Today, the New York State Republican Party will hold their nominating convention for U.S. Senate having not won a single statewide office since 2002, and you have to go all the way back to 1994 to find a successful campaign by a statewide pro-life candidate. State Party Republicans appear to be on the verge of assuring this streak continues with a trio of extreme conservative candidates far out of step with New York values and middle class families. New York State Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs issued the following statement today as the convention gets underway in Rochester, NY:
“Even for the New York State Republican Party, they are in total chaos and disarray this year in a never-ending search for a credible candidate that can match up with the enormously effective Senator Gillibrand. They are running on empty heading into a divisive primary of who can pander to the Tea Party the most over the coming months.
“Regardless of who ultimately gets the nomination, they will have a little known candidate that wants to take us back to the same failed Bush economic policies of the past and who is out of step with New York values. No matter who they choose, it will be a candidate who supports tax cuts for the very rich at the expense of the middle class, won’t protect our commitment to Social Security and Medicare, will oppose a woman’s right to choose and access to birth control, and is against equal rights for all New Yorkers.”
“The contrast of any of these candidates with Senator Gillibrand’s record of accomplishment in the Senate fighting for New Yorkers and the middle class couldn’t be clearer. No wonder Republicans themselves think they only have a ‘one in three’ chance to win this race.”
IN THEIR OWN WORDS…THREE CANDIDATES OUT OF STEP WITH NEW YORK IN A RACE TO THE IDEOLOGICAL RIGHT…
WENDY LONG
- On Republican Senator Lindsay Graham’s bipartisan support of Justice Sotomayor’s confirmation:
- “It’s not a great surprise, but still somewhat incredible, that Sen. Lindsey Graham is casting his vote in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court…He proved that he still lacks courage, statesmanship, and an understanding of the Constitution and rule of law. May his antics get the attention they richly deserve.” [Wendy Long, National Review, 7/22/09]
- On being the potential 49th vote in the Senate for the Blunt Amendment to block women’s access to contraception:
- “I would be willing to stand up for that and vote for the Blunt Amendment.” [Albany Times Union, 3/5/12]
- On Roe v. Wade
- “And if Roe v. Wade were overturned tomorrow, nobody would even notice…” [Capital New York, 2/24/12]
- On rights:
- “Our rights come from God. They don’t come from the state.” [MSNBC, 9/14/05]
- On being a founding member of the Dartmouth Review, which routinely courted controversy with its mockery of black, gay, Jewish and female students.
- Long’s spokesman said she is “proud” of her association with the Dartmouth Review. [City & State, 3/12/12]
- On Same-Sex Marriage:
- “Who says I can’t marry my mother? You and I love our dogs. Who says we can’t marry our dogs? The rational, and its not to cast any assertions or to discredit my mother or the dog. It’s simply saying there are no principle distinctions. There’s no principle distinction to why you and I and five other people can’t get married. If we wanted to form a commune and say we are married.” [Laura Ingraham via Denny Burke, 8/5/10]
GEORGE MARAGOS
- On his campaign against Senator Schumer just months after becoming Nassau County’s Comptroller: “It wasn’t a serious attempt against Schumer,” Maragos acknowledged on his way to a clambake in upstate Onondaga County. “It was a reason to go around the state and visit county chairs.” [City & State, 8/19/11]
- On his own wealth despite pledging to spend $5 million of his own money on the Senate race: “[I’m] not a very wealthy man, just enough to pay the bills.” [NY1, 2/6/12]
- On same-sex marriage: “Some people would even like to marry with their pets,” he said, worried that the legalization of gay marriage could also lead to the legalization of polygamy.” [The Island Now, 8/24/11]
- On contraception and whether insurers should be required to provide it:
- “It has nothing to do with the health and well-being of women in this case. Contraception is readily available to everyone.” [Capital Tonight, 2/20/12, see 1:15 min mark]
- On global warming:
- “I think a lot of the theories on global warming have been discredited” [Capital Tonight, 8/19/11]
CONGRESSMAN BOB TURNER
- On giving Rush Limbaugh his start on television:
- “When I was president of Multimedia, I brought Rush Limbaugh to television for four years,” Turner told Human Events in May 2010. “And, boy, did we get bombed with complaints from NOW [National Organization for Women] and the other Democratic surrogates.” [Huffington Post, 3/13/12]
- On being a self-proclaimed “panderer”:
- In August 2011, Turner admitted to pandering for Republican support in an op-ed he wrote for a conservative publication. “I mean, it is blatant pandering,” Turner said of his piece. “I was writing for National Review — a particular audience, a particular mindset.” [NY Daily News, 8/12/11]
- On cuts to Medicare payments, raising the retirement age, increasing co-pays.
- “An increase in Medicare co-payments also has to be considered,” and that it would be “easy” to raise the eligibility age on entitlements for people currently under 55 years of age. [NY Post, 8/26/11]
- On Paul Ryan:
- “There are people in Washington and I can mention Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan, who know what to do, are trying to form a group to correct this. They need new bodies and new help. I hope to be in Congress to help change this and join with likeminded representatives.” [Brooklyn GOP Radio, 7/10/10]
- On Speaker Boehner:
- “I find that John Boehner is a very conservative guy I agree with more often than anyone” [Hamodia]
- On the 9/11 Health Bill:
- “I think it is a little too broad…” [Daily News, 8/24/11]
- On global warming:
- “The anthroprogenic [sic] aspects of global warming is highly suspect. It has not been proven.” [Brian Lehrer Show 7/28/11]
- On teaching “intelligent design” in public school classrooms:
- “God makes the rules and we have to abide by them. That is in the Constitution. The Founding Fathers were all Christians and this is a Christian nation. That would be a good thing to teach our children. That is a yes. You are talking about religion as opposed to belief in God. You can teach that there is a creator of every- thing. That is woven into the fabric of our nation.” [The Wave, 10/29/10]
