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!