D'Amato Comes to Hill's Defense

[brooklynite]

Republican Al D'Amato rose to defend former foe Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday, after one of her GOP Senate challengers slammed the senator as an unresponsive lawmaker who duped New Yorkers into having faith in her.

D'Amato's highly unusual brushback pitch to John Spencer came after the Clinton challenger told The Post editorial board he's heard complaints that she has a poor track record helping her constituents.

...snip...

D'Amato, known as "Senator Pothole" during his three terms in office, rushed to defend Clinton, telling The Post in a statement, "I have found Sen. Clinton to be very responsive to the needs of her constituents, whether it is with local governments or individuals.

"Her reputation for working on behalf of her constituents, with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, is well known."

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/66549.htm

[bostonbabs]

1. D'Amato was the thorn in Bills side

B.Clintons book is loaded with references to the scoundrel D'Amato.

[Missy M]

2. D'Amato is right in this case. There is not a harder....

working senator than Hillary Clinton. John Spencer (never heard of him) is a liar. Senator Clinton works hard for Western New York and the rest of the state. We are proud to have her as our senator.

[Schema Thing]

3. Make's you wonder though

I just think the right is itching to have Hillary as the Dem nominee. They LIKE seeing a divided America.

[Roy]

8. If they wanted her as a nominee.....

They would not be trying so hard to stop her nomination.

Please don't throw me into that briar patch.

[PATRICK]

4. Up to something more mundane

Pataki is part of the D'Amato faction. Both Clinton and Pataki has presidential pretensions and are based in NY. D'Amato wants the hard right to keep their noses put of NY. There is a political side to this that goes far beyond any possible goodwill or loyalty and I bet this swipe at Hillary has some sidebar in wedging out the Pataki/D'Amato faction who share some common local interests and tactics back here.

Both Pataki and Clinton have a tough enough road to hoe to get ahead. Were it ever to be Pataki vs. Clinton expect the surrogate trashing of Hillary to be as vicious as one could possibly imagine- without direct connection to the Pataki camp. Right now the major concern is the GOP and that faction getting wiped out this fall and the RW rebellion in the ranks. D'Amato's sole salvation as a power in this state outside of deal making and lobbying as a has-been is to leapfrog ahead with President Pataki.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Silly pedantic reply

road row to hoe

(No one hoes a road, but people do hoe garden rows.) ;-)

[Demit]

6. I for one appreciate it :)

I hope the poster does too. Maybe the poster has only ever heard the term and never saw it written, but I hope he/she would rather be better informed for the next time.

[WhiteTara]

7. think he's advancing a candidate the repukes

think they can best beat in 2008? D"Amato is nothing but smelly slime.

[HockeyMom]

9. D'Amato is the ultimate RINO

by today's Republican standards. Old enough to have seen the difference.

[Danmel]

10. A top Republican fundraiser thinks HIllary is great

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-usvolk214670384mar21,0,6272082.story


Politicians in Washington know bad things happen when you neglect the unglamorous but essential task of providing personal service to constituents.Take the recent example of New York international banker and lifelong conservative Jeffrey Volk. Volk once worked in the White House during both the Nixon and Reagan admininstrations.

Over the years he has contributed to and raised money for Republicans. In 1998, Volk was one who urged George W. Bush to run for president. He attended Bush's second gubernatorial inauguration that year and has contributed to the 2000 and 2004 Bush presidential campaigns.

Last August, Volk found himself in New Orleans with his wife and their daughter, a freshman at Tulane University, when Hurricane Katrina hit. Volk figured they could ride it out at a downtown hotel. His daughter had no ticket home, he said, and, besides, "usually they blow in and out." Not this time.