That's no surprise, especially considering that Obama's political director, Patrick Gaspard, worked with ACORN to set up the Working Families Party in New York. Before working for Obama, Gaspard was a registered lobbyist for SEIU. But not getting the Party's endorsement in New York State is a pretty big deal. Democrat candidates rely on the Working Families Party for votes and deep (not necessarily legal) discounts on campaign expenses. According to New York State law, any votes for a Working Families Party candidate get counted as votes for the Democrat candidate. Pretty slick, eh?
According to Elizabeth Benjamin at New York Daily News, ACORN claims to have "provided the margin of victory for Democratic congressional candidates five times since 2002: Tim Bishop (2002), Brian Higgins (2004), Eric Massa (2008), Bill Owens, and [Scott] Murphy (2009)."
Inside the Party, Benjamin reports, tempers are running high. One Party faction wants to run challengers against anyone who votes No on ObamaCare.
The WFP has run insurgent candidates against Democratic incumbents before, successfully winning five [New York] City Council races that fell into that category last fall.
At least six New York House votes are believed to be in play at the moment. But the members coming under the most pressure are two who voted "no" last time around: Rep. Mike McMahon (NY-13) and Rep. Scott Murphy (NY-20). Both are currently on the fence.I wonder how many times Mickey Mouse signed that petition.
McMahon got a personal visit last week from SEIU 32BJ's Mike Fishman, who made it clear that labor will not at all be happy if the freshman Democrat casts another "no" vote.
Murphy was presented on Sunday with 7,000 signatures gathered by the WFP urging him to support the bill.
As Monroe Rising pointed out, knowing that a candidate has vexed ACORN sounds like a pretty good incentive to give the guy a vote. And a call.
Just so you know. . . .
Contact Mike McMahon (Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn) here. Washington phone: (202) 225-3371; local phone: (718) 351-1062.
Contact Scott Murphy (Lake Placid, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, Hudson, Rhinebeck, Delhi, Walton) here to respond to Murphy's Health Care Survey. Washington phone: (202) 225-5614; local phone: (518) 581-8247.
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Other phones to melt:
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