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Recently Steve Israel sent out an e-mail blast requesting $5 from people because he stated that Congressional Candidate Stephen Labate was somehow picking on him. When we read the e-mail it was evident to us what type of campaign Israel would be running. Stephen Labate received the nomination only a few weeks ago and already the typical spin is coming out of the Israel camp. Par for the couse but it still needs to be addressed. What struck us first about the e-mail is that it starts “Tea Party backed candidate Stephen Labate.” The word Tea Party is used to make implications in a district were the majority of registered voters are Democrats.
Until about a week ago, we knew nothing about candidate Labate. One of our editors sat down with Mr. Labate for nearly 2 hours. She met his wife and twin 5 year old children. “Mr. Labate is a very qualified and likable candidate”, said Huntingtonian Editor Ilene Fucci. “I look forward to sharing my interview with our readers.” Ilene will be sharing the interview and the detailed background of the Labate family in the April print issue of The Huntingtonian. Israel and Labate have some very distinct differences. That should be the point of the campaign, not personal attacks. Below is the e-mail sent out by the Israel campaign and following it is the response from the Labate campaign.
This is the response from the Labate Campaign:
Stephen Labate, a Republican running for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District, issued the following statement this week.
The battle for New York’s 2nd Congressional District has begun and so has the spin coming from the Israel Campaign. According to an email that was sent out by the Israel camp on February 21, it states that I have a “personal problem with Congressman Israel, not just a differing idea of a future America”.
The absurdity of that comment makes me wonder what exactly Mr. Israel is thinking. As a 20-year Military Veteran and a Field Grade Officer in the Army Reserve, I do consider myself a fighter, but for Congressman Israel to twist my enthusiasm for our upcoming contest as a personal affront to him, is bewildering.
The reality is that we hit a nerve and Congressman Israel is attempting to deflect attention away from an abysmal voting record which is propelling our country to the point of near insolvency. I believe all voters have a problem with elected officials who do not take personal responsibility for their actions. In Congressman Israel’s case, not only doesn’t he take responsibility for his actions, he blames others for the problems he and his voting record have brought upon our country.
To a certain degree he may be right though, because I do take it personally when Long Islanders are losing their jobs as a result of the misguided policies advocated by Congressman Israel. I take it personal when Long Islanders are forced to leave the area due to high taxes and lack of jobs. I take it personal when Congressman Israel enthusiastically supports the signing into law of a healthcare bill, which is not only unconstitutional but is stifling the growth of small businesses here on Long Island. And yes, I do take it personal when career politicians like Steve Israel say one thing when in their district and then vote a totally different way when in Washington.
Mr. Israel, the blame game and politics of self destruction must come to an end. As the Representative of New York’s 2nd Congressional District, I will not vilify opposing points of view, but will work on all sides of the political spectrum to bring jobs back to Long Island. This is what it means to represent the people of Long Island and it is something that has been sorely lacking on Long Island for a long time.
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Steve Israel vs the Tea Party? You decide.
As Iran reaches the precipice of a game changing nuclear arms capability it is still serious about wiping the nation of Israel off the map. Benjamin Netanyahu has had tell the United States and Barack Obama this week that Israel will not provide advance notice of a preemptive go it alone attack on Iran to take out their nuclear facilities. Can you imagine the implications of that, win or lose? Netanyahu is not going to tell the Obama Administration in advance because he is afraid Obama will foil the attack.
Like in 1939, the world is at the point were it faces two possibilities. This time it’s 1) Iran goes nuclear, changing the world order, and prepares to wipe Israel off the map or 2) someone stops them. That is how Netanyahu is looking at it. He is not a stupid man and this not an academic topic for a PBS round table. “These are times that try men’s’ souls.”
Now you might think that Barack Obama is just our modern day Neville Chamberlain. I know he is not a Muslim as some claim. Obama attended Reverend Wrights Christian church for 20 years, though he never heard the Reverend say “God Damn America” nor “America’s chickens have come home to roost” referring to the 9/11 WTC attacks. Nor did he know that before the Reverend Wright became a Black Liberation Theology Christian, Reverend Wright was a Black Muslim. In any case, it is safe to say the Reverend Wright, who presided over Barack’s and Michelle’s marriage, never had much use for Israel. Not much attention paid to that in 2008, was there?
Three years ago President Barack Obama fiddled while he insisted Iran’s Arab Spring was not our business. He allowed the radical Muslim Iranian leadership to squash the uprising and maintain control. As a result they went forward with their nuclear project. Then he encouraged the Arab Spring in Egypt which wrested that country from a regime at peace with Israel and the United States and dropped it into the hands of the radical Muslim brotherhood that seeks the destruction of Israel. It has US citizens hiding in our embassy and unable to leave the country. The Obama administration said the Muslim Brotherhood was not actually as bad as everyone thinks. Then Obama actually assisted in the overthrow the Libyan government. Libya had gotten the message when George Bush invaded Iraq, stood down from it’s nuclear ambitions and became relatively peaceful toward Israel. Very little said about that. It’s now in the control of Radical Muslims. Now Obama is standing aside while the radical Muslim government in Syria, Israel’s enemy and next door neighbor, puts down its Arab Spring by bombing the civilian population. You might start to get the idea that Barack Obama is not simply a “peace in our time” Neville Chamberlain.
And now, and after treating Benjamin Netanyahu as a second class citizen at the White House, Barack Obama is not just going to stand by and not back the state of Israel in it’s own defense, he is going to do his best to thwart it.
The radical Muslim regimes and terrorists understand three things very well. Strength, weakness – and tacit approval, intended or not! The best way to avoid having to bomb Iran to stop their nuclear ambitions is not by sanctions and saying pretty please give our drone back. It’s to make sure Iran knows damn well the United States will bomb them if we need to. They understand peace through strength. Not kum bah yah.
Now you would think that Congressman Steve Israel would support Israel in it’s defense against annihilation by Iran. But we don’t seem to hear much from him other than he supports demonstrably failed sanctions. Liberals are liberal first. Last week, while the Iranians were figuring out how to put nuclear war heads on missals, Congressman Israel fiddled a socialist tune about how he was helping the middle class by having those who pay taxes pick up the social security tab for those who don’t pay taxes. Like it was coming out of his pocket. The week before, he was fiddling a tune about how those of us who pay taxes should file on time. That’s what we need Congressmen for? And while Congressman Israel fiddles, Iran prepares to burn the state of Israel off the map in a new Holocaust, this time nuclear. What ever happened to “never again?”
Timesthattrymenssouls
March 1, 2012 10:17 am at 10:17 am
It’s pretty clear that the democratic playbook for the up-coming election is to trash the tea party and blame all of us who rallied because of Rick Santelli’s famous rant on CNBC. Congressman Steve Israel is the head of the DCCC (Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee) and is using these tactics against every republican in the country and Steve Labate in particular. Below is a fundraising email from Congressman Steve Israel. The Israel campaign trashes the tea party as the enemy of women and the middle class. That’s funny since most everyone I have ever met at a tax day event was middle class and the largest majority of people there were woman, many with their children. Particularly egregious is the charge that the tea party is responsible for the credit downgrade of the United States. Can you believe the nerve of these people? I’m sure the downgrade had nothing to do with the 4 straight years of $1 Trillion budget deficits and increase in the federal deficit by 50% to $15.5 Trillion. Show me one” tea party” member of Congress who voted for such fiscal irresponsibility. Show me Steve Israel and I will show you a Congressman who has been on a spending orgy since going to Washington.
Yes folks, the tea party is the new bogie man and Congressman Israel attempts to use it as a smear against Steve Labate. Funny, I haven’t seen any official endorsement of Steve Labate by any group claiming to be the evil tea party. What’s the matter Congressman Israel, can’t dig up any dirt on Steve Labate? By the way, what is wrong with the “tea party” anyway? Is it wrong to be patriotic and believe in the greatness of America? Is it wrong to expect the government to live within their means? Is it wrong to support our troops? Is it wrong to want to utilize our country’s energy resources? Is it wrong to want freedom to choose what healthcare plan we want? If these are the evils of the “tea party”, then call me Lucifer because it’s this kind of evil I would be happy to show up with at the pearly gates.
From: “Hayley Prim ”
Date: February 16, 2012 4:25:53 PM EST
To: E-mail address removed to protect recipient
Subject: And so it begins
Reply-To: Israel4Congress@gmail.com
It’s official. Our campaign now has a Tea Party-backed candidate running against us for New York’s 2nd District. While this news doesn’t come as a shock, it does put more pressure on us to be prepared.
Our opponent has been prepping for this race for over two years, when he first tried to get on the ballot in 2010. He’s been raising money and building his campaign since then, and now, with the Tea Party and Republican endorsement, he thinks he’s ready for prime time.
Help us stop him in his tracks! Chip in just $5 today to put the brakes on the Tea Party!
The Tea Party has been trying to run the country for just over a year now, and look where it’s gotten us. The candidates ran for Congress on the platform of “jobs, jobs, jobs,” but instead, they’ve been attacking women’s health care and tax cuts for the Middle Class. They’ve brought us to the brink of a government shut down three times now, and even caused our country’s credit rating to be downgraded. That hasn’t done much for our nation’s economic recovery.
As for jobs bills? None. They’ve attacked the most vulnerable among us by doing nothing at all. The Tea Party run Congress has been the least effective Congress since 1812, and we don’t need to add to it by sending another member to Washington!
Help Congressman Israel fight back against the Tea Party! Chip in $5 now: http://www.israelforcongress.com/contribute
The Tea Party has sacrificed the average American time and time again for a misguided ideology that has produced no positive results. It’s time to put things right.
Thanks for standing with Congressman Israel this election cycle.
Sincerely,
Hayley
Long Island Patriot
March 1, 2012 4:25 pm at 4:25 pm
Steve Labate is an outstanding citizen ready to unite all of his district against what is an obvious and eveident danger in high gas prices, supermarket prices, taxes, and so on, policies directly ties to the socialist policies of Steve Israel and his supportive White House.
Unless people enjoy watching their paychecks “shrink” under the weight of inflation,consider getting behind a candidate who sincerely cares about the direction this countryis going. A proven miltary reservist, with an honest conviction towards restoring sanity to our government & economy.
And what’s so bad about the words Tea & Party anyway? I believe it’s alot better than Social-ism hey? …Unless one likes the road we are on towards abstract poverty.
JeffB@PSC
March 2, 2012 7:13 am at 7:13 am
Pardon the grammar… it’s 6:00 AM and my eyes are tired.
evident, directly tied, country is
JeffB@PSC
March 2, 2012 7:17 am at 7:17 am
Steve Israel voted to cut 575 billion from Medicare. 77 million Baby Boomers are coming onto Medicare. The CBO estimates up to 17% of hospitals may close. Steve Israel voted for that. Where will Seniors get care?
Lovely but false govt paid ads about Obamacare are fooling some of us. The truth is payments to specialists are being cut by 25% in the first three years of Obamacare starting 2014. Cardiologists, orthopedists, etc. will have to stop seeing Seniors or lose their business. When they can’t make their payroll, pay their mortgage or their malpractice insurance our doctors will not survive by continuing to treat the growing number of Seniors.
Steve Israel has chosen to devastate healthcare for Seniors while he smiles and assures us he is working for us.
Seniors will be voting for Labate who understands the govt takeover of all healthcare will devastate the availability and quality of care for Seniors and overburden the entire system. Steve Israel has voted to degrade healthcare for our children and grandchildren as well.
Long Island Senior Voter
March 2, 2012 1:34 pm at 1:34 pm
The Steve Israel camp with its comments regarding the Republicans trying to destroy Medicare again shows their ability to twist the truth. Their approach seems to be that a good offense overcomes an optimum defense every time. But this time their are facts to counter their spinning ways.
It is my understanding that it was the Democrats who removed $500+billions from the Medicare fund thereby causing it to become bankrupt far soone than it should be. And now they have the GALL to blame the Republicans.
Furthermore, it is my understanding that this was done to incorporate the monies into the vicious new Obama ‘socialist oriented’ health care bill. (Which Steve Israel voted for!)The new Obama Health Care policies including “The Affordable Health Care Act” – House roll call #887 – House Resolution #3762)creates an India like CASTE SYSTEM for America with its mandates for many of us and exclusions from the mandates for others. (for politically favored Individuals, Unions and Some Corporations etc.)
I believe that the Mandates are uncalled for – including:
1. Forcing people to have/buy health insurance, which violates our
American Constitution.
2. Telling doctors not only what they can charge but also what they
can own.
3. Forcing Hospitals to obtain Federal Government approvals before
they can expand.
4. Review of every seniors’ health care near the end of their life,
to determine how the individuals health care monies are spent.
(Yes the policies do apparently include what some are calling a
Death Squad review) Wow!
The Bill is so complex that the Democrat’s former Majority leader Ms. Pelosi stated that she did not read the entire bill before voting for it, but will fix any problems later on.
I can only say that it is ‘time-for-major-changes.”
1. We Must repeal not only the ‘Monster’ Health Care bill in its
entirety and replace it with more reasonable 20 page bills that
address one sub health issue at a time.
2. We must also replace the inept one in the white house whose
policies have resulted in the vast third world like printing of
monies – thereby making our retirement funds worthless.
3. We must also replace our two Federal Senators (Schumer and
Gillibrand) plus the local Federal representatives (Israel,
McCarthy and Bishop) in Congress.
We need Representatives, who by means of the normal attrition rates, will fight to reduce government spending and staffing. We certainly need to reduce the entire scope of the Federal and State government along with Federal Unions, and retain most functions under local control. We do not want to become another Greece with its economic woes.
Tony
[in responce to article about Steve Israel running scared]
tony
March 2, 2012 2:30 pm at 2:30 pm