Tonight's Scott Murphy-Jim Tedisco debate is now on line, was on WNYT, Channel 13, Albany, 7-8pm.

[Rhiannon12866]

The winner of this special election, NY-District 20, Tuesday, March 31st, will fill Kirsten Gillibrand's now vacant Congressional seat, since she was appointed as senator to replace former Senator Hillary Clinton. :-)

I'm working for the Scott Murphy campaign, so was particularly interested. Only caught the last 15 minutes live, since I was working at campaign headquarters... ;)

I think he acquitted himself very well and Jim Tedisco showed up for this one, canceled at the last minute for last Thursday's debate, which was on WMHT... :-(

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S846789.shtml?cat=300

[nuxvomica]

1. Tedisco's response to Murphy's challenge was hilarious

Murphy challenged him to explain how he can call 350B in stimulus all "pork" and Tedisco named the same few small but easily baffooned projects, like "studying the stars in Hawaii", that he mentioned earlier as though a few million here or there on projects that must all be as difficult to justify as these comprises the entirety of that 350B.
Tedisco's delivery is so borderline angry, so obviously timed to appeal to emotion and so unsuccessful at accomplishing it, that he seemed kind of pathetic. His tactics seem almost quaint, like something from a bygone political era.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I laughed at that, too...

Tedisco's rebuttal was that he didn't even like pork, meaning that he didn't eat it.. :shrug:

[20score]

3. Thank you for your work! We need more like you in the country! It would be

a much better place! K&R

[Rhiannon12866]

4. And we could sure use more folks like you here in the North Country...

This is a red district and we need every single vote we can get, since it's currently a dead heat.. :-( :hi:

[Lavender Brown]

5. It seems close - I wish I could vote

I moved from the district, so I can't vote in this election. :(

[Rhiannon12866]

8. If you'd told me sooner, we could have gotten you an absentee ballot... ;)

Just kidding, but we sure could use you, my friend. It's going to be a squeaker, so every single vote is important... :-(

Rhiannon :hi:

[OregonBlue]

6. How is it looking for Murphy and how is the get out the vote going?

Lots of us are watching this one and would love to see Murphy win.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. I was totally amazed... Tweety had a segment on this race on "Hardball!"

According to him, the Republicans should be expected to win, that it'll be a bigger story if they don't. But he doesn't know the candidates involved. They're like night and day, IMO. Scott is low key, a serious businessman. Tedisco is a screamer, seems to lose it pretty easily. x(

Since I've been working for him, I know, in detail, what Scott Murphy's views are and Tedisco's over-the-top attack ads completely misrepresent them. He supports Obama's stimulus package, vehemently opposed the bailout, called the AIG bonuses "reprehensible." But Tedisco's ad says just the opposite, that Murphy was in favor of the bonuses, and you know how little most people pay attention to these things. Many probably don't understand the difference. *sigh* Hell, I'm fortunate to understand about this, myself... :grr:

It's going to depend on turnout, though nobody can be unaware of the special election at this point with the proliferation of TV ads and the number of calls we've made. Hell, today I got a robocall from Pat Boone, LOL. He's supporting Tedisco. That'll put him over the top... :rofl:

I'm going to be heartbroken if Scott doesn't win. So many people are working so hard to make this happen. He has an incredibly dedicated team. The last poll showed it to be pretty much a dead heat, which is actually very impressive, since the last one showed Murphy to be 20-some points behind. We're gaining. *fingers crossed* We're expecting more poll results in the next couple of days... :scared:

Kirsten Gillibrand won by a wide margin here, about ten points ahead of Obama's vote tally, and he did extremely well here. This is a very red district, was Bush* country. A lot of local Republican candidates run unopposed. But times have changed. My mother, a vocal Bush* supporter, is voting for Scott. So miracles can happen... :wow: ;)

Thanks so much for your good wishes. We need all of them we can get... :hi:

[OregonBlue]

9. Thanks. Read this morning that according to one poll he is leading!! Go Murphy!!!!

[Rhiannon12866]

12. Thanks! It really is very encouraging! *fingers crossed*

That's the Siena College poll, located right outside of Albany. This is excellent news, especially since it's objective, unlike the internal Republican polls which always show them ahead... :-(

I made calls again today, have to canvass door-to-door tomorrow. Wish me luck... x( It's not my favorite way to help, but I said I'd do whatever would help and they do really need feet on the ground. :-)

Wish I could switch it around because it was really nice today and it's supposed to rain tomorrow. And I got some particularly prickly people today, though most have been very nice. Today I was called "a tree killer," a Socialist and got a rant about abortion from a "born again Christian." *sigh* I managed to get in that the national abortion rate was up 18% under Bush*, but I don't think I convinced him... :eyes:

Thanks for your support and Go Murphy! :woohoo::hi:

[redwitch]

10. Scott is up 4 points according to Siena College poll!

I am canvassing again on Sunday afternoon. :-)
We will phone bank on election day too.
Happy times!

[Rhiannon12866]

11. woohoo!

I meant to ask about the poll when I went there yesterday, but finally heard it on the news today. Thanks! Yesterday I got there about four and didn't leave until after midnight. Yikes! Usually I put in about four hours doing whatever needs to be done, phone bank, putting together the zillions of packets for the canvassers (Maybe I did yours. ;) ), and tomorrow I'm supposed to canvass, too. It's supposed to rain. x(

My big news is that I finally met Scott Murphy, LOL. Have you? He really is very tall. He doesn't appear so when he's standing alone in the ads, or sitting in the debates. Finally realized it when I actually saw him standing next to Jim Tedisco, was head and shoulders taller than he is, but I'm told that Tedisco is very short. Also that he's a neat freak, from a fellow volunteer who's met him... :D

He seems very laid back and incredibly gracious. I'm told that he stops by fairly often, but I must have missed him before. He talks to everybody, shook my hand and thanked me. Nice guy... We also discussed the fact that this race is getting national attention, was on "Hardball" Thursday night! :wow:

I learned some news from the guy that I shared a table with yesterday. We were talking about the fact that Scott's been endorsed by Wesley Clark and President Obama and he told me that Scott told him that he's hoping to have some heavy hitters appear for him as Gillibrand did. The people he mentioned to me are Michelle Obama and Joe Biden... :wow:

I did hear tonight that Biden's put out an ad, but it's only being shown in the lower counties because Scott already has the North Country wrapped up! :woohoo:

Good luck, don't go into any houses and don't pet any dogs... (From the "dos and don'ts" list...) :hi:

[redwitch]

13. Scott Murphy up by 365 votes so far...

Warren and Essex County contested ballots were counted. Go Scott!!!!

[Rhiannon12866]

14. I think he's got it!!! Go Scott!!!

But I cannot comprehend why it's taking so damn long... They started counting the overseas absentee ballots a week ago. :shrug:

BTW, did you hear Tweety say that it would be a bigger news story if Scott won than if he lost? It was very cool to see this discussed on national TV, but the local media seems to have let it drop. :-(

[redwitch]

15. very little coverage indeed.

It's taking forever to do the recount because Tedisco challenged so many votes.
This could drag on like Minnesota. I really hope it doesn't.

[Rhiannon12866]

16. That's exactly what I said to the guys at HQ the day after the election.

I was half-joking, but it seems to have turned out that way. x(

Tedisco is a sore loserman, but I'm sure that nobody's surprised. A Republican on my canvassing list knows him and said that he's a jerk. I can't believe that he had the cojones to challenge Gillibrand's absentee ballot because she was in the district on election day. Does that mean that the senior citizens on my list who also voted absentee will have their votes challenged, too? :eyes:

I've never watched the Channel 9 news before, but started tuning in regularly to hear the latest on the election. The Post Star is no longer covering it (big surprise).:grr: But there's nothing on the news, in the paper, and not much new on-line. :-(

BTW, I happened to drive by Scott Murphy's house yesterday and noticed he's taken down his lawn sign. I'm not quite sure what that means... :-)

[redwitch]

17. Channel 9 is what I have been looking to for information.

NYS Board of elections and the Albany Project too.

Murphy has won it, the question is when he'll be able to take his seat.

So sorry Jimmy! (NOT)

[Rhiannon12866]

18. Channel 9 was covering it a lot, which is why I tuned in,

no big surprise, since they show news all the time. But I finally gave up after they reported nothing for several days. *sigh* But I did like the little kid who does the movie reviews, LOL. He was pretty amusing. :D

I know that Scott has won it, he's just too far ahead. But Tedisco seems to have taken a page from Norm Coleman. :grr:

[redwitch]

19. Scott ahead by 401 votes.

On election night channel 9 made me dizzy, they flashed the info so fast.