Democrat wins House election on Medicare issue (Hochul defeats Corwin (R) NY-26)

Source: MSNBC

By Tom Curry National affairs writer

In a special House election carefully watched by national political strategists, Democrat Kathy Hochul won what had been a Republican seat Tuesday in upstate New York, lifting Democrats’ hopes for the 2012 campaign.

As her campaign’s centerpiece, Hochul attacked changes in the Medicare program proposed by House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan.

“I will fight any plan that tries to decimate Medicare — that is something people in this district feel passionately about and I do as well,” Hochul said in a debate last week with her Republican opponent Jane Corwin, who supported the Ryan budget plan.

A Democrat-turned-Tea Party candidate, Jack Davis, was also on the ballot.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43161820/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

---

Original breaking post: STORY TO FOLLOW. 48%-43%-8%. Outspent by Corwin 3 to 4 times in a deep red district.


David Duprey / AP
Democratic candidate Kathy Hochul, left, talks with Debra Norton, right, and her husband, Morrie Newman, front, during a campaign stop at a restaurant in Amherst, N.Y., on Tuesday.

Then I fully expect to awaken to news of some voting machine that "malfunctioned" and gave democrats too many votes. Seriously, I was just wondering how that was going to end up happening here. So far so good I guess. It's terrible to live in a tinpot dictator situtation where we can't even be assured of voting, and where one party is actually trying to stop the other from voting, rather than trying to win their vote, or use tricks to actually "adjust" votes just enough, like they did when they "installed" governor Riley in Alabama. Such is life these days I guess.

that somewhere, somehow enough votes would be "found" to put the R over the top.

It's a fucking shame that we have to worry about this shit. It's bad enough that we have to vote for the "lesser of two evils, corporate" candidate, but then to have to worry about the batshit crazy corporate candidate stealing the election is just too fucking much.

WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ELECTION INTEGRITY! We shouldn't have to worry (or KNOW) that we'll lose almost every close election. We shouldn't have to worry about having MASSIVE turnout for Dems just to get a fair outcome.

We shouldn't, but we do.

we can't lose sight of what they are trying to do.

This is a deep red district that went for Carl Paladino (!) last year. The times, they are a changing!! We're getting back our mojo!

Good coverage over at TPM:http://talkingpointsmemo.com/#?ref=fpa

That's why Republicans were watching it so closely. Last week, Palidino was on TV and was asked if he thought the Repub might be in trouble over supporting the Ryan plan on Medicare. He tried every way he could to avoid answering the question.

They are such liars. He tried to say they were not going to kill Medicare, they were going to improve it. But when questioned about what that meant, he did not want to answer.

This was a very red district, normally she would not have had a chance, but that one issue was so important to the voters.

I hope the Repubs keep pushing Ryan's plan, although after this they are going to be very nervous about it. I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped it. Gingrich didn't have the guts to stick to his guns on the issue, but for once on this, he was right. Instead he caved.

One thing is clear from all this. Republicans are not allowed to have a thought in their heads that hasn't been handed to them by their masters. I bet many of them now would like to drop this issue but won't, until they are given permission. That party needs some real reform, it is so owned by big business all it is an extension of it.

Don't forget greedy and cruel.

But if they wanna keep jumping off the bridge, I won't stop them.

Can't you hear it already?

"Well, everyone knows NY is liberal!"

We're red, red, RED farm country for the most part. x( That's what makes this victory even more important.

Gosh, I wonder why???????????????

and now the story and comments are gone. How odd.

Guess too many people were celebrating Paul Ryan's poor choices.


http://search.jsonline.com/Search.aspx?k=new+york


Democrat Wins Upstate New York Congressional Race
Article | Posted: May 24, 2011 d Democrats scored an upset in one of New York's most conservative congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party's plan to overhaul Medicare. The results set off elation among Democrats and soul-searching
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/122548363.html

took and held the district because the Republican vote split between the party nominee and the tea Party candidate.

This is NOT why she won. As the Teabagger's votes pealed away, they didn't go to the Repug, they went to the Dem. She didn't win because of any split. She won because of the abandonment of the GOP as well as the Teabagger.

the Green Party candidate getting 1%.

A great % of Tea Baggers are on Medicare and they care a LOT about that program and can't afford to pay their medical bills without it. They will split from the Repugs in a heart beat when their health is threatened and did exactly that in yesterday's election. Koch brothers, Rick Scott and Dick Armey screwed up when they started the tea party and I'm loving it right now.

why she threw Ryans medicare plan under the bus and flip flopped on the issue!

Liars say anything to get elected!

:nuke: :argh: :shrug: :banghead: :cry: :cry: :cry:

which is why the Right is so woefully uninformed. Their media refuses to cover anything that might upset their children. They must be protected. From the truth.

Sorry - I'm ALWAYS ready to see the bad guys try to pull something. Especially on such a key symbolic election as this one. It IS a referendum on paul fucking ryan and his new republi-CON death panel scheme.

I don't trust republi-CONS any farther than I can throw my house.

they might be able to pull that stuff in Wisconsin. God help them if they ever tried that in NY. Tonight, I'm damn proud of my state!

Remember who we're up against. Don't EVER EVER EVER let your guard down, or assume all is well (or will stay that way). The bad guys will ALWAYS be barbarians trying to storm the gates.

They usually certify the vote the day after the election. No later than the Friday after the election. If there is a close count, they quickly do a recount.

NY already had its Tammany Hall scandals. That's why our elections were never broken.

too much credit. SRSLY

Congratulations Congresswoman elect Hochul!

Let's go take back the house, which belongs to the PEOPLE and not the corporations, let's build on our Senate majority and send the administration back for another four years of protecting medicare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7wtNOkuHo

:evilgrin: :evilgrin:

votes were redirected to an unknown computer until time to "find" them.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/congressman-chris-lee-resigns-shirtless-photo-posted-internet/story?id=12878937

The House vacancy occurred when Republican Representative Christopher Lee resigned Feb. 9 after a bare-chested photo of the married lawmaker surfaced on the Internet. Lee, who had been elected to a second term in November with about 74 percent of the vote, quit hours after the gossip website Gawker reported that he had e-mailed the picture to a woman he had met online.


Democrat Wins U.S. House Race on Medicare
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-25/democrat-wins-u-s-house-race-on-medicare.html

has he never been to a public beach or swiming pool? why the hell would anyone resign over something so normal as a photo without a shirt on? hell i have lots of photos of me like that, my facebook profil photo was taken up at the lake and i was bare chested in the water..... i guess i can never go into politics in the usa. plus he looks good in the photo, just showing off his muscles.

He quiot because he got caught publically trying to hustle another woman, and as a "family values" Republican that didn't set to well. Especially with his wife..The photo was just a part of his advances on other women..

with women and transgendered women (he's married).

that is grounds for her asking for a divorce but not grounds to lose ones job. clinton cheated and he didnt resign, why did this guy just quit? it is bizzare.

for sexual partners on a web site AS A SITTING CONGRESSMAN. AND he was a part of the "Family Values" party. He should have resigned for stupidity if not for the action.

isn't it?

This is just a hint of what's to come. Next year, democrats will be back with a vengeance and it's not going be pretty for all the right wing nutjobs in this country.

DINOS. And we have a load of them already.

back in November. Which means we need to get solid PROGRESSIVE candidates into those races rather than ANOTHER DINO. Start looking for progressive candidates to support in the House districts that we last last November. Start looking NOW.

YES.

:bounce:

We're gonna gonna "Take Our Country Back" y'all! haha.

We're going to take it forward.

In your face GOP!

:bounce:

Steven,

I wanted you to be the first to hear. Our race was called just a few minutes ago and I’m thrilled to have won!

I’ll send you more details tomorrow, but in the meantime we should CELEBRATE!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you’ve done. I couldn’t have won without your endless support, help, and encouragement.

Kathy

Sent from my BlackBerry.


Proud donor to the winners campaign.

:thumbsup:
:bounce:

He should be hailed as a hero by those of us on the left. Who else has given such a great gift. :evilgrin:

:rofl:

I'm from his district, so it's personal.

Janesville,WI - home of an active KKK chapter and a strong Tea-bagger following, and Ryan as one first class douche bag to rule them all and in the darkness bind them.

:thumbsup:

:applause: another f-ing moron

All they have to do is be honest about their 'values' and they get voted outta office! How great is that!?

Republicans have mandate that Paul Ryan always be referred to as courageous. As in, "Paul Ryan was very courageous in ruining Republicans election chances".

And an even heartier fuck you to Paul Ryan.

This indicates what is coming for the Republicans. :D

--that the shit is really going to hit the fan in 2014 if they try to pull the same crap discretely, without Ryan's in your face attitude.

I know it's happened before, but this one seems too easy to hammer home.

and they flat out lost.

The GOP has been producing the "Death Panels" they made the bogeyman against the D's. They unabashedly told the nation that seniors would die terrible deaths because there would be no coverage for them in their Golden Years.

That Third Rail burned a lot of R's, and there are more to come. The backpedaling will be furious, but they on record of voting for the Ryan fiasco...(somone who may not get re-elected himself!)

The sweet smell of success is the roasting of GOP flesh by the voters!

:)

Jingle, jingle, jingle I have money for you, right here, with my mandated insurance vouchers, yes, for you, if you vote for our model legislation.

I remain unconvinced that the mule's attention has been gotten by this election result.

and legislators @ the state level to RAM voter suppression bills through like they did in Wisconsin.

They also do not fund any voter education or access programs.

This will be a disaster unless it get NATIONAL ATTENTION and fast.

Scumbag bastards @ ALEC are busy puking out this stuff 24-7.

and The People don't like what they see. Even the RED ones, lol. The GOP has gotta be runnin' scared right now and they can't hide from this! Nancy Pelosi and CO. won't let them. :evilgrin:

:headbang:

wtf

"A Democrat-turned-Tea Party candidate, Jack Davis, was also on the ballot. "

but didn't win out over the eventual Republican running, so he ran an an independent tea-partier.

It seems like he's a long-time Republican who ran for the seat as a Democrat in 2004-2006-2008 -- mainly because there was no competition for the honor in such a red district and the Democrats were just as glad to have him there spending his own money.

He then courted the Republican Party and the Conservative Party, and when they wouldn't accept him he formed his own Tea Party -- which is not sanctioned by any national Tea Party group.

His own political positions are vaguely libertarian, I guess.

as democrats in the general. We have a very weak dem party here so a lot of pubs run unopposed - leaving an opportunity for teabaggers to just run as democrats.

This is for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WoQQ-mAQeE

Enjoy


---

Spitz's plan to give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, an article I read said.

I suspect that progressives here and elsewhere will be criticizing her soon for her moderate stances on issues other than Medicare.

But Blue Dogs are better than Republicans. One reason is that a Blue Dog is the only kind of Dem. that wins in conservative areas.

In any case, this is GREAT NEWS! I hope it's indicative of things to come.

in the sense of Blanche Lincoln, she is more like Kirsten Gillibrand.

i bet by the house standards she is pretty left

by ny standards she maybe a moderate

CAN.YOU.HEAR.US.NOW?

his shoulders very soon. And should the republicons manage to somehow hold onto their majority in the house after 2012 the Boner will NOT be the speaker.

I only know her from her speech and a couple of clips, but I am impressed by, for lack of words, "the cut of her jib." (Do girls have a jib? :shrug: )

She comes across as bright and authentic. A good recruit.

(Of course, they say: "If you can fake sincerity, you've got it made." But I am never fooled. :))

I certainly celebrate this win. It's a sign the people are at least semi-conscious. Where have you been?

--imm

- It's good to see the old rail's still got some juice......

Protect Medicare and you win!

Just as simple as that.

.... oh, wait.

I TOTALLY DON'T.


:nopity:

= 1 gift seat in the House

:bounce:

The teabagger sucked enough of the juice out of the anti-elderly republican's score, to cause the upset. I hope more teabaggers try the same trick in 2012.

There is no joy in Mudville Karl and the Kochroaches have struck out.

Dick Armey's Army a whopping 8%. I like it.

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

:applause: :applause: :applause:

Let's keep sending those warning shots across the bow!!!!

Especially the snowy parts of New York.

We can thank Paul Ryan, the brave darling of the Republicans, who thinks he was elected to be a leader, not a servant of the people. That's such typical Republican thinking. Republicans rule, while Democrats govern. There really is a fundamental difference between us. We just keep forgetting that because they're so good at mouthing the right words to fool everyone, until they're elected. Then their true agenda surfaces, and it has nothing to do with what they promised to get where they are.

Loved how Kathy used some reputable source quotes, especially one that described Corwin-- "stunning dishonesty"

I'm not in the specific voting district, but right next to it...lotta deep red ignorance out here too.

I donated $50. bux to the campaign and when I heard over NPR last night on the drive home, at about 11pm that Kathy won, I litterally HOLLERED and pumped mah fist!

YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:bounce:

Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. The deficit would have to be cut some way but it ain't going to be on the backs on seniors. Ryan's budget did not touch military spending or any of the security type depts. and it turns out that the republicans don't like it either.

Thank god for Paul Ryan

Hahahahahahaha

Congrats, Rep. Hochul.

Now, I hope you learn the difference between small business operating capital and the salaries of small business owners.

on the issues, they win.

it's only when they start acting like republicans that we get in trouble.

Things that make you go hmmmm...

When Republicans show their true intentions for this Country they get voted out of office!

-VERY encouraging.

:dem: :dem: :dem:

Hey Paul Ryan,

I thought you might want some insight into why Republicans lost the NY 26 District special election yesterday, and why you stand to get slaughtered in 2012. Maybe my personal situation will help explain.

I will be 54 in about 3 and 1/2 months, so by accident of birth I just missed the cut-off to get Medicare as we know it under your plan. This is in spite of the fact that I paid into the Medicare system for about 30 yrs. Oh, by the way, I could never qualify for a traditional major medical plan due to the fact that I am self employed and, being over 50, am not in 100% perfect health. In other words, I have some "pre-existing" conditions that could conceivably cost an insurance company money. I am relatively healthy for my age, so I can only imagine what someone with a serious medical condition would do to get coverage. Yes, I have listened to your "message" about how your plan would save Medicare, but I have about as much trust for Republicans now as I would for an e-mail message promising me vast sums of money if I will just send the Nigerian prince who sent the e-mail several thousand dollars.

I suppose all my problems would be solved (not) if I could get the part-time job I have been seeking. I couldn't work a full-time job because my small business takes around 25-35 hrs. per week, and I still make very little income. I can't abandon the business because I have so much invested in it. Also, I feel safer having at least some income from a business that I know will hire me and not lay me off. As we know, unless you are self-employed, employment in this country is based on someone's whim and whether or not they like you. Unfortunately, I am talking about my life and not about getting a date to the prom. The dilemma is that if you start your own business your chances of success are not great.

Maybe I am wasting my time because I know conservatives have very basic philosophical differences with progressives. I won't go into that now because this post is already fairly long. Just remember that we still have the power of the ballot in this country, and as another Republican said, "You can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Sorry, this was meant as a reply the the original post.

This puts it in perspective. And welcome to DU! :toast:

I hope for all our sakes the Republican plan to impoverish every non-wealthy older American fails.

Starting with Reagan's angry white backlash, cumulating with Bush/Cheney/Rove excesses, and ending with Paul Ryan's Medicare plan. Kochul's win - time for progressives to exhale!

Jack Davis abandoned the Democratic Party to become a teabagger?

:rofl:

Not smart. Not smart at all.

...we couldn't have all elections at the same time to get rid of these repukes. Instead, now over time, they will reorganize to whip up lies to their constituency for their re-election.

We must never give up and keep reminding all (concentrating on the uneducated and misinformed) about their plans to cut ss and Medicare. A massive ad campaign must begin right now!!!!

There is nothing these slimy creeps won't do to keep power -- nothing.

that's all.

they are needed

:woohoo: New Yorkers have brain cells

Medicare was no longer the political third rail.

Guess it still is!

:evilgrin:

I have almost no faith in elections any more, after WI, but you pulled this one out. Good on ya.

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad we sent funds Ms Hochul's way! WELL spent - well spent! Take that Rove et al! :evilgrin:

...but it remains to be seen how she will vote on any issues the progressive Democrats bring to the floor.
Yes...she is against the Ryan "medi-bortion plan", but there are going to be a lot of other issues on the table, and I would only suspect she will still represent her "bright red district" with their wishes...and that could spell resistance to our goals.

Better than nothing, at least.

how any kind of reasonable Dem could manage to function in a district like that. She will be under incredible pressure.

Honestly, this isn't always the best advice. But with these punks, it seems to work just fine.