New York 23rd

[James48843]

Interesting twists in New York's 23rd today.
That's the district where Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman is battling Democrat Bill Owens.

Today, the police were called out-

========================================




On Election Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_Day_%28United_States%29), police were called two at least two polling sites in St. Lawrence County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lawrence_County,_New_York) following "overzealous electioneering" by supporters of Doug Hoffman.[50] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_23rd_congressional_district_special_e lection,_2009#cite_note-49) One newspaper said observers called it "Voter Intimidation" by the Conservative Hoffman Supporters at two polling sites. (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2009/11/police-called-to-ny-23-polling.html)

Later, Hoffman accused the Democratic Party of "bringing in ACORN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_ Now)" and trying to "steal this election away from the 23rd district" in reference to a campaign volunteer's tires having been slashed (http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/11/03/a-flat-tire-leads-to-accusations-in-ny-23-race/).[51] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_23rd_congressional_district_special_e lection,_2009#cite_note-50)

Anton Troianovski of The Wall Street Journal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall_Street_Journal) later quoted that Captain Michael Branch of the Plattsburgh City Police Department as saying "This was not a tire slashing—this was some guy who drove over a bottle and cut his tire."[52] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_23rd_congressional_district_special_e lection,_2009#cite_note-51)

=============================

Interesting.

[tsptalk]

I can't confirm either story, but I'm guessing Owens met Pelosi and she told him how it was going to be.


http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0809/Dem_House_candidate_against_public_option.html
"Bill Owens, who hopes to replace Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), has come out against the public insurance option, saying it doesn't belong in the House health reform bill. Owens is actually a registered independent, another sign that some Democrats running in conservative districts may need a little distance from President Obama for the time being."

Owens Breaks 4 Campaign Promises in first hour in Congress (http://www.tsptalk.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7623:owens-to-break-campaign-promises&catid=60:st-lawrence-news&Itemid=175)
"... Mr. Owens now indicates that he intends to vote in favor of the bill even though it now contains a public option."

[James48843]

Bill Owens campaign website said he supported healthcare reform.

Here is what is on Candidate Bill Owens website:

http://www.billowensforcongress.com/release_details.asp?id=16


Bill Owens on Health Care Reform

Bill Owens is committed to health care reform. He understands that we need reform for the millions of Americans who don't have affordable health care, as well as for those who have inadequate care or live in fear that their coverage may not be there when they really need it. As a Member of Congress, Bill Owens will fight for health care reform that responsibly fixes our broken system for us and for future generations.



Bill Owens supports health care reform that accomplishes these goals:
· Supports: Controlling health care costs for the middle class.
· Supports: Providing access to affordable health insurance for every American.
· Supports: Preventing insurance companies from denying coverage to anybody based on previous existing conditions and bans caps on lifetime coverage.
· Supports: Giving small business and individuals access to the lowest rates available to federal employees and large corporations.
· Supports: Allowing anybody to keep their existing coverage.
· Supports: Using profits from repayment of TARP funds, allowing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to expire, increased efficiency in our health care system (like putting all health care records on-line and requiring insurance companies to accept payment on-line), and cutting special interest tax loopholes (like tax benefits for companies that offshore jobs) to help pay for health care reform.
· Supports: Allowing states to use savings from elimination of uncompensated care costs (Over $100 billion annually) to reduce taxes. In New York this would help prevent property tax increases.
Bill Owens is opposed to:
· Opposes: Medicare benefit cuts. We can all agree that there are inefficiencies and waste in the system, but any savings should be used to strengthen Medicare.
· Opposes: Taxing health care benefits.
· Opposes: Increasing taxes on the middle class in any way.


Bill Owen's opponent, Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman, has this on his campaign website:
http://doughoffmanforcongress.com/issues.html#healthcare
Where do you stand on health care reform?

Although universal health care sounds great in theory, we can’t afford to do everything at once… especially when it means adding an additional trillion dollars to the deficit we are handing to our children and grandchildren. I believe our first step should be to bring the spiraling costs of healthcare under control so the cost of healthcare does not destroy the budgets of hardworking families and retirees. Then, as the economy picks up we can work to insure everyone.


I'd say voters had a choice, and voted to support health care reform, and Owens did what he said he would do. He voted for it.

[tsptalk]

Call me suspicious. Don't you think Owens would have changed his website after altering his opinion?

Maybe we need another source.

[tsptalk]

OK, it looks like he was not opposed to a public option, if the bill was to his liking. This was from October...

"If a public option is in a bill that meets his objectives, he will support it. That has been repeated to me over and over again. It's not the public option that he is opposed to. He wants to see a strong comprehensive bill. I think we all can agree that there is a such thing as a weak health care reform bill even with a public option. Because if we don't reform the whole system and just throw in a public option as a deal sweetener, that's not much of a reform package."

http://www.thealbanyproject.com/diary/7389/ny23-a-clear-choice-bill-owens

[James48843]

Call me suspicious. Don't you think Owens would have changed his website after altering his opinion?

Tom-


I think maybe you give democrats way too much credit for any "sneaky tricks" ideas like that.

They aren't that organized, or that devious, to figure out how to do that--change issue papers AFTER an election. Or to try and rewrite history.

Ownes won the election on the night of the 4th. On the 6th he was in Washington D.C. being sworn in. Nobody even thought to take down the campaign website yet.

By the way- Hoffman DID update HIS website. He now is running in 2010, and asking for donations for that election.
http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/

Rerun in 362 more days?

[tsptalk]

I think maybe you give democrats way too much credit for any "sneaky tricks" ideas like that.
Not democrats - politicians. You can't trust many of 'em. :blink:

[OBGibby]

Recanvassing shows NY-23 race tightens... (http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/its_not_over_recanvassing_shows_ny23_race.html)

[grandma]

Recanvassing shows NY-23 race tightens... (http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/its_not_over_recanvassing_shows_ny23_race.html)
It should be alright to shoot the messenger ...the one(s) who broadcast false numbers?? :notrust:

[phil]

Sounds like "hanging chads" to me.