24th district Democrats, Michael Arcuri has broken his promise to local Democratic elected officials. He recently tried to placate angry Democrats by promising Democratic elected officials from our district that he would come out with a public statement opposing the Military Commissions Act. Mike Arcuri said he would put that statement on his web site.
Michael Arcuri lied to them. He hasn't done it. Michael Arcuri's staff confirmed to me today that Arcuri still supports the Military Commissions Act.
Arcuri's new line would be amusing, if it weren't so darkly pathetic: Arcuri now says that if he had been in Congress this September, when the House of Representatives voted for the Military Commissions Act, he would have voted for it, and then, later at some time or another, would try to work to amend it.
Interesting idea, that: A freshman member of the House of Representatives amending a law pushed through Congress by the President of the United States. Come on, history buffs, think hard now. When was the last time that happened?
The 24th district's county Democratic committees got a real first class weasel in Michael Arcuri when then they rushed to prematurely appoint a nominee in order to prevent a primary. Oh, Mike Arcuri talks tough in his campaign speeches. He'll stand up to George W. Bush, he says. But when it comes down to actually making a stand, to showing some integrity, Michael Arcuri folds like a piece of origami paper.
When the heat was on, Arcuri stood with Ray Meier and George W. Bush. Whatever it takes to win an election seems to be Arcuri's motto. Of course, as soon as this election is over, if Arcuri wins, he's got the 2008 election to think about. Heck, the House of Representatives is almost constantly up for election. If a candidate for the House can't show some backbone during an election, he never will.
So, it seems that Arcuri's campaign is willing to say one thing in public, and another thing to Democratic supporters in private. Does Michael Arcuri even remember what the truth is any more? If he's willing to deceive members of local Democratic committees, why should we trust anything he says?
Bob Johnson, the Democratic candidate to the north of us, didn't get the early and constant assistance from the DCCC that Michael Arcuri, Rahm Emanuel's "recruit", got. But Bob Johnson has one thing that Michael Arcuri will never have: Integrity.
Go ahead and listen to what Bob Johnson had to say about the Military Commissions Act in the campaign commercial below. Listen, and just try to imagine Michael Arcuri getting this kind of moral strength to pass through his lips.
Yes, Michael Arcuri has a good shot at winning tomorrow, but at what cost? No matter whether Ray Meier wins or Michael Arcuri wins tomorrow, we will get a representative who is happy to support the worst right wing causes that the Republicans bring forth. That's not the choice we deserved.
Yes, Bob Johnson probably won't win, but he's standing up for something more important than victory for the sake of victory. Bob Johnson aligned himself with a noble, but dying, cause: The defense of liberty in America.
Tomorrow, will you be like Michael Arcuri, or will you be like Bob Johnson?
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8 comments:
Apparently you would rather see a Cheney puppet win the seat than accept a less than perfect but partially acceptable Congrssman. Shades of the year 2000!So much for Take back...!jsyezm
So, there's one voter who will be like Michael Arcuri.
The choice here is between Bush puppet one and Bush puppet two.
Michael Arcuri has sided with George W. Bush on the #1 worst Republican law of Bush's term... and then lied to local Democratic elected officials about it. "Less than perfect" doesn't begin to cover it.
Jon - I'm trying to figure out if the MCA is good, bad or indifferent.
If Hillary is elected Presdent, could she use the MCA to imprison Karl Rove indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay?
Good point, actually, 12:38, though humorously intended, perhaps.
No matter which party you favor, you've got good reason to be nervous about the powers that the Military Commissions Act confers, because you don't know who future leaders will be, and whether they're trustworthy.
"Tomorrow, will you be like Michael Arcuri, or will you be like Bob Johnson?"
Neither one, Jon. I'm not a candidate. I'm just a voter trying to put the brakes on this country before it goes over the cliff.
I'll vote to return checks and balances.
I'm off to the polls
Please, people, do what you have to do so we don't wake up tomorrow, one giant step closer to dictatorship!
The lesser of two evils puts us on a constantly descending path.
Peace and Freedom,
Mike
Allen, candidates are not the only people who have to make difficult moral choices. I admit that this is a difficult moral choice for voters to make, so I'm really not so much angry at voters who support Michael Arcuri in spite of his advocacy for the worst aspects of the Bush Republican agenda, as I am disappointed.
The moral choice for voters is the same as it is for the candidates: To be like Michael Arcuri, and sacrifice the idealism of the Democratic Party for the sake of victory; or to be like Bob Johnson, and lose a seat for the Democratic Party in order to make a stand for ideals that are not represented by either candidate.
Some would say that Michael Arcuri's stand is the one to take, and that Bob Johnson's moral stands have been the wrong ones to take. I don't trust the coming Democratic leadership enough to agree.
There are those of us, many in fact, who don't think Libertarianism is exactly the path away from evil either.
But we appreciate any candidacy that removes votes from Ray Meier.
Incidentally, Mr Libertarian Buchanan calls this race for Arcuri in his report this week. Since he's always right in his own estimation, let's hope he's right this time as well.
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