Tomorrow, our first ad will be going up on the air in the 26th District, but I wanted to give everyone here a sneak preview.

Here's the spot.

Our primary is on September 9, only 21 days away, and we are in a tough fight against millionaire Jack Davis. He has been on the air for a few weeks, and we have to catch up.

Thomas Mills Communications provides an interesting look at the NY-26 race in the Off to the Races section of TMCcampaigns.com

Given the direction in which this race was heading, I did not expect to write anymore diaries about the NY-13 for a while. But, according to the New York Times, the state Democratic Party decided to remind voters that Republican Robert Straniere is an even bigger sleaze than his own party says he is.

I met Jon Powers at the beginning of 2008, not knowing much about him before the meeting.  By the end of that meeting I was ready to volunteer for my first political campaign.  Why?  As a woman, I find Jon Powers' genuine commitment to the issues that I care about compelling, as evidenced by this video.  So many candidates talk about what they are going to do but Powers takes action.  Read on to see what I mean...

More than half the residents of New York State -- those who live in the Big Apple -- rely on a fabled watershed for their supply of pure, fresh water. Dotted with reservoirs, the watershed is so well protected that none of the water needs to be filtered -- it just cascades through aqueducts, gigantic underground tunnels, a network of mains and pipes and out of the faucets of the nine million residents in the city. That water supply is now in danger of contamination.

It turns out that a big chunk of something called the Marcellus Shale formation sits underneath the 2000 square mile watershed, and trapped inside the formation is a trillion dollars worth of natural gas. Farmers who used to lease the mineral rights to their land for a dollar an acre saw the price rise to $200 an acre, and then over the last year to $2500 an acre. With permits in hand from the state, energy companies are drilling the first wells in New York.

With the Olympics begun, the focus of the world is on sports rather than politics.  Now it is time for the candidates for Congress to raise money and get ready for a brutal two months of fall to capture their seat in the House of Representatives.  The Democrats have the majority in the House and are likely to keep it.  However, with so many freshman Democrats, the Republicans are aiming to get back some of what they lost in 2006.  Still, the Republicans are the ones who likely will lose seats.  The NRCC has already told GOP candidates they won’t get as much support as they did in 2006.  Many GOP candidates have retired or resigned, while far fewer Democratic seats are open.  The GOP already lost 3 seats so far this year alone.  In fact, if you account for the three seats Republicans already lost, the Democratic list would be 21 instead of 24.
Below is an overview of all the critical seats of contention in 2008.  The Democrats have 24 seats that may be vulnerable, with 16 seats that are clearly vulnerable (including the three seats they picked up in 2008), while the Republicans appear to have 47 seats that may be vulnerable, with 30 that are clearly vulnerable.  
Below the flip is a list of key races in 2008.

Last week I had a huge influx of readers interested in my piece on Eric Cantor. Seems I'm not the only one thinking McCain might just pick Cantor. I think it's a longshot, but possible.

Things are getting very hectic personally. This may be the last newsletter for a few weeks or more. We will be on vacation in California for a couple of weeks and I will have Grand Jury duty after that. Plus work is exploding for me and Joy's dissertation is overdue. Even politically, I will need to put some extra effort into my friend, Devin Cohen's primary election September 9th. But this newsletter I cover some pretty critical stuff.

Originally Posted on The Albany Project

Steck Leads the Pack on Iran, Campaign Finance
Shahinfar Speaks Out On Iraq; Brooks Back On TV
Sullivan Petition Challenge Fails, "Loneranger" Rides On

The first week of August saw a flurry of campaign activity as the five Democrats seeking to replace retiring Representative Mike McNulty continued...and indeed a five-way race.  Self-described conservative Democratic candidate Joseph Sullivan has withstood a private challenge to his petitions.  

Meanwhile, the other four major contenders, Tracey Brooks, Darius Shahinfar, Phil Steck, and Paul Tonko, all lined up against a recent House resolution co-sponsored by the retiring incumbent regarding new sanctions and a possible blockade of Iran.  While the big four seem unified on this front, we have ourselves a bit of split on campaign finance reform.

The full weekly wrap-up below the fold...

The oldest tactic in the negative campaign handbook is to make stuff up about your opponent, repeat it over and over and hope that low information voters will believe it. BUT, until the 2004 election cycle, campaigns usually avoided opponent's unquestionable strengths, because they feared that the blowback from a reliable, unbiased press would call them on their more fantastic lies.

Then came the Swift Boat campaign...which was remarkable because it went after John Kerry's indisputable Purple Heart Viet Nam military record in an attempt to neutralize the incredible advantage the Senator had over AWOL Bush when it came to service, honor and responsibility. It worked and proved the press won't do it's job, and now, as a result, any lie or smear, no matter how outrageous, is dutifully reported in the news without scrutiny or context.  

Now we see Jack Davis playing the same Swift Boat game. Davis knows Jon's strengths are his commitment to service, his creation of War Kids Relief, his support on the Internet, and his dedication to mobilizing a grassroots effort unlike anyone has seen in his district.

Yesterday, the Dailykos community really came through for our campaign. Early in the morning, the editorial staff challenged the readership to secure 200 donations for the Powers for Congress and Annette Taddeo's campaign.

Throughout the day, repeated posts were front paged giving us updates and encouraging people to join in. Then, my friend, John Kerry, honored us by posting a diary of his own in support of our race in Western New York.

Last night,at 10:44 PM EDT, redrelic17 put us over the top with the 200th donation...but it didn't stop there. By midnight, the Orange 2 Blue page had registered over 220 donations for our campaign and 240 for Annette.

This week's mini-push on the Orange to Blue list has already gotten Annette Taddeo over our goal of 200 contributions. But as of this writing, Jon Powers is just 17 short of 200. With less than 2 hours to go, will you step up for Jon?

As Trapper John wrote in introducing Powers to the Orange to Blue list,

Jon Powers has earned a spot on Orange To Blue because he's the model of of a modern patriot. He's a soldier who fought in Iraq, saw the flaws of the war up close, and resolved to make it better by helping out the kids who were most affected. He's a guy who stuck with his hometown through the bad times, and who gets excited when talking about the potential for building it into something great again. He's an optimist who believes that government can be a real force for good, both at home and in the world -- and he believes that the key is empowering regular Americans to get involved. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Powers campaign is his "call to service" -- a plan that would address the critical shortages in the nursing and teaching professions, and which would foster service and volunteerism in all walks of life.  It's the product of a candidate who spends a lot of time thinking about how we can make our country work better -- not just about getting elected.

Powers is also running against a model of the kind of Democrat we don't want to see elected in Jack Davis, a former Republican who's trying to buy the nomination.  By contrast, Powers is an engaged Daily Kos contributor who attended Netroots Nation not just to speak and leave, but to hang out with convention attendees, just talking. Let's help him get to Congress to represent us all, and the values we share.

Update: 201! Let's go celebrate!!!

It's been an eventful few months for the Jack Davis campaign. First, they succeeded in getting the "millionaires' amendment" struck down. Then came allegations of bribery against the Davis campaign. In the meantime, Davis flooded the radio airwaves with the worst campaign songs anyone has ever heard.

Now, witness the latest of Davis' alleged transgressions: the campaign is under investigation for voter fraud. From a press release from Davis' primary opponent, Orange to Blue candidate Jon Powers:

WILLIAMSVILLE, NY – Michael Violante, the Niagara County District Attorney, announced today that his office will be investigating claims of petition fraud committed by Jack Davis' campaign for Congress in New York's 26th District.

Yesterday, Niagara County Democratic Chairman Dan Rivera requested a formal investigation from Violante's office into "petition irregularities" in petitions circulated for Jack Davis by a member of his paid staff, Kelly Taylor. Violante today announced his office would investigate on the matter and begin interviewing witnesses.

"Jack Davis is using fraud and bribes so blatantly that the District Attorney has decided to investigate.  This behavior lacks honor and is unacceptable for a candidate for Congress," said Powers for Congress Campaign Manager John Gerken. "The voters of Western New York deserve a congressman who puts their interests first, not yet another congressman embroiled in scandals."

Here are the specifics of the accusations of voter fraud:

Niagara County Democratic Chairman, Dan Rivera, issued a letter to Michael Violante, Niagara County District Attorney asking him to look into two cases of petition irregularities, one of which directly involves the Davis campaign.

The questions come from a paid Davis staffer, Kelly Taylor, whose petitions for the Davis Campaign listed her as a signed witness. Nine affidavits were collected from petition signers saying Kelly Taylor did not bring them the petition or witness their signature. In many cases, it was a young man that came to their door.

Jon Powers faces one of the toughest primaries that any of our Orange to Blue candidates have seen this cycle, and one of the most throughly undesirable primary opponents. He faces a candidate of apparently limitless personal resources, one who seems to think that his personal fortune alone merits a seat in Congress. With accusations not only of voter fraud, but of outright bribery, swirling around the Davis campaign, it's worth asking whether a plutocrat like Davis is at all the kind of candidate we want representing our party in November.

So rather than Davis, what kind of Democratic candidate do we want?

Senator John Kerry wrote of Jon Powers, in his own diary today:

Why is this personal to me? Because I believe in the courage and character of a young man who was a platoon leader in the First Armored Division in Baghdad during the early years of the Iraq war.  His commanding officer described Jon as, "one of the most talented officers I have known in twenty-two years of service in the Army."

But Jon didn’t stop there – when he came home, Jon started War Kids Relief, a program to help the Iraqi children and give them resources and education to resist recruitment by radical organizations.  It’s only through efforts like that, reaching people in their local communities and being sensitive to local conditions, that we can move beyond the cycle of terrorism and radicalism. It’s an old cliché, but in this case it’s true: America always does well by doing good.

That's the kind of guy Jon Powers is.

So give what you can to Jon Powers. Help send the message that there is no room for corruption in our Democratic party. Help send the message that the nomination of our Democratic party cannot be bought. And help elect an earnest, thoughtful and dedicated progressive voice to the U.S. House.

We are trying to reach 200 contributions to Jon Powers by the end of today. Please go to the Orange to Blue ActBlue page and help elect this remarkable young candidate.

A quick post to congratulate Daily Kos on your Orange2Blue program and, especially, to recommend one of the latest choices: Jon Powers.

It will be three years ago this fall that I met Jon Powers and there isn’t a more impressive young man getting involved in public life today.

August 6, 1945 was the horrible dawn of the atomic age at Hiroshima.

It's also the less well-known debut of an equally iconic, equally American killing technology:  the electric chair, which claimed its first victim on August 6, 1890 in New York's Auburn Prison.

This weird hybrid of penal reformism, naive techno-optimism and cutthroat corporate competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse made a nauseating botch of its maiden usage upon the person of otherwise obscure wife-murderer William Kemmler.

Cross-posted from Executed Today

The public recently witnessed the lack of basic care that people are subjected to at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York.  A woman was left for dead in the middle of the hospital’s psychiatric ward waiting room as staff did nothing but walk away.  The evidence in the New York Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit against the city proved that this was not an isolated incident (it just happened to be one of the only ones caught on tape).  Unfortunately, New York City's government is not learning from this catastrophe and taking sufficient steps forward to examine their hospitals - Women's eNews is reporting that the city is refusing to participate in a state review of maternal deaths and racial disparities, despite the fact that New York City has the highest number of maternal deaths and one of the largest populations of African-American patients in the country.

Some major developments this week involving corruption and domestic terrorism. Shootings, anthrax, and indictments. I have been talking for quite some time about Republican corruption and Ted Stevens of Alaska is somoene I declared as the most corrupt politician in America. Well, this week he was indicted. I have also been writing for some time about right wing fanatics in government and on talk shows inciting intolerance and violence. Well, we had another example of right wing terrorism in Knoxville, TN, quite possibly inspired by right wing talk shows.

Meanwhile, speculation about who Obama and McCain will pick for the VP spot is is the current rage. Everyone has tips, inside info and rumors to share. Well, I have no idea who either will choose, but one possibility for McCain was mentioned to me that would be interesting: Eric Cantor, Congressman from Virginia who makes Joe Lieberman look liberal. I discuss him this week. I also review my past coverage of Republican election fraud in Florida and Georgia. I am sure we will see the same kind of fraud in both states again this year. Plus I have been trying to flesh out my state-by-state coverage.

Disclaimer time. I am working with the Powers campaign, but I speak for myself. Hat tip to Jerri S. Kaiser at The Albany Project for the title.

Earlier this month, Orange to Blue Candidate Jon Powers' opponent, Jack Davis, began a pretty nasty and, I'd say, rather foolish online smear campaign.

He began by ripping off Powers' web site (in violation of copyright law) and creating a smear site describing, what he calls, "the REAL Jon Powers." Ignoring the fact that the arguments he makes on the site are so "Republican"... in that their relationship to the truth is, shall we say, non-existent ... I want to show you his handy work.

September 16, 1920, that is.  

In a fascinating piece in the wonderful (but unfortunately named) Damn Interesting, the little-known terror bombing in front of the JP Morgan bank building in New York City is explored in detail.  Thirty people died in the first few moments after the attack, and ten were mortally wounded.  Some 300 other men, women, and children were injured.