Lost Lake Tribune October 11, 2010
Paladino Picks out Which Remarks Are His Original Words
The Republican candidate for New York governor stood by his comments on homosexuality Monday but said that the most controversial line -- one that appeared only in his prepared remarks -- was written by somebody else, possibly a rabbi.
Carl Paladino is under fire for saying at a Brooklyn synagogue Sunday that he doesn't want children "brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality" is acceptable. But there was also a line, which Paladino did not say, in his prepared text that read: "There is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual."
Paladino told Fox News on Monday that the criticism he's facing stems largely from that passage. He said the line was not his and he did not approve of it.
"It was in a prepared statement, with a submission that came from the rabbis that we were talking to," he said, later clarifying that he's not sure who wrote it. Paladino said he "scratched out" that section while reviewing the text in the car before the event.
"I said this isn't me, and I scratched it out," he said. "I certainly don't feel that way. ... The whole issue was raised, though, on remarks that I did not make."
But Paladino made several other comments about homosexuality, giving fodder to the campaign of his Democratic opponent Andrew Cuomo.
A Cuomo campaign spokesman, Josh Vlasto, said Paladino's comments demonstrate "a stunning homophobia and a glaring disregard for basic equality."
"These comments, along with other views he has espoused, make it clear that he is way out of the mainstream and is unfit to represent New York," Vlasto said.
At the synagogue event, Paladino said he chose not to march in this summer's homosexual pride parade but his opponent did. "That's not how God created us," Paladino said of being homosexual, "and that's not the example that we should be showing our children." He added that children who later in life choose to marry people of the opposite sex and raise families would be "much better off and much more successful."
"I don't want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option," he said.
Paladino, who opposes homosexual marriage, made the comments just hours after eight people were arraigned in an attack on a homosexual man and two homosexual teens in the Bronx on Oct. 3.
Referencing the attacks, he told Fox News that the point he was trying to convey was that "homosexuals suffer from a horrible discrimination." "You saw what happened in New York this week," he said, calling the violence "just wrong."
Paladino told Fox News that he has "absolutely no reservations whatsoever about homosexuality" and that members of his staff are homosexual. He said he would be willing to hire homosexual employees in his administration if elected.
Paladino also suggested children should be shielded from the kind of scenes on display at homosexual pride parades.
Recent polls have showed Cuomo with a big lead over Paladino in the governor's race. Several minor-party candidates also are seeking to replace Gov. David Paterson, who took office after former Gov. Eliot Spitzer stepped down in a prostitution scandal but isn't seeking election to a full term.
Information Gained from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/10/11/israeli-prime-minister-offers-conditional-settlements-freeze/
Israeli Prime Minister Offers Conditional Settlements Freeze
JERUSALEM -- Israel's prime minister on Monday offered to extend a moratorium on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank, but only if the Palestinians meet his demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
With the proposal, Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to deliver a creative way to end an impasse over settlement construction that has stalled Mideast peace talks just a month after they were launched at the White House. But with its tough conditions, it was swiftly rejected by the Palestinians.
Netanyahu has been under heavy international pressure to renew a just-expired 10-month slowdown on West Bank settlement construction. The Palestinians say they will walk away from the talks if the curbs do not remain in place.
Netanyahu, who leads a pro-settler coalition of religious and nationalist parties, has so far resisted the calls, but has signaled he is open to a compromise. U.S. mediators have been offering a series of vague assurances on the security and diplomatic fronts to mollify Israel, but so far a deal has been elusive.
In a policy speech to parliament, Netanyahu said he would renew the settlement curbs if the Palestinians recognize the Jewish connection to Israel. "If the Palestinian leadership would say unequivocally to its people that it recognizes Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people, I will be willing to convene my government and ask for an additional suspension," he said in a speech that was repeatedly heckled by Arab lawmakers.
Netanyahu has repeatedly made similar demands in the past, though he has never explicitly linked it to the settlement issue. On Sunday, Netanyahu's Cabinet passed a bill that would require non-Jewish immigrants to pledge allegiance to the "Jewish and democratic" state of Israel in order to receive citizenship.
The Palestinians refuse to accept Israel as a Jewish state, saying it discriminates against Israel's Arab minority and violates the rights of millions of Palestinian refugees scattered around the world. Instead, they say it is sufficient that they recognize Israel's right to exist.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu of "playing games" and said he saw no connection between Jewish settlements and Israel's national character.
"I don't see a relevance between his obligations under international law and him trying to define the nature of Israel," he said. "I hope he will stop playing these games and will start the peace process by stopping settlements."
Some 300,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, in addition to nearly 200,000 Israelis living in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future independent state and say that continued Israeli settlement construction sends a message that Israel is not serious about reaching peace.
Information Gained from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/10/11/israeli-prime-minister-offers-conditional-settlements-freeze/
Likely Voters Demographically Typical, but Skew Conservative
Majority of likely voters are conservative and identify as or lean Republican
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's recent modeling of the vote for Congress finds 54% of likely voters identifying themselves as politically conservative, while moderates are in conspicuously short supply compared with recent midterms. Also, Republicans make up a larger share of the electorate in Gallup's initial 2010 likely voter pool -- greater than their 1994 share -- than do Democrats, and the gap is even more pronounced once the leanings of independents are taken into account.
Gallup's initial likely voter models for the 2010 congressional midterm elections, based on polling conducted between Sept. 23 and Oct. 3, include one projection based on a lower, more typical voter turnout scenario and a second based on a higher voter turnout scenario. It is important to note that the historical comparisons of likely voters reported here are based on the 40% turnout assumption for this year -- which could still change between now and Nov. 2 -- and the final pre-election polls conducted in the four prior midterm election years.
The composition of likely voters appears to have become more politically polarized, with the proportions of conservatives and liberals expanding since 1994 at moderates' expense. However, Gallup's initial 2010 estimate of likely voters shows a particularly sharp jump in the percentage of conservatives, from 42% in 2006 to 54% today, and a decline in the percentage of moderates, from 37% to 27%.
This ideological change is accompanied by a concomitant shift toward Republicans, who have a nine-percentage-point advantage over Democrats in the likely voter pool: 39% vs. 30% at this point, one month before the elections. This exceeds the GOP's five- and six-point advantages in Gallup's final pre-election polls in 1994 and 2002, respectively, and is a reversal from 1998 and 2006, when Democrats slightly outnumbered Republicans.
Once the "leanings" of independents are taken into account, the majority of the 2010 electorate, 57%, identifies either as Republicans or as independents, who lean Republican, compared with 39% identifying as or leaning Democratic.
Demographics of Likely Voters Look Fairly Typical
Despite these differences in the political composition of likely voters in 2010 compared with previous years, these voters' demographic profile is quite similar to what Gallup found in 2006, when the Democrats recaptured majority control of Congress. As in 2006, Gallup's latest poll shows a roughly even division of men and women among likely voters, and there is a similar breakdown of voters by age and educational background for both years.
When one looks more broadly at the midterm elections since 1994, the gender balance among likely voters has consistently been close to 50-50, while the proportions in the older age categories have gradually increased. Notably, young Americans appear no more likely to vote in this year's midterm elections than they have been in any year since 1994.
At the same time -- and partially offsetting the elevated proportions of conservatives and Republicans within the likely voter pool -- whites make up a smaller share of likely voters this year than they did in 2006 or any year prior. Accordingly, there is a larger percentage of nonwhites, although the percentage of blacks has held constant at 7% to 10% of the electorate.
Likely voters skew more conservative this year partly because the underlying population has become slightly more conservative. According to Gallup's Sept. 23-Oct. 3 poll, 40% of national adults are conservative. However, conservatives also appear more activated to vote this year relative to moderates and liberals, thus sharply expanding their segment of the likely voter pie.
Bottom Line
Gallup's first sketch of what the electorate may look like on Nov. 2 indicates that the enthusiasm gap favoring Republicans all year may well translate into highly disproportionate turnout among Republicans and conservatives on Election Day. That is a key reason Gallup's latest polling finds Republican candidates leading Democrats by 13- and 18-point margins. Another is that political independents are aligning themselves with the Republican Party to a degree unprecedented in recent history.
In contrast to these extraordinary political patterns, the demographic composition of likely voters looks fairly normal relative to 2006, as well as consistent with 1994 toward an older, more well-educated, and less substantially white, electorate.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/143468/Likely-Voters-Demographically-Typical-Skew-Conservative.aspx
Editorial
Let us begin this editorial with a summary of some of the views of Sports Editor, Ty Green, a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, University of Illinois, and Dallas Cowboys. Ty Green has been a fan of the Cardinals ever since the Peoria minor league baseball team was initially affiliated with the Cardinals. Ty was very excited when the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series after a barely above average regular season and a stellar run to win the World Series. Now the Cardinals have missed the playoffs for the third time in four years. Between 2000-2006 the Cardinals made the playoffs 6 times and won 33 playoff games including two National League Pennants. The Cardinals have not won a playoff game since their game 5 victory in the 2006 World Series.
The Cardinals also do not have peace in the clubhouse. Walt Jocketty, the successful Cardinals former GM left the team when there was a disagreement on how the franchise was to be run, according to Ty Green. This year, Jocketty successfully built the National League Central Division champion, Cincinnati Reds. The young Reds knocked the Cardinals out of first place early in the season and cruised to an easy division championship. La Russa is now a free agent manager with a mutual option for the 2011 season. Ty Green believes that La Russa will not return to the Cardinals in 2011. Green also believes that three time MVP first baseman, Albert Pujols might not be a member of the Cardinals next season. Pujols is a free agent with a Team Option for the 2011 season. Green has a fifty percent belief in these possibilities.
Ty Green has cheered for the Cowboys since they have been a bandwagon team. He is very disgusted with the Cowboys offensive play calling by the young Jason Garrett. According to Green, Garrett is calling way too many pass plays for Tony Romo and company. The Cowboys have run 180 pass plays in their first four games, as opposed to 92 rushing plays. Although Dallas has 20 more first downs than their opponents, they are -4 in the takeaway department, which has significantly contributed to their 1-3 record. Green is predicting that Wade Phillips will be fired this week or next unless the team improves drastically.
Meanwhile, Senior Editor, Benjamin Fugate predicts that the Republican Party will just miss out on taking the House of Representatives next month. He sees the GOP getting a total of 215 seats for the next congress. He also sees the Republicans ending up with 48 senators in the November 2 election results. We will see if any of these predictions are correct. Have a great week!
It would be wrong to fail to mention that our Indiana editor, Amanda Fugate is now Mrs. Mike Roccaforte. Mike and Amanda were married on Sunday October 10, 2010. Wisconsin editor, Rachel Fugate was a bridesmaid, while Indiana editor and new mother, Amy Parma, was the maid of honor. More on this nuptial is forthcoming.
The Republican candidate for New York governor stood by his comments on homosexuality Monday but said that the most controversial line -- one that appeared only in his prepared remarks -- was written by somebody else, possibly a rabbi.
Carl Paladino is under fire for saying at a Brooklyn synagogue Sunday that he doesn't want children "brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality" is acceptable. But there was also a line, which Paladino did not say, in his prepared text that read: "There is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual."
Paladino told Fox News on Monday that the criticism he's facing stems largely from that passage. He said the line was not his and he did not approve of it.
"It was in a prepared statement, with a submission that came from the rabbis that we were talking to," he said, later clarifying that he's not sure who wrote it. Paladino said he "scratched out" that section while reviewing the text in the car before the event.
"I said this isn't me, and I scratched it out," he said. "I certainly don't feel that way. ... The whole issue was raised, though, on remarks that I did not make."
But Paladino made several other comments about homosexuality, giving fodder to the campaign of his Democratic opponent Andrew Cuomo.
A Cuomo campaign spokesman, Josh Vlasto, said Paladino's comments demonstrate "a stunning homophobia and a glaring disregard for basic equality."
"These comments, along with other views he has espoused, make it clear that he is way out of the mainstream and is unfit to represent New York," Vlasto said.
At the synagogue event, Paladino said he chose not to march in this summer's homosexual pride parade but his opponent did. "That's not how God created us," Paladino said of being homosexual, "and that's not the example that we should be showing our children." He added that children who later in life choose to marry people of the opposite sex and raise families would be "much better off and much more successful."
"I don't want them to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option," he said.
Paladino, who opposes homosexual marriage, made the comments just hours after eight people were arraigned in an attack on a homosexual man and two homosexual teens in the Bronx on Oct. 3.
Referencing the attacks, he told Fox News that the point he was trying to convey was that "homosexuals suffer from a horrible discrimination." "You saw what happened in New York this week," he said, calling the violence "just wrong."
Paladino told Fox News that he has "absolutely no reservations whatsoever about homosexuality" and that members of his staff are homosexual. He said he would be willing to hire homosexual employees in his administration if elected.
Paladino also suggested children should be shielded from the kind of scenes on display at homosexual pride parades.
Recent polls have showed Cuomo with a big lead over Paladino in the governor's race. Several minor-party candidates also are seeking to replace Gov. David Paterson, who took office after former Gov. Eliot Spitzer stepped down in a prostitution scandal but isn't seeking election to a full term.
Information Gained from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/10/11/israeli-prime-minister-offers-conditional-settlements-freeze/
Israeli Prime Minister Offers Conditional Settlements Freeze
JERUSALEM -- Israel's prime minister on Monday offered to extend a moratorium on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank, but only if the Palestinians meet his demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
With the proposal, Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to deliver a creative way to end an impasse over settlement construction that has stalled Mideast peace talks just a month after they were launched at the White House. But with its tough conditions, it was swiftly rejected by the Palestinians.
Netanyahu has been under heavy international pressure to renew a just-expired 10-month slowdown on West Bank settlement construction. The Palestinians say they will walk away from the talks if the curbs do not remain in place.
Netanyahu, who leads a pro-settler coalition of religious and nationalist parties, has so far resisted the calls, but has signaled he is open to a compromise. U.S. mediators have been offering a series of vague assurances on the security and diplomatic fronts to mollify Israel, but so far a deal has been elusive.
In a policy speech to parliament, Netanyahu said he would renew the settlement curbs if the Palestinians recognize the Jewish connection to Israel. "If the Palestinian leadership would say unequivocally to its people that it recognizes Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people, I will be willing to convene my government and ask for an additional suspension," he said in a speech that was repeatedly heckled by Arab lawmakers.
Netanyahu has repeatedly made similar demands in the past, though he has never explicitly linked it to the settlement issue. On Sunday, Netanyahu's Cabinet passed a bill that would require non-Jewish immigrants to pledge allegiance to the "Jewish and democratic" state of Israel in order to receive citizenship.
The Palestinians refuse to accept Israel as a Jewish state, saying it discriminates against Israel's Arab minority and violates the rights of millions of Palestinian refugees scattered around the world. Instead, they say it is sufficient that they recognize Israel's right to exist.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu of "playing games" and said he saw no connection between Jewish settlements and Israel's national character.
"I don't see a relevance between his obligations under international law and him trying to define the nature of Israel," he said. "I hope he will stop playing these games and will start the peace process by stopping settlements."
Some 300,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, in addition to nearly 200,000 Israelis living in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future independent state and say that continued Israeli settlement construction sends a message that Israel is not serious about reaching peace.
Information Gained from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/10/11/israeli-prime-minister-offers-conditional-settlements-freeze/
Likely Voters Demographically Typical, but Skew Conservative
Majority of likely voters are conservative and identify as or lean Republican
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's recent modeling of the vote for Congress finds 54% of likely voters identifying themselves as politically conservative, while moderates are in conspicuously short supply compared with recent midterms. Also, Republicans make up a larger share of the electorate in Gallup's initial 2010 likely voter pool -- greater than their 1994 share -- than do Democrats, and the gap is even more pronounced once the leanings of independents are taken into account.
Gallup's initial likely voter models for the 2010 congressional midterm elections, based on polling conducted between Sept. 23 and Oct. 3, include one projection based on a lower, more typical voter turnout scenario and a second based on a higher voter turnout scenario. It is important to note that the historical comparisons of likely voters reported here are based on the 40% turnout assumption for this year -- which could still change between now and Nov. 2 -- and the final pre-election polls conducted in the four prior midterm election years.
The composition of likely voters appears to have become more politically polarized, with the proportions of conservatives and liberals expanding since 1994 at moderates' expense. However, Gallup's initial 2010 estimate of likely voters shows a particularly sharp jump in the percentage of conservatives, from 42% in 2006 to 54% today, and a decline in the percentage of moderates, from 37% to 27%.
This ideological change is accompanied by a concomitant shift toward Republicans, who have a nine-percentage-point advantage over Democrats in the likely voter pool: 39% vs. 30% at this point, one month before the elections. This exceeds the GOP's five- and six-point advantages in Gallup's final pre-election polls in 1994 and 2002, respectively, and is a reversal from 1998 and 2006, when Democrats slightly outnumbered Republicans.
Once the "leanings" of independents are taken into account, the majority of the 2010 electorate, 57%, identifies either as Republicans or as independents, who lean Republican, compared with 39% identifying as or leaning Democratic.
Demographics of Likely Voters Look Fairly Typical
Despite these differences in the political composition of likely voters in 2010 compared with previous years, these voters' demographic profile is quite similar to what Gallup found in 2006, when the Democrats recaptured majority control of Congress. As in 2006, Gallup's latest poll shows a roughly even division of men and women among likely voters, and there is a similar breakdown of voters by age and educational background for both years.
When one looks more broadly at the midterm elections since 1994, the gender balance among likely voters has consistently been close to 50-50, while the proportions in the older age categories have gradually increased. Notably, young Americans appear no more likely to vote in this year's midterm elections than they have been in any year since 1994.
At the same time -- and partially offsetting the elevated proportions of conservatives and Republicans within the likely voter pool -- whites make up a smaller share of likely voters this year than they did in 2006 or any year prior. Accordingly, there is a larger percentage of nonwhites, although the percentage of blacks has held constant at 7% to 10% of the electorate.
Likely voters skew more conservative this year partly because the underlying population has become slightly more conservative. According to Gallup's Sept. 23-Oct. 3 poll, 40% of national adults are conservative. However, conservatives also appear more activated to vote this year relative to moderates and liberals, thus sharply expanding their segment of the likely voter pie.
Bottom Line
Gallup's first sketch of what the electorate may look like on Nov. 2 indicates that the enthusiasm gap favoring Republicans all year may well translate into highly disproportionate turnout among Republicans and conservatives on Election Day. That is a key reason Gallup's latest polling finds Republican candidates leading Democrats by 13- and 18-point margins. Another is that political independents are aligning themselves with the Republican Party to a degree unprecedented in recent history.
In contrast to these extraordinary political patterns, the demographic composition of likely voters looks fairly normal relative to 2006, as well as consistent with 1994 toward an older, more well-educated, and less substantially white, electorate.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/143468/Likely-Voters-Demographically-Typical-Skew-Conservative.aspx
Editorial
Let us begin this editorial with a summary of some of the views of Sports Editor, Ty Green, a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, University of Illinois, and Dallas Cowboys. Ty Green has been a fan of the Cardinals ever since the Peoria minor league baseball team was initially affiliated with the Cardinals. Ty was very excited when the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series after a barely above average regular season and a stellar run to win the World Series. Now the Cardinals have missed the playoffs for the third time in four years. Between 2000-2006 the Cardinals made the playoffs 6 times and won 33 playoff games including two National League Pennants. The Cardinals have not won a playoff game since their game 5 victory in the 2006 World Series.
The Cardinals also do not have peace in the clubhouse. Walt Jocketty, the successful Cardinals former GM left the team when there was a disagreement on how the franchise was to be run, according to Ty Green. This year, Jocketty successfully built the National League Central Division champion, Cincinnati Reds. The young Reds knocked the Cardinals out of first place early in the season and cruised to an easy division championship. La Russa is now a free agent manager with a mutual option for the 2011 season. Ty Green believes that La Russa will not return to the Cardinals in 2011. Green also believes that three time MVP first baseman, Albert Pujols might not be a member of the Cardinals next season. Pujols is a free agent with a Team Option for the 2011 season. Green has a fifty percent belief in these possibilities.
Ty Green has cheered for the Cowboys since they have been a bandwagon team. He is very disgusted with the Cowboys offensive play calling by the young Jason Garrett. According to Green, Garrett is calling way too many pass plays for Tony Romo and company. The Cowboys have run 180 pass plays in their first four games, as opposed to 92 rushing plays. Although Dallas has 20 more first downs than their opponents, they are -4 in the takeaway department, which has significantly contributed to their 1-3 record. Green is predicting that Wade Phillips will be fired this week or next unless the team improves drastically.
Meanwhile, Senior Editor, Benjamin Fugate predicts that the Republican Party will just miss out on taking the House of Representatives next month. He sees the GOP getting a total of 215 seats for the next congress. He also sees the Republicans ending up with 48 senators in the November 2 election results. We will see if any of these predictions are correct. Have a great week!
It would be wrong to fail to mention that our Indiana editor, Amanda Fugate is now Mrs. Mike Roccaforte. Mike and Amanda were married on Sunday October 10, 2010. Wisconsin editor, Rachel Fugate was a bridesmaid, while Indiana editor and new mother, Amy Parma, was the maid of honor. More on this nuptial is forthcoming.
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