Cross posted from The 10,000 Things
Cross posted at DailyKos
Rep. John Sweeney (R-Alpha Delta Phi) is continuing his plan of reaching out to a wide range of constituencies.
Following on his successful outreach to the youth vote the increasingly desperate Mr. Sweeney is now working on securing women’s votes.
In an article in Sunday’s Troy Record Sweeney is quoted as saying in regard to his female Democratic opponent Kirsten Gillibrand…
“You can’t take a resume and a pretty face from New York City and say to people this is good for you simply because we can spend a lot of money and raise a lot of money.”
Judith Hope, former chair of the New York Democratic Committee and founder of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee had this to say…
“Someone should tell John Sweeney that it’s 2006, not 1906. Women are serving in Congress, serving in the military and are not just pretty faces. The fact is Kirsten Gillibrand is an accomplished civic leader and attorney. Mr. Sweeney’s behavior has become an embarrassment to himself and his constituents. Comments like these make it clear how out of step he is and how desperately this district needs a change.”
Asked if she thought the comment was sexist, Hope said:
“That’s for voters to decide. The remarks jumped out at me because I think it’s so inappropriate for the congressman to use… As a woman in politics I call on Mr. Sweeney to represent the district and address the issues and provide accountability and some answers.”
Sweeney’s remarks wowed another politically active woman as well…
The Working Families Party weighed in, with Capitol Region co-chair Karen Scharff saying: “Maybe he thinks he can talk that way in a frat house, but it doesn’t play real well with grown-ups.”
John Sweeney’s long-time support of working women shows that he knows how to play with adults too.
Kirsten Gillibrand will be the guest speaker at the Working Families Party Capital District Annual Fundraiser, Wednesday, May 10, at Ristorante Paradiso, 198 Central Avenue, Albany NY, 5:30pm – 7:30pm.
Speaking of accountability the Albany Times Union sure was impressed with Sweeney the reformer…
It’s time for a reassessment. The toothless and cowardly lobbying bill that the Senate voted for in March, much to our denouncement, isn’t necessarily the worst way to fix a Congress that’s too susceptible to corrupting influences after all. It’s instead merely the second worst. For that, thank the House, which has shamefully outdone the Senate.
The Times Union was pleased to point out that Democratic Congressman Michael McNulty voted against this worst of all reform bills and that John Sweeney was completely in favor of it.
Sweeney has also been working hard to secure the absentee vote since the beginning of 2005 as well.
Too bad for Sweeney’s opponent this year, Kirsten Gillibrand, that he is being so successful in his outreach programs. I’m sure his efforts will go a long way in swaying youthful voters and female voters and reform voters regardless of her recent listing on Democracy for America’s DFA-List of endorsed candidates, or her endorsement by EMILY’s List.
The Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee, an organization dedicated to funding and training progressive women candidates in New York State, on whose board Kirsten has spent the last few years is sure to waste it’s time and effort supporting her campaign as well.
Sweeney’s impressive record on reform is sure to blot out the fact that Kirsten Gillibrand is also on the board of the Brennan Center for Justice which has taken a lead role in government reform issues in New York. I’m sure John Sweeney’s sterling ethics record will outshine Kirsten’s call for ethics reform as well.
Yup, John Sweeney sure has a strong, aggressive and intelligent campaign strategy revving up.
Regardless of Sweeney’s impressive campaign Democrats are targeting this district as one of the 15 seats they need to gain to take back control of the House of Representatives featuring John Sweeney as their inaugural “crony of the week” at the GOP Auction House.
The Glens Falls Post-Star reported various political pundits points of view…
“If Democrats take back the House, it’s going to be with New York as their backbone,” said Clark Todd, contributing editor to NationalJournal.com, a nonpartisan political newsletter.
Republicans in the 20th Congressional District are clearly taking Gillibrand’s campaign seriously, said Robert Turner, a political science professor at Skidmore College.
“They are, in the words of one Republican consultant I talked to, ‘going to take out their (Democrats) legs early,'” he said.
The district is “one of the safest districts in the Northeast” for Republicans, said Alexander “Sandy” Treadwell, who represents New York on the Republican National Committee.
“I don’t get it,” Treadwell said, referring to Democrats targeting Sweeney’s seat. “But if they want to spend their money and waste it, so be it.”
Treadwell had been rumored to be mulling a primary battle of his own against Sweeney before chickening out.
Kirsten Gillibrand is running and will need our help against Sweeney’s strong campaign tactics.
