If you ask folks in Wasilla Alaska about Ms. Palin you would hear that once she came on board nothing was the same.  It was not the same old politics they say.  Not bad, you say.  We want change.  Yes, but at what cost?  She is an aggressive reformer who who isn’t afraid to break glass, and Washington needs some of that. 

“Her supporters say she helped Wasilla evolve from a ridiculed backwater to fast-growing suburb.  But her critics say too much growth too quickly has made a mess of what not long ago was homesteaded farmland.”

“For some, Ms. Palin’s first months in office here were so jarring — and so alienating — that an effort was made to force a recall. About 100 people attended a meeting to discuss the effort, which was covered in the local press, but the idea was dropped.”

“Shortly after becoming mayor, former city officials and Wasilla residents said, Ms. Palin approached the town librarian about the possibility of banning some books.” 

Is that what we really want in Washington.  Someone who wants to be our moral and social judge?  Do you want her determing what you can read, listen to or watch?
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If you were waiting for a real conservative to  run for the highest office in our country, he’s here.  McCain has really stepped up his message to religious conservatives, who have long viewed him as a nemesis.

McCain has abandoned previous calls to moderate the Republican platform’s support for a ban on abortion without exception. Instead, he allowed conservative organizers like Phyllis Schlafly to shape what many advocates say is the most conservative platform in the party’s history.  At Ms. Schlafly’s behest, for example, the party approved an immigration plank calling for new laws to speed widespread deportations and other punitive measures at odds with Mr. McCain’s stance on one of his signature issues.
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What a difference three years made.  It also helped that Gustav was a category three rather than category five hurricane.  Never the less, the residents of New Orleans who evacuated the city are ready to return.  Not so fast.  They will not be allowed to return until Thursday.  Many are angry but officials are playing it safe wanting power and medical care to be back to normal. A curfew will remain in effect at night.

“Many of those who could not get in said that a house without power was preferable to another night sleeping in a car in a hot parking lot.”

““They should let people back in, the storm is over with,” said Dominique Jones, a landscaper from east New Orleans who was leaning, shirtless in the broiling heat, against his truck, while his wife, Kim, a security guard, sat inside. “We might not have lights, but we can light candles. We have canned goods. We don’t have anything out here. We’re dead broke.””
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The price of oil has been dropping from a high of about $147 per barrel to about $100 per barrel.  Many are breathing a sigh of relief, fully expecting the price at the pumps to drop significantly.  Not so fast, say the oil companies.  They still need to recover money lost in the run-up. 

“As oil tumbles, prices at the gas pump come down. But the costs of many other products have not. Procter & Gamble, for example, has raised by 7 percent to 10 percent the prices it charges retailers for items made with ingredients derived from oil. The company is planning to maintain the increase “to recover costs already incurred,” Paul Fox, a spokesman, said.”

“Such decisions will come as little relief for thousands of retailers and wholesalers that have been forced to squeeze margins instead of passing their elevated costs to consumers, who have cut back on consumption of finished goods as their bills for groceries and gas jumped.”
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All photos courtesy of Alden Pellett Photography

Rouses Point, NY – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today joined with Akrimax Pharmaceuticals Inc. Chairman Joseph Krivulka, and Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas, to tour the Akrimax facility in Rouses Point. Senator Clinton played a key role in helping to bring Akrimax to the Wyeth facility in Rouses Point following the announcement that Wyeth would be closing the manufacturing facility in 2008. The decision by Akrimax to come to Rouses Point will allow the local economy to retain approximately 800 jobs, and will help preserve one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in New York State.

“In 2005 when Wyeth announced they would be closing operation at the plant it could have been a devastating blow to the region, but the people of Rouses Point saw it as an opportunity and a call to action,” said Senator Clinton. “With the assistance of Garry Douglas and the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce we were able to show Akrimax that there was a top-notch operation and dedicated workforce waiting in Rouses Point for the right company to move in. This is a victory for the North Country and for the hundreds of dedicated employees who depend on the success of this facility. I am proud to have had the opportunity to help make this connection, and I am glad that our hard work has resulted in a solution that benefits Akrimax and the local community.”

“Senator Clinton personally engaged with our entire team from day one, helping to maximize benefits for the Wyeth employees while also helping us to market the facility. Within months, she called us at the Chamber to connect us with Joe Krivulka and his partners and the rest is now history. Make no mistake. This was an extremely complicated deal and we were in direct competition with sites in other states. But she was right there, along with our other state and federal partners, every step of the way lending support and encouragement,” said Garry Douglas, President of the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce. “And the North Country needs to know that she continually calls us with prospects and contacts, and reaches out to prospective companies for us whenever asked, including an aerospace company just last week.”

“Senator Clinton was our first call when we considered acquiring this North Country facility. We are deeply grateful for her strong support and look forward to an ongoing relationship as we fulfill the legacy of manufacturing excellence at this facility,” said Joseph Krivulka, Chairman of Akrimax Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The announcement in late 2005 that the Wyeth Pharmaceutical operations would be closing could have been a devastating blow to the village of Rouses Point and the entire region. Following the Wyeth announcement, Senator Clinton worked closely with Gary Douglas and a team of others to help find a dynamic company to come in and assume operations at the plant. After having met with Akrimax to discuss bringing their business to the North Country, Senator Clinton was able to facilitate the connection between the emerging pharmaceutical company, the area’s local leaders and the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Senator Clinton and her staff maintained this relationship throughout the process in order to assist Akrimax and the community with issues related to the transition.

During a two-year transition period, Akrimax will lease a portion of the manufacturing facilities to Wyeth, and Wyeth will continue operations until Akrimax integrates its own products into the facility’s operations. Akrimax will eventually hire nearly 800 employees from Wyeth. If a suitable company had not been found to take over operations, the closing would have resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs and the need to redevelop a plant of considerable size.

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) invites local college and graduate school students interested in an unpaid internship to contact his office.  Openings are currently available in the Washington D.C. office.  

“The ability to participate in this nation’s democratic process and make a difference in our local community is an opportunity I treasure each and every day,” said Congressman Higgins.  “I encourage students interested in learning from and contributing to the governmental process to contact my office.”

Interns will have the opportunity work on a number of activities including:  constituent relations, research, staffing meetings, and writing projects.  A limited number of interns will be accepted each semester.

If you would like to apply for an unpaid internship in the Washington, D.C. office, please send your resume and cover letter to Molly Ritchie at molly.ritchie@mail.house.gov .                   

Part 1         

Mr. Rove has pushed Freedom’s Watch in particular, said several people who have heard him make the case.  He has told donors that he trusts the two longtime Republican operatives running the organization.

One is Executive Vice President Carl Forti, who is the former political director of the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney and the former communications director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The other is Executive Vice President Tony Feather, who was political director for Mr. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign and is a founding partner in FLS-DCI, a consulting firm for corporations and political candidates.

Mr. Rove is not paid by Freedom’s Watch, but nonetheless has spoken highly of its efforts when asked by Republican moneymen where they should put their contributions this fall, said people close to the former White House strategist.

The result has been an uptick in contributions to Freedom’s Watch.

“It has raised our profile, and his confidence in the operation has helped legitimize it in the minds of potential donors,” a Freedom’s Watch official said.

The group spent $17 million last year, according to its latest public disclosure, and has spent about $20 million in total, a spokesman said.

Freedom’s Watch has begun to concern some Democrats, with its large bankroll and plan to play in multiple markets with hard-hitting attacks.

 Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the House Democrats’ fundraising committee, accused Republicans of having “essentially contracted out to Freedom’s Watch” to do their fundraising and attack ads.

“There are these shadowy groups out there who can spend an unlimited amount of unaccountable money,” Mr. Van Hollen said Thursday in an interview with The Washington Times. “That is what ‘Freedom’s Watch’ is geared up to do.”

Mr. Rove also has recommended that donors with strong pro-life positions on abortion give money to the National Right to Life Committee. The committee declined to comment.

Republicans have been at a disadvantage on the money front through much of this election cycle. Democratic candidates for president, the House and the Senate have outraised their Republican counterparts.

The Democratic re-election committee in the House has raised $109 million, $29 million more than the Republican committee. In the Senate, the Democratic committee has collected $93 million compared with $59 million by its Republican counterpart.

Only at the national committee level do Republicans top Democrats. The Republican National Committee has raised $457 million compared with $417 million by the Democratic National Committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is so confident that the trend will continue and that he will bring in large amounts of money that he has declined to take public funding for his general election bid. Mr. McCain, on the other hand, will accept and stick to the $84 million that the federal government is offering.

Mr. Obama’s supporters expect that he will raise and spend much more than $84 million this fall. His own funds will be supplemented by several efforts that will total hundreds of millions of dollars.

For example, the AFL-CIO has approved a political budget of $53 million and its affiliated unions are expected to spend an additional $200 million on political activities. The National Education Association probably will spend more than $40 million and the Service Employees International Union has designated $100 million.

MoveOn.org also will spend substantial sums, conservatively estimated at more than $30 million. Last week its political arm launched a $2.5 million fundraising effort to bankroll a drive to register 500,000 voters.

Major corporations also will spend tens of millions of dollars to counter labor unions, especially over the question of secret ballots in union certification elections. Companies are worried that if secret ballots are eliminated, their workers will be unionized with greater ease.

Independent groups often do not advocate the election of specific candidates, but buy commercials or send out fliers that support policy positions. The effect of the effort is often the same because candidates are named in the advertisements and are closely associated with the issues mentioned.

EXCLUSIVE: Part 2

Political strategist Karl Rove, freed of his White House role, is encouraging major Republican donors to give their money to organizations that operate independently of the Republican Party and are poised to spend upwards of $100 million trying to elect conservatives this fall.

Mr. Rove, the architect of President Bush’s election victories, has been telling Republican benefactors across the country that giving to official Republican Party fundraising committees will not be enough this year, according to people familiar with his pitch over the past few months.

They said Mr. Rove has regularly expressed concern that Democrat-leaning organizations such as MoveOn.org and labor unions could swamp the Republican Party’s money machine and overwhelm the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican.

GETTY IMAGES Political strategist and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has been encouraging wealthy Republican donors to fund outside attack groups such as Freedom’s Watch.

To counter that wave, Mr. Rove has been asking elite Republican fundraisers to pour their millions of dollars into nonparty groups like Freedom’s Watch, which is gearing up to spend tens of millions of dollars to help elect conservatives - primarily Republicans - to Congress and the White House.

Freedom’s Watch has purchased advertisements that help Republican candidates by emphasizing issues rather than the candidates and do so without coordinating with the Republican Party.

Independent groups such as Freedom’s Watch on the right and MoveOn.org Political Action on the left will fuel much of the on-air and on-the-ground skirmishing this fall between Democratic and Republican candidates. Well-heeled donors often prefer using these organizations as conduits for their contributions because they often can remain anonymous and because the groups’ expenditures are not disclosed until after they are made, if at all.

Mr. Rove declined to comment about his discussions with Republican fundraisers.

But his spokesman, Mark Corallo, acknowledged that Mr. Rove, when asked, has encouraged people to fill the coffers of groups that in effect act as adjuncts to the Republican Party.

The message, Mr. Corallo said, was: “Conservatives, when interested, ought to contribute generously to groups that advocate their goals.”

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The only reason important money people are dishing out money for Joe Mesi to win in the State Senate race in the 61^st District is control.  The people who are supporting Mesi, who started up fake groups to funnel money to him, see Joe as a man they can control all the way up the political ladder.  The higher up the ladder the more he can do for them.

Don’t think for a second these backers care a hoot about Joe.  They control him.  Now he is their golden goose who’s going to make them richer and more powerful.

Charlie Mallow, Democratic Chairman for Genesee County, has said that Dan Ward would be a fine choice for State Senator in the 61st State Senate District.  Genesee and Erie counties are both in Dan Ward’s 61st State Senate District.

Charlie and I both went to Grover and I know he is a quality person and a man of his word. 

j.j. Tricoli