(this is John's third major newspaper endorsment in the past week in a traditionally Republican district) . . .Our choice for 19th Congressional Districthttp://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/OPINION/610290321/1015/OPINION01Republican Sue Kelly of Katonah describes herself as "a quiet leader.'' Her opponent, Democrat John Hall, calls himself a "creative'' one. Kelly looks to her 12 years representing the 19th Congressional District in Washington as productive ones, bringing "a lot of money home'' to the district and working very hard on behalf of constituents. Hall wants change, to end "government for sale" and to "get Washington working for our families again.''
We believe that residents of the far-flung district, which spans the Lower Hudson Valley, want the same thing. We recommend Hall, a musician-activist and former school district and local-government official, to district voters in the Nov. 7 election. Driving our call for change: Need for more independence, more critical thinking, less slaving devotion to party ideology - and party mistakes. Kelly has offered none of this.
Since 1994, when the Republicans' "Contract With America'' was made - and since broken - Kelly has been the consummate GOP soldier, loyally marching in step and even quickening the pace with George Bush in the White House. While our Editorial Board has variously applauded some of Kelly's efforts - for instance, on behalf of the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Montrose - it has not been without reservation. We have been increasingly weary and distressed by her uncritical assessment of the Iraq war - at junctures where a frank assessment by the GOP faithful might actually have altered policy and saved lives.
We similarly have been disappointed by her utter lack of concern about well-chronicled excesses under the "war on terror" and Patriot Act; we have lamented her lack of concern about Washington fiscal policies (she once attributed record-high deficits to bad weather); we have been disappointed as she opposed a federal ban on some assault weapons; we have lamented her lukewarm notice of the need for campaign-finance reform. We are long past tired of being disappointed. For a change, this time, there is a suitable alternative.
- more . . .
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/OPINION/610290321/1015/OPINION01 John Hall for Congresshttp://www.johnhallforcongress.comTake 19http://www.take19.org
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