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Marc Mukasey, the son of Bush administration Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is mulling mounting a challenge to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, sources tell The Post. But the younger Mukasey, a partner at Rudy Giuliani’s law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, would run only if the former mayor opts out of the race, the sources said. “He could beat [Gillibrand],” a source said of Mukasey. “He has a known name, and he could get Republicans nationally behind him. This has national appeal — because we could really use that vote right now.” Marc Mukasey did not respond to a request for comment.

One should be given combat pay for defending Sarah Palin in Manhattan. The other evening at a lecture, a so-called distinguished author of political tomes reflected on the declining state of conservatism and cited Sarah Palin as the reincarnation of Senator Joseph McCarthy, who stirred the ire of the country by accusing a huge swath of the State Department as being card carrying communists. Hearings were held and eventually the Senator, an authentic alcoholic, was exposed as a liar and a fraud, chastised by the Senate and tossed into the rubbish bin of history where he belonged. The ugly comparison...

Looking for a scapegoat for her poor showing in New York’s 23rd Congressional race, Dede Scozzafava has chosen every liberals favorite, Sarah Palin. Scozzafava in an interview slammed Sarah Palin for “attacking” her, when in reality Palin only endorsed her opponent Doug Hoffman. But then again to liberals if you don’t support them you’re attacking them. I love the way the media is describing Dede Scozzafava even now; they say she’s a “moderate” Republican. CNN describes her as the “face of moderate republicanism”; refusing to call Scozzafava what she is, a liberal. Sarah Palin simply chose principle over party; Dede...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Like the song goes, "something going on over there". What's happening in the New York 23rd Congressional District may have national significance. It's looking like a political earthquake in progress, and it has a San Francisco flavor to it....In San Francisco style, a Republican abandoned her own party's candidate and chose a liberal Democrat, saying it was the best choice for her district. (Recall the hundreds of San Francisco republicans who were strong early financial supporters of Democrat Mayor Gavin Newsom and his defunct run for California governor over the Republican candidate.) Didn't make much difference....

Vice President Joe Biden and the woman who ran against him last year did some long-distance sparing today. Biden, at a rally for New York congressional Democratic contender Bill Owens, took a verbal shot at former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who's a supporter of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in Tuesday's crazy special election for New York's 23rd district (where Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava has dropped out and endorsed the Democrat). Using energy as an issue with which to score some rhetorical points, Biden said that "the fact of the matter is, Sarah Palin thinks the answer to energy is...

Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava fended off criticism that she wasn't as conservative as third-party candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama's agenda in Washington. It was a fairly typical evening--until the speech ended and someone with...

Mr. Hoffman has siphoned so much support from Ms. Scozzafava that their Democratic rival has vaulted into the lead, according to a poll released Thursday. The election is Nov. 3. "I am not your run-of-the-mill politician, and maybe that's why the Republican bosses didn't like me," Mr. Hoffman told a recent health-care forum sponsored by the Upstate New York Tea Party. In an interview, Ms. Scozzafava acknowledged her discomfort at the event. "I knew it wasn't going to be an easy audience for me," she said. The rise of conservative "tea party" activists around the country has created a dilemma...

Dede Scozzafava, the GOP nominee in a key upcoming House special election, is running dangerously low on campaign cash, according to several GOP sources familiar with her spending and fundraising. While Scozzafava’s official fundraising numbers will not be known until next Thursday, the third-quarter Federal Election Commission reporting deadline, the GOP sources acknowledged to POLITICO that she’s unable to compete financially with her two opponents.She’s also being outspent in the sprawling district by Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, the third-party candidate who has peeled off conservative support from the moderate state assemblywoman. Scozzafava has drawn fire from the right over...

The three-way race makes for a number of possible scenarios, including ones that have Scozzafava finishing first, second or even third. She is in real trouble. A lack of campaign resources and a classic political squeeze from the left and the right have severely damaged the prospects of Republican Dede Scozzafava, a six-term state Assemblywoman from Watertown. While initial polling showed Scozzafava leading Democratic attorney Bill Owens and Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, Owens has caught Scozzafava in recent private polling, and Hoffman continues to gain strength, making him a considerable factor in the contest and a growing problem for...

Just when it seems congressional Republicans have finally gotten the message about standing on principle before grasping for power, they go and pull a Dede Scozzafava. Scozzafava is the "Republican" New York assemblywoman selected by the GOP establishment as their candidate in the upcoming special election to succeed Rep. John McHugh. He recently resigned from his seat representing the Empire State's 23rd Congressional District on Capitol Hill to become President Obama's secretary of the Army. Incredibly, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, is throwing its money and resources behind Scozzafava. There is something else about Scozzafava -...

Republican leaders in New York have chosen state Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava as their nominee for the special election to replace Army Secretary-designate John McHugh (R-N.Y.). County chairmen for the 23rd district made the selection on Wednesday. The chairmen choose their nominee in lieu of a primary process for special elections in the Empire State. “I congratulate Dede Scozzafava for receiving the nomination to represent our party and make the case for tax relief, economic development and opportunity,” state party chairman Joseph Mondello said. “We desperately need her voice to oppose the Democrats’ plans to stifle our economy, tax business out...

Nobama is all over the news. There is no where to hide from his picture, his voice, his marxism. But who is speaking for us? Oh, sure, plenty of us here on FR, on BTR and on terrestrial talk radio. But of those running for office, who speaks for us? I can't say he speaks for you, but he definitely speaks for me, and to me. Lt. Col. Allen West is one of today’s most admired veterans, leaders and speakers. His speech is a direct reflection of his philosophy, leaving no one in question as to where he stands. Excerpts...

Several state lawmakers said today they are considering a run for Rep. John McHugh’s seat after he was tapped Tuesday by President Obama as secretary to the Army. On the Democratic side, Sen. Darrel Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, Jefferson County, appears to the party’s top potential candidate, and he said he will consider it. “We haven’t ruled anything out,” Aubertine said, adding he will have to talk to his family. Asked if he’s concerned that a move to Congress would leave the Democratic majority in the Senate vulnerable since he represents a heavily Republican district, he said, “I’m concerned about my...

The news of Rep. John McHugh's nomination as Secretary of the Army by President Barack Obama Tuesday afternoon has set off a succession scramble in upstate New York, giving Democrats an opportunity to pick-off yet another Republican seat in the Northeast. .....

Let me confess: I really like New Jersey. No joke. My earliest memories are living on Alpha Avenue in Old Bridge, New Jersey. When I was eight, in the summer of ’68, my family moved. Today I live in Virginia, but just last year I detoured while driving to New York City and darted over to see the old Old Bridge neighborhood. It was nice. I enjoyed the scenery. And, thankfully, I didn’t have to pay their highest-in-the-nation taxes. Or contemplate their latest corruption scandal. I’ve been thinking about New Jersey because, like Virginia, the state holds its governor’s race...

- Ex-Gov. George Pataki is at the top of national Republicans' wish list to take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand at the polls next fall. "In New York there's sort of a short list," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is in charge of recruiting and coordinating the GOP's Senate campaigns. "I've talked to Gov. Pataki about it, but I don't know what he will decide," Cornyn, tasked with reversing the tide of Democratic Senate victories the past two elections, told reporters over breakfast.

Michael Barone analyzes what we know about the nearly 6,000 absentee ballots that were returned but not yet counted in the NY-20 special election. "Of those 5,995 votes, 48 percent were cast by registered Republicans, 36 percent were cast by registered Democrats and 16 percent by others. That's a 12 percent Republican advantage, a little less than the 15 percent advantage Republicans have in total party identification. It suggests to me a pretty good Democratic absentee voter drive, since registered Democrats in an Upstate New York district are likelier to be behavioral Democrats than registered Republicans are to be behavioral...

A Russian arrives in New York City as a new immigrant to the United States. He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says, "Thank you Mr. American for letting me into this country, giving me housing, food stamps, free medical care, and a free education!" The passerby says, "You are wrong, I am from Mexico." The man goes on and encounters another passerby. "Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in America." The person says, "I not American, I Vietnamese." The new arrival walks farther, and the next person he sees he stops,...

Dear Fellow Republican, With a successful Special Election Win of Eric Ulrich in the Queens 32 district, the Republican Party in New York City is showing hopeful signs that we can build on our core principles one race at a time. In order to do that, though, we will need to field candidates on the local level and for citywide office this year. We will only take a step backwards if we, as a Party, throw our support behind the Mayor and allow him to run on the Republican line. in 2001 and 2005, the mayor fought and won his...

What Does the Life and Legacy of Abraham Lincoln Mean to Me? Phil Orenstein • February 1, 2009 • Uncategorized The following are some of my thoughts expressed in an essay for the Queens Village Eagle on the upcoming Lincoln Bicentennial Dinner on Feb. 8th and the significance of the Lincoln Essay Contest and LTC Allen West’s keynote address:

State Sen. Betty Little will seek the congressional seat to be vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand, who was tapped by Gov. David Paterson to replace U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Little, 68, said Friday that she is ready to move up. "I have represented my constituents in the Assembly and the Senate from farmers to small-business people to all kinds of working men and women, and I believe I can represent them well in Congress at the next level as well," Little (R-Queensbury, 45th District) said. "The congressional district and the State Senate district are very similar." Little's effort to become...

If Kirsten Gillibrand becomes our new senator, there's already a growing list of Republicans ready to run for what would then be her vacant Congress seat. Sandy Treadwell and Betty Little have publicly declared that they plan to run in a special election if there's an opening. Treadwell lost to Gillibrand in the last election. If Kirsten Gillibrand becomes our new senator, there's already a growing list of Republicans ready to run for what would then be her vacant seat in Congress. He issued a statement saying, "I have just come off a campaign on the district, so I have...

Newt has turned out to be just another infected Washingtonian. When I heard him come out again "Barak the Magic Negro" I knew he was done and I was finished with the Republican Party. Today I switched to the Conservative Party.

U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 6 Article 1 - The Legislative Branch Section 6 - Compensation paragraph two states: "No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office."

In Rochester today, Hillary spoke at her greatest length so far about Sarah Palin. "I think that a lot of people were excited to see the Republicans have a woman on their ticket. We had a woman vice presidential candidate in 1984; the Republicans have one this year. I think that is something to be excited about because it is a change. But that's not reason enough to vote for the McCain-Palin ticket," she said, according to a transcript from NY1 News. She also spoke of the way women are covered by the press. "I think you have to ask...

Ferraro Happy About Palin, Won't Reveal for Whom She's Voting (Jake Tapper, August 31, 2008, POLITICAL PUNCH) Former vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro told National Public Radio's Jacki Lyden that she was happy to see Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- who mentioned Ferraro in her remarks Friday -- on the GOP ticket. "For 24 years I've been saying, 'It's great to be the first, but y'know, I don't want to be the only,'" Ferraro said. "And so now it is wonderful to see a woman on a national ticket." [...] As for whom Ferraro will vote, the former congresswoman from...

Brooklyn Conservatives have wasted no time, picking retired banker and former Marine Corps captain Paul Atanasio, 59, as their candidate for Congress. "He is my congressional candidate," said Brooklyn Conservative chairman Jerry Kassar. "I'm going forward with that." Atanasio, an attorney, will replace the late Frank Powers as the Brooklyn Conservative pick in the race. A formal party candidate has yet to be chosen because Brooklyn Conservatives and those on Staten Island disagree over the choice. Brooklyn wanted Powers, who was the GOP designee, while Island Conservatives prefer City Councilman Michael McMahon (D-North Shore). If the two sides can't come...

Following the death of their candidate for Congress, Republican leaders on Staten Island and in Brooklyn are turning their attention in earnest — once again — to finding potential candidates to run for the seat. And they say they will probably reach a decision by the weekend. Party leaders on Staten Island said they were looking seriously at a number of potential candidates. The most prominent is Matthew Mirones, a former assemblyman who operates a prosthetics company. They had also considered Lisa Giovinazzo, a lawyer and part-time anchor at the cable channel NY1 News. But on Wednesday, Ms. Giovinazzo said...

Hillary Clinton returned to the Senate today with cheers from her Democrat colleagues. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) led the way with chants of “we need you!” Mikulski was not alone in her praise as fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer was part of the small contingent of senators that welcomed back their junior colleague. Striking was that Clinton made her entrance on the east side of the capital in the door that is rarely used. Not even good ole Dick Cheney uses that door! As the Politco reported today Clinton was greeted with a standing ovation during the Democrats weekly luncheon...

<p>So this summer,there will be another confrontation. BillO lives on Long Island. I plan on chartering at least one bus - hopefully more - from New York City. We'll visit Bill with vets and Jews and African-Americans and peacefully set forth our grievances. We'll ask for an apology and suggest ways in which BillO might improve his behavior in the future.</p>

Though retiring Republican incumbents hold two western New York seats near Syracuse and the Canadian border, the party is having a difficult time coming up with top-notch candidates to hold the seats. In the past day alone, two top recruits have told the Washington GOP establishment that they will not be seeking their party's nomination to replace Reps. Tom Reynolds and Jim Walsh, while Democrats have largely settled on their candidates. Walsh's Twenty-Fifth District, based around Syracuse, looks like one of the best pickup opportunities Democrats have in the Northeast. Former Congressional aide Dan Maffei, a Democrat who came just...

Hillary's White House itinerary is being released. Question, in late 1999, what were her contacts with Luis Nieves Falcon. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_199912/ai_n8877467 The FALN terrorists were pardoned for New York Puerto Rican votes for her Senate election. The 16 terrorists were convicted of a variety of charges that included conspiracy, sedition, violation of the Hobbes Act (extortion by force, violence or fear), armed robbery and illegal possession of weapons and explosives -- including large quantities of C-4 plastic explosive, dynamite and huge caches of ammunition. Observed Judge George Layton, who sentenced four FALN defendants for their conspiracy to use military-grade explosives to...

Rumors are flying around Washington D.C. on whether or not Congressman Randy Kuhl is ready to call it quits. Kuhl's name was brought up in a blog posted on Yahoo News Thursday. The Real Clear Politics blog appeared on numerous websites. It says, in just the last few days' five Republican members of the House told House leaders they will not seek reelection this fall. Insiders are saying more are to come. But, is Randy Kuhl one of those members? That question was put to Kuhl during a taping of Coleman and Company. Kuhl would not confirm or deny the...

Sorry, Rudy: In an interview to air this Sunday, state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long tells WNBC's Gabe Pressman the party is likely to give an early nod to Fred Thompson if he manages to "break through" in South Carolina. "As a Conservative, as the chairman of the New York state Conservative Party, my favorite candidate, naturally, is Fred Thompson," Long said. "He did very well this week in the debate. Certainly, I think in South Carolina. If he does well there, if he breaks through in South Carolina, he changes the face of this Republican race again. He becomes...

Mark Steyn’s review of the candidate’s Christmas campaign messages is a must-read today because it’s likely to be the funniest thing you’ll see all day. Here’s a taste: John Edwards’s message is the usual Dickensian affair about the two Americas. I forget the details, but the upshot is that one America is a land of spindly emaciated Tiny Tims with barely three farthings to rub together for their next cup of gruel, while the other’s a marshmallow world where Dick Cheney, high on wassail, shoots a brace of turducken out of season, and then chows down as the Radio City...

Stick a fork in him: With fewer than 20 days until the Iowa caucuses, three men in the Republican Party stand to get their tickets punched out of the Hawkeye State. While everything is still in flux, those likely winners will be Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson. Notably missing out on Iowa’s political rocket fuel is national frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. While most political insiders and pundits have known for months that Giuliani had no plans to compete in Iowa, the general American electorate probably does not. Known to not pay attention to the early political pontificating, the average...

Candidate Lee Zeldin (NY-1) ties the lack of faith in MLB ballplayers in the wake of the Mitchell Investigation with the decaying support for the leadership of the 110th Congress. www.zeldin08.com/leesblog/index.php?id=7And also seeks to support the vets who need us most this holiday season: www.zeldin08.com/leesblog/index.php?id=8

State Sen. Eric Johnson was among the first prominent Georgians to jump on the Fred Thompson for President bandwagon. The Savannah Republican helped persuade dozens of state lawmakers to endorse the former Tennessee senator earlier this year. But he remained relatively quiet after Thompson officially entered the GOP race this summer. Until last week, that is. That was when Thompson slipped to fifth place in one national poll after doing only a little better in other recent ones. Earlier, he'd led in one national poll and stayed near the front of the pack in others. Against that backdrop, Johnson weighed...

If history matters to you, then voters should pick Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Fred Thompson as their parties' presidential nominees. That's because they are the choice of America's social studies teachers. In a miniconvention sponsored by Pearson, the education and media giant, Clinton, the former first lady viewed as the most experienced in the field, was first with 41.9 percent, followed by Sen. Barack Obama with 34 percent and John Edwards at 12.3 percent. On the GOP side, Thompson, the actor and former Watergate prober, won 23.2 percent, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 20.5 percent and surging Mike...

Rick Moran has a post up exploring Mike Huckabee’s record as Governor of Arkansas in which he concludes that although Huckabee is a social conservative he most certainly isn’t a ‘real’ conservative. “While Huckabee claims to have cut taxes 90 times totaling $378 million, the state’s Department of Finance and Administration says he also raised taxes 21 times that brought in a whopping $883 million,” Rick writes. “Under his ‘conservative’ governance, the ‘average Arkansan’s tax burden’ went “from $1,969 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1997, to $2,902 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2005, including...

Like noxious bugs swarming over a crumbling tenement, followers of Ron Paul have invaded the blogosphere. Their target is anyone who dares to criticize their hero. Bloggers have dealt with them in various ways. Some have tried banning them outright. Others allow readers to engage them in back-and-forth debates that can easily take a thread to several hundred responses. I used to find the Paulites annoying, but recently I had a revelation: Far from being scorned, Paul’s rabid fans should be welcomed and encouraged. We should do everything we can to make certain they keep pushing their man, sending him...

Among the top tier Republican candidates, Rush says that only Fred has been a consistent conservative. You have been given your marching orders. Now you know who to vote for. RUSH: …the genuine moderate as opposed to conservative aspects of three of the top-tier, four of the top-tier candidates were on full-fledged display last night. There was one candidate who did not display any moderateness or liberalism or have any of his past forays into those areas displayed, and that candidate was Fred Thompson. … …we have a campaign now where most of the candidates are not genuine conservatives. They...

Falsehoods, exaggerations and stumbles Summary The CNN/YouTube debate among Republicans lacked any talking snowmen, but we did note a few false and misleading statements by the candidates. * Romney claimed New York called itself a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens. It didn’t. * Giuliani denied New York actually was a “sanctuary city.” But the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has classified it as such, based on immigrant-friendly policies Giuliani still defends. * Huckabee claimed he would “abolish the IRS.” He failed to mention that he’d replace it with another big tax bureaucracy. * Huckabee said he had proposed to make children...

It’s still early in the process, and a lot can happen in the next few weeks, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to see how Rudy Giuliani’s campaign survives a series of early (and humiliating) defeats. In Iowa, Giuliani has gone from first to third, and he’s not done dropping yet. In New Hampshire, Giuliani is either a distant second possibly even third. And then there’s South Carolina, where Giuliani was, up until fairly recently, hanging onto to a first-place lead. Not anymore. On the heels of polls showing Rudy dropping fast in New Hampshire and out of contention in Iowa,...

"I just want to give my buddies here a little air time." -- Fred Thompson sounding like Ronald Reagan (after showing a video about Romney and Huckabee that would take the bark off the trees, and being told the others would have time to respond) ... Thompson's video utilized YouTube clips that have been circulating for quite some time on YouTube. Only this time, they are also being broadcast on CNN. My bet is getting this negative information out is a lot better use of his time than merely putting out some puff-piece ...

According to MSNBC host Chris Matthews, 2008 Republican candidate Mike Huckabee has been given "the biggest free ride from the liberal media that I have ever seen in my life." Appearing on Monday's edition of "Morning Joe," the "Hardball" anchor speculated that left-wingers would enjoy seeing the GOP "chaos" that a Huckabee victory in Iowa would produce and, as a result, are ignoring the Republican's "crazy" views on gun control. Matthews derided as "black helicopter stuff," the former Arkansas governor's assertion that owning a gun gives Americans the ability to fight tyranny. "It sounds crazy," he told "Morning Joe" host...

Right Wing News emailed more than 240 right-of-center bloggers and asked them to answer 8 questions about the 2008 candidates. The following 61 blogs responded: The Absurd Report, David All Group, AtlanticBlog, The American Princess, Betsy's Page, Bit's Blog, BizzyBlog, Blogs of War, Blonde Sagacity, Bluey Blog, Boi From Troy, Bookworm Room, Keith Burgess-Jackson, Cassy Fiano, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Cold Fury, Conservative Grapevine, Damian Penny, Dispatches from Blogblivion, Argghhhh!, Ed Driscoll, Eckernet, Musings, Fraters Libertas, Ian Schwartz, Jeff Gannon - A Voice of the New Media, Ghost of a Flea, (Michael) GOPUSA Northeast, (Hank) GOPUSA Northeast, GraniteGrok, Gocinatlanta, Guardian Watchblog,...

Republican presidential candidates have pulled out their knives for Mr. Nice Guy. A surprising surge of support for Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, who had long seemed a rank outsider in the 2008 presidential race has turned him into a target six weeks before voting in Iowa. The Times of London reports that “running on a shoestring budget as an affable conservative with unrivalled religious qualifications (he is a former Baptist minister), Huckabee has been previously dismissed as an under-funded no-hoper. He is mostly known for a quirky sense of humor and his skills on bass guitar -...

Yesterday, Senator Fred Thompson issued a statement on the Supreme Court's decision to grant certiorari in the District of Columbia gun ban case. It reads, in part: I’ve always understood the Second Amendment to mean what it says – it guarantees a citizen the right to “keep and bear” firearms, and that’s why I’ve been supportive of the National Rifle Association’s efforts to have the DC law overturned. In general, lawful gun ownership is a pretty simple matter. The Founders established gun-owner rights so that citizens would possess and be able to exercise the universal right of self-defense. Guns enable...

I believe I represent the average Republican voter, or at least a significant slice of the R base. My positions - in no particular order - are as follows: Immigration - Amnesty is a deal breaker. If they are here illegally and we come into contact with them, send them home. Iraq - We were winning, we are winning, and we will win. The various pitfalls and difficulties that we have had do not equal defeat. We need a President to stand firm, and to fire all the traitors(I am not using this word lightly) in the State Department and...