little say in the matter. The Bush Republicans prefer to divvy up Homeland Pork to all their red state friends and corporations, consequences be damned. Peter King, with his record of siding with Bush 85% of the time, is a willing foot soldier of Bush-Cheney. Too bad it's already cost NY BILLIONS in Homeland Security dollars.

McCain to Peter King: Wise Up!

Via Irish Abroad:

One of the questioners asked McCain about Congressman Peter King, co-sponsor of the House bill that would also turn the undocumented into felons, and those who aid them.

King and McCain are long-time political allies; King was one of the first to lend support to McCain’s campaign for the presidency in 2000. The Long Island representative has been a steadfast supporter of all Irish issues during his time in Congress, but has parted ways when it comes to immigration reform.

“Peter is a fine man and a fine representative,” McCain said of King, who was elected chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee last year. “I think the people in this room ought to provide him with a better education on the matter.”

First half of this quote? The delusional McCain, the one who has replaced all sense of integrity with an unceasing drive to win the presidency. Second half? The Maverick we all know and love. Given his general leap to the far right, McCain's critique of Peter King is noteworthy. When it comes to immigration, McCain's guest-worker approach has its merits. Peter King's "I don't trust immigrants" attitude is beyond the pale, even for the newly right-wing McCain.

What's more, it's clear that radical-winger Peter King no longer speaks for the Irish people; A long time supporter of Irish immigrants, King is so afraid of "terrorists", (aka let's racially profile all Muslims at airports) that he's lumped all the benevolent immigrants, Irish included, into the "STAY OUT" group. No Irish Need Apply to Peter King's America.

More to come on King's xenophobia..

Now on Lefty Blogs!

Welcome, visitors who clicked this link off Lefty Blogs. I'm beside myself with this syndication.. it just.. means a lot to me..

First, I'd like to thank Rep. Peter King (NY-03), for being a zany wingnut, and the primary topic of this blog.. And I'd like to thank Long Island, for being my home island, nice beaches, strip malls, the works... and Ned Lamont and Deval Patrick, whose candidacies made me realize I HAVE THE POWER... MWHAHA

Sensible posts in the immediate future. Right now, I'm just gonna watch the hits roll in.(5, 6? who knows?!) Hooohaa. In the words of DNC Chair Howard Dean "HYAAAA!!"

Peter King a RINO?

The good folks over at the conservative Town Hall are calling Peter King a RINO (Republican in Name Only). Well, he's plenty Republican for my liking...

Warmonger King: Deny Him Communion?

My Letter to William Cardinal Keeler

"The RC Bishops in the U.S. are against abortion. Most of the RC laity is against it, too. They get the message from the Bishops on that issue. Yet, these same Bishops, and the Pope, too, are also, on moral grounds, against the war in Iraq. Nevertheless, that idea, strangely, hasn’t gotten down to most of the faithful. William Hughes asks Cardinal William Keeler why."

"I can’t help but notice how antiabortion Bishops occasionally bark about not giving Holy Communion to an elected RC politico because he doesn’t like his or her pro-Choice position. But, you never hear any Bishop taking that same hard line against a pro-Iraqi War politico, like the insufferable Rep. Peter King (R-NY); or against a media-based warmonger, such as windbag Bill O’Reilly."

This guy raises a good point. If a bishop publicly refused to give John Kerry communion for his pro-choice beliefs, shouldn't King be treated similarly for his pro-death warmongering? The church ought to speak out on the war, as it has on abortion and gay marriage. Were they to take a stance against King's Iraq boosterism, it would not be without previous instances of provocation from King:

LI congressman takes a controversial stance

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been particularly critical of a provision in his bill making it a felony for undocumented workers to remain in the United States and another clause that might make it a crime for church workers to assist or encourage illegal aliens.

"Denying aid to a fellow human being violates a law with a higher authority than Congress - the law of God," Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony wrote last month in The New York Times. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said "Jesus himself" might be arrested under King's legislation...

The Seaford Republican raised eyebrows last week by calling the nation's Catholic establishment "liars" and "hypocrites," urging it to stop playing politics and "spend more time protecting little boys from pedophile priests."

King, 62, said his comments were spur of the moment, but added: "I consider myself a blue-collar Catholic, and we're kind of a silent majority. It's quite possible this could end up helping me politically. Maybe it shows that God's on my side."

In summation, King got mad when the Catholic Church opposed legislation he co-sponsored, legislation that would've made it a crime to give a sandwich to a starving human being. So he called them liars and hypocrites, with the belief that perhaps he, Peter King, had the backing of God on this one. Hmmm.. I'll have to think about that one, Peter.

Before he tried to criminalize Good Samaritans, King defended torture at Abu Ghraib thusly:

In 2004, King dismissed the Vatican's criticism of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, saying they were "nothing compared to what nuns and priests did to Catholic kids for decades."

Hmm.. last time I checked they didn't make naked human piles in Catholic schools.. And what to make of this:

And despite his anger at Catholic leaders who attack his immigration bill, King doesn't mind every church foray into politics. He supports the right of priests to deny communion to elected officials favoring abortion rights.

I'm so glad to have a "pro-life" Congressman; someone who supports the Church denying communion to elected officials as they see fit. So Peter, how's about you sign up to sign out of the Communion line? The lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of Americans have been lost in a war you've supported all the way. Don't you think it's only fair that the Church should promote a pro-life agenda? Good! So I guess I won't see you in Church anymore, then?

AHHHHH

e-day mojo for mo o'co

Maureen's Osama whopper

How desperate is the GOP to hold onto the Nassau County Senate seat that's up for grabs Tuesday? Desperate enough to drag Osama Bin Laden into a race that has nothing to do with terrorism...

Maureen O'Connell makes the laughable claim that she's just the woman to defend New York from terrorists. Tel Aviv, too. She also cites "security expertise" not evident from her résumé as a nurse, lawyer, Assembly seat-warmer and county clerk.

But why would a terrorist-fighter of O'Connell's talents want to waste her time in Albany, anyway? Surely the world would be safer with O'Connell, Maureen O'Connell, Clerk 007, working for the CIA. Or maybe Mossad.

Let's make sure Maureen ends up "fighting terrorists". She could even falsify a CIA badge or something..

GOTV!

King on the TV! Go Team Xenophobe! (First Installment)

For those not familiar with King's most recent reelection effort, the mosque featured in this segment was a long-time donor to King, and in fact the guy in the video had met with King on numerous occasions. Then King gets the idea to label the mosque as extreme and bashes his Democratic opponent, Dave Mejias, for taking money from the mosque. Of course, he neglected to mention that he took SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS MORE from said mosque. As Mejias put it during the campaign, King loves to practice "the politics of hate and fear".

HOMELAND SECURITY: O'Connell Broke the Law (*"arguably")

On a post at The Albany Project I asked whether the O'Connell ad featuring Osama and Balboni was at all legal, given its use of an image bearing the DISTINCT likeness of the NYS Homeland Security seal. Well, courtesy of Capitol Confidential, it looks like the answer is an emphatic NO:

http://blogs.timesun...

State Homeland Security Office spokesman Dennis Michalski slammed GOP 7th SD candidate Maureen O'Connell for using a "falsified state seal" in her campaign mailer, saying the move was "inappropriate" if not outright illegal.

"It is completely inappropriate for a political candidate to use a falsified state seal in the context of a political campaign. Politicizing state security issues is inappropriate and trivializes the law enforcement efforts of New York's office of Homeland Security," Michalski said. "We direct the campaign and candidate to the following passage from New York's penal law that identifies such actions as arguably illegal."

Here's the passage in question:

§ 190.25. Criminal impersonation in the second degree

A person is guilty of criminal impersonation in the second degree when he:

1. Impersonates another and does an act in such assumed character with intent to obtain a benefit or to injure or defraud another; or

2. Pretends to be a representative of some person or organization and does an act in such pretended capacity with intent to obtain a benefit or to injure or defraud another; or

3. (a) Pretends to be a public servant, or wears or displays without authority any uniform, badge, insignia or facsimile thereof by which such public servant is lawfully distinguished, or falsely expresses by his words or actions that he is a public servant or is acting with approval or authority of a public agency or department; and (b) so acts with intent to induce another to submit to such pretended official authority, to solicit funds or to otherwise cause another to act in reliance upon that pretense.

Criminal impersonation in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor.

(emphasis t/o mine)

Great work from CapCon. Now, I'm no lawyer here, but it looks like Maureen O'Connell's campaign has broken the law.. so let's do a little side by side to make some sense of things. First the real thing, from the real deal, NYS Homeland Security:http://www.security....

Next, O'Connell saving the day:

OOOH, now I get it. She didn't ACTUALLY break the law, since her eagle is BIG, and it's flying to the left, not the right, silly. (Evidently the O'Connell eagle prefers the Southern Tier to the North Country...)

She also omits the state seal we find on the flag. So TECHNICALLY, she didn't STEAL the logo per se. She did however use the basic shape, a circle, with two stars, the likeness of an eagle, and the American flag overlaying the image of NYS.

Again, haven't gone to law school yet, but boy, I'd love to see them defend this in copyright court..

It rather looks like Maureen has "falsely expressed by her words or actions that she is a public servant or is acting with approval or authority of a public agency or department".. among other indiscretions. The average New Yorker has not memorized the Homeland Security seal, and could easily be mislead into believing O'Connell is attached to the Department.

O'Connell Campaign Lit

obligatory Link:

More O'Connell campaign lit discovered

everyone following the senate race needs to see these. great work by Bouldin at Daily Gotham, and a prime example of the sort of guerilla techniques which the netroots excel at. Judging by the amount of sites linking to these pics, this could have much the same effect as the "Kiss Float" that followed Joe Lieberman all over CT last summer. let's keep at it and use our collective voice to amplify issues and media that serve to define the opponent, build a buzz, etc. while the netroots are inherently underfunded, we have the know-how and the nimbleness to shake things up in unexpected ways.

King Keeps it KLASSY

9/11 Cop Dies Just as His Son, Clinton's Guest, Faces Bush

A former New York policeman died late Tuesday in a Manhattan hospital, just as his 21-year-old son prepared to appear at the State of the Union speech to symbolize the desperate health problems of his father and other sick Sept. 11 workers...

"9/11 is not over. It didn't end in 2001. It is still affecting my father and numerous other first responders," he said. "My father is an extreme example of what can happen and what may and will happen in the future."

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes the site of the 2001 terror attacks, had the strongest language for Bush and the New York mayor.

"The villains are no longer the terrorists. The villains live in the White House and in Gracie Mansion," said Nadler, referring to the official home of the mayor of New York.

Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican who has signed on to the mayor's gun effort, said Nadler's comments crossed the line.

"That's the kind of rhetoric that doesn't help anybody," King said. "I agree that more should be done for 9/11 victims, but to be using language like that serves no purpose."
***
I won't defend Nadler's assertion outright, though it's clear that he was speaking passionately in defense of a poised and courageous young man (let's get that kid to run for office in a few years!).

Still, Peter King is the LAST guy who should be chiding others on divisive and inflammatory rhetoric. As Peter King Watch catalogues, King is the guy who personally refutes his constituents with letters calling them "politically, intellectually and morally bankrupt", for instance. That was over Social Security, mind you. Clearly a pretty rational debate, until King flew off the cuff.

Oh, and then there was the time he went on national television and said that "Karl Rove.. should get a medal" and all those criticizing him "should be shot." Karl Rove, mind you, might still end up in jail if Patrick Fitzgerald's prosecution of Scooter Libby gets Libby to squeal and throw Rove under the bus. So, to summarize, over the top rhetoric is defensible when it comes to sleazeballs like Rove, but not when it comes to doing what's right for the heroes of September 11th..
Yeah, Peter King Logic.

Brunogate: What Say You, Maureen O'Connell?

As Nassau GOP Watch and others have noted, Maureen O'Connell is running on a platform of "holding Albany accountable", so much so that she personally wrote Gov. Spitzer to let him know that she's on board with his reform agenda.

In her own words, Maureen on Accountability:

"She believes that government should be efficient and inclusive, rather than wasteful and exclusive.

As your State Senator, Maureen will fight to bring about a more open, responsive and efficient state government."
(emphasis mine)

Maureen O'Connell "means what she says.. and she'll do it!"

That's great news, because it looks like her Republican boss in Albany, Sen. Joe Bruno, could use a dose of that accountability jazz.

So Maureen, you'll renounce Joe Bruno's illegal (or at least incredibly suspect) use of campaign funds, right? Right?

O'Connell "means what she says", and now she has the perfect opportunity to "do it!".

Anyone feel like helping her out?

Maureen O'Connell For State Senate
499 Jericho Turnpike
Suite 100
Mineola, NY 11501
516-741-7300
maureen@maureenoconnell.com

Johnson Means Reform

Interesting thread called "Run Maureen..." at The Albany Project , (where I posted this as a diary under the same title..)

Let me tell you why I think Johnson means reform and O'Connell means dysfunction..

SaveNY has a right to his healthy dose of skepticism, given the apparent dysfunction of the legislature. Still, I disagree with his assessment that Johnson would be bad for upstate, simply because he is a downstate Democrat. For one, this election will ultimately be decided by voters within the district, and whomever they pick ought to reflect their interests and concerns, in the same way that upstate senators serve upstate citizens.

Beyond this, electing Johnson makes for better state government. From what I gather, he has been effective and clean in the Nassau Leg. And if you assume a certain degree of party discipline and lockstep, as SaveNY presumably does, I have a feeling Johnson's loyalties would fall closer to the ever-ascendant Spitzer, (as opposed to the besieged/machine boss Silver).

I say this because of the tremendous political capital our newly elected governor is expending in this race; clearly Johnson will be indebted to Spitzer, and thus an ally for REFORM.

It is the reform that Spitzer champions (public-finance, independent redistricting) that will ultimately benefit ONE NEW YORK, upstate included. So yes, lavish plane rides are certainly disappointing coming from Spitzer, but if he makes this sort of thing illegal, I'm all for it.

Something tells me that despite her love letter pledge to Spitzer, O'Connell would likely crack under pressure from Bruno, Skelos, et al. They've already shown their willingness to maintain their entrenched power-base tooth and nail; do you really think that O'Connell, a freshman legislator with little sway and in need of pork and plum cmte. appointments, could bite the hand that feeds?

This 'hand', might I add, is the Skelos-Mondello Nassau GOP, which seeks to hold on to its ever-dwindling status as the head of the state GOP. Mondello is pulling the strings here, and his loyalties start with Nassau and Long Island.

Therefore I see O'Connell as an impediment to both reform and a vital upstate.

King for Reform Before He was Against it?

Medicare Negotiation Bill Passes Veto Feared

See if you can make some sense of King's position on lowering Medicare drug prices, I don't really get it:

However, Congressman Peter King (R-Massapequa Park) was not convinced that this bill would help bring down the price of prescription medications. "While HR 4 may have offered the promise of lower drug prices, the reality is that it would do nothing to lower actual costs," King countered. "As a matter of fact, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has determined that it would have little effect on reducing the cost of prescription drugs. In addition, the dangerously vague language of HR 4 opens the door to restricting seniors' access to new drugs and multiple pharmacies."

But King said there are reasons to be concerned about the plan. "As seen in the debate on the House floor, supporters of HR 4 contend that the Veterans Administration offers a model in which drug prices are negotiated," he said. "What they have failed to mention, however, is that the VA offers a limited choice of pharmaceuticals available at select pharmacies. Three thousand of the 4,300 medicines covered by Medicare are unavailable under the veterans' program. Recent data shows that 1.5 million veterans are so unsatisfied with the coverage that they have chosen to buy a Part D plan." King added, "I have made it clear that I would support legislation giving Medicare more power to negotiate prescription drug prices if it would expand the purchasing power of Medicare beneficiaries and cover the wide range of prescription drugs and pharmacies currently available to those beneficiaries."

King cites the CBO report saying this legislation would have little effect on drug prices. What he doesn't tell us is that they believe this only because the legislation doesn't go far enough in "limiting choices". So basically King is being nonsensical: He accuses the Democrats' bill of not going far enough in granting Medicare negotiating leverage, but he's not willing to deal with the reduced options that come about from bulk purchasing, like in the VA program.

King wants to have his cake, eat it too, and blame the Democrats for taking steps forward.

King Politicizes Iraq Quagmire

hat tip to Iraq Insider:
Peter King cosponsors H.R. 511 which pledges "the faithful support of Congress to members of the United States Armed Forces serving in harm's way."

One would think that such an individual would seek to get those troop OUT of harm's way ASAP. Instead, King wants to spin the Democrats as not caring about the troops, merely because Democrats are not willing to see more brave soldiers die in policing a hopeless civil war.

Be sure to read the text of the bill, it's a classic example of the blind flag-waving that has come to characterize GWB's 'leadership'.. basically the bill is a piece of total polemic that mischaracterizes the dems's position of deigning to question the McCain Doctrine of open escalation. The November elections were a clear signal that the American people have had enough of Bush's failed leadership. King still "thanks God George Bush is our President", judging by this highly partisan junk bill.

Peter King: Flip Flopper?

Newsday:
AARP raps Peter King's vote on drug bill

"AARP in New York state says King's vote against the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act -- which would give the Department of Health and Human Services the authority to negotiate cheaper pharmaceuticals -- was cast despite assurances to the contrary."

"Congressman King in our voters guide states he's in favor of lowering drug prices and then he votes against this bill -- we were disappointed to see that," William Ferris, a lobbyist for the AARP in New York state, said Monday.
***

This certainly seems like a sly move by King. He maintains he is in favor of price negotiation, that this was merely a 'procedural objection' of sorts, yet still pays homage to Big Pharma and her deep pocket$. I for one am glad that AARP is taking the time to expose King's desertion of society's most vulnerable. Methinks he's also trying to stay in good with the R leadership, that is voting against some good ideas when they come from the Democrats. Let's see how far that takes him..

I'm beginning to understand why King called Sen. Lieberman's (CFL-CT) Democratic opposition a bunch of 'left-wing zealots'.

That's because he shares a passion for being a conservative in moderate clothing with Lieberman, slash they're both really good at campaigning on lies..

Bush’s Best Democratic Buddy
Joe Lieberman gives the president a pass on Katrina.