Its The Economy & Spending, Stupid!...Streetcar Experiments, Tax Increases, etc.,

It's the spending, stupid


The race to replace Rep. John McHugh in New York’s 23rd Congressional District has been billed as an arm-wrestling match between two divergent sects of the Republican Party — Doug Hoffman representing the conservatives on one side and Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava representing the moderates on the other. Pundits who bill this race as some intra-GOP battle are dead wrong.

The race in New York is not an arm-wrestling contest at all. It is, quite simply, a referendum on this government’s spending addiction. The uproar and dissent of the people of New York’s northernmost congressional district send a clear message to Washington: it’s the spending, stupid. I am fearful that through all the spin, whether intended to claim victory or soften the blow of defeat, we in Washington will fail to hear, or to correctly interpret, the message. We must stop the reckless spending, and we must stop it now.

I know that spending is not a sexy topic, nor does it easily lend itself to endless hours of dissection by political analysts. It is apparently too simple, too straightforward and too obvious to be recognizable to many on the left and even to some on the right.

Scozzafava was unfavorable as a candidate not because she was a social moderate but because she did not have a track record of practicing fiscal discipline. The takeaway for Republicans should be that limited government and strict fiscal discipline — core principles of our party — are essential now more than ever.

There is plenty of room for moderates in the Republican Party. In fact, our caucus needs a more diverse set of voices to thrive. That is not to say that the Republican Party is without core principles. Limited government and fiscal restraint are values that conservative and moderate Republicans share regardless of past failures to put those principles into practice.

I am hopeful that moderate Republican voices will not be discouraged by the spin they see regarding the “meaning of NY-23.” Pundits and papers that describe Scozzafava’s departure as “emboldening the right” are missing the point. The voters are the ones emboldened. They are emboldened by the Obama administration’s insatiable appetite for spending. That same urge has poised Democrats to take over the health care industry, among other trillion-dollar debacles, creating yet more unsustainable expenditures.

Doug Hoffman’s ascendance is a referendum on the reckless spending of the Obama administration and the Pelosi-Reid Congress. It is a statement of the need for Congress to exhibit fiscal restraint. I hear the message loud and clear, and I hope my colleagues hear it too.




Republican John Lassiter Has Slight Lead Over Democrat Anthony Foxx in Race to Become Charlotte’s Next Mayor...No Street Car!


A recent Cornerstone Poll tested candidates for the Charlotte Mayor’s election to be held on November 3rd. With less than ten days before the election, the survey shows that Republican John Lassiter is leading Democrat Anthony Foxx 42 percent to 37 percent.

“Heading to the finish line, this race is essentially a dead heat,” said Chris Sinclair, partner with Cornerstone Solutions, LLC. While Lassiter is leading Foxx, his lead is within the margin of error of the survey.”

“Jobs and improving the economy (39 percent) and reducing taxes (23 percent) remain top issues voters would like to see the next mayor work on,” said Sinclair. “Voters are also concerned about spending, and strongly disagree with the Charlotte City Council’s recent decision to spend $4.5 million on a study for the proposed $450 million dollar street car program.”

Over 57 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate running for mayor if they knew he voted in favor of spending millions on the study.

“This could be a negative for Foxx, who voted in favor of spending over $4 million on the street car study should Lassiter, who voted against spending the money, make it an issue in the reaming days of the election,” said Sinclair.

Republican John Lassiter has a solid, double-digit, lead over Democrat Anthony Foxx among Independent voters by a 39 percent to 25 percent margin.

“Independent voters will play a key role in this election, and we also are seeing these voters break to Republicans statewide and nationally,” said Sinclair. “If John Lassiter turns out his base, and holds on to Independents through Election Day, he could pull out a win over Foxx. This race boils down to turnout, and which candidate can distinguish himself from his opponent on issues important to Charlotte voters.”

Cornerstone surveyed 400 registered voters in the City of Charlotte from October 9-13, 2009. The automated phone survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points. Refusal to answer and weighting may introduce additional error. Cornerstone is not involved in any of the campaigns of the candidates tested in the survey.




Charlotte City Council overrides streetcar veto

Charlotte's streetcar was revived Monday night when the Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 to override Mayor Pat McCrory's veto on spending $4.5 million to design it.

After an hour-long debate, council member Warren Turner, a Democrat who represents west Charlotte, cast the deciding vote in favor.

Last month, McCrory vetoed a plan to pay URS Corp. $4.5 million to start design work on the line, which would run from Beatties Ford Road to Eastland Mall, via uptown. He argued that because of the recession, the city needed to cut its spending. He and other Republicans said it wasn't prudent to spend the money when Charlotte doesn't have a plan to pay for the line, which could cost $450 million.

But the council's Democratic majority said it was important to get the project started. They hope the Federal government will change its rules to pay for streetcar construction, and they argued by spending the money now the city would be first in line.

Council member Nancy Carter, who represents east Charlotte, said the vote was “crucial.”

She said that building the streetcar to Eastland Mall would spur efforts to redevelop the dying retail center.



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Sources: Politico, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Cornerstone Polls, Charmeck.org, Youtube, Google Maps