Conservatives in Disarray
 

In the Eyes of our friends, our liberal opponents, and the media the conservative movement is in disarray.

This year’s CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) should be a presidential showcase to show our relevance as a movement. I may be wrong but I don't get the impression that presidential candidates are lining up to participate in this event.  It is also indicative of the challenge we face as a movement that there is no credible conservative candidate for President at this time.  

After 8 years ofplaying inside the Beltway politics, my impression is that our grassroots conservative troops have lost confidence in our ability to win elections and to represent their beliefs in the political arena.  

I believe that we, as conservatives, MUST promote some basic truths:   

We are committed to protecting the people of the United States of America against its enemies. We should have a full debate about security and foreign polices. Engage someone such as  John Bolton to outline his vision for dealing with Iran, with radical Islam that is sworn to destroy us, with a Russia that is causing havoc for us and the free world.
Living in a Post 9-11 world means that security will be an issue for decades to come.  We need to lead the way by forming a consensus on solutions to these issues with experts such as Andrew McCarthy and Congressman Pete King.
Continue to be vocal and united on domestic issues such as nationalism, immigration, taxes, the rule of law, right to life, and gay marriage.  We MUST align ourselves with credible leaders who articulate a conservative vision for America in the 21st Century.
 
If we do not present a united front, if we do not express confidence that our movement is politically potent, then no one else will.  We collectively control our own destiny.

Comments from Allen Roth

Board of Directors – Member

American Conservative Union

Summarized by Greg Rigby

Campaign Spending Enters the "ebay" Era
by Michael Brewster

You get what you pay for, unless you fall for the sucker-bid and overpay. Veteran auction goers know that in the heat of the moment bidders may well overbid on an item, getting caught up in the excitement. In today's "ebay" campaign races, this problem is exacerbated. Nobody runs for elected office for the salary, but what is a seat worth?

A US Senate seat is worth $36 million according to spending by Sen. Hillary Clinton's re-election campaign. And that was for a shoo-in seat after the Republicans left John Spencer out blowing in the wind. Without Republican opposition, she basically ran unopposed and garnered 67% of the votes. In Pennsylvania, Sen. Rick Santorum spent $24 million in a losing effort. None of this national spending should be surprising when the numbers of local CNY races are examined.

In New York's 24th Congressional District, Democrat Michael Arcuri defeated Republican Ray Meier in a rare open seat contest. Spending on the race was $1.8 million by the Republicans, $1.1 million by the Democrats, the AP reported.

According to The Ithaca Journal,  the Republican Senate Campaign Committee raised about $7 million this year, compared with $2 million for the Democrats. We know that over $1 million was spent by the Republicans on Jeff Brown's losing bid for the 49th Senate seat.

So where does the madness end? When will a strong local candidate run for statewide or national office stand up and refuse to allow special interest campaign donations to dictate loyalties once the seat is won? We hear a lot about bipartisan campaign reform, but the past few months prove nothing is different, that Washington and Albany are playing the same old money games.

November 10, 2006
Upstate Conservatives Press Release
For Immediate Release

Contact: Jim Brewster
Phone 315 776 5312
Email: jdbrew1@localnet.com

Upstate Conservatives Coalition Calls for the Ouster of Joe Bruno
Senate Majority Leader is a One Man Legislature

Upstate Conservatives has formed to restore conservative ideals in New York State government. The same coalition that had the website www.dumpjeffbrown is now calling for the resignation of Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. The Conservative coalition is presently headed by former New York State Conservative Party Vice-Chairman Jim Brewster and several Upstate Conservative Party leaders and also includes a cross section of bipartisan political leaders and citizens. During the past election season members of Upstate Conservatives played a role in helping to defeat Senator Bruno and Assemblyman Jeff Brown in their attempt to purchase the 49th Senate District for $1.5 Million dollars.

During his tenure as majority leader Bruno has created a dictatorship in the Senate that goes against the most basis principles of democracy.
• Only after being sued by journalists has Joe Bruno agreed to release detailed information about millions of dollars of public funds spent under his direction. Each year Bruno alone distributes these funds to Senators with no public oversight and no accountability. Citizens who live in minority districts receive millions less in tax dollars than those represented by members of Bruno’s Republican majority who use vast amounts of public funds to support pet projects and clandestinely reward political supporters.
• Joe Bruno has continually courted the support of the New York State Conservative Party, but at the same time has supported legislation that is in direct opposition to the party’s platform. i.e. SONDA Legislation, etc.
• .
• Working with his Assembly counterpart, Bruno has been able to effectively stop true legislative reform in Albany, gerrymander legislative districts to ensure election outcomes, and create an overload of bureaucrats on the public payroll.

“The time has come for Joe Bruno to go. The Republican Party under the leadership of Joe Bruno is on LIFE SUPPORT” said Brewster. “The voters of this area have rejected Bruno politics”. The Upstate Conservatives will be launching a variety of initiatives during the upcoming legislative session to excite public interest in his resignation. We will be reaching out to potential Conservative replacements for Senator Bruno to ensure they have the necessary support to challenge him. Upstate Conservatives firmly believes that by freeing the New York State Senate to function in an honest and open fashion, true legislative reform can begin in this state with a transfusion of new leadership.