Eric Massa has already written a diary on the photo that John R. Kuhl is so proud of in,
Randy Kuhl Stands by His Man. Now, Kuhl's close association with Bush
made the newspaper.
This story in an Elmira/Corning, N.Y. local paper about the soon to be former congressman of NY-29 is entertaining for many reasons. One source of entertainment is the name of the photographer. Karl Rove was the camera buff! This is one candidate who has been keeping some bad company.
More on the photo at the bottom but first credit must be given to Erin Kelly of the Star Gazette for writing such a good news piece with real information. The story does a great job of letting the local voters know what Kuhl is all about by actually printing Kuhl's loyalty to Bush found in his voting record;
During his short term in office, the 62-year-old congressman has proved to be a reliable vote for Bush and House Republican leaders. Kuhl cast votes in support of Bush's policies 85 percent of the time last year, more than any other New York Republican except Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Onondaga, according to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly Weekly.
Ms. Kelly also itemizes a few of Kohl's loyal votes;
Among those votes: He opposed stem cell research, supported drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and supported a bill making it harder to file for bankruptcy protection. He also supported the Central American Free Trade Agreement and voted for Bush's 2006 budget, which included tax cuts and reductions in spending for Medicare and Medicaid.
He is also closely tied to the disgraced Tom Delay and his "fist full of dollars" replacement, John Boehner;
Kuhl also voted with the House GOP leadership 93 percent of the time -- more than any other New York Republican except U.S. Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-Clarence, who is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Kuhl is a Wingnut's Wingnut in a Blue State where the freshman only got in with 51% of the vote. Kuhl is quoted as saying "In the New York congressional delegation, I'm definitely on the right." Either Randy Kuhl is making Eric Massa's job very easy or upstate New York is a whole lot less blue than the rest of the state.
I don't know which is better. The fact that Karl Rove was the photographer, the voters reading a real news story or Eric Massa's response being printed;
"I'll let the voters decide whether it's a good idea to Superglue yourself to George Bush," said Democrat Eric Massa of Corning, a retired Navy officer who is running for Kuhl's seat. "Clearly, Randy Kuhl thinks it is."
What had to be the most uplifting part of the story was when former representative Amo Houghton referring to the Washington newcomer's surprising clout, congratulated Kuhl on his ability to persuade Bush to come to Canandaigua to pose for the limousine photo.
The story dosen't actually say it, but Bush's isolation is becoming more and more obvious. The real reason Bush paid a visit to the oblivious, why a president travels to Canandaigua to push his agenda is because it was probably the only invite he had. With November approaching, Bush is often finding GOP members of Congress are otherwise engaged when he visits their districts.
While most leading Republicans refuse to admit as much publicly, they are putting more and more distance between themselves and a President whose approval rating has dropped to Nixon-in-Watergate depths.
Now that is really good news!