Washington—-YOU’RE FIRED!———————-

 

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=uZgL9Yr16pc

*NY Times*-G.O.P. Struggles to Find Candidates for Congress

An interesting article from April 8th, 2008 New York Times.

Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/nyregion/08republicans.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

G.O.P. Struggles to Find Candidates for Congress

By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

 

Published: April 8, 2008

By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: April 8, 2008

WASHINGTON — Republican leaders are struggling to recruit candidates for Congressional races in the New York region, reflecting a problem for the party in other pockets of the country and giving Democrats an opportunity to build on the gains they made in the area in the last election.
 
Representative Thomas M. Reynolds, Republican of New York, announcing last month that he would not seek a sixth term.
Heading into this election cycle, Republican leaders in Washington identified dozens of Congressional seats they believed they could pick up in November’s election — some where Democrats narrowly won a first term in 2006, and others where Democrats represent Republican-leaning districts.

But that strategy appears to have run into complications, both in the New York region and in some other parts of the country, as many potential Republican candidates — including public officials and wealthy entrepreneurs — have stayed on the sidelines, despite direct appeals from party leaders.

In some cases, potential candidates see a tough climate for Republicans, largely because of a troubled economy and a protracted war, according to some Republicans.

Some have even started races, only to abandon the effort.

A recent example arose after Representative Thomas M. Reynolds, a five-term Republican, announced on March 20 that he would not run for re-election in New York’s 26th Congressional District, a heavily Republican area that stretches from Buffalo to Rochester.

Days after Mr. Reynolds’s announcement, the man widely considered to be the most formidable Republican candidate to replace Mr. Reynolds, George D. Maziarz, a popular state senator, declared that he would not run for the seat.

He said that giving up his own seat to run for Congress would be too great a gamble.

“It’s very difficult for a Republican in this election cycle,” Mr. Maziarz said in a recent interview. “It’s clearly a competitive seat. And I think it’s more competitive without me.”

Republican leaders play down the difficulty of finding willing candidates. Ken Spain, a spokesman for the House Republicans’ campaign committee, acknowledged the challenges in certain districts but said the party had done a good job of recruitment over all.

“We believe we have fielded one of the best Republican recruitment classes in quite some time,” he said.

But the lack of robust challengers, especially for Democratic freshmen, is clearly a concern. Members of Congress are typically considered most vulnerable after their first term in office. After that, the benefits of incumbency tend to build and protect them from serious challenges.

In central New York, for example, Republicans have been urging Richard Hanna, a wealthy businessman who could bankroll his own race, to run against Representative Michael Arcuri, a member of the Democratic freshman class of 2006. In that year, the party gained 30 seats and took control of the House.

But Mr. Hanna, who formed an exploratory committee last November, has yet to enter the race, puzzling Mr. Arcuri and Democratic leaders in Washington, who had been bracing for a tough election season for freshman lawmakers. As recently as last week, Republican leaders in Washington encouraged Mr. Hanna to run, and they say they believe he still may enter the race.

“I don’t know why the situation is what it is,” Mr. Arcuri said in a recent interview. He suggested that the electoral challenges Republicans are facing, including an increasingly unpopular war, may have led “people who might otherwise run for Congress to think twice.”

Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who is in charge of the House Democratic campaign effort for 2008, said Democrats had started the election cycle expecting to spend much of their time and resources defending the seats captured by new members.

“It’s unexpected,” he said, referring to the recruitment problems Republican have faced. “The fact that they have not been able to field candidates in a lot of these districts means we have not had to circle the wagons and play defense.”

The Republican recruitment effort is also facing complications on the Senate side. In New Jersey, John F. Crowley, a biotechnology executive, decided recently not to enter the New Jersey Republican primary, even after being asked to do so by Senator John McCain of Arizona and other prominent Republicans.

Republicans have had difficulty recruiting top-tier candidates in several other states, including Ohio and Indiana. But the problems have been especially pronounced in New York, a heavily Democratic state where Democrats picked up three Republican-held seats in 2006. Republicans are in danger of suffering more losses this year, analysts say.

In the Syracuse area, for example, Republican leaders are scrambling to find a candidate to appear on the ballot in place of Representative James T. Walsh, who recently announced that he would retire at the end of his current term.

Republicans in Washington thought that their strongest possible candidate was William Fitzpatrick, the longtime Onondaga County district attorney, and tried to persuade him to run. But he ultimately declined. Mr. Fitzpatrick did not return a phone call requesting comment. Now, several Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination, even as Democrats have coalesced around their candidate, Dan Maffei, a former Congressional aide who narrowly lost to Mr. Walsh in the 2006 election.

Republicans have also suffered a significant setback in their efforts to defeat Representative John Hall, a freshman Democrat who narrowly won his seat in the suburbs north of New York City in 2006.

At one point, Republican Party leaders had managed to recruit a millionaire who was expected to pour his own money into the race, causing alarm among Democrats. But the candidate, Andrew M. Saul, a vice chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, abruptly quit the race, citing personal reasons. Now, Mr. Hall is running virtually unopposed.

The problems are also playing out in neighboring New Jersey, where Representative Jim Saxton, a longtime incumbent, announced that he would not seek re-election this year, leaving Republican leaders in a bind.

In an effort to protect the seat, national Republicans leaders approached State Senator Diane Allen, 59, seeing her as a strong prospective candidate, according to one person close to the situation. But the senator decided not to run because she did not relish a contested primary, the person said, leaving a muddled primary among Republicans fighting for their party’s nomination for the seat.

Meet John Wallace – Earlier interviews on the Capitol Outsider

November 30th, 2007

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=718843829612131137&hl=en

Second Republican joins race for 21st

Second Republican joins race for the 21st

 

Add the name Steven Vasquez to theSteven Vasquez is seventh candidate for congressional seat 
 
By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, March 22, 2008  list of candidates seeking the 21st Congressional District seat being vacated by Democrat Michael McNulty.
 
Vasquez, a 33-year-old businessman, is a Republican who would have to run in a primary against Jim Buhrmaster, a Schenectady County legislator who on Wednesday became the first Republican to announce his candidacy. Vasquez is the seventh announced candidate for the seat; five Democrats are also in the running.
Though he’s a resident of the Saratoga County community of Ballston Lake –
outside the 21st district — it shouldn’t present a legal obstacle to his candidacy. According to Charlie Diamond, a longtime McNulty aide, election law allows anyone who lives in the state to run for a congressional seat, so Vasquez should be covered if he fulfills his promise to move into the district if elected.
The district stretches over seven counties. The only part of Saratoga County inside the district is the town and village of Waterford.
“It shouldn’t be an issue,” Vasquez said. “I’ve been a Capital District resident for over half of my life, and I’ve worked in the 21st District, including Troy and Albany, and I’ve associated with people in the community,” he said.
His Web site, http://www.steven2008.com, says that after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he started ReQuest, a consumer electronics company that makes high-end stereo equipment. His Web site creditVasquez with inventing the consumer media server back in 1997 with the AudioReQuest MP3 home digital music system.
His interest in running for political office stems from his background, he said. “I’m a tech-savvy entrepreneur who knows how to bring jobs to Tech Valley,” he said. “New York is overburdened with taxes, and that creates barriers to businesses that want to move into the state as well as those looking to find jobs in the area.”
The New York City native also cited a need “to focus on fixing our fiscal house and taking care of Social Security. With the economy in a recession, the dollar falling, rising gas and food prices, the mortgage crisis, and massive deficit spending, Washington has the wrong priorities,” he said.
Vasquez received his bachelor’s degree from RPI in 1996 and two master’s degrees in 1998, one in business administration from RPI’s Lally School of Business and another in engineering.
Carol DeMare can be reached at 454-5431 or by e-mail at cdemare@timesunion.com.
Source:http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=674103&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=LOCAL&newsdate=3/23/2008
 

Source:http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=674103&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=LOCAL&newsdate=3/23/2008

Republican throws hat in the ring for 21st District Seat

Republican throws hat in the ring for 21st District seat

Saturday, March 22, 2008

By Jill Bryce (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

 

21ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT — A second Republican has announced that he is entering the race for the 21st Congressional District seat, which could set the stage for a Republican primary.

Steven Vasquez, 33, of Ballston Lake, a self-described Tech Valley entrepreneur who started an electronics company called ReQuest, said he will work full time on his candidacy.

He decided to run to “stop wasting money so we can protect seniors and veterans.” He said the key issue is the economy and he will “fight to make hard choices to stop Congress from deficit spending that robs Social Security.”

Vasquez said the reason taxes are so high is because Congress is spending massive amounts of money, which is hurting the economy, increasing the deficit and forcing the country to borrow money from Communist China and Saudi Arabia.

Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — has been taking money from Social Security surplus funds for decades, he added.

U.S. Rep. Michael McNulty, D-Green Island, who has held the seat for 20 years, is not running for re-election.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said that as baby boomers enter retirement age in the next 20 years, the federal government will go broke and not be able to fulfill its obligations, leaving taxpayers holding the bill for more than $500,000 per household, according to Vasquez.

The U.S. country is reaching the threshold of how much the government can borrow vs. how much it can produce.

“I would create a firewall and stop Congress from being able to loot the trust funds. That alone won’t save it, but it would buy time to help Congress stop wasting money overseas.”

Vasquez, who is single, has not run for elected office before but has worked on political campaigns including Ron Paul’s recent run for president.

A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, Vasquez said he created manufacturing and engineering jobs in Tech Valley by co-founding ReQuest, a consumer electronics business.

He now serves on the ReQuest board.

“I am a tech-savvy entrepreneur, and I know how to bring jobs to Tech Valley. What’s happening in New York is that we are more highly taxed than elsewhere in country. It’s creating barriers for people who would like to move in and get jobs.”

He said he’s excited by the number of candidates in the race. “It will allow voters a real choice. It should be a good race. I think I will win. I have the ability to take on hard choices most other candidates won’t talk about.”

Earlier this week, Jim Buhrmaster, a business owner and Schenectady County legislator, became the first Republican to announce he would run for McNulty’s seat.

The Democrats who have announced their candidacies are: Gary Mittleman, founding CEO of Plug Power; Phil Steck, Colonie Democratic chairman; Tracey Brooks, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton; Darius Shahinfar, a former aide to U.S. Rep . Kirsten Gillibrand; and Lester Freeman, an Albany Democratic activist.

Former Democratic assemblyman Paul Tonko, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, is considering a run.

McNulty has not endorsed any of the candidates.

The district covers parts of Fulton, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties and all of Albany, Montgomery, Schenectady and Schoharie counties.

It has a majority of Democrats with 41 percent; 28 percent of voters are Republicans and 31 percent are not enrolled in either major party.

Source:http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/mar/22/0322_anotherhat/

Article and Video- Steven Vazquez for US Congress- NY

 

Another candidate for McNulty’s seat

By: Curtis Schick

Updated: 03/22/2008 08:57 PM

 

ALBANY, N.Y. — In the race for Mike McNulty’s seat in Congress we’ve seen one person after another jump into the race. Half a dozen, most with some political pedigree made the standard “I’m running” announcement.

 

But, political newcomer Steven Vasquez quietly announcing by press release that he’s running for Congress is just one way he’s trying to show he’s not your cookie cutter candidate.

“I will win, I’m the person who will make the hard choices,” said Vasquez.
Vasquez was born in Queens, moved upstate to go to college, graduated from RPI with two masters’ degrees and started a successful tech business called ReQuest. He said New York must do more so high tech business request to the Empire State.
“The Triangle in North Carolina, and Silicon Valley; they encourage business to come in and people to come in by reducing the taxes,” said Vasquez.

Vasquez said he’s a fiscally conservative Republican and said the federal government needs to stop spending in 20 years or the country will be broke.

 

He said we need less spending overseas with fewer troops fighting wars around the world.

Vasquez said we need a balanced budget and stop taking money out of programs for seniors and veterans.

“The federal government is going to run out of money. And it is not going to have any money to pay for national defense or any other program if we don’t make changes now,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez doesn’t live in the district. He calls Ballston Lake home, which is just across the border. He said he’s deeply tied to the Capital Region and doesn’t think it will make a difference with voters.

Something we won’t find out until this fall.

VIDEO:http://capitalnews9.com/Video/BuildASX.ashx?vids=68927&StationId=1&adId=10820

Source: http://capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/112772/another-candidate-for-mcnulty-s-seat/Default.aspx

 

David Gay US Congress Needs Lawn Signs… Thousands of Them!

To All my supporters-

First, I would like to thank everyone who has donated to my campaign in the last couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, the local GOP decided to endorse a career politician to run for Congress over a true Conservative like myself.  Not to worry, though! I will be running a primary against this guy! It’s time to take our message to the voters!

So far, I’ve raised about $4,000. This has helped purchase flyers, postage, and bumper stickers. My next goal is lawn signs for my entire district.

I will be organizing a “sign-bomb” in my entire district on May, 26th, the day I plan to announce my intention to primary. In order to do this, I need to raise $2,500 more by this weekend, so I can get an order in on time for delivery.

If you’ve donated in the past, please don’t stop now! I need all the help I can get!

DONATE ONLINE: http://www.davidgay2008.com/donate

Warmest Regards,

David A. Gay, Sr.

Republican for U.S. Congress
N.Y. State – 25th District

David Gay for US Congress-NY to force a Primary!-David Gay Moneybomb – May 31st

Update on David Gay for US Congress-New York Congressional District 25-Republican

Endorsed by Ron Paul

David Gay Moneybomb – May 31st

Last night, Dale Sweetland, a party darling, won the GOP endorsement for the Congressional seat in the 25th District of N.Y. State. Although Bob Oaks had raised over $100,000 and Sweetland had raised even less than I did (around $3,000), old party tricks won out and Sweetland got 95% of the vote!

Knowing full well that most GOP Committees do not represent actual voters, there will be a primary, and I will be the one to initiate it.

I will announce my intention to primary with a press conference on May 26th, and hope you all can give me a fundraising boost at the end of that week.

Thank you to everyone from across the nation who has donated so far. If it weren’t for you, I may have dropped out by now. I realize, however, that this message is too important! WE are the future of the Republican Party, and the future of this great nation!

This race is mine to win. Time to spread Dr. Paul’s message to the masses!

Warmest Regards,

David A. Gay, Sr.
Republican for U.S. Congress
N.Y. State – 25th District
www.davidgay2008.com

Please email your pledge for May 31st to: davidandrewgay@yahoo.com

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“I believe David Gay is the best qualified candidate to serve in the US Congress from the 25th district of New York. David would make a strong replacement for Jim Walsh, who recently announced his retirement. David believes very strongly in the traditional Republican principles of constitutionally limited government and free enterprise. I am happy to give him my endorsement.”

– Ron Paul

Why do we need to help these Freedom Candidates?

 

Read this Article by Henry Lamb-

Congress to transform America to socialism?

---

 

 

Posted: May 03, 2008
1:00 am Eastern

 

© 2008 

 

The classic definition of socialism is: government control of the sources of production. A bill now before Congress, H.R. 2421, will give the federal government absolute control over all sources of production. This bill, if enacted, will instantly convert the United States into a socialist nation.

The debate, however, is not about the merits of socialism over capitalism and free markets; the debate is about water. The bill will give to the federal government control over all water in the United States, and control over all “… activities affecting these waters.”

Water is essential in the production of virtually everything. If the government controls water, and all “activities affecting these waters,” then the government controls the sources of production.

There is absolutely no need for the government to take this draconian step. Water is already regulated far beyond necessity. The control and regulation of water has stripped property rights from people in every state – often for no definable public benefit. This bill will destroy the last vestige of the idea of private property rights.

For more than a generation, the liberal philosophy that government should “manage” society has prevailed in the education system and in practice. The 1973 Endangered Species Act gave the federal government power to declare private property to be “critical habitat” under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Court decisions in the 1980s defined privately owned “wetlands” to be the jurisdiction of the federal government. The 1990s saw the rise of comprehensive planning as the most effective way to control the use of land. Now, we’re faced with a bill to give government the power to control the use of water and all “activities affecting these waters,” and with it goes all claims to private property rights.

(

Americans have accepted the idea that the protection of a single population of a sub-species of some bug or weed is more important than the rights of the property owner. Americans have accepted the idea that some appointed planning council knows better how land should be used than the people who own and pay taxes on the land. Now, Americans are expected to accept the notion that government should control the water supply, and thereby control the sources of all production.

With all the wailing and gnashing of teeth about the current economic downturn, no one seems to be pointing to government’s involvement in and mismanagement of the marketplace. Why Americans sat by and allowed government to take their freedom away piecemeal is a mystery posterity will surely ponder. Historically, Americans rallied behind whatever effort it took to keep socialism from overtaking this nation. Now, Congress is moving rapidly toward enacting a law that will effectively embrace socialism.

The voices in Washington in opposition to this transformation are few and are drowned out by big-name officials who command media attention. This condition did not occur overnight. For a generation, a government-controlled education system has produced people who actually believe that government should be the master of society, rather than society being the master of government.

For a generation, these people have been gaining political power in local, state and federal offices. Now, it is difficult to find an elected body of government anywhere that is not dominated by people who believe the power of government must supersede the power of the people.

This condition will not be corrected overnight – if ever. Someone has to teach a new generation why the U.S. Constitution produced the most prosperous nation ever. Someone has to explain to a new generation the difference between a free market and a market managed by government. Someone has to teach a new generation that the exercise of freedom does not require the government’s permission.

The “someone” here will be the people who are elected to local, state and federal offices over the next several years. If the people who cherish freedom over government control fail to find and elect like-minded representatives, then freedom will continue to fade and government control – socialism – will continue to flourish.

Listen carefully to the candidates for every office, and reject those who campaign for more government programs and more government control. Identify those in the city council, county commission and in the state legislatures who vote for expanded government control – and vote for their opponents (if they advocate more freedom). Look at the list of cosponsors of H.R. 2421, and tell them to vote against this socialist bill. Read the bill yourself, and don’t let your representative tell you that it doesn’t expand government power over all “activities affecting these waters.”

This bill is expected to see floor action within the next several weeks. If it is enacted, it will not likely ever be undone. Once government gets its hands on new power, it is never relinquished.

Source:http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=63207

Ron Paul Endorses David Gay for US Congress!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22nd, 2008 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL (R-TX) ENDORSES DAVID GAY FOR U.S. CONGRESS In a statement released Monday afternoon by his Chief of Staff, Congressman Ron Paul announced his support of David Gay, who is running for the U.S. House as a Republican in the 25th District of New York State. The statement read as follows: “I believe David Gay is the best qualified candidate to serve in the US Congress from the 25th district of New York. David would make a strong replacement for Jim Walsh, who recently announced his retirement. David believes very strongly in the traditional Republican principles of constitutionally limited government and free enterprise. I am happy to give him my endorsement.” — Ron Paul Three other Republicans are competing for the GOP endorsement for this seat. They are: Mark Paul Serafin, Bob Oaks, and Dale Sweetland. Republican Committee members will vote on their choice at a Convention on May 1st in Onondaga County, New York SOURCE: David Gay (315) 877-8173 davidandrewgay@yahoo.com www.davidgay2008.com Donate Online: www.davidgay2008.com