COLONIE — The director of a venture capital firm is the choice of Democratic leaders to run for the congressional seat vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand.
Scott Murphy was selected by a group of Democratic committee leaders at a meeting Sunday at the Gateway Diner. Murphy is the New York managing director of Advantage Capital Partners in Glens Falls.
Murphy was among six candidates vying for the post.
I saw (D) Murphy and my first thought (since we also had Tracy Egan possibly throwing her hat into the ring) was that this was going to be Dan Murphy of what, Channel 10 news?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
He's gonna need it. Jimmy T will walk this guy into the ground. Nobody campaigns harder than Jimmy. People half his age can't keep up with him. Mr. Murphy is a great candidate and has tremendous political experience, in Missouri-not Upstate New York. Let's see if Upstate voters fall for another carpetbagger.
Kirsten Gillibrand is in the Senate, and we face a short contest to fill her seat. We have little time to select the best person for the citizens of the 20th Congressional District. The key question is, who can get more accomplished for our district? Scott Murphy is a graduate of Harvard University. He worked for two governors of Missouri — Mel Carnahan and Roger Wilson — serving as deputy chief of staff under Wilson. Scott is also a businessman in the venture capital business, president of Upstate Venture Association of New York and on the board of directors of the Glens Falls Civic Association. His background is ideal, given that he is already a “stimulator” — he makes investment money available for innovative enterprises. His assistance in creating more than 1,000 new jobs in the area has earned him the nickname, “Mr. Jobs.” In business, Scott Murphy doesn’t ask if someone is a Democrat or Republican; his only interest is how he can help a good business plan succeed. He lives the bipartisan cooperation to which his opponent doesn’t even give lip service. Conversely, Murphy’s opponent has shown no ability to work across the aisle. His career as a minority member of our state Assembly reveals failure to steer through any substantive piece of legislation. Does his bid for another minority position serve us well? Scott’s experience in both private and government sectors is what we desperately need. His scope of experience also enables him to understand the disparate needs of our large district that varies from agriculture to urban. Scott Murphy is the person who will bring our needs to Washington and get them addressed. I urge you to get to know him, listen to his issues and cast your vote for him.
NANCY GOLDBERG Saratoga Springs The writer is a Democratic committeewoman.
He is more qualified to be on the cabinet since he is ALSO a tax dodger from what I have heard. His companies actually have tax liens against them and he is lying and telling people that he didn't own the companies then! He will work well with Rangel. All the more reason for the people to elect him!
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Murphy supports needed federal health plan, Tedisco doesn’t
The nation’s economic well-being depends on fixing our broken health care system. Our economy won’t be competitive until all Americans have affordable coverage and the stresses placed on localities and businesses resulting from the rising cost of insuring employees are reduced. Shockingly, we pay the most per capita for health care of any industrialized country, while having the smallest percent of our population insured and ranking poorly in healthy outcomes. Thankfully, President Obama is committed to changing this deplorable situation. It won’t be easy. Giant pharmaceutical and insurance companies, the corporate powers that benefit most from the dysfunction, will fight to stop meaningful change. They will contribute billions to politicians who represent their interests. That’s why we must be certain that the person we send to Congress places our interests fi rst. In this vein, it’s very telling that in the 20th Congressional District race one candidate, Jim Tedisco, has chosen not to sign the HCAN [Health Care for America Now] pledge supporting universal coverage. By contrast the other candidate, Scott Murphy, has openly pledged to support HCAN principles, which call for universal, affordable, quality health insurance. Their moderate principles would allow us a choice of either selecting an expanded Medicare plan or opting for private insurance. The common denominator is that everyone has quality coverage. The corporate powers, through their many spokesmen, will claim that we can’t afford reform now. The truth is that we will never have a healthy economy unless we overhaul our wasteful and unfair health care system. Unfortunately, Tedisco has chosen to serve powerful interests. In contrast, Murphy has pledged to serve the public interest. Scott Murphy won’t be an obstacle to needed change. Unlike Tedisco, he will work with President Obama to ensure that access to quality health care is everyone’s right.
Albert, what part of we can't afford to fund all the extravagant programs that the chosen one wants to fund don't you understand. Let's get some money flowing back into this economy and when there's extra money available then look into creating a better health-care system but it should be a system run by the private sector not the government.
20TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT New poll shows Murphy narrowing gap Tedisco downplays news, says he’s ‘doing fantastically’
BY TATIANA ZARNOWSKI Gazette Reporter were released Wednesday. The poll found 15 percent of likely
A new Democratic Party-sponsored poll shows Republican James Tedisco’s apparent lead in the race for the 20th District congressional seat may be slipping. A poll conducted by Benenson Strategy Group and paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has Tedisco slightly ahead by 7 percentage points. Tedisco leads Democrat Scott Murphy of Glens Falls 44 percent to 37 percent. The margin of error in the poll is 4.9 percent. A Siena Research Institute poll two weeks ago showed Tedisco 12 oints ahead of Murphy. Another Siena poll is expected to be released today. The Benenson poll sampled 400 likely voters throughout the district on Feb. 24 and 25. The results voters were still undecided in the race and 4 percent favored Libertarian Eric Sundwall. The Murphy campaign was pleased with the poll, said spokesman Ryan Rudominer. Tedisco said Wednesday the poll is a couple of weeks old and he wasn’t putting too much stock in it. “I think we’re doing fantastically,” he said. “We have a lot of energy from the public.” The special election for the 20th Congressional District, which covers all or part of 10 counties, including Saratoga and Rensselaer counties, takes place March 31. The 20th District seat became vacant after then-Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand was selected to become a U.S. senator from New York, filling the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. Although the district is 41 percent Republican and was held by the GOP for decades, in recent years voters have been just as likely to pick Democrats, especially on the national level. “It’s not the district that Jerry Solomon had,” said Patrick Lanne of Wilton, a pollster for the Tedisco campaign. Former Rep. Gerald Solomon, who retired in 1998 after 20 years in Congress, represented the district that is now the 20th. It’s not even the district that former Rep. John Sweeney had. In 2000, Sweeney’s 22nd Congressional District, the predecessor to the 20th District, was 45 percent Republican and 23 percent Democrat. Now those numbers are 41 and 26 percent — the GOP has lost voters and the Democratic Party has gained people. Voters not enrolled in any political party have remained at 25 percent. That slippage allowed Gillibrand to secure 62 percent of the vote in November over well-financed Republican Sandy Treadwell. District voters also chose President Barack Obama over John McCain. And yet, local Republicans are still likely to get elected, especially those running for state Assembly and Senate districts that lie within the 20th Congressional District. Roy McDonald, R-Saratoga, was elected to the state Senate with 60 percent of the vote in November. State Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, has been popular in her district as well. “In some places, it becomes a little bit easier to cross those party lines,” Lanne said. The 20th District is one of those places. “We have a lot more ticket-splitters,” he said. So what are voters looking for in a candidate? Often they vote based on personality rather than party, Lanne said. Just what that means for major party candidates Murphy and Tedisco will be seen in 2 /2 weeks when voters go to the polls. Tedisco has an advantage if it’s a race about personality, Lanne said. “People know Jim. They have a sense of the person he is.” Democrats say Murphy, a Glens Falls venture capitalist and entrepreneur, is gaining ground because he is seen as stronger on economic issues. “Scott Murphy continues to win over voters across the district because he is a leader like Sen. Gillibrand who will work across the aisle to turn our economy around,” said Shripal Shah, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Murphy aligned himself with the popular Gillibrand early on and has followed her lead by being pro-gun rights. Both national Republican and Democratic parties have funneled funds into the race. Tedisco has portrayed himself as raising most of his funds himself and has branded Murphy as being backed by liberal national Democrats. “Nancy Pelosi is going to work as hard as she possibly can to put her minions in there,” Tedisco said on Wednesday. But he’s getting help from the national party, too. The National Republican Congressional Committee has paid for several TV ads promoting Tedisco and criticizing Murphy. And he’s getting a lot of help from at least one conservative political action committee as well. Last week, the Sacramento, Calif.-based Our Country Deserves Better Committee launched an advertising campaign for Tedisco and released ads....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00102
It’s hard to imagine Jim Tedisco being in Washington with his confrontational attitude and dour demeanor. If elected, his chances of being an effective legislator for the 20th Congressional District will be very remote. He probably would have been prepared if he had spent less time playing basketball and more time learning about creative ways to restructure the working of a government to better serve its citizens. Aligning himself with the Republican Party, with its attachment to old, unworkable ideas, is a definite impediment to helping the present administration solve this economic meltdown. On the other hand, Scott Murphy has already approved of the stimulus package and has the positive mind set and business skills to support this new team. I would hope the voters of this gerrymandered district will continue to support the Democratic Party as they have in the last two elections. I wish I could vote for Scott Murphy, but I’m not moving.