On the ground

I love Albany………….

I love flying into the Albany Airport coming up the Hudson and seeing the skyline with the Egg, the Plaza and the Capitol……….well, maybe not the Capitol.

Yes folks, this morning we made national news. NPR reported that the New York State Senate has disintegrated into a playground. The Republicans are claiming the majority after a questionable power grabbing ploy. The Democrats are going to court. Meanwhile, we have many important issues on the table to finish up the session.

Governor Paterson was quoted as saying “This is humilating, even by New York State standards”
New York State Government is NOT a joke, it’s not a circus, although there was someone at the Capitol yesterday dressed as a clown. We need to work very hard to elect Democrats who will adhere to the highest standards of ethics and responsibility!

Please call or email Senator Bonacic and express your outrage! Tell him to stop being part of his conference’s power-grabbing games and get some work done!
bonacic@senate.state.ny.us
518-455-3181

Yesterday, Scott Murphy was sworn in as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 20th Congressional District of New York.

Yay!

All sorts of folks were tickled about the way matters turned out (although we knew they would!). House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer released a statement for the press:

“I am thrilled to welcome our two newest members – Congressmen Mike Quigley and Scott Murphy. Both gentlemen come to Washington with extensive experience on the key issues confronting this Congress, and will be valued contributors as we work to get the economy back on track and address other important priorities. …

“I am also pleased to welcome Congressman Scott Murphy. With a background in both the private and public sectors, Mr. Murphy has a deep understanding of the impact the economic recession has had on workers and businesses, and will be a strong asset in Congress’s continuing efforts to create jobs and grow the economy.

“These challenging times call for leaders who are up to the task of working hard and getting the job done. I am confident Congressmen Murphy and Quigley will meet that challenge, and I look forward to working with them on real solutions to move this country forward.”

Very much more to the point, our very own Chairwoman, Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling, was on hand to hobnob with the muckety-mucks as an acknowledged muckety-muck herself. After giving herself the pleasure of inspecting Congressman Murphy’s door plaque to make sure it was worded correctly, she attended the post-swearing in reception — where Vice President Biden was congratulating the new Congressman and playfully terrorizing small children.

* Phraseology loosely based on Lolcats.

We’ve been a bit remiss about keeping the blog up to date during the course of this nail-biter election, for which we humbly apologize.

On the other hand, for the past month there has been little to say except, “They’re still counting.”

Well, that and, “They decided that Senator Gillibrand is allowed to vote in this district.”

Well, the only race in town ended today when Jim Tedisco conceded late this afternoon and Scott Murphy went public as our new Congressman!

Let me say that again, in the much more straight-forward words of our Chairwoman, Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling:

WE HAVE A NEW CONGRESSMAN, AND HIS NAME IS SCOTT MURPHY!!!

Break out the bubbly, folks, and rack up another victory for the D Team. I don’t know about you but I could get used to this.

As a matter of fact, it’s a good sign for the upcoming local races. More on that in the coming months.

Our candidate for the 20th Congressional District, Scott Murphy, will be touring the Davenport Garden Center this Wednesday the 18th @ 1:45pm. This is open to the public and we invite you to attend. Scott will be hosted by Supervisor Dennis Valente, and we hope to have many other elected representatives from the surrounding towns present as well. Press is being invited and expected to cover this event. Please spread the word!

In some ways, you know, there’s nothing more dreary than a Special Election set for the end of March, the most bedraggled time of here up here in Delaware County.

Fortunately for us, Scott Murphy is bringing his own sunshine as our candidate to replace Senator Kirsten Gillibrand as Representative for the 20th Congressional District.

Scott, a newcomer to New York politics, began his campaign as an unknown figure but he has been working hard, traveling around the district and talking to voters about their concerns. Now, according to the latest Sienna poll, he has pulled to within 4 points of his opponent, Republican Jim Tadisco, minority leader in the State Assembly, derisively known as “Mr. Schenectady” among disaffected voters in the Capital District.

We’ll just note that’s within the margin of error.

So, if you would like to participate in this special election and help us to get Scott into the House of Representatives, you can do that by visiting www.dccc.org/ny20/ and making use of the tools you’ll find there to do some phone banking!

Ain’t technology grand?

We’re coming down to the wire and can use all the help we can get. So, if you have any spare time and minutes on your cell phone, visit www.dccc.org/ny20/ and make some calls. And thanks for your help and support!