Well, the verdict is in:
The New York Times has officially endorsed STEVE HARRISON, our progressive democratic candidate, over Bush-clone Vito Fossella!!! First the CQ Politics upgrade of the race, then the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association C+ rating for Fossella, then the 5 smackdowns Harrison and angry constituents gave Fossella at the debates - and now this.
The times, they are a-changin'. For more on this ringing endorsement, as well as some extra goodies, see below:
THE TIMES ENDORSEMENT:
Stating that the city's most 'interesting' races this year are in Staten Island and South Brooklyn,
The New York Times first gave a general description of the mood in these areas, as a prelude to its endorsements of candidates at multiple levels in this district. But it aims at the big fish - Mr. Fossella himself:
Reflecting the general state of voter discontent across the country, the usually comfortable incumbent congressman, Representative Vito Fossella, is in an unexpectedly spirited match-up
Despite what the Times agrees is his "well-known name on Staten Island . . . his 10 years in Congress have defined him as anything but the independent fighter for constituents that he claims to be in this campaign." Of course, this is a slam at Vito's most recent television ads, proclaiming him an independent, to the extent to which he almost seems as if he's running AS an independent. For more on those ads, along with some other slimy campaign tactics, see here. If there's one thing Vito isn't, its independent, and the Times agrees:
He has been a real water-carrier for the Bush administration and the Republican leadership, staunchly backing the war in Iraq while at the same time denying health benefits to National Guard and Reserve members who make up much of the American force there
And then they start the laundry list of problems they have with Mr. Fossella's positions:
[Mr. Fossella is] unsympathetic to environmental concerns and has opposed a woman's right to choose. He does his constituents no favors by his support for privatizing Social Security.
This last sentence is another total SLAM at Fossella's propaganda. He sent a letter to all his constituents saying he doesn't AND NEVER DID support privitizing social security, when he DID support it until he found out most people in his district didn't like the idea. Now he claims in his TV spot that he 'fought against the President's plan to partially privatize social security.' Luckily, the Times seems to know a lie when they see it. But there's more:
He has voted to protect gun makers and sellers. While Mr. Fossella has lately sought funding to deal with health problems related to to the attacks of Sept. 11, he has largely been missing on important local issues.
The Times then describes how other local officials have had to pick up the slack for Mr. Fossella's lack of initiative on one of the issues most pressing to people in the district - addressing the horrible commuter traffic issues. But there's more, cause there's corruption to address:
Mr. Fossella has offered only lame excuses for improperly using his campaign funds for skiing holidays in Vail . . . as well as vacations in Florida . . . He has received donations from a lobbying firm with ties to Jack Abramoff. Earlier this year, he was fined a reported $60,000 for misusing his taxpayer-funded official mailing privileges.
But that's not it. Don't forget, he's a slimy campaigner as well:
He has also gone negative in a nasty way against his underfinanced Democratic opponent, Stephen Harrison. Voters should beware of any politician who tries to scare them, as Mr. Fossella has done, by pasting his opponent's photo alongside Osama bin Laden's.
Ok, but enough about Mr. Fossella - there's only so many ways to beat up on him. So, our alternative, Mr. Steve Harrison?
[Steve Harrison] deserves credit for making the stand, and is an attractive alternative to Mr. Fossella in his own right. Mr. Harrison has a presence in both sides of the district; he resides in Brooklyn, while his mother and sister live on Staten Island.
As chair of Community Board 10 in Brooklyn, he demonstrated leadership as he oversaw one of the city's largest efforts to contain overdevelopment through rezoning. He has a good command of the issues, and a feel for the concerns of the district. Mr. Harrison surprised many with his passion and keen intelligence in a series of debates with Mr. Fossella.
At first, nobody thought Mr. Harrison had it in him. But the marathon running man with strong principles - no torture, defend the constitution, investigate the administration, no tax cuts for the rich - defended those passions with fire at the debates. To see more of those debates, click here. But here's the kicker:
The distinctions could not be clearer. We endorse Mr. Harrison for Congress.
What else can you say to that? Here's what I say - go to the NY Times endorsement page, copy it into an email, and send it to the DCCC and DNC, and tell them to give Steve some cash! (see below for those links). This race has earned national recognition over the last few days - from CQ Politics, MSNBC, WSJ, and now The NY Times, and we're now looking to get these debates on public access TV, because anyone who sees Steve in action will see how he totally slammed Vito in the debates, and countered all the points Vito makes in his ads with his NSCC money.
BUT THERE'S MORE:
But don't believe me that his constituents are ready for change. Why not read the letters to editor in the largest local daily in the district, the generally conservative Staten Island Advance:
I live on Staten Island and Vito Fossella does, too ... but he is not one of us. He voted against the creation of the 9/11 Commission. Why do Staten Islanders vote for him? . . . He votes anti-labor 80 percent of the time! Why do Staten Islanders vote for him!
Fellow Staten Islanders, he's not one of us. He's totally lost touch with the values and the needs of the district. He wraps himself in our flag but, boy, does he know how to bend the truth and our Constitution. He confuses the facts in the hopes that we the voters won't notice. Vote for Steve Harrison for Congress on Nov. 7. Our present congressman has performed poorly and has no new or original ideas. He deserves to hear the words, You're fired!
That was from today's paper. But what about two days before that?
A VOTE FOR HARRISON IS A VOTE TO SAVE LIVES
This November, we are facing what will be the most important election in over 30 years . . . At the center of the debate is our involvement in Iraq. On one side of the debate is Vito Fossella, who supports George Bush's plan to stay in Iraq for the next 10 to 20 years . . . On the other side of the debate is Steve Harrison . . . A recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) prepared under the direction of the Bush administration determined that "the war in Iraq has become a primary recruitment vehicle for violent Islamic extremists, motivating a new generation of potential terrorists around the world whose numbers may be increasing faster than the United States and its allies can reduce the threat."
A vote for Mr. Fossella is a vote to divert billions of dollars and to sacrifice the lives of thousands of Americans to the war in Iraq. A vote for Steve Harrison is a vote to save the lives of thousands of Americans and to devote the nation's resources to homeland security, the fight against terrorism and to develop alternative sources of energy.
As one Brooklyn politician said, if there's anyone who thinks this race isn't competitive, time to think again (and I'd appreciate if someone could find which politico said that!). Anyway, its obviously true, from the debates to the letters and now to The NY Times.
But don't just take the word of the Times and the constituents that Vito's no good. Let's look at his report card from non-partisan advocacy groups from across the nation. I did a full length diary last night documenting all the data down to how various advocacy groups came up with their ratings, often down to individual votes, but to sum up:
VITO'S REPORT CARD:
VITO FAILS HIS CONSTITUENTS BY VOTING AGAINST:
CHILDREN: 11% rating by The Children's Defense Fund
VETS: a C+ rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association
SENIORS: a 10% rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans
LABOR UNIONS: 11% rating by Service Employees Union, 23% from AFL-CIO
I hope he didn't vote against puppies too. That would be the icing on the cake. (Oops, he did vote to continue to allow Wal-Mart 15 days notice for when they're being inspected for suspected child-labor abuse violations. Sounds like some pretty nasty icing on some pretty nasty cake to me). Need I say more?
WHAT CAN WE DO:
The office is VERY underfunded by the national Democratic party, so as I said, please email them this ringing endorsement!!! Here's the links to the 'send a comment' page of DNC and DCCC. Don't forge to tell them, not only the Times, but MSNBC, CQ Politics, wins at all 5 debates, and tons of angry letters against the incumbent in the local paper.
But if you live in the NYC area - this is the ONLY competitive race against the ONLY repub in NYC!!!! We have fliers for you to drop off in 'lit drops', and phone calls for you to make to help GOTV! Contact the campaign at their website, or call them at 718-836-0760.
And if you've got any cash to spare for a campaign on the brink of winning, but unfairly underfunded (Steve's getting all this traction without TV, radio, or newspaper ads - just imagine what he could do WITH them!! ), go to Steve's page at ActBlue. Everything helps!!