Wow. How insensitive can you get?
Finally, racist homophobe Dov Hikind, who embarrassingly for us is actually a Democrat in the state Assembly, just endorsed Turner. While Hikind does have some influence (he's got a radio show), Turner stepped all over any shot at getting this message out yesterday with his blunder at the candidate forum. --DailyKos
Crain's New York Business reports:
Congressional candidate David Weprin is facing criticism from some Orthodox Jews over his defense of same-sex marriage...
... Asians, who are 9% of the electorate, could prove to be a swing vote. More than 30,000 have moved into the area since 2000, making them the fastest-growing group.
AP:
The race to succeed former Rep. Anthony Weiner in New York's 9th congressional district was never supposed to be close. No Republican has ever been elected to the House in the largely Democratic stronghold that covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens.But the weak national economy, disenchantment with President Barack Obama, and New York-centric clashes over Israel and gay marriage have made the contest surprisingly competitive. Democrats now are scrambling to defend the seat.
... The district has a large concentration of Orthodox Jewish voters who tend to be conservative, especially on social issues. Weprin is an Orthodox Jew and Turner is Catholic. But many Orthodox voters were angry at Weprin for his vote in the Assembly in favor of legalizing gay marriage.
Folwell is the speaker pro tem of the N.C. House. The General Assembly will reconvene next week to vote on whether to put a marriage amendment before the voters in 2012.
...Folwell said he left the [town hall] meeting convinced that the ballot is the way to decide the controversy.
"I had a lot of friends in the audience on both sides," he said. "What I took away is that there is no question that this decision belongs to the people and not to me."
For Democrats who hadn't already started to panic over Tuesday's special election in New York's Brooklyn- and Queens-based 9th Congressional district, now would be a good time to start.
Republican Bob Turner led Democrat David Weprin by 6 points in the nonpartisan Siena College poll released this morning.
... Roll Call is changing its rating of the race from Leans Democratic to Tossup.
Dave Hirsch's op-ed in the Yeshiva World:
In a frantic move, Friedlander wrote a controversial opinion in the Hamodia which pleaded that Jews divorce religion upon entering the poll booth. “Recently, our community has taken a strong interest in elections and political campaigns,” he noted. “We’ve seen members of our community debating on whether to support candidates who hold certain positions on social issues that do not conform with our standards. The issues range from abortion to same gender marriage”, he continued before declaring: “Campaigns are all about winning.”
However, the community listened to Rabbanim over Friedlander, and they voted for the candidates that vowed to defend our core values.
... we are smarter than petty politics. We will send Washington and Friedlander a message for once by voting Turner.
Matt Lewis at the Daily Caller:
a quick look at what is happening in the upcoming special election in New York’s 9th District — the bluest of blue districts and the seat formerly held by liberal Democrat Anthony Weiner — suggests social issues like same sex marriage are still very much alive. What is more, they could cause mass division among an already frustrated Democratic base.
This division has been hiding in plain sight in recent years in the bluest of blue states. In California, 70 percent of African-Americans voted for Proposition 8 in 2008, while over 90 percent voted for Barack Obama. Earlier this year, the reliably liberal Maryland legislature shot down a bill legalizing same-sex marriage — the difference was African-American Democrats.
Now, social issues may cost liberals a usually safe seat in Queens where Democrat David Weprin currently trails his Republican opponent by six points.
... While conservatives have long worried that immigration and changing demographics would harm them politically, social issues may prove to be the wedge that could be the GOP’s saving grace.
“If [the Democrat] loses, it will be because of the demographics,” says Hank Sheinkopf, a NY Democratic consultant.
John Gizzi at Human Events:
Given the tightness of the race in New York-9, a growing number of observers believe that if the 70-year-old Turner pulls off what is sure to be the political upset of 2011, it may be due to a dramatic shift in voting by the Orthodox Jewish community.
... "[Weprin's] suffering an erosion in the Orthodox Jewish vote. And when Weprin himself has admitted ‘certain elements of the Orthodox community have called me a traitor,’ you know he’s nervous.”
Pietrusza and others note that Brooklyn Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind, himself an Orthodox Jew, has indicated he's not supporting Weprin—largely on the basis of Weprin's recent vote for gay marriage in the state legislature. The Jewish Journal just endorsed Turner, a Roman Catholic and cultural conservative, and 40 Orthodox rabbis have signed a letter blasting Weprin's gay marriage vote.
Dear Marriage Supporter,
Yesterday NOM launched the largest independent expenditure to-date in the race to replace Anthony Weiner in New York's Congressional District 9: $75,000 to defeat Democrat David Weprin. Our first mailers hit today (see an example below), and we have more up our sleeves before the Tuesday vote.
This race is critical for the future of marriage. Why? Because David Weprin, the Democrat running to replace Weiner, voted for same-sex marriage in the New York assembly a few short months ago. Not only did he vote for it, he tried to use his Jewish faith as a justification for voting to redefine marriage. This has many in this strongly Democratic, but socially conservative district, up in arms.
Bob Turner, the Republican in the race has made it clear that he supports marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
Proponents of same-sex marriage continue to tell legislators that no one has lost their seat over support for same -sex marriage.
We know that it is a lie because, with your help, we've defeated numerous candidates over their support for same sex marriage. In New York we handed Dede Scozzafava a stunning defeat in the Republican primary. In New Hampshire and California US Senate candidates Bill Binnie and Tom Campbell have learned the hard way that support for same-sex marriage will cost them an election. And over a hundred state legislators in states like New Hampshire, Iowa, Maine, and Minnesota lost their seat after NOM put significant resources in supporting their opponents.
But even more than these races, a victory in the heavily Democratic New York 9 will send shockwaves through the national political establishment. No Republican has won this seat since 1923. We don't care whether a Republican or a Democrats is elected – we only care if a person who is committed to preserving marriage is elected. And make no mistake about it - there's only one reason David Weprin is in trouble in race for a very safe Democratic seat: His support for same-sex marriage. It's up to each and every one of us to do our part to change history for marriage and make sure that he never reaches the halls of Congress to do even more damage than he did in Albany.
We've been working hand-in-hand with the Orthodox Jewish and Hispanic communities to make sure that David Weprin is held accountable for this betrayal. Our mailers will reach nearly 100,000 homes. Our phone calls will reinforce the mail, and our independent effort could make all the difference. This is a special election that will have low voter turnout. The last poll by Magellan showed Bob Turner up by four points. But the other side is well-organized and working hard to save Weprin from defeat over his vote for same-sex marriage.
Here's a question for the Human Rights Campaign and their allies in the mainstream media: if same-sex marriage is as "popular" as is claimed, why isn't David Weprin proudly touting his vote for this legislation? The reason is because when it gets down to it – when media bias and political spin no longer matter and it comes down to actually winning elections—David Weprin knows darn well that supporting same-sex marriage is a terribly unpopular position for any politician to take. It may very well spell the end of Weprin's career, and NOM is doing what we can to make sure that is the case.
A few weeks ago, nobody was talking about David Weprin being defeated over his vote for same-sex marriage. Now everyone acknowledges that could well be the case. We will be following up with more activity before Tuesday. But we need your help.
Take Action!
If you have friends and family in NY 9 (Sections of Brooklyn and Queens), call them today and make sure they get out and vote for Bob Turner on Tuesday, September 13th. Forward this email to anyone you know in New York. Get the word out! You can also support Bob Turner by making a donation to his campaign today!
Together we can defeat David Weprin!
Brian S. Brown
President
National Organization for Marriage
A group of Flatbush rabbonim have signed a letter stating that it is forbidden to vote or campaign for Democrat David Weprin in the race to replace Queens Rep. Anthony Weiner. Weprin is a New York State assemblyman
and formerly a member of the New York City Council where he served as chairman of its finance committee.
Weprin, an Orthodox Jew, has sparked the ire of much of the frum community because of his vote in favor of same-gender marriage. He has defended the vote publicly.
Many are upset about Mr. Weprin’s vote earlier this year in Albany to legalize same gender marriage in New York state, and particularly that Mr. Weprin cited his Orthodox Jewish faith as a reason to vote for the bill.
Click here to view the letter on the Matzav website.
Alison Gendar and Celeste Katz for the Daily Politics blog at the New York Daily News:
The National Organization for Marriage is targeting Jewish and Latino voters for their message, hitting mailboxes today, organizers said.
"This race is critical for the future of marriage," said Brian Brown, president of NOM
... One of the mailers features state Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., one of the Senate's most outspoken foes of same-sex marriage. Another features Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who crossed party lines to endorse Turner.
... In yet another stunt in what many of the chattering class are already calling one of the silliest campaigns in recent memory, Team Weprin is sending a guy dressed up as a tea pot -- get it? -- to the debate and also to another forum in Queens tonight.
See our press release announcing our efforts to defeat Weprin here.
It's good to see the Times finally giving a voice to the good people of diverse backgrounds who believe in marriage as the union of husband and wife:
Larry Yang, the Korean-American owner of a hardware store next door, said he resented such a public promotion of same-sex marriage. He said many among the large number of Korean-American Christians in Queens felt similarly but feared that if they spoke out they would be demonized by a liberal majority.
... As in some other parts of the city, same-sex marriage has laid bare the clash between the social conservatism of many immigrants and the values of the often wealthier and more liberal newcomers to the neighborhood.
... In a National Herald poll late last month, about 1,000 Greek-Americans were asked, “Do you approve of gay marriage?” Eighty-six percent of the respondents said no.
“Many in the Greek community are conservative and traditional, and marriage is viewed as a sacrament of the church, not as a civil right,” Mr. Sirigos said.
In Flushing, Queens, one of New York’s most polyglot neighborhoods, with one of the largest Asian communities in the country, opponents of same-sex marriage said they had felt sidelined during the debate over it.
... “It’s a business thing, because a lot of gay people live here,” he said. “I have no problem with my gay customers. But we are Korean. We are conservative. No one says, ‘This gay marriage is a good thing.’ What is this world coming to?”
Momentum continues to be on our side at the state level:
An effort to repeal Colorado's gay-marriage ban has been abandoned by college students who won state approval to petition the idea onto ballots next year.
Gay marriage proponent Mark Olmstead of Aurora confirmed reports Thursday that he will give up an attempt to get some 86,000 signatures needed to get the question on 2012 ballots. --Denver Post
Big money coming in:
Democrats are showing the clearest sign yet of concern ahead of next Tuesday's special election in New York's 9th District - the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is going up on air with an expensive television buy in the campaign's closing days.According to buy information obtained by Hotline On Call, the DCCC has made a $483,500 TV ad buy in the district, starting tomorrow through Monday. --National Journal's Hotline On Call blog
More from The Hill's Ballot Box blog:
The buy is a bad sign for Democrats: Just weeks ago party insiders said they had no concerns about Republican candidate Bob Turner winning the race.
David Weprin is betting heavily on this TV-ad, whose theme is: the New York Times endorses Weprin.
Does the newspaper still carry that much weight in Queens or Brooklyn?
