Why is Dan Maffei Fundraising for Absentee Ballot Count in NY25?

In the NY25 race, Republican Ann Marie Buerkle leads incumbent Democrat Dan Maffei by 659 votes. We're waiting for the absentee ballots to be counted to find out the final tally. Ann Marie released the following statement today:

“Our lead in the initial vote count reflects what we have said throughout this campaign –that the people of Upstate New York want to reign in the excesses of the last two years and regain their voice in Washington. I am pleased to have won the initial count. We are confident that when all eligible absentee ballots are counted – that we will remain ahead – and victorious.

“Our success in this campaign is due in large part to the tireless efforts on the part of our volunteers. We still need their help and support as the process continues.

“Please go to www.Buerkleforcongress.com to get involved and help us cross the finish line.”

From everything I've heard, it could be a few days, or even weeks before every ballot is counted.

According to Robert Harding, Dan Maffei sent out an email asking his supporters for more money.

What happened to the $2 million plus Maffei raised for the campaign? Is there nothing left over after running all of those attack ads against Ann Marie Buerkle day in and day out? And why does he need money? What's he got planned? Doesn't he trust the Board of Elections to count the votes? Are a few thousand Maffei ballots going to magically appear?

Keep an eye on this one - I smell a rat.

Update: Here's the text of the email. (Links disabled - LOL!)

It's been a long few days, but I wanted to give you an update on my race. While it still has not been called, we are neck and neck, with thousands of absentee ballots to be counted. National Republicans are already starting to send folks up to my district - and as Florida in 2000 showed us, they will do anything to win.

We need to make sure that every vote is counted.

Can you contribute today?
We need your help right now. We are in the process of assembling our team to help ensure that every vote is counted, but this is a costly process. We need to raise $25,000 by Monday to make sure that we have the strongest team possible. Your generous support has gotten us to this point - but we need your help to ensure Republicans can't steal this election

Can you contribute today?

This process could take days, possibly weeks, but I have every confidence that we will come out victorious.

Oh yeah, Republicans steal elections. Tell that to Al Franken!

Cross posted from The Lonely Conservative

Help Send a Conservative from New York to Congress

Heck yes, it's possible! And I'm not the only one starting to think the conservative candidate Ann Marie Buerkle can defeat the incumbent statist Dan Maffei in the NY25 contest. The biggest obstacle is Dan Maffei's campaign war chest, built up by Washington insiders and special interests. Buerkle, on the other hand, has relied primarily on donations from people like you and me - normal hard working folks who want to see real change in Washington, DC.

With Dan Maffei, we'll get more of the same. He's a puppet of Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. He voted for Porkulus, he voted for cap and tax, he voted for Obamacare. Every major piece of lousy legislation that has passed the House under Nancy Pelosi he's voted for. He's been endorsed by the SEIU and has taken donations from the Soros family. Oh, and did I mention he's a big hypocrite when it comes to campaign financing?

Recently an official from the Obama administration came to town to appear at a Maffei event, saying he brought along Obama's checkbook. That's how these people think. Maffei's called himself a Keynesian and I think he posed as a bearded Marxist when he embarrassed his district with his appearance on the Colbert Report. For some reason, he didn't wag his finger when Colbert suggested Maffei doesn't read bills. I guess he saves that behavior for his constituents.



Please, help us throw this guy out of office. We don't even have to settle on some rotten RINO who will go along to get along with the progressives in Washington, DC. Ann Marie Buerkle wants to cut spending. She wants to repeal Obamacare. She's against cap and tax. She wants to extend the Bush tax cuts. She believes entrepreneurs create jobs, not the government. On top of all that, she's a nice lady. No wonder Maffei is filling our living rooms with ads attacking her.

She’s an RN and mother to a whole passel of kids who went back to school to become a lawyer and has defended Syracuse’s biggest hospital over the last several years. She’s like your best-friend’s mom.

And she’s also a threat.

She’s a mainstream conservative, a go-to-work-and-do-your-best type whose values and priorities are reflected in the hearts and homes of the people of upstate New York.

I can vouch for that description. I've met and spoken with Buerkle - she's surprisingly normal. She has a lot of grassroots support in the district. Her biggest challenge is that Dan Maffei is one of the House's top 5 fundraisers. He's flush with cash and he's using it to attack Buerkle because he can't run on his record. Ann Marie Buerkle needs your help to fight Maffei's smears and she asking for donations. She's made over $10,000 today. Can we double that? Please consider making a donation and using those "share" buttons to help spread the word about the conservative woman from New York.

Ann Marie Buerkle for Congress!!!

Beat the Deadline Money Bomb

Cross posted from The Lonely Conservative

Video: Here's a Conservative Woman Who Deserves Your Support

Here's the complete, uncut video of Ann Marie Buerkle's Constitution Day speech at her rally for victory tonight. I have to tell you, this woman really gets it. One thing you don't see in the video are the number of hands that went up when Buerkle asked how many people had never been involved in a political campaign before.

If you don't know who Ann Marie Buerkle is, or what she stands for, get comfortable, grab a drink and watch this video.

The crowd was quite lively, and quite a few families showed up. My kids were running around having a good ole time.



If I can get my hands on a transcript of this speech I'll post it here.

This is our chance to send a conservative woman from New York to Congress. Join the Buerkle Brigade!

ANN MARIE BUERKLE FOR CONGRESS!

I'll update with photos shortly.

Cross posted from The Lonely Conservative, also, see the Dan Maffei (the incumbent statist)goons who infiltrated the event.

Dan Maffei and Ann Marie Buerkle Debate Part 1 - Video

I've been asking around, and as far as I know, no debates are scheduled between incumbent Dan Maffei (D) and Ann Marie Buerkle in the NY25 race. If they do debate it will probably go something like this.



Buerkle for Congress! Kick a progressive out of the House, donate to Ann Marie Buerkle!

(Video of the finger wag can be found here!)

Cross posted from The Lonely Conservative

A Clear Choice in NY25 - Washington Insider Maffei or Outsider Buerkle

The voters of New Yorks' 25th Congressional District have a clear choice in the upcoming election. We can choose Dan Maffei, a career DC bureaucrat and politician; or we can choose a woman of principle, Ann Marie Buerkle, who isn't beholden to any special interest group.

Residents of Central New York have been treated to a deluge of Dan Maffei campaign ads in recent days. One is a puff piece portraying Rep. Maffei as the ultimate Washington outsider. But all one needs to do is look at his bio to know he's anything but a Washington outsider.

He was press secretary for U.S. Senator Bill Bradley in 1996, then served in the same post for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan from 1997 to 1998. After working on Senator Bradley's presidential campaign from 1998 to 1999, Maffei went to work for U.S. Representative Charlie Rangel from 1999 to 2005, serving as a senior staff member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

In 2005, Maffei returned to Syracuse to coordinate the successful 2005 re-election campaign of Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll. Following his successful return, Maffei decided to make his first bid for public office, challenging popular nine-term Republican Congressman Jim Walsh. He earned the Democratic nomination and mounted the first serious challenge to Walsh in years, coming within two percentage points of defeating the incumbent. Maffei won in the City of Syracuse and the rest of Onondaga County, Walsh's home turf, as well as Monroe County.

Does anyone believe he didn't return to the area to run for Congress?

I don't know if the first ad didn't have the desired effect, but shortly after it came out an attack ad against Ann Marie Buerkle started airing. He's trying to portray her as some sort of "fringe" candidate because she doesn't want to spend our republic into oblivion.

Dan Maffei has voted with Nancy Pelosi on every major piece of legislation that the public opposed. He would hem and haw about the bills just before casting his "yea" vote. I think he did that to get positive coverage from the local press. And have no doubt, when it comes time for endorsements, the local press will pick Maffei as the guy who "knows how Washington works" and can bring home the bacon.

Now we find ourselves 50 days out from the election, and the news was released that Dan Maffei has raised most of his money from outside our district. Most of his donations don't come from people here in Central New York. He's the special interest candidate.

To highlight the point that Maffei is bought and paid for by special interests, see page three of this PDF. Note page 3, line 11 (a) ii regarding "unitemized" contributions. Those are contributions from average people. (FYI, itemized personal contributions are contributions from $200.00 - $2,400.00. Unitemized personal contributions are contributions from $0.01 - $199.99.) Do you see how low that number is for Dan Maffei? Compare that to the money he received from PACs which is found on line 11 (c).(FYI-PACs are the special interest groups the Democrats cry about.) (Also note, the son of George Soros, Alexander, sent Maffei a donation that's listed on page 35.)

Now look at Ann Marie Buerkle's fundraising disclosure. You'll see that she out-raised Maffei from "unitemized" individual contributions (ie: the "country class"), but she can't compete when it comes to PACs and special interests. (Hey, Gov. Pataki, are you paying attention to NY25?)



There's a reason Dan Maffei is one of the top political fundraisers in Congress, even though he's a freshman congressman. It has nothing to do with his ties to Central New York. The ruling class sees him as one who will toe their line, and he's one of them. He went to Washington to learn how to game the system, and he learned well. He still refuses to return any of the tainted money Charlie Rangel raised for him.

This election is a turning point, not just for Central New York, but for our entire republic. The choice couldn't be clearer in the race for NY 25. Dan Maffei is a CNY outsider and Ann Marie Buerkle is a CNY insider. If elected, Ann Marie Buerkle will go to Washington to represent the people of her district, not special interest groups. She will also uphold the Constitution, a concept that has fallen out of favor of late.

If anyone out there has a few extra bucks to help a conservative woman in New York go to congress, please consider sending a donation to Ann Marie Buerkle. Dan Maffei and his ilk have had their chance. It's time for something new.

Oh, and let' not forget who wagged his finger at constituents for daring to suggest he might read bills before he signs them!

Cross posted from The Lonely Conservative