tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116961702024-03-07T04:17:25.621-05:00take19 - TAKEN!!!We did it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1167970720270439082007-01-04T23:09:00.000-05:002007-01-23T20:41:10.216-05:00Welcome to Congress, John Hall!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3562/216/1600/973276/hall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3562/216/400/173091/hall.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We haven't posted in awhile, but we couldn't let today's events -- the swearing in of John Hall to the 110th Congress -- pass without a brief comment. All of us here at Take19 are incredibly proud of our new Congressman. Go get 'em John!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1163717065904377962006-11-16T17:43:00.000-05:002006-12-11T13:54:00.633-05:00Finally!After nine long days, Sue Kelly has finally conceded. For more on that news see <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061117/NEWS/611170343"target="blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061117/NEWS01/611170388/1026/NEWS10">here</a>.<br /><br />In honor of this auspicious occasion, Take19 is sponsoring a little contest for the person who can come up with the most clever <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku">haiku</a>. The winner will receive one of our soon-to-be redesigned t-shirts with the new phrase, "Fired Sue Kelly!" Post your entries in the comments section or send them via email to take19 (at) gmail.com.<br /><br />Stay tuned for where Take19 goes from here. Though we're clearly just one of the reasons John Hall won last Tuesday, many of us are tired from working so hard for the past year and a half and need to spend some quality time with our family and on our professional endeavors. Happy Thanksgiving, a few days early!<br /><br /><b>UPDATE</b> Keep those haikus coming. There's already a bunch posted in the comments.Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1163607936865039402006-11-15T11:16:00.000-05:002006-11-16T10:09:05.750-05:00Meet Sue's supporters...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/kjqaeda.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/kjqaeda.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> As noted in both the <a href="http://blogs.nydailynews.com/dailypolitics/archives/2006/11/kiryas_joel_al.php">The Daily Politics</a> and the <a href="http://thepoliticker.observer.com/2006/11/al-qaeda-and-kiryas-joel.html">The New York Observer</a> blogs today, one of Sue Kelly's supporters, Seth Arluck, who owns New Hampton Lumber in Orange County, seems a bit distraught over last week's results. If you can't make out the sign, it says "Congrats Al Qaeda and KJ", a reference to the village of Kiryas Joel, which voted for John Hall over Sue Kelly. As noted on <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/14/17129/773">Daily Kos</a> this morning, Arluck has a long history of supporting Sue.<br /><br />Now, we can understand Mr. Arluck being upset over the results of the election since Sue lost (even if she still refuses to concede). But comparing a voting bloc to a terrorist group seems a tad bit over the top.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1163459421604140492006-11-13T18:10:00.000-05:002006-11-15T01:28:37.643-05:00Where's the correction, Sue?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/suedown3.1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/suedown3.1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Earlier today, the Daily News had an interesting <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/470836p-396294c.html"target="blank">story</a> about Adam Rose, a real estate developer and Lewisboro resident who spent $500K to help get the word out about Sue Kelly's true record. The money, which was given to a 527 group called Majority Action, funded a radio, television and direct-mail campaign that heavily targeted the large group of unaffiliated voters in the district.<br /><br />Sue, of course, <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/NEWS/611010375">complained relentlessly</a> about Majority Action's campaign, even going so far to allege that John Hall was orchestrating it, which was about as truthful as Sue's Kim Jong Il <a href="http://images.recordonline.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TH&Date=20061103&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=611030334&Ref=AR&MaxW=400&title=1&border=0"target="blank">ad</a>. She also sent out a nasty letter to her supporters decrying, "who opened their checkbooks to fund this filth remains to be seen." Now that Hall has won -- no matter how many times Sue clicks her heels -- Adam Rose has chosen to make his involvement known.<br /><br />But here's the real rub: last we checked, Lewisboro is located in NY-19. That would make Adam Rose a constituent -- one who felt that Sue was not representing his interests, and who like many other constituents, we're guessing couldn't get the time of day from Sue.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1163199296309960412006-11-10T17:50:00.000-05:002007-11-19T20:59:59.967-05:00Calling Sue Kelly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7322/2757/1600/293941381_37201c09bb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7322/2757/320/293941381_37201c09bb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This afternoon, more than 100 residents of the 19th CD descended on Katonah to demand Sue Kelly acknowledge what we all already know, that John Hall won the election fair and square.<br /><br />Sue Kelly's campaign has retained attorney John Ciampoli, who, as attorney for the Westchester County Republicans, filed a last-minute challenge to the registrations of thousands of voters before Tuesday’s hotly contested race for the 35th Senate District between State Senator Nick Spano and County Legislator Andrea Stewart-Cousins. He filed close to 6,000 pre-election challenges to voters in that race. Ciampoli is also the same attorney who represented Nick Spano in the 2004 recount of the 35th State Senate District race.<br /><br />We marched and will continue to march to demand Sue Kelly stop these tactics and honor the will of the voters. It's time she finally learned to listen to her constituents.<br /><br />Speaking at the press conference were Doni Belau, a Bedford mother of two, Zara Jackson, a senior from Somers, Anthony Merante, a veteran from Phillipstown, and Michelle Cooper, a small business owner from Peekskill.<br /><br />More photos are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidparmet/sets/72157594369466076/">here</a> and the full release will be posted shortly.Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1163091851257808232006-11-09T12:04:00.000-05:002006-11-09T20:01:54.593-05:00An open letter to Sue KellyDear Sue,<br /><br />It should be apparent to you (as it is to CNN, MSNBC, The Journal News, etc. etc.) that John Hall defeated you fair and square on Tuesday and is now our Representative Elect.<br /><br />But no, you can't go quietly into retirement. You couldn't show some dignity or class like President Bush did today when he welcomed the new Congressional leadership to lunch. Instead of ending your career in public service on a high note, you've stooped to <a href="http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Elec06_Kelly_atty-09Nov06.html">lawyering up</a> and throwing out <a href="http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Elec06_Kelly_abs-09Nov06.html">accusations and innuendo</a>.<br /><br />Sue, we've known you for a long time and honestly, while we've had our disagreements, we respect you for your public service and dedication to at least some of your constituents. We're sorry you can't show the same respect and dedication in defeat.<br /><br />For the sake of the voters of the 19th Congressional District who expect to have their voices count and for the sake of our Country, stop this nonsense Sue. It's beneath you.Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162963742478194312006-11-08T00:28:00.000-05:002006-11-09T09:05:21.650-05:00A picture is worth 1,000 words<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7322/2757/1600/Picture%202.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7322/2757/320/Picture%202.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061107/UPDATE/611080391/-1/NEWS1002">link to article here</a><br /><br />And if you didn't make it to the victory party last night, there's video <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/MEDIA0201/61108018">here</a>. If you're like some of us, you may find yourself crying when John starts singing. <br /><br /><b>WE FIRED SUE KELLY!</b>Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162962276422465452006-11-07T23:59:00.000-05:002006-11-08T00:04:36.706-05:00Hall ahead with 92% reporting.Hall 86,281 51%<br />Kelly 83,375 49%<br />92% Reporting<br /><br />NYTimes reporting.<br /><br /><br /><br />Dutchess:<br /><br />Sue W Kelly 20,761<br />John Hall 19,79<br />100% reporting<br /><br />Putnam:<br />Sue W Kelly 14,714 52%<br />John Hall 13,448 48%<br />100% reporting<br /><br />Westchester:<br />Sue Kelly 19,336 43%<br />John Hall 25,196 57%<br />87% reporting<br /><br />Orange:<br />Sue W Kelly 28,525<br />John Hall 28,618<br />100% reporting<br /><br /><br />So thats the reporting for now.<br />I'm not saying we are going to win.<br /><br />All im saying is we are ahead right now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162866489029404142006-11-06T21:20:00.000-05:002006-11-07T11:38:42.556-05:00To the voters of the 19th CD ... It's time for Sue Kelly to goFor the past year and a half, a band of dedicated volunteers have kept this web site alive, documenting the shortcomings and incompetence of our Representative Sue Kelly. Her faults are too numerous to recount here now, just look on the left sidebar and you can read our releases and look up her voting record. But don't just take our word for it -- all four papers that cover this district -- The <a href="http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/OPINION/610290321/1015/OPINION01"target="blank">Journal News</a>, <a href="http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/OPINION01/611010309"target="blank">Poughkeepsie Journal</a>, <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061022/OPINION/610220325"target="blank">Times Herald-Record</a> and New York Times (behind a wall)-- <b> all endorsed John Hall over Sue Kelly.</b><br /><br />Here's what it all comes down to - if you support the war in Iraq, if you believe the Administration did all it could to hunt down Osama Bin Laden or help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, or build strong schools and safe communities and support the growth of the middle class - then vote for Sue Kelly. <br /><br />On the other hand, if you believe as we do that this Administration and the Republican Congressional Leadership have failed us, have failed to fight terrorism and instead dragged us into the quagmire of Iraq where 2,800 brave Americans have died, failed to support strong schools and safe neighborhoods, failed to protect our weakest from the ravages of poverty and failed to help the victims of Katrina. If you believe this Administration's tax policies have favored the weathly at the expense of the public good and have hurt the middle class - then tomorrow cast your vote for John Hall, our next Representative.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE</b> John Hall is posting GOTV volunteer opportunities throughout the day <a href="http://johnhallforcongress.com/node/91">here</a>. If you can help out, please do!Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162765656248531922006-11-05T17:24:00.000-05:002006-11-07T12:28:39.823-05:00Sue Kelly, stop the robocallingSue Kelly obviously doesn't think the voters of the 19th Congressional District are very bright, otherwise she would have come up with something a little smarter than robocalls <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/NRCC_robo_attack_call2/NRCC_anti_Hall_ad.wav">(listen here)</a> that claim to be from the Hall campaign but are only designed to annoy and cut into his lead.<br /><br />We're on to you Sue. And <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/010827.php">according to Talking Points Memo</a>, even your own people are embarrassed by it.<br /><blockquote>I was handing out leaflets for John Hall yesterday at a grocery store. There were two tables, a democratic one and a Republican one.<br /><br />When I was handing out palm cards, several people said to me something like, "I WAS going to vote for John Hall, until I got all those phone calls. I got seven or eight, right at dinner time."<br /><br />The guy from the Republican table, who was a local district leader-- friendly and chatty, actually came over to me and said, "You know, most of those are coming from Sue's office, but don't tell anybody."</blockquote>Nice. Real classy.<br /><br />Enjoy these next few days, they'll be your last as our Representative.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.archive.org/download/NRCC_robo_attack_call2/NRCC_anti_Hall_ad.wav"></a>Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162730049622754152006-11-05T07:28:00.000-05:002006-11-05T07:34:09.936-05:00Where does Sue Kelly stand on Rumsfeld?The Army Times, the leading independent publication read by military leaders, is calling for Donald Rumsfeld to resign over his mis-handling of the Iraq quagmire. According to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/03/rumsfeld.resign/">CNN</a>:<br /><blockquote>The editorial will be in four independent publications that serve the four main branches of the U.S. military, according to the senior managing editor for Army Times Publications, the papers' parent company.</blockquote>Curious what Sue Kelly's stand on this important issue? So are we. Why don't you call her and ask? 202.225.5441 in DC or 845.291.4100 (Orange County), 845.897.5200 (Dutchess County) or 914.962.0761 in Westchester. We'd certainly like to know.Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162674418905264182006-11-04T15:43:00.000-05:002006-11-05T00:24:09.376-05:00Three days to go: Sue Kelly starts changing her tune!With election day just three days away, Sue Kelly seems to have had a change of heart when it comes to Mess-o-potamia (to borrow Jon Stewart's phrase about Iraq), which seems a bit surprising, considering that just a few weeks ago, Sue actually said that "Iraq is mostly pacified now". Of course, that was before more than 100 members of the military were killed in Iraq in October. As you can see in this <a href="http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=3&aid=64034"target="blank">clip</a> from New York 1, Kelly says, "I think we need a new paradyme in Iraq." We wonder if that means firing Donald Rumsfeld as the four newspapers serving America's armed forces are now <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aPzc2PeqEC_w&refer=us">calling for</a>.<br /><br />One more thing about that NY1 tape. A John Hall supporter was coming out of Turco's on Thursday as the tape was rolling. Here's what he sent us about his interaction with Sue:<br /><br /><blockquote>so I'm running an errand at the supermarket (Turcos in Yorktown) about an hour ago, when I see half a dozen people with Kelly campaign literature and a TV crew (New York 1) near the entrance. Since leafleting in front of supermarkets is common practice in Yorktown campaigns, I think nothing of it - but prepare for some friendly ribbing as I walk by with a John Hall button on my parka. Suddenly this skinny blonde woman swings around and in a superior tone - like she's yelling at her gardener - says "You must be in favor of ..." and runs through a list of Republican talking points, finishing with higher capital gains taxes. I'm thinking this is one volunteer the Kelly campaign should find a back office assignment for - but respond in a friendly fashion (no need to act like her) that I'm not rich, so Republican tax cuts for the top half a percent don't help me out much. She appears to take this personally and gets more hostile: "I'm not rich, I've worked for everything I own since I was 18," she yells. I'm looking for an escape route from this crazy lady when it finally strikes me that her voice sounds familiar - but I can't believe an elected official on the campaign trail would talk to a voter this way! But sure enough it was HER - I ducked into Turcos and hid from my Congresswoman in the produce section.</blockquote><br /><br />Maybe that explains why she's been in hiding. Her people skills don't seem to be so good.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162593153265495812006-11-03T17:07:00.000-05:002006-11-05T08:49:18.856-05:00Sue Kelly blows off seniors in Orange....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/suedown3.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/suedown3.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Cranking out negative campaign literature and ads that distort your competition must clearly take a lot of time. How else to explain why Sue Kelly would blow off senior citizens today in Orange County at a "Congressional Forum" organized by the New York State <a href="http://www.nysara.org/"target="blank">Alliance For Retired Americans</a> and the New York Statewide <a href="http://www.nysenior.org/">Senior Action Council, Inc.</a>.<br /><br />Why would Kelly, who despite her <a href="http://take19.blogspot.com/2006/10/runaway-sue-kelly.html">athletic prowess</a>, blow off her fellow senior citizens? Good question. Then again, she's been MIA for much of the <strike>past few months</strike> past 12 years, though she seems to have plenty of time to hang out with has beens (see <a href="http://take19.blogspot.com/2006/10/out-with-old.html"target="Blank">here</a> and <a href="http://take19.blogspot.com/2006/10/quite-threesome-sue-kelly-mike-dewine.html">here</a>).<br /><br />We're sure today's absence had nothing to with the fact that the Alliance gave Sue a big fat zero rating on her voting record. Or the fact that both groups -- as are many seniors -- opposed to Sue's vote on Medicare Part D (for Disaster). Then again, Sue doesn't exactly have the same healthcare worries that most seniors do: she gets the best medical care and it's absolutely free!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162499129654026342006-11-02T15:16:00.000-05:002006-11-03T01:02:26.086-05:00Sue Kelly -- caught in another lie!An <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--rockingdemocrat1102nov02,0,3764502.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork">AP story</a> that hit the wires a short time ago includes Sue's latest explanation for why she ran away two weeks ago from an RNN news crew:<br /><br />Says Sue: "I was running to get out of the rain."<br /><br />Take a look at the video again. Do you see any rain? Do you see anyone with umbrellas, or even trying to cover their head?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gtLVxcTos1I"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gtLVxcTos1I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Why on earth would someone lie about something that's easily visable on tape? Makes you wonder what else she's lying about? Like her resume. Or her own questionable investments. Or John Hall's ties to Kim Jong Il.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162404427560768072006-11-02T11:19:00.000-05:002006-11-08T00:40:29.106-05:00Sue Kelly, You Should Be Ashamed!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/KJI1.3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/KJI1.3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It seems as if <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061022/OPINION/610220325">Sue Kelly's</a> implosion is nearly complete. She's so desperate and unglued at this point that she's letting her nutjob handlers take the campaign to a new low, while at the same time <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/NEWS/611010375">whining </a> about how outside groups are twisting her record. Her latest mailer, a complete insult to the intelligence of her constituents, is a disgusting attack on John Hall and has a clearly manipulated picture of him with Kim Jong Il of North Korea and various mushroom clouds. She really is so shameless that it's breathtaking. Anyone who lives in this district, be they Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green, or whatever, should be embarrassed to have this woman represent us.<br /><br />Of course, most of us know that it's rubber-stampers like Sue Kelly that have allowed North Korea to continue with its' nuclear ambitions. So now she's saying that is a reason to support the money-pit missile defense system? Is Sue saying that North Korea's nuclear program was <i>nurtured</i> to support and justify Star Wars?<br /><br />As for supporting the troops, isn't bringing them home and keeping them alive the best way to support them? Or at least having a decent plan to resolve the Iraq situation? What's the plan, Sue? Stay the course, right? Just two weeks ago, Sue Kelly actually told the Times-Herald Record that Iraq was "mostly pacified". Kelly takes a 15 year-old vote of Hall's from the Ulster County about "praying to God" to watch over our military as an asinine justification that John Hall doesn't support our troops. Pretty obvious that Sue's handlers are old Pat Buchanan staffers, huh who are willing to <b>do anything</b> to try and win. Problem is that you can't play the kindly grandmother and mail out stuff like this.<br /><br />Sue Kelly, you have no shame. The voters of the 19th district deserve an apology from you for littering their mailboxes with this absolute garbage.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162374371144586762006-11-01T04:17:00.000-05:002006-11-01T18:07:10.646-05:00PoJo endorses Hall over KellyHot the off press:<br />The Poughkeepsie Journal has <a href="http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/OPINION01/611010309"> endorsed</a> John Hall over Sue Kelly. For those who are keeping score, that means the four major newspapers that cover the area all chose Hall. None endorsed Kelly, a shocking turn of events for the 12-year incumbent. Here's a few snips:<br /><br /><blockquote>Hall is particularly strong on environmental issues. He makes the compelling and important point this nation needs to start weaning itself off oil and other fossil fuels; the government should start backing more alternative forms of energy.</blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote>[kelly] has been overly and relentlessly optimistic about the situation in Iraq, from the misguided reasons to go to war to the strategy employed thereafter.</blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote>Hall has the intelligence and depth to make quite a difference in Congress if given the opportunity. If he doesn't veer too far to the left and shows a willingness to work with those across the political aisle, he could accomplish a lot for the district and bring fresh ideas to Washington. Voters should give him that chance.</blockquote><br /><br />The bottom line is that even as Sue Kelly tries to spin, deflect and even <a href="http://take19.blogspot.com/2006/10/runaway-sue-kelly.html"target="blank">run away</a>, the people who call NY-19 home are planning her retirement party.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162339225063722022006-10-31T17:44:00.000-05:002006-11-01T22:02:05.443-05:00Sue Kelly against investing in mutual funds!Sounds kind of crazy, huh? Like something only a desperate person might say, instead of a 12 year veteran of Congress. After all <a href="http://www.ici.org/funds/abt/ref_key_questions.html">more than 90 million Americans</a> own mutual funds, including many of Sue Kelly's constituents. But judging by <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061030/MEDIA0201/61030007">this</a> video clip, Sue Kelly seems to think you're not a responsible investor if you don't know what stocks your mutual fund manager owns. And studies routinely show that most Americans have no idea what the funds they own invest in.<br /><br />Of course, if Sue really wants to change the subject from her own unremarkable 12-year record and that of the Bush administration that she actively supports, and poke around into John Hall's financials, she probably should have made sure that her own much larger holdings were sparkly clean first. Yet as we can see by a quick scan of <a href="http://opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.asp?CID=N00001020&year=2005">opensecrets.org</a>, Sue has plenty of the very same investments that she wags an accusing finger at John Hall for owning. Of course, there is a key difference: Kelly and her husband, Ed, own these stocks directly, which is a bit different than owning Fidelity Magellan.<br /><br />So what's in Sue portfolio? A number of companies that Sue has subpoena power over, as chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on <a href="http://financialservices.house.gov/committees.asp?formmode=detail&comm=4"target="blank">Oversight and Investigations</a>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">assuming she was actually doing her job</span>. Here's a quick run-down of a few major scandals in Sue's portfolio:<br /><br /><b>American International Group</b> Earlier this year, AIG reached a <a href="http://www.financial-planning.com/pubs/fpi/20060210105.html"target="blank">$1.64 Billion</a> settlement with Eliot Spitzer over accounting fraud and other issues. Kind of makes one wonder why Sue never poked around in AIG, but perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she owns as much as $100,000 of AIG stock, according to her latest financial disclosure form. <br /><br /><b>Bed, Bath & Beyond</b> Sue also owns as much as $100,000 worth of Bed, Bath & Beyond stock, which on Oct. 10, <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/newsanalysis/retail/10314202.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&amp;cm_cat=FREE&amp;cm_ite=NA">announced</a> that the federal Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the company over its stock options practices dating back to 1993. Oddly enough, Sue's committee has yet to hold a hearing on this growing problem, even though the Wall Street Journal first disclosed the problem back in March.<br /><br />Then there's Ed's $50,000 investment in <b>Fannie Mae</b>. Fannie Mae has been the subject of <a href="http://www.affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/2006/05/fannie_mae_the.html">multiple</a> federal investigations, though none launched by Sue Kelly.<br /><br />There's lots of different stocks that Sue and Ed <b>could have bought</b>. Either they have a knack for buying into scandals or they're just lucky that way. Come to think of it, maybe they should have bought some plain-vanilla mutual funds like John Hall did.<br /><br />Routing around through someone's portfolio isn't particularly enjoyable for anyone. And it doesn't really tell you anything about the type of Congressman that someone will be, which is why John Hall's folks aren't spending their time on this. But Sue Kelly started this game with her ridiculous charges that she's blasting on local airwaves. And, if she wants to continue playing, there's plenty more examples to choose from.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162257649739101812006-10-30T20:05:00.000-05:002006-10-30T22:02:12.913-05:00Bill Clinton hearts John Hall!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/hall.1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/hall.1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Earlier this afternoon, former President Bill Clinton came to town to stump for John Hall and he laid out in point-by-point detail why Sue Kelly is the wrong person to continue representing NY-19.<br /><br />"They have tried to push America in places it has never been and doesn't want to go. They have left us democrats being both the traditional progressive and conservative party. Think about it. I gave them 3 surpluses. We never had a social security problem. The president says he wants to quote revisit social security after the election. When I was in college we called that a euphemism. Stick a fork in him after the election," Clinton said.<br /><br />And then: "They can say cut and run all they want. Cut and run is not what we're for, we're for stop and think."<br /><br />"This is basically a contest between the politics of special interests and the politics of the common good, a contest between government based on evidence and argument and their way based on assertion and attack."<br /><br />Sue Kelly may try to spin yet another tale, hoping voters don't check <a href="http://opensecrets.org">opensecrets.org</a>, which shows all the PAC money she receives, not to mention all of the oil company stocks she owns, but it's pretty easy to fact-check that stuff now. Still, she's lied about her resume, she's lied about her investments. She's lied about John Hall's record. There's only 1 week left. What will Sue Kelly lie about next?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1162145134194992132006-10-29T13:04:00.000-05:002006-10-29T13:08:20.863-05:00Talk about the weather...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/suedown3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/suedown3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>We've always known that <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061022/OPINION/610220325"target="blank">Sue Kelly</a> isn't known for being the sharpest card in the deck. Of course, we're not the only ones. Sue's fellow conservatives over at Redstate.com routinely <a href="http://www.redstate.com/story/2005/9/24/162828/469#comment-143740"target="blank">describe</a> her as "the dimmest bulb in the New York state Republican delegation". Indeed, that's the primary reason why she has refused to debate John Hall publicly, other than on farm issues -- because as Stephen Colbert noted two weeks ago, just like Velveeta, Kelly "melts at the first sign of heat".<br /><br />But a tidbit contained in today's Journal-News <a href="http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/OPINION/610290321/1015/OPINION01"target="blank">endorsement</a> of John Hall (that's 3 major newspaper endorsements for Hall; zero for Kelly) really drove it home for us. Apparently Sue, who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, which regulates banks, credit card companies and other financial services firms, <b> blamed record-high deficits on the weather</b>. We thought it was bad enough when, during an editorial board meeting at the Times Herald Record two weeks ago, she didn't seem to understand the difference between the national debt and the federal deficit. But blaming the mushrooming deficit -- a deficit that is financing the "strong economy" that the Bush Administration routinely touts -- on bad weather is clearly a whole new level of stupidity.<br /><br />The people of NY-19 deserve someone who can think on their feet -- someone who doesn't continually make excuses for the Bush Administration's failed policies. Sue Kelly is not that person.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1161895605522362502006-10-26T16:10:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:44:49.780-05:00More signs of desperation from Sue Kelly...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/suedown3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/suedown3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />While <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061022/OPINION/610220325"target="blank">Sue Kelly</a> likes to tout her years of experience of key committees, we couldn't help but laugh over something she said during last night's debate on Cablevision. Upset that John Hall is questioning the <a href="http://www.johnhallforcongress.com/node/297"target="blank">$65,000</a> that she has taken from big oil companies to finance her campaign (not to mention investing in their stocks), Sue fired back that Hall invests in a mutual fund that apparently owns some oil company stock. By bringing this up, we can only assume that Sue, who sits on the <a href="http://financialservices.house.gov/"target="blank">House Committee on Financial Services</a> doesn't understand how a mutual fund actually works. In a nutshell, the mutual fund manager picks the stocks that the fund invests in and the individual investor has no say-so in those choices. Maybe Sue needs to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_fund">read up</a> on mutual funds before making baseless charges.<br /><br />But that was just one sign of the Kelly camp's growing desperation. The other came in the form of these two (<a href="http://poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061026/OPINION02/610260310">#1</a> and <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061026/OPINION/610260304">#2</a>) letters to the editor -- both from the same man who <b> lives in Albuquerque</b>. As in New Mexico. Which puts him a bit far afield from NY-19. Does Sue really need to recruit someone from 2,500 miles away to drum up support in the district? Can't she just rely on the local Conservative party kingpin and other party hacks who have been <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061024/OPINION/610240305/-1/NEWS14"target="blank">writing</a> already and are a bit more local? <br /><br />Just how desperate will Sue get? Now that John Hall has <a href="http://www.johnhallforcongress.com/redtoblue"target="blank">made</a> it onto the DCCC's Red to Blue list, we're guessing that Laura Bush will be making an appearance sometime soon.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:1%"><a href="http://take19.blogspot.com/">Sue Kelly</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1161718004981409532006-10-24T20:24:00.000-04:002006-10-27T11:17:57.473-04:00Quite a threesome: Sue Kelly, Mike DeWine, and Pamela the wingnut!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/dewine_dinner_003_2.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/dewine_dinner_003_2.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Sue Kelly runs away from the cameras, runs away from debates with John Hall, and Tuesday night, she ran away from the district to fundraise with Republican senator Mike DeWine. Maybe Sue needs to commiserate with another conservative-hiding-as-a-moderate who is in a tough fight against a great opponent? Birds of a feather, they say. Maybe Sue thinks she’s so popular here that she doesn’t need to fight for votes? (My canvassing in a conservative area in Orange County last weekend debunks that one.) <br /><br />Maybe Sue and Mike (and heck, even Pamela) are making plans to get together once the two politicos are forced into retirement in January? Maybe Sue really enjoys hanging out with wingnut blogger Pamela from AtlasShrugs, even if it made for an awkward threesome that noted Vanity Fair blogger James Wolcott <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/blogs/wolcott">calls</a> a "halfway house for halfwits". At last night's soiree, Geller was singing Sue's praises and touting her conservative qualifications. Which just goes to show you that Sue pretends to be an "independent" here in NY-19, but as this picture shows, it's easy to see where she really stands when she thinks nobody is watching.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1161644021964712482006-10-23T18:27:00.000-04:002006-10-23T19:48:09.956-04:00Sue Kelly's Paranoia Deepens...Today's Times-Herald Record released some information from the editorial board meeting they had last week with Sue Kelly and her challenger, John Hall. In <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061023/NEWS/610230318">this</a> article headlined, "Sue Kelly Strikes Back Part Deux", the THR describes two fits that Kelly had during the debate.<br /><br />First up:<br /><br /><blockquote>Kelly set the tone before the camera even started rolling by objecting to the debate's format, which required two-minute opening statements.<br /><br />Should be an easy feat for a six-term congresswoman, right?<br /><br />"I was not told that," she said. "I was not told that there were opening or closing statements. We actually checked. They indicated that that was not going to happen."</blockquote><br /><br />Hmmmm, and then she continues to lose her grip a little later:<br /><br /><blockquote>Times Herald-Record Executive Editor Mike Levine was framing a question about the Iraq war. His hands were fumbling with a highlighted piece of paper.<br /><br />"Is that a John Hall release you have there?" she probed.<br /><br />"No, this is the Times Herald-Record."<br /><br />"Just checking."</blockquote><br />None of this sounds like "Striking Back" to me. And, of course, we know she totally freaked over the Mark Foley connection during this debate as well. Plus, in her <a href="http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/VIDEO/310200003/0/VIDEO">Journal-News interview video</a>, Sue looks about to cry and mirrors her boss George W. Bush by talking about "working hard."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1161563240006000692006-10-22T20:27:00.000-04:002006-10-22T23:09:46.306-04:00Out with the old...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/1600/Fleischer_Kelly-21Oct06.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3562/216/320/Fleischer_Kelly-21Oct06.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Election Day is a mere 16 days away and as the Times Herald-Record's <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061022/OPINION/610220325"target="blank">endorsement</a> of John Hall notes, Sue Kelly isn't just living in the past as evidenced by her <a href="http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Fleisher_GOP-21Oct06.html"target="blank">hob-knobbing</a> with President Bush's first press secretary Ari Fleischer in Dutchess County on Friday night. She embodies old thinking. Here's a snippet from their editorial:<br /><br /><blockquote>Kelly came into Congress a dozen years ago with the Newt Gingrich-led GOP sweep and its famous "Contract With America" that promised reform of how the House of Representatives was run by Democrats. For her part, Kelly reserved the right to pick and choose on the contract, but pledged to work for "a smaller, smarter government which is more accountable to the American people." The GOP-led federal government may be many things, but smaller, smarter and more accountable are not among them. Kelly's sin is not necessarily that her vision has not been realized, but that she almost unfailingly defends what has been delivered instead.<br /><br />Asked in a debate at the Record's offices about the various scandals, excessive spending and botched White House efforts in Iraq all attributable to Republicans Kelly insisted that's "not where my focus should be." Rather, she said, "My focus is on the 19th Congressional District. I've helped bring jobs here. I've helped to make sure our environment is safe. I've helped bring money to schools, hospitals. I've done a great deal of work for the people here. That's where the focus should be."<br /><br />Sorry, congresswoman, the I've-brought-home-the-bacon argument is not enough this year. Not when Americans are demanding accountability for a costly botched war and are anxious about a federal government that seems to operate without any checks and balances. She says looking back at Iraq, on which she has supported the president, is "second-guessing." Hall more accurately describes it as "avoiding responsibility."</blockquote><br /><br />Ouch! The take-down is particularly sweet because the paper has endorsed Kelly repeatedly in the past. Which brings us back to Ari Fleischer. Just as Fleischer spun tales about the war in Iraq <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2149377/"target="blank">(among other things)</a>, Sue Kelly keeps spinning stories about John Hall's plans to raise taxes (among other things). If you can't get by on the facts, you have to make stuff up. And Sue Kelly is showing once again that, as the old saying goes, you are the company that you keep.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1161444405822463022006-10-21T11:21:00.000-04:002006-10-21T11:26:46.446-04:00NY Times says: Sue Kelly is go-along, get-along..Tomorrow's NY Times has endorsed John Hall for Congress. And while the paper had plenty of nice things to say about John, it's the stuff that they said about Sue Kelly that was particularly biting:<br /><br /><blockquote>She has mostly been a go-along-to-get-along party member, supporting the Bush administration's tax cuts, stoutly defending its handling of the Iraq war and voting this month for President Bush's dangerous bill on military commissions...She is a rank and file loyalist in a party that is tired and fiscally reckless.</blockquote><br /><br />The endorsement isn't available online until tomorrow. We'll post a link then. In the meantime, if you haven't seen John's performance on the Colbert Report on Thursday night, be sure to check it out. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UIldyAELbzU"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UIldyAELbzU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696170.post-1161274626125929632006-10-19T12:16:00.000-04:002006-10-21T00:52:45.113-04:00Runaway Sue Kelly<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gtLVxcTos1I"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gtLVxcTos1I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />We think this speaks for itself....Westchester Demhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955992363352368353noreply@blogger.com2