Prof. Carpenter argues that the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which had a right to exclude pro-gay rights groups from marching, is the relevant paradigm. A federal judge just said "no go guys."  If the First Amendment means anything it means you can speak, preach, and hand out literature in a public park.  Nobody is going to think that the gay rights groups authorized his speech. "As a festival attendee in a public forum, Johnson is entitled to speak and hand out literature, quintessential activities protected by the First Amendment, so long as he remains undisruptive," Judge Tunheim wrote in the 19 page ruling, according to the WSJ.

A win for the First Amendment. But look how many establishment and "conservative" gay rights figures now believe the First Amendment means: we get to restrict your rights to disagree?

Assembly Member Benjamin - Statement Against No-Fault Divorce

I am opposed to no-fault divorce because it would harm most women in divorce proceedings. According to the National Marriage Project at Rutger’s University, a woman’s standard of living drops by an average of 27% and a man’s increases by 10% following a divorce.

Due to the economic disadvantage that women face, combined with my unwillingness to break down the blessed institution of marriage, I can not in good conscience vote for no-fault divorce.

Dear Friends of Marriage,

Thank you again for your part in the tremendous victory for marriage on Tuesday! I truly believe that were it not for your persistent phone calls and emails, the outcome could have been very different.

Same-sex marriage advocates now have a list of 38 state senators, including all 30 Senate Republicans and 8 of the 32 Senate Democrats, they will try to persuade or replace before another same-sex marriage bill is introduced (probably in 2011). Undoubtedly, the pressure on these 38 courageous senators -- many of whom had refused to say how they would vote in advance of the vote -- will intensify in the days ahead.

I have one last request for you today. As we celebrate this week's tremendous victory, would you take a minute to write your state senator to thank him or her for standing strong for marriage?

Below, I've included a list of the Senators who voted no on same-sex marriage.  If your senator's name is on the list, please click here to send him or her a thank you message. [And if you're not sure who your senator is, you can look it up here.] The action item is set up so messages will only be sent to senators who voted no on same-sex marriage -- so you don't have to worry about sending a message to the wrong person. Just click here and use the form to say thank you to this band of courageous legislators who were willing to stand up in the face of name-calling and insults heard on the Senate floor Tuesday.

Our senators heard from us loud and clear this week. Let's take a moment to thank them for listening.

Faithfully,
Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

Senators voting NO on same-sex marriage

• Joseph Addabbo (D)
• James Alesi (R)
• Darrel Aubertine (D)
• John Bonacic (R)
• John DeFrancisco (R)
• Ruben Diaz (D)
• Hugh Farley (R)
• John Flanagan (R)
• Charles Fuschillo, Jr.  (R)
• Martin Golden (R)
• Joseph Griffo (R)
• Kemp Hannon (R)
• Shirley Huntley (D)
• Owen Johnson (R)
• Carl Kruger (D)
• Andrew Lanza (R)
• Bill Larkin (R)
• Kenneth LaValle (R)
• Vincent Leibell (R)
• Tom Libous (R)
• Elizabeth Little (R)
• Carl Marcellino (R)
• George Maziarz (R)
• Roy McDonald (R)
• Hiram Monserrate (D)
• Thomas Morahan (R)
• Michael Nozzolio (R)
• George Onorato (D)
• Frank Padavan (R)
• Michael Ranzenhofer (R)
• Joseph Robach (R)
• Stephen Saland (R)
• James Seward (R)
• Dean Skelos (R)
• William Stachowski (D)
• Dale Volker (R)
• George Winner (R)
• Catherine Young (R)

Dear Friends of Marriage,

The New York state senate just rejected gay marriage 38 to 24. Praise God!

And thank you. NOM spent $600,000 reaching out to voters through phone calls and television and radio ads to make sure politicians heard from ordinary voters like you.

Gay marriage inevitable? Don't believe the lie! You can make a difference and we at NOM are so proud to work with you and millions of other ordinary Americans who know in their hearts that marriage IS the union of husband and wife.

It has been a real privilege to work alongside so many state leaders determined to protect marriage in New York. Special thanks to Rev. Jason McGuire of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms for his tireless efforts on the ground, and to State Senator Ruben Diaz who was in his office praying before the vote and has been a true leader on this issue.

And to all of you in New York, a special thank you. I know sometimes we ask you over and over again to make phone calls and emails to your elected officials, but it is your phone calls and emails that ultimately made the difference today. Up until the last minute, Sen. Tom Duane was assuring everyone that he had the votes to pass the bill. But when push came to shove, New York legislators listened to their constituents and soundly rejected same-sex marriage.

This great victory will reverberate up and down America, putting the fear of God--and the American voter--into the hearts of weak-kneed and weak-willed politicians everywhere.

Usually, I don't ask for donations in victory emails like this, but I feel I must make you aware of our urgent needs today. We have totally over-extended ourselves in the fight to protect marriage in Maine, New York, and New Jersey. Our accounts are empty, and we desperately need to raise funds now so that we are ready when the next fight arises.

Will you please give generously today? Click here to make a secure online donation of $35, $50, $100, or even $1000 if you have the means.

Thank you! Today is a day to celebrate!

Faithfully,
Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

Dear Friends of Marriage,

The New York Senate is back in special session today, with Governor Paterson calling again for a vote on the same-sex marriage bill.

We've got to keep the pressure on!

Click here to send your state senator an email right now!
Click here to look up your senator's phone number!

Right now, gay marriage advocates don't have the votes to pass the bill, but it will be close. As I write, they're pulling out all the stops to swing the last few votes needed to pass the bill.

Governor Paterson and the Democratic leadership in the Senate have promised to call a vote on the same-sex marriage bill before the end of 2009. The vote could come at any time the Senate is in session--even before a budget deal is reached, if the leadership thinks they have the votes.

We can't let up! Following the votes in Maine and in NY-23, we have momentum.

For the first time, legislators are waking up to realize that a vote for same-sex marriage could cost them their seat in next year's election. It's time to keep the pressure on wavering legislators.

1) Contact your state senator again today! Click here to send an email, or use this link to look up your senator's phone number.

2) Pass this message on to your friends and neighbors. Our senators need to hear from all of us!

The middle of a budget crisis is no time to be redefining marriage. Together, we'll tell every senator: Don't Mess with Marriage! Please contact your senator today!

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

©2009 National Organization for Marriage.

Dear Friends of Marriage,

We need you right now. The New York Senate is in special session today and could vote on same-sex marriage at any time. Please take a moment right now to call and email your state senator.

Click here to send your state senator an email message.
Click here to look up your state senator's phone number.

Governor Paterson has called the Senate back into special session, pushing for a vote on same-sex marriage even as the Senate works to close a $3.2 billion budget shortfall. Democratic leaders are saying they have a confirmed 25 votes out of the 32 needed for passage. Please take a moment right now to call and email your senator. Tell him to vote NO on same-sex marriage.  Then forward this message to your friends and tell them that we need them right now!!

Time is short.  The future of marriage hangs in the balance.
Please take action right now!

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

P.S.: We need every voice to be heard! Please forward this message to 5 friends who you know would be willing to take action right away. Together we can stop same-sex marriage in New York -- but only if we all stand together right now.

Dear Friends of Marriage,

Let's talk Corzine for a minute.

Gov. Corzine has made it clear that gay marriage is one of his top priorities--but only to his "base." Privately, he is pushing for a vote on gay marriage in the lame duck session. The reason he's pushing for gay marriage in the lame-duck is that he wants the vote as far away from an election as possible.

GOP leaders are calling Gov. Corzine on his secret deal and pushing for a marriage amendment that would put the question to the people of New Jersey.  

Does Corzine care about what the people think? When Corzine was asked what he thought about a marriage amendment in New Jersey--putting the marriage question to the voters--Corzine fumbled badly.

The Star Ledger columnist called him on it: "Gov. Jon Corzine's got a lame excuse for ducking gay-marriage issue."
Here's Corzine's answer, verbatim:

"Well, I, uh, you know, it probably will not as long as I am governor because I actually believe, uh, that these are the kinds of decisions based on, uh, the, ummm, acceptance of the Supreme Court's judgment that, uh, marriage equity, umm, is consistent with our principles and our Constitution and I believe we should, uh, follow the Constitution."

As you can infer, the governor did not seem to enjoy fielding this question. For good reason. He is too smart to believe his own argument about the need to follow past rulings by the high court on the question.

That's because such a referendum would take the form of a constitutional amendment. If the voters decided to enact a ban on same-sex marriage, then Article One would be amended to read "Only the union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in the State of New Jersey." The court would be taken out of the equation.

So that's one reason Corzine sounded uncomfortable. We learned another possible reason yesterday. A group of conservative Republican legislators held a press conference at the Statehouse to make public an allegation that the Democrats are planning a move to legalize same-sex marriage in the lame-duck session after the election. State Sen. Gerry Cardinale of Bergen County said he had heard a conversation between key Democrats in which the deal was made.
Get ready to fight for our right to speak the truth about marriage!

The New Jersey Family Policy Council is organizing a rally October 25 on the steps of the Capitol in Trenton. If you have an hour to spend on marriage that Sunday, go down and make your voice heard. NOM's own Chairman of the Board Robby George will be speaking, too. If you live in New Jersey, can you pass this message on to a friend?

Now is the time to get ready to make our voices and our values heard! Speak out for marriage! And consider what you can give to NOM's New York PAC.

Meanwhile in New York, Mayor Bloomberg is telling the gay press that there may well be a vote on gay marriage this fall. The gay press is reporting, "Albany watchers say lawmakers are close to moving on a gay marriage bill waiting on Senate approval to become law." At NOM, with your help, we have promised to raise $500,000 to fund a primary challenge to any GOP senator who abandons this marriage issue. With your help, we are building the seed capital within the PAC that will allow us to reach our with direct mail and raise that money in the next six months. To date, we've raised over $35,000. When we hit $50,000, we will be ready to use that money to build the war-chest that politicians cannot ignore! Help us this week, so we can send a message to Albany: We stand up for marriage!

A final thanks to the Catholic bishops of New Jersey, who are calling on Catholics and others of good will in New Jersey to stand up for marriage. See the piece below, in the Trenton Times:

The debate over same-sex marriage has reached the pews in Mercer County.

In anticipation of a possible vote on the issue by state legislators sometime after the November election, Catholic bishops in New Jersey have begun a campaign against same-sex marriage, issuing a 2,300-word letter opposing the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples. Clergy and others in the movement have urged parishioners to contact legislators asking them to oppose same-sex marriage.

"A same-sex relationship is not the same as marriage. Marriage is rooted in sexual union, and sex union requires sexual difference," said Damon Owens, 43, the New Jersey coordinator for the National Organization for Marriage.

Thanks Damon and to all of you who will not buckle to the absurd, or surrender the truth under pressure. God's grace be with you always,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

This Week's News
"Gov. Jon Corzine's Got a Lame Excuse for Ducking Gay-Marriage Issue"
NJ.com
Paul Mulshine
September 29, 2009
The governor had a friendly audience of college kids during his appearance at Rider University last week. But there was one guy who put him a bit off-balance.

The questioner asked Jon Corzine whether the question of legalizing same-sex marriage is likely to be on the ballot if he is elected to a second term. 

"State's Catholic bishops oppose same-sex marriage approval"
Times of Trenton
September 20, 2009
"A same-sex relationship is not the same as marriage. Marriage is rooted in sexual union, and sex union requires sexual difference," said Damon Owens, 43, the New Jersey coordinator for the National Organization for Marriage.

He recently spoke to a crowd of about 40 parishioners at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church. Owens said there is line between accepting people, which is always a virtue, and tolerating something "that's not true." He added that same sex marriage "is in conflict with reality."

 NOM PAC NY Newsletter (Paid for by NOM PAC NY)

Dear Friends of Marriage,

In New York, the race for New York's 23^rd continues to heat up. Dede Scozzafava was hand-picked by GOP leaders to be the Republican candidate for a special election in this district in upstate New York, which has elected Republicans since the Civil War.

A safe, reliable GOP district. So what do the party bosses do? Nominate one of the very few pro-gay-marriage Republicans around. Nice, huh? Then it becomes increasingly clear that Dede is not just a leftist on social issues--she's pretty far out of the mainstream all the way around.

Human Events just published an expose of Dede Scozzafava's relationship with the Working Families Party in New York. If you are in New Jersey or elsewhere, maybe you've never heard of it. But stay with me.

The Working Families Party was founded by hard-left interest groups to promote their positions. Scozzafava is not only one of the few gay-marriage Republicans, she is one of the very few Republicans to get elected by earning the party-line of the Working Families Party (sharing that line with John Kerry!).   

But it gets worse than that: Guess who is a founding Co-Chair of the Working Families Party? Bertha Lewis, the head of ACORN. I'd never heard of Bertha Lewis until last week. But when videos emerged of ACORN employees counseling a young man on how to get taxpayer financing to run a brothel for underage prostitutes, all of America watched Bertha Lewis respond by denouncing the videomakers as liars and frauds. Then, as the scandal built, she abruptly reversed course and pretended to be concerned with reform.

Her big "reform"? Accept no new clients while the "investigation" is underway. That means, of course, that no new videos can emerge while the story is hot of yet more taxpayer-funded ACORN employees using your hard-earned money to figure out how lawbreakers can join them at the public trough.

Bertha Lewis is one of Dede Scozzafava's political friends and supporters. (Scozzafava spokespeople told Human Events that she would have voted to defund ACORN.  But she has not rejected or repudiated the Working Families Party's powerful endorsement, either.)

None of which would be our business here at the National Organization for Marriage except for one thing: In a backroom deal, without the voters' approval, New York's GOP party bosses hand-picked Dede to be the face, the voice, and the values of a new generation of Republican.

Ronald Reagan must be turning over in his grave.

At the same time, a new poll released by the Doug Hoffman campaign shows that Dede is paying a price in this hard-core GOP district for her extreme views. The number one pick of voters in that district? "Undecided" by 31 percent. Only 30 percent of voters say they will vote for Dede, and the rest are about evenly split between the Democrat and Conservative Party candidate, Doug Hoffman--both of whom are to the right of Dede on gay marriage. (The Democrat has yet to say, however, how he will vote on efforts to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act).  

No date for the election has been set, but Novemeber appears likely.  Stay tuned!

In New Jersey the Times of Trenton just ran a nice story featuring NOM's New Jersey coordinator, Damon Owens.

In the September 20 story, "State's Catholic bishops oppose same-sex marriage approval," a reporter follows NOM's own Damon Owens as he speaks to church groups throughout New Jersey.  

"A same-sex relationship is not the same as marriage. Marriage is rooted in sexual union, and sex union requires sexual difference," said Damon Owens, 43, the New Jersey coordinator for the National Organization for Marriage.

He recently spoke to a crowd of about 40 parishioners at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church. Owens said there is line between accepting people, which is always a virtue, and tolerating something "that's not true." He added that same sex marriage "is in conflict with reality."

When the reporter asked Mercer County politicians about the widespread rumor that Garden State Equality is going to push gay marriage through the legislature in the lame duck session, they ducked like... lame ducks.  

Neither Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, D-Hamilton, nor Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, D-Plainsboro, said they knew of any legislation on same-sex marriage that would be introduced during the Legislature's lame duck session in November, and the non-partisan state Office of Legislative Services said nothing has been introduced.

"Until something comes about, it's not fair to respond," said DeAngelo, adding that he believed in equal rights and resources for everyone but did not say whether equal rights extended to same-sex marriage.

Greenstein she also agrees in general with equal rights for everyone, but would not "put my views out there" on same-sex marriage.

If gay marriage is so popular in New Jersey, why do they want to try to pass it as far away from an election as possible?

NOM has pledged to build a war chest to force a primary contest on any GOP state senator in New York who votes to support gay marriage. Fight back against politicians who think they can dodge, duck, or deal away our voice and our values. When you contribute to our New York PAC, you send a message: New York stands up for marriage.

Until next week, may God bless you, this day and always,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

This Week's News
"Poll: N.Y. 23rd Congressional District Race Fairly Close"
WCAX.com
September 10, 2009
A new poll shows the candidates for New York's 23rd Congressional District are fairly close in popularity so far.

"Scozzafava Too Liberal for New York Conservatives"
Human Events
September 21, 2009
The Republican nominee for Congress in the soon-to-be-open 23rd District of New York came under harsh fire from conservatives last week for her past acceptance of support from a third party considered "a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACORN."
 
"State's Catholic bishops oppose same-sex marriage approval"
Times of Trenton
September 14, 2009
"A same-sex relationship is not the same as marriage. Marriage is rooted in sexual union, and sex union requires sexual difference," said Damon Owens, 43, the New Jersey coordinator for the National Organization for Marriage.

He recently spoke to a crowd of about 40 parishioners at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church. Owens said there is line between accepting people, which is always a virtue, and tolerating something "that's not true." He added that same sex marriage "is in conflict with reality."

Dear Friends of Marriage,

Summer is over, and politicians are returning to Albany and Trenton to face an ongoing immense crisis: In the economic collapse, a budget hole the size of the potholes on the BQE is opening up. (Maybe even bigger!) Many in the tri-state area are going to be seriously hurting from looming service cuts and/or tax increases.

These are serious times. So what did New York's accidental Gov. Paterson decide to prioritize? Pushing a gay marriage bill through the New York legislature by late September.

Glenn Blain of the Daily News reported on Saturday, "Governor Paterson aims to push bill on gay marriage during special session." He revealed his intentions in an interview with The Advocate, a major gay newspaper, naturally. Why is it that when certain liberal politicians get in trouble in the polls they start playing to the base and ignoring the priorities of the people?

Fight back! Send this newsletter to two friends today! Be ready to stand up for God's truth about marriage in a few weeks--in New York first, and later New Jersey. (Read more below.)

Thank you for your help in alerting national political leaders to the pending debacle in New York's 23rd Congressional District. Pres. Obama is appointing the sitting Republican Congressman to a cabinet position. But as Ken Tomlinson, a respected journalist who worked for many years at Reader's Digest, points out in the Weekly Standard, GOP leaders used a backdoor process to appoint "the most liberal Republican congressional candidate in memory" to be their nominee. (Don't let the politicians ignore your voice--help us fight back!)

Tomlinson notes that Scozzafava "is pro-card check, pro-abortion, and twice voted in the assembly to legalize gay marriage." The Conservative Party nominee, Doug Hoffman is gaining surprising traction, as the reporter points out: "A John McLaughlin poll, still closely held by the campaign, shows that Hoffman has every chance of winning the seat. In the 23rd district (which went by a narrow margin to Obama last year), 56 percent of likely voters said they wanted to elect a conservative Republican to succeed McHugh. Only 24 percent said they would vote for a Democrat. A minuscule 8 percent said they wanted a liberal Republican."

Stay tuned. A fight is developing: Will a pro-marriage Democrat beat back the liberal Republican in a solid GOP district--showing the national GOP that abandoning your vote is no pathway to victory? Or will Doug Hoffman emerge as the next James Buckley--riding the Conservative Party nomination all the way to win a seat in the U.S. Congress?

Thank you for the thousands of calls that have already made a difference. You are the reason we exist: to be your voice for our values. Alone they can try to intidimate us, but together we can make a difference! We need your donations--whether you can spare $15 or $500, or anything in between--but we also need your prayers, and your willingness to speak out.

In New Jersey, the Asbury Park Press had a brilliant idea on how to resolve the marriage issue: take it to the people! "Gay marriage: Put it on the ballot," announces the Sept. 8 editorial (read more below):

The Legislature is expected to debate a bill that would allow gay marriage after the Nov. 3 election. And it could become a major campaign issue in the gubernatorial and Assembly races.

GOP candidate Chris Christie says he supports New Jersey's current law allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions but would veto any bill legalizing same-sex marriage. Corzine, who as recently as 2006 said he believed marriage should be between a man and a woman, now says he supports gay marriage.

Radio, TV and print ads will likely ask people to contact their legislators and voice their opinion. Lawmakers should let those opinions be expressed on a referendum ballot.

The Asbury Park editorial concludes, "The issue should be fully aired and debated. Then it should be left to the voters to decide the matter."

Power to the people! Now there's a radical idea for New Jersey we can all support.

I hope you had a chance to enjoy Labor Day weekend. As the schools open, please pay attention to what your children are being taught about your moral views. And let me know if you hear anything. Together we can fight back!

Keep fighting the good fight, and God bless you,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

 NOM PAC New York News

"Governor Paterson Aims to Push Bill on Gay Marriage During Special Session"
New York Daily News
Glenn Blain
September 5, 2009
ALBANY - -Gay marriage will be on the state Senate's agenda as early as this month if Gov. Paterson gets his way.

In an interview with the Advocate, Paterson said he intends to put the bill legalizing same-sex marriage on the agenda when he calls the Legislature back into session to deal with the state's $2.1 billion budget deficit.

"I am anticipating a special session and I am anticipating this is one of the issues that we will address," Paterson told the gay and lesbian magazine.

A date for the special session has not been set but most lawmakers expect it to be held later this month or in early October.

Paterson spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein confirmed that the governor intends to place the bill on the session's agenda.

Under state law, Paterson sets the agenda for any special session he calls but he cannot force lawmakers to vote on legislation. They can simply table whatever measures they don't like.

The Assembly passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in May, but its fate in the Democrat-controlled Senate remains uncertain.

A handful of conservative Democratic senators and most Republicans oppose it.

Senate President Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) is a supporter of the bill but does not want to bring it up for a vote until it has enough support to pass.

"Our position hasn't changed," Smith spokesman Austin Shafran said Friday. "We are supportive of the legislation but there is no indication that there are enough votes to pass it."

"The James Buckley Scenario"
The Weekly Standard
New York's 23rd could elect a conservative. But the GOP hasn't nominated one.
by Kenneth Tomlinson 
September 14, 2009 
 
A couple of weeks ago, political handicapper Charlie Cook alerted his subscribers that "the situation for President Obama and congressional Democrats has slipped completely out of control." Politico asserted the Cook Political Report special "should send shivers down Democratic spines."

This makes the coming special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District an important national bellwether as voters select a successor to Republican representative John McHugh, who is Obama's nominee to be secretary of the Army.

Geographically, the North Country district is one of the largest in the East, ranging from Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain over the Adirondacks to Watertown and Oswego on Lake Ontario. Population centers are scattered in five major media markets. The district twice gave narrow margins to Bush, but last year went for Obama. If Democrats face an implosion in 2010, this sort of Middle America district is precisely where that shift will manifest itself, and both national political congressional committees are mobilizing for what appears to be a major political struggle.

The White House may have chosen McHugh for the Army post because political strategists believed they could win this district. And in a page out of Rahm Emanuel's playbook, Democrats have nominated Bill Owens, a Plattsburgh lawyer whose late law partner was a Republican state senator and who himself was a registered Independent.

The giant New York service employees union (SEIU) is lining up behind Owens because a spokesman says the union "expects" Bill Owens to "work with President Obama on health care reform." Owens's positions on topics like national health care have been nuanced, but he has pledged support for "card check," which would eliminate workers' right to vote by secret ballot on whether or not to unionize.

SEIU support is important because in the recent special election in the neighboring 20th Congressional District, the union outspent even the Democratic party to provide an upset victory to an unknown Democrat over the Republican state assembly minority leader. At one point in the campaign the Republican could not even decide whether he was for or against the Obama stimulus package.

And what are Republicans doing in the 23rd? Upstate GOP bosses (county chairmen) met behind closed doors to nominate veteran assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava of Watertown, whose record qualifies her as the most liberal Republican congressional candidate in memory. She is pro-card check, pro-abortion, and twice voted in the assembly to legalize gay marriage. She repeatedly has won the endorsement of the ACORN-backed Working Families party, sharing that party's ballot with John Kerry in 2004 and Obama last year.

In her official assembly biography, she lists herself as chief operating officer of her family-owned corporation. But now that the firm is in trouble, facing state and federal tax liens, the local press reports she says "she has nothing to do" with the company. Meanwhile, her husband is the regional president of the AFL-CIO.

National Republican leaders have been bombarded by conservative activists to force the pull back of Scozzafava's nomination. To date the National Republican Campaign Committee is stubbornly sticking with her.

But there are developments in the 23rd that may make both political party machines irrelevant.

Doug Hoffman, a native of Saranac Lake, is a self-made successful businessman and accountant with offices throughout the district. A lifelong Republican, he had never thought of becoming a political candidate. The closest he had ever been to political power was shaking hands last year with New York governor David Paterson, who was awarding a medal of heroism to Hoffman's state trooper son, shot while successfully capturing a wanted criminal.

Hoffman and his wife and children have always spent their spare time outdoors. They are skiers. (Another son was one of the youngest ever to make the U.S. ski team.) Together the family has climbed 40 of the 46 peaks in the Adirondacks.

But something happened to Hoffman as he watched the special election in the neighboring 20th District. To Hoffman, the performance of the candidates perfectly exemplified the failure of national business and political leadership in America.

So when Republican chairmen announced they would select someone to run for the McHugh seat, Hoffman declared his candidacy. "If ever there was a time when we need people in Congress who can read a balance sheet, it is now," says Hoffman.

Like nine other candidates, he met with the party bosses behind closed doors to make the case for his candidacy. He learned of the Scozzafava nomination through a party press release.

In the days that followed, Hoffman was shocked to learn of Scozzafava's positions in press reports about the coming race. He called friends who put him in touch with conservative leaders, and a meeting was arranged with New York Conservative party chairman Mike Long who was in Lake Placid to watch his own son, a New York City fireman, run in the Iron Man Triathlon.

"I met [Hoffman] early in the morning," Long recalls. "I was struck by his honesty and his refreshing grasp of the issues. I didn't know they made people like this any more. I didn't try to talk him into running, but I sure didn't try to talk him out of it."

Driving back to his hotel after the meeting, Long thought to himself, "That man has a shot at being another Jim Buckley." In 1970 Buckley was elected to the U.S. Senate on the Conservative party line against two liberals, a Republican and a Democrat.

Hoffman's campaign is winning surprising respect. Reports Brian Mann on National Public Radio's North Country website: "Hoffman also brings a lot of personal wealth to the race; that's a big deal in politics. My sense is that he could serve as a spoiler in this race.  .  .  .  But I also think there is a legitimate, if still remote, chance that Hoffman could win."

When the Adirondack Daily Enterprise asked readers to cast votes on its website, the result was Hoffman 58 percent, Owens 23 percent, and Scozzafava 19 percent. The survey was obviously not scientific, and the Adirondacks are Hoffman's home territory, but when he tells you his life's story, it is easy to see why those who know him are so very much for him.

He and his four siblings were raised by a single mother. By age 8 he was delivering papers to help his mother pay the bills. He started pumping gas at 14. By the time he finished high school, he was a master mechanic.

He finished at the top of his high school class, but there was no family money for college. A group of local civic leaders believed in him--and raised scholarship money for him. He graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1973 with a degree in accounting.

He joined the Army reserves, got married, started a family, and went to work for Price Waterhouse. Meanwhile, he earned an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Connecticut.

In 1977, he moved his family back to the North Country for a new job as assistant controller for the Lake Placid 1980 Olympic Organizing Committee. His first day on the job his boss quit, and at 27 he assumed the position as corporate controller, eventually overseeing a budget of $150 million and 2,500 employees as well as 6,000 volunteers.

Today, the accounting firm he heads has six offices. The Hoffman Family Enterprises he owns with his children runs a diverse group of small businesses, from construction to auto service to hospitality and tourism. His list of civic leadership positions is vast.

Mike Long is pleading with national Republican leaders to push aside Assemblywoman Scozzafava and give the GOP nomination to Hoffman. Says Long: "She symbolizes the tax-and-spend-and-earmark philo-sophy that has so decimated the Republican party in Congress. On the other hand, if Owens wins, it will be a huge victory for the discredited Obama White House."

If Republicans do not accept Hoffman as their candidate, state and national conservative movement leaders have an enormous stake in what happens in the 23rd. Despite Hoffman's pledge to put in at least $250,000 of his own money, fundraising for the Hoffman campaign will prove a real test of the strength of conservatives nationally. National parties can be counted on to pour huge resources into the district for the election. Can conservatives match these donations? The answer may tell us a great deal about the future of American politics. After all, Jim Buckley's Senate victory helped build conservative political credibility and was a direct forerunner to the Reagan movement.

McHugh is expected to be confirmed when Congress returns in September. Governor Paterson probably will set the special election for November 3, when only local races will be on the ballot.

A John McLaughlin poll, still closely held by the campaign, shows that Hoffman has every chance of winning the seat. In the 23rd district (which went by a narrow margin to Obama last year), 56 percent of likely voters said they wanted to elect a conservative Republican to succeed McHugh. Only 24 percent said they would vote for a Democrat. A minuscule 8 percent said they wanted a liberal Republican. The North Country is a spectacular place to be in late summer and early fall when the beauty of the region is unimaginable. This year the North Country will be a colorful arena for politics as well.

--Kenneth Tomlinson is a former editor in chief of Reader's Digest."Gay Marriage: Put It on the Ballot"
Asbury Park Press editorial
September 8, 2009

Brace yourself, folks, for what is likely to be a steady barrage of ads this fall both opposing and supporting gay marriage.

The Legislature is expected to debate a bill that would allow gay marriage after the Nov. 3 election. And it could become a major campaign issue in the gubernatorial and Assembly races.

GOP candidate Chris Christie says he supports New Jersey's current law allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions but would veto any bill legalizing same-sex marriage. Corzine, who as recently as 2006 said he believed marriage should be between a man and a woman, now says he supports gay marriage.

Radio, TV and print ads will likely ask people to contact their legislators and voice their opinion. Lawmakers should let those opinions be expressed on a referendum ballot. At the same time, they should work to close any remaining loopholes in the state's civil-union law that prevent some same-sex couples from enjoying the same benefits as married heterosexual couples. Any companies, individuals or entities found flouting the law should be held accountable.

Church and activist groups are gearing up to reach out to their memberships and begin campaigns to encourage their legislators to support their positions on gay marriage, which is expected to be debated in the lame-duck period following the election.

In 2006, the state Supreme Court ruled gay couples deserved the same rights as married couples, prompting the Legislature to make New Jersey the third state to offer civil unions to give gay couples the same legal benefits, but not the title of marriage. But some gay couples have not received equal treatment.

Gay couples who have taken the legal steps of a civil union should be accorded the same rights -- all of them -- as married couples, including the sharing of benefits and decision-making rights on financial, medical and other matters. Whether to call it a "marriage" continues to be a hot topic of debate across the nation. In Maine, a law passed earlier this year allowing gay marriage is being challenged in a constitutional amendment expected to go to a public vote in November.

The issue should be fully aired and debated. Then it should be left to the voters to decide the matter. 

Dear Friends of Marriage,

Today I have to say: Thank you!
 
Last week I asked you to take action in the debacle developing in New York's 23rd Congressional district--and you responded!
 
More than 11,000 emails and faxes and still counting! Protests have poured into the offices of GOP chief Michael Steele and local New York Republican officials to say: Don't make a terrible mistake: Don't sell out marriage voters! Don't reward Dede Scozzafava, one of the very few GOP politicians who have ever voted for gay marriage, with an uncontested shot at high office. Not without GOP primary voters' consent!
 Dede is being groomed to become the first GOP Congressional Representative in New York--or elsewhere--who is a passionate activist for government-imposed gay marriage.  Fight back! Let NOM's New York PAC be your voice for your values, by donating here.
 
And with Pres. Obama's recent announcemenet that he wants to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), every vote matters more than ever! Take action! If you haven't yet, go to Two Million for Marriage and make your voice count! Together, our voices and our values will be heard!
 
Are you having trouble keeping Pres. Obama's position straight on gay marriage? You are not the only one. His high-profile TV appearance with Rick Warren in the summer of 2008 (in which Pres. Obama insisted he is opposed to gay marriage) angered gay activists. So then Obama quietly sent out a letter saying he opposed Prop 8 in California. This week, the same double-take: After filing briefs pretending his administration is willing to defend the federal DOMA from activist judges, Pres. Obama's Justice Department filed a new brief announcing that the President opposed DOMA as discriminatory--but he still wants his Justice Dept. to be in charge of defending the law! I guess he was in favor of gay marriage before he was against gay marriage.
 
Politicians!
 
Thank you for standing tall for marriage and all that it stands for: God's truth about who we human beings are, and who we should aspire to be.

Take care and enjoy the dog days of summer!

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
bbrown@nationformarriage.org

P.S. We are halfway to our intial goal of $50,000 in "seed" money for our NY PAC. Can you help us take the next big leap by donating here? New York has strict election laws. We need to build the capital to expand outwards and reach tens of thousands of new donors and activists in New York to help protect marriage and religious liberty from government assault.

If God has given you the means--and believe me, with six kids I know money is tight and not everyone can help financially!--can you pledge $10 a month for marriage today? Thanks and God bless you!