Lying Liars and the Lies they Love

OK, the Conservatives need to stop drinking that wacky kool-ade. It's making my head spin.

The same National Conservative Weekly that created the "sex-phone call" story and then disproved it, just did it again with their latest skit with the NRCC attacking Mike Arcuri.

Here's what they wrote about the "sex-phone call"

A close examination of those expense reports reveals that Arcuri billed taxpayers in 2004 for a call to a phone-sex number. [potentially offensive material removed by me] The phone number appears on Arcuri’s hotel bill. He was attending the New York State District Attorneys Association conference in New York City at the time.

(This afternoon, after this story was posted, I was informed that the number in question, 800-457-8462, was accidentally dialed instead of 518-457-8462. The latter number is for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. However, this new information raises questions about why Arcuri dialed his calling card, 800-255-2255, just one minute after hanging up on the phone sex hotline, as his hotel bill indicates. The campaign has still not returned my calls seeking an explanation.)

Here's what they wrote today about the rapist who's still in jail:

The ad begins with a photo of a man named Thomas Griffiths, who the announcer says served time for felony sex abuse and was later jailed for another sex crime. After Griffiths cooperated with the Oneida County district attorney's office, one of Arcuri's deputies wrote a letter on Griffiths' behalf to the parole board. But Griffiths was arrested again after his release, leading the announcer to accuse Arcuri of breaking his promise to "create a safer community."

According to the New York State Department of Correctional Services, which has a searchable database of Thomas Griffiths' records, he was arrested for sex-related crimes in 1990 and 1994. When up for parole in 1998, Oneida County Assistant District Attorney Scott D. McNamara wrote a favorable letter that apparently had little impact (Griffiths remained in the system for four more years). But just 18 months after his release, he was arrested again for criminal possession of a controlled substance. He is still serving out his sentence.

Hello?? If you need a phone call to explain to you what dialing a wrong number means, you have no business anywhere near a phone. Or a keyboard for that matter!

Thank you for showing why the ads are what cows leave behind. I finally understand the phrase "never argue with an idiot... he'll bring you down to his level then beat you with experience."

What's Bushspeak for "someone who lies to you while telling you he's lying, but calls it Truth"?
Maimun

Republicans have earned it

MY WRATH

The NRCC owes Mike Arcuri, his staff, his family, and his friends an apology.

It owes the tax payers of Oneida County an apology.

It owes the residents of the 24th Congressional District an apology.

This latest piece of stench is another page in their attempt to scare women into not voting for Mike Arcuri.

Their loss that we are not all stepford women and that we can and do think.

Republicans, we know the case you are trying to twist into a rapist allowed to go free. Here's the rest of the story:
1) The victim ran away and was not found within the time allowed to indict.
2) The rapist was tried and convicted and sent to jail

Republicans, we know that if you dial the wrong number in a hotel room, you get billed for the first minute $1.25. Here's the rest of the story:
1) a lawyer dialed 800-457-8462 and hung up when he realized it was wrong number.
2) now realizing that it was a toll call, the same lawyer used his calling card and called 518-457-8462 and reached the intended New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. 3) The lawyer was meeting with Mike Arcuri during the NYS District Attorney's Association Conference.

What offensive, lying, fear-mongering trash will you dump on us next?

Arcuri was the first man to be chosen the Mohawk Valley YWCA's Person of the Year award for his efforts in dealing with Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

He was instrumental in the formation of the Oneida County Drug Task force and the Utica Arson Task force.

He created a Special Victims Unit in the DA's office as well as a Victim Advocate position.

Under his leadership, the DA's office has a 92% conviction rate.

His efforts brought the Child Advocacy Center to Oneida County.

Democratic women and independent women have been getting the vile mailings and phone calls trying to frighten us into not voting for Mike.

We know better and it's got nothing to do with how a person looks.

And we know how to deal with spoiled, temper-tantrum-throwing, lying immature humans.

It's no longer enough to throw the bums out. They need to sit in a corner until they learn how to live with other humans.
Maimun

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. ~Kahlil Gibran

Now granted, as I was reading this article, faint sounds of Bert Parks singing "There she is... Miss America..." could be heard. This is yet another reason I wish I was better with PhotoShop.

Yea, he's easy on the eyes, but I think he's better than he looks.
Maimun

Democratic Faces That Could Launch Thousands of Votes
With a Parade of Attractive Candidates, the Party May Benefit From the
Politics of Beauty

By Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 14, 2006; A01

AUBURN, N.Y. -- Maybe Democratic candidate Michael Arcuri is running
strong in this Republican House district because he pledges to expand
health coverage, balance the budget and raise the minimum wage.

Or maybe it's his piercing Italian eyes and runner's physique.

"He is pretty good-looking," observed Paula Ferrin with admiration, as
the 47-year-old district attorney worked the crowd at a local senior
center.

"What we want is brains, honey," scolded her friend Rose Oliver.

"True," Ferrin answered, "but handsome doesn't hurt."

The research is unambiguous that Ferrin is right: Attractive
politicians have an edge over not-so-attractive ones. The phenomenon
is resonating especially this year. By a combination of luck and
design, Democrats seem to be fielding an uncommonly high number of
uncommonly good-looking candidates.

The beauty gap between the parties, some on Capitol Hill muse, could
even be a factor in who controls Congress after Election Day.

Democratic operatives do not publicly say that they went out of their
way this year to recruit candidates with a high hotness quotient.
Privately, however, they acknowledge that, as they focused on finding
the most dynamic politicians to challenge vulnerable Republicans, it
did not escape their notice that some of the most attractive prospects
were indeed often quite attractive.

There is a certain logic to the trend. Back in 1994, when Republicans
seized power in Congress from Democrats, the GOP had a number of
fresh-faced challengers who knocked off incumbents who had grown worse
for wear after years of committee hearings and fundraising receptions.

This year, it is the Democrats who have several ripe opportunities to
unseat Republicans, some of whom have grown gray and portly during
their years in power.

To gain the 15 seats needed to recapture House control, the party is
targeting about 40 GOP-leaning districts, including New York's 24th,
where veteran Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert (R) is retiring and where
Arcuri is campaigning.

In most of the races, the Democratic challengers look a lot like
standard-issue politicians -- not likely to impress the judges at
Atlantic City. But there are others who, while they might not have
movie-star looks, are certainly well above the C-SPAN median.

The list is decidedly unscientific, but it includes several whose
names come up often on Capitol Hill for reasons other than their
policy platforms. Among those on it, in addition to Arcuri, are Brad
Ellsworth, a swaggering Indiana sheriff; businesswoman Gabrielle
Giffords of Arizona, who has chiseled features and rides a motorcycle;
and Heath Shuler of North Carolina, a strapping former quarterback for
the Washington Redskins. In Tennessee, Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr., a lean
and stylish 36-year-old, has drawn admiring looks.

Republican Bob Corker, who is running against Ford, has acknowledged
the disparity. "I know I'm not as good-looking," Corker said. He hopes
his business experience will compensate.

The crop of eye-pleasing pols has party operatives calculating the
politics of beauty. "There's a fine line, and you can't cross it,"
said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee. Voters don't like men who look like pretty boys or
women who resemble bimbos. "If you're too good-looking, people won't
take you seriously," Emanuel said.

Carl Forti, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional
Committee, agreed that attractive candidates often have an early
advantage. But he said voters' decisions in the polling booth are
rarely skin-deep, especially in a closely contested race.

"When each side is spending four or five million, people know the
records, and it doesn't have the same impact," he said. He noted that
Shuler's popularity has declined in recent weeks following reports
that his real estate firm was late in paying taxes. "That's gone back
to being a close race."

The two candidates here in this Upstate New York district have similar
résumés. Both Arcuri and his GOP opponent, state Sen. Raymond A.
Meier, are lawyers. The two first crossed paths in 1985 while working
on opposite sides of a local election recount. Polls showed they
entered the race with roughly even name identification. They have the
same Oneida County political base.

Meier's advantage is that the 24th District is home to 45,000 more
registered Republicans than Democrats. But Arcuri is a popular
prosecutor, the first Democrat elected to the post in 40 years. He's
also tall and thin, with dark, gray-flecked hair and sharp features.
Meier, who is 53, wears glasses, and his hair is brown and thinning.
His look would seem to be perfectly pleasant but nondescript.

Arcuri's image is plastered all over his campaign materials, from yard
signs to the trading cards that are distributed at campaign events. In
his official campaign photo, he leans forward with one hand on his
hip, looking suave and casual. His Web site shows him finishing a
marathon.

His political friends tease him about his fashion-magazine persona,
but they acknowledge that it's a valuable asset. "He's a young,
good-looking guy," said Charlie Evangelista, Ontario County Democratic
Committee chairman. "He's going to connect with people."

Arcuri's theory is that voters have an immediate, visceral reaction to
candidates that, if powerful enough, can trump ideology or party
affiliation. "How do you get around the status quo? You look for
younger, energetic faces," he said. But while people may decide in an
instant whether or not they are able to vote for him, he said, "then
they have to know you can do the job."

He added, "I spend a lot of time assuring people I can be congressional."

His theory might be correct. An independent poll in the district
released last night showed him with a 10-point lead.

Some of the academic research on beauty and voting goes back decades,
to the early 1970s. In 1990, political scientist Lee Sigelman, then at
the University of Arizona, posited that Democrats were losing ground
nationally, despite an advantage in voter registration, because their
looks were a turnoff. He rated all governors and members of Congress
on an ugliness scale and found that of the 26 least attractive, 25
were Democrats.

The playing field these days is more level. Research has shown that if
candidates invest a little effort in their looks, the payoff can be
huge. Campaign consultants hover around candidates, ordering them to
change their hairstyles, get in shape and update their wardrobes. "The
bar has been raised, without question," said Sigelman, now a George
Washington University political science professor.

He singled out three Maryland statewide candidates, Republican Senate
nominee Michael S. Steele and gubernatorial rivals Robert L. Ehrlich
Jr. (R) and Martin O'Malley (D), "as playing the image game really
well." Politicians today, said Sigelman, strive for "the personality
and looks of talk show hosts." The goal is to be "well turned out."

One candidate who made a high-impact adjustment is Diane Farrell. The
Connecticut Democrat used to wear her blond hair pulled back tight,
but after a gentle nudge from a campaign aide, she allowed it to hang
loose for a more natural, relaxed look.

The looks factor can be maddening for the opposition. One writer on an
anti-Shuler blog expressed annoyance at the candidate's wife, "with
all her quips about how cute Shuler is. What a way to decide how to
vote!!"

Perhaps not surprisingly, research has shown that voters who are
easily swayed by social trends tend to favor more attractive
candidates. Conversely, people who resist social trends prefer
unattractive candidates.

The latest wave of research examines a possible root of political
attraction: how closely candidates and voters resemble each other. A
Stanford University study this year suggested that little-known
candidates can increase their electoral support by as much as 20
percentage points by tweaking visual features on their campaign
materials so they look slightly more like a targeted group of voters,
for instance Asians or Hispanics.

The less voters know about the candidates, as in races such as the
Arcuri-Meier contest with no incumbent, the more looks seem to matter.
An examination of a 2001 British local election by a team of Texas
Tech University and University of Plymouth researchers found that, in
the absence of facts, people who are considered attractive by survey
respondents are more likely to win.

The findings were presented to the American Political Science
Association's 2003 annual meeting, with the caveat that they "may
offend notions of democracy that candidates should compete fairly and
on the basis of issues not appearance."

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

"We've only just begun..."

I'm realizing that it's going to be hard for me to keep up with this blog the next few weeks. I've been getting numerous new volunteers daily (join the fun) and getting everyone up to speed is taking a good chunk of my time at home as well as lunch. I think the only reason my cat isn't completely pissed at me is because Mike did him a favor years ago.

I've also gotten to drive some more through the amazing 24th CD. That I've been able to see so much more of my backyard is an unexpected perk of the campaign. And it's been years since I was able to enjoy the Fall trees.

Earlier this week, I made a trip to Oneonta to join in the Democratic Committee HQ grand opening. Before we headed back, we stopped for dinner at a Ruffino's Pizzeria on Main St and filled up on great pizza. I'll definitely be stopping there again.

Now, the roads between Oneonta and Utica can make for an interesting drive. It includes, but is not limited to:

• breath-taking scenery
• assorted critters running across the road
• very slow drivers
• very fast drivers
• sharp turns
• gentle curves
• posted speed limits ranging from 20 to 55
• fog
• bright sun
  
• heavy rain
• snow
• ice
• sleet
• freezing rain
• drizzle
• bikers
• pedestrians
• and assorted critters who run out in front of cars

The time previous I'd been on that road, I had a car-full of campaign volunteers returning from the first Arcuri-Meier debate. It was a trip that combined a pep rally, debate prep, Crossfire and a road trip with friends.

The other night, I had the solitude of myself and some CDs. White Moon hung just above the hill line and glowed a mournful red. A thin cloud band stretched across it making the first impression of Jupiter much too close to Earth. Even the critters were kind enough to stay on the side of the road until I went by, though I can't say the same about the guy who was taking a night walk wearing much too dark clothes.

There's less than a month left now until Election Day. Granted, the hardest part just started, but what an adventure it's been. And it's only just beginning.
Maimun

"If you can't answer a man's argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names."

The National Republican Congressional Committee, a panel devoted to electing GOP House members, has spent $745,000 since Sept. 1 for ads slamming the Democratic hopeful, Michael Arcuri - and $82,000 to pump up their own candidate, Ray Meier.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a similar panel dedicated to helping Democrats, countered by shelling out $167,000 to promote Arcuri and $160,000 for mailers hammering Meier, according to data compiled by the campaign watchdog group PoliticalMoneyLine.

NY Post, Oct 3, 2006

So, for every 1 dollar the NRCC spends telling us how good their candidate is, they spend over 9 dollars attacking Mike Arcuri.... Civility in the Alternate Universe.
Maimun

1 wrong choice

GOP candidates lukewarm in Hastert support
By Jonathan E. Kaplan

Several Republican candidates in challenging races this fall said their support for Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) as the top House Republican in the 110th Congress will depend on the findings of an investigation into former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.).

Republicans Martha Rainville (Vt.), Rick O’Donnell (Colo.) and Peter Roskam (Ill.) would wait for the Justice Department to complete an investigation before deciding how to vote, said campaign aides.

“If Attorney General [Alberto] Gonzales finds that anyone who holds elected office was aware of Mr. Foley’s inappropriate behavior, that person is not fit to serve the public and should be removed from office,” said O’Donnell’s spokesman.

However, Republicans will vote on leadership elections during the lame-duck session in November and will formally vote on the Speakership (should they retain the majority) at the start of the new Congress early next year. In all likelihood, the Gonzales investigation will still be ongoing.

Based on the information available, state Sen. Ray Meier (R-N.Y.) said he would support Hastert. Other candidates like Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), who is running for his father’s seat, avoided the issue.

“We have no stance on that right now — we’ll worry about that after we win,” said Bilirakis.

In a statement, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) said, “I will not vote for any leader who knew or should have known about Mark Foley’s conduct.”

Randy Graf, who is running for GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe’s seat in Arizona, said Hastert has been helpful to his campaign and did not want to speculate about what might happen.

“When I get to D.C., I’ll sit down with the House leadership and discuss who deserves to be Speaker,” he said.

Meanwhile, GOP incumbents continue to distance themselves from their leaders. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) cancelled an event with Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Ron Lewis (R-Ky.) cancelled an event with Hastert. Reps. Lewis, Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) and Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) declined to comment about whether they would vote for Hastert.

Brad Haynes and Cameron Joseph contributed to this article.

(October 5, 2006, The Hill)

There were 9 Congressmembers cited in the article above. 3 declined comment on if they'd vote for Haskert. 3 others said they would wait to see how the investigation comes out before they voted even though the investigation will probably go longer than they have time. 1 says that he would cast a No vote. Another says that they's speak with the house leadership to see who deserves to be leader. 1 cancelled an event scheduled with Hastert.

One said that he supports Hastert.

Ray Meier.

As a counselor, I ask you to support Mike Arcuri. He prosecutes predators.

One of the volunteers, Clarice. told me a while ago that we need more prosecutors and fewer Big Oil Company defence lawyers in Congress.

It's even simpler than that, isn't it?

At today's debates, Meier asked the audience to consider who of the two of the candidates would we more trust to represent them in DC.

When it comes to the abuse of those more helpless than us, there's a right and a wrong. I trust those who understand and do something about it.

I do believe that there's a spot down under for those who take advantage of children. The spot right below that floor is reserved for those who knew or should have known and did nothing. Giving back the tens of thousands of dollars that Meier took isn't my preferance. I wish it were donated to the Child Advocacy Center.
Maimun

HR6166

The shadow peanut gallery's been leaving comments here regarding Mike Arcuri's statement on HR6166 at last week's debate. Other bloggers who've long been open supporters of Ray Meier must be straining their keyboard, finger muscles and Internet connections in their frenzy to talk about that one answer.

I do have comments to write about the debate but they'll have to wait until I get the time to do it. But I want to respond to the comments left here.

And actually, it's one of Ray Meier's comment at the debate that is the base of my response. Ray's comment about wiretapping was that the "NSA was not listening in to [his] conversation with his sister in Cleveland."

No, they're not. And in all likelihood, this Badministration's not really caring about most of the commenters here either.

If anyone in this little corner of the blogesphere has any probability of getting the NSA's attention, being on a Badministration list, or being the target of a hate crime, it's me.

I'm Muslim. The President of the country I live in called for a crusade. Meier's who is running to represent me (so to speak) painted "the Muslim world" as terrorists. (Yea, he backpaddled pretty furiously to take the paint off, but in this day and age, if he didn't mean it, he wouldn't have said it.)

Do I think that this Badministration will continue to use torture and other inhumane treatment of people? Absolutely.

That's why I want Mike Arcuri to be my representative in Congress.

I do think HR6166 could be improved, but, at least in my reading of it, it didn't raise the fear that some of the posts attempted to raise. Read it for yourself here.
Maimun

Freedom of Blogging

One of the hardest parts of having this blog is that I believe in Freedom on Speech and that the best answer to the poor use of the freedom is better use of the freedom.

I have the option of disabling comments or forcing people to sign their comments. Instead, I allow anyone to post and permit anonymous postings. I do so in the hope that education and dialogue can occur. The few posts that I have rejected were either spam or private messages directly to me.

And I'm sure that you've seen that I've cleared cowardly posts that I obviously find stupid.

Why to I clear through the moronic ravings of cowards?

Nothing shows how sad and wrong they are better than they show themselves.
Maimun

They Like Mike

Today was one of the days that I could combine two passions of mine.... art and politics. The only thing that would have made the day better was sunshine, but then again, it is September in Central New York.

A number of volunteers wanted to represent Mike Arcuri at the Remsen Barn Festival this weekend. I decided to head up a bit early and spend some time shopping by myself since this was one of the events that usually is a core for holiday gift-giving.

Now, the Remsen Barn Festival is an arts and crafts show heavily spiced up with good food. It's not a political event per se, but it is one of the local events where a presence is expected. Besides, central NY has a long history in hand-crafting and supporting the local small businesses is an extra bonus of buying art pieces. I think most of the major campaigns were represented during the day.

But for the first 2 hours of my day there, I planned to spend my money and see what the artists were doing.

What is it that they say about plans?

As I stepped onto the bus, a woman comments that she likes my pin. I was wearing an Arcuri pin. I smiled, thanked her and asked if she'd like one to. I handed her one of the pins I had.

Then I sat down. And the woman next to me says, "I'd like one too
After getting to the Festival, I was able to shop for a few stalls before yet another person appreciated my pin.

And that pretty much set the activities of the day. Oh, I got my shopping in too (though to be honest, the only gifts I bought are for my cat... everything else is for myself!)

I also got a call from someone who was spending the day in Auburn. It was a rather funny call. I said "Hi" and and we chatted briefly about the weather. I was hoping the rain would hold off and she was being drenched. Then she said that she was probably calling for a pretty silly reason. She'd just seen a Centro bus with a Mike Arcuri ad on the side.

I remember the ads we had on buses back when Mike first ran for DA. We didn't have cell phones back then, so the excited calls or conversations about seeing "the bus" were limited to evenings or getting together, but it was still fun and exciting.

And it still is.

I gave a number of pins away today. It's fun and exciting that each offer was prompted by the spontaneous comments of the voters. There weren't flags around us. There wasn't a sign-in table in front of me. No policy statements. No debate.

Just a lot of people who prefer Mike Arcuri to be our Congressman and who aren't afraid to say it.
Maimun

The Real 9.11 Legacy