Sidney Town Democratic Committee
About the Author
Here's where you'll find the Democratic Party in Sidney, located in rural upstate New York. We're working on building a younger, more active party base, recruiting candidates for local races, and bringing the Democratic perspective on important issues to the forefront.
You know, sometimes I feel a little out of place.
I live in a sleepy little village in Republican-leaning upstate New York. It's a part of the country that politicians generally ignore, for reasons that escape me.
Well, maybe they don't completely escape me. State-wide and national candidates (like Ms. Clinton) don't bother coming here because there aren't enough people to make for impressive looking gatherings and generate lots of press. And, until Kirsten Gillibrand erupted on the scene, there were really many viable Democrats for more local offices.
And even with Kirsten, I had to fight with her campaign people to get her scheduled to come over here. Read More »
I live in a sleepy little village in Republican-leaning upstate New York. It's a part of the country that politicians generally ignore, for reasons that escape me.
Well, maybe they don't completely escape me. State-wide and national candidates (like Ms. Clinton) don't bother coming here because there aren't enough people to make for impressive looking gatherings and generate lots of press. And, until Kirsten Gillibrand erupted on the scene, there were really many viable Democrats for more local offices.
And even with Kirsten, I had to fight with her campaign people to get her scheduled to come over here. Read More »
You know what irks me? Why aren't Democrats talking more about small businesses and economic issues?
This has got me really tearing my hair out. Conventional wisdom has it that small business owners are all Republicans and that's just that. But that just isn't what's happening now.
The demographics of small business owners have changed pretty dramatically over the last decade or so, with more women and minorities starting businesses than ever before. These are also groups that traditionally lean Democratic.
Small businesses are also trending smaller and have more in common with the traditional middle-class and working class family issues than they do with GOP-leaning business types.
The upshot of all this is that the small business vote is absolutely up for grabs right now. And we need somebody who will fight for what the smaller small businesses need. As is always the case with the Republicans, the little guys are getting screwed and, when it comes to the small business policy arena, the Dems are letting them do it!
C'mon, guys, wake up to the 21st century and smell that coffee! This is a real political opportunity that you're walking away from.
This has got me really tearing my hair out. Conventional wisdom has it that small business owners are all Republicans and that's just that. But that just isn't what's happening now.
The demographics of small business owners have changed pretty dramatically over the last decade or so, with more women and minorities starting businesses than ever before. These are also groups that traditionally lean Democratic.
Small businesses are also trending smaller and have more in common with the traditional middle-class and working class family issues than they do with GOP-leaning business types.
The upshot of all this is that the small business vote is absolutely up for grabs right now. And we need somebody who will fight for what the smaller small businesses need. As is always the case with the Republicans, the little guys are getting screwed and, when it comes to the small business policy arena, the Dems are letting them do it!
C'mon, guys, wake up to the 21st century and smell that coffee! This is a real political opportunity that you're walking away from.
The New York Times reports that Governor Spitzer is trying to close corporate tax loopholes to more equitably distribute taxpayer burdens throughout the state and raise money without having to raise taxes.
State Republicans are fighting with him about it because they're convinced that the only way to get the financial services sector to stay in Lower Manhattan is to kiss up to those well-heeled corporations.
NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg is calling in favors from State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to derail Spitzer's budget.
I guess reform is difficult when you have to deal with Republicans who like their slimy under-the-table dealings and don't want to change them.
State Republicans are fighting with him about it because they're convinced that the only way to get the financial services sector to stay in Lower Manhattan is to kiss up to those well-heeled corporations.
NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg is calling in favors from State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to derail Spitzer's budget.
I guess reform is difficult when you have to deal with Republicans who like their slimy under-the-table dealings and don't want to change them.
It's been pretty quiet here in Delaware County, NY. That's the way it gets at this time of year and we're a pretty sleepy kind of place anyway.
But we are making plans that, we hope, will start to wake people up even before the spring thaw.
One issue that is a very big deal up here (right behind voting machines) is energy.
Want to know why? It is, very simply, because here in the foothills of the Catskills, it gets cold and its one of the cloudiest places in the country. And that means the people who live here spend a lot of their money on keeping their homes and businesses warm and well-lit during the winter months.
Our Committee is planning a trio of public events to discuss the possibilities of different kinds of alternative energy - preferably locally owned and possibly municipally owned. We'll be talking about wind power, solar cell technology and - a logical place to look for power after last the floods last spring - hydroelectricity.
Just between you and me, I'll never understand why they built the East Sidney Dam and didn't outfit the thing for hydro.
Besides getting a much-needed discussion going here - do you know that I've never yet been able to talk to anybody in the community about the topic of economic development without ending up talking about energy? - we're hoping to smoke out some of our fellow Democrats and get them to sign up for a newsletter that the Committee will put together every month.
My Committee sort of likes that idea, even if they aren't excited about the extra work involved. But we need to use this great technology to help build our party. That is probably one of the greatest gifts that Howard Dean gave us during his 2004 primary run.
I'll try to get in here to update more often.
But we are making plans that, we hope, will start to wake people up even before the spring thaw.
One issue that is a very big deal up here (right behind voting machines) is energy.
Want to know why? It is, very simply, because here in the foothills of the Catskills, it gets cold and its one of the cloudiest places in the country. And that means the people who live here spend a lot of their money on keeping their homes and businesses warm and well-lit during the winter months.
Our Committee is planning a trio of public events to discuss the possibilities of different kinds of alternative energy - preferably locally owned and possibly municipally owned. We'll be talking about wind power, solar cell technology and - a logical place to look for power after last the floods last spring - hydroelectricity.
Just between you and me, I'll never understand why they built the East Sidney Dam and didn't outfit the thing for hydro.
Besides getting a much-needed discussion going here - do you know that I've never yet been able to talk to anybody in the community about the topic of economic development without ending up talking about energy? - we're hoping to smoke out some of our fellow Democrats and get them to sign up for a newsletter that the Committee will put together every month.
My Committee sort of likes that idea, even if they aren't excited about the extra work involved. But we need to use this great technology to help build our party. That is probably one of the greatest gifts that Howard Dean gave us during his 2004 primary run.
I'll try to get in here to update more often.
Hello to all from the lovely Catskill Mountains in upstate New York!
Here in Sidney, local Democrats have been hiding in closets and whispering among themselves while the area has been viewed as a moderate but Republican-leaning kind of place. It is part of the 20th Congressional District of New York.
Well, now that we've put a Democrat in office (Kirsten Gillibrand, and we're very proud to be represented by one of the "dragon slayers" of the 110th Congress), it's time for Dems to come out of the closet!
Lots of issues that matter and need to be addressed here. First and foremost is the local economy, which was already pretty stagnant even before we got hit with the flooding of the Susquehanna River last spring. Action is needed there, pronto!
Energy is also a major concern among residents here, which is what happens when you live in a place where it's dark and cold for so much of the year. And, of course, health care issues are very important, too.
There are also agriculture-related issues and property tax issues and education issues ...
It's not like we'll have nothing to do!
Here in Sidney, local Democrats have been hiding in closets and whispering among themselves while the area has been viewed as a moderate but Republican-leaning kind of place. It is part of the 20th Congressional District of New York.
Well, now that we've put a Democrat in office (Kirsten Gillibrand, and we're very proud to be represented by one of the "dragon slayers" of the 110th Congress), it's time for Dems to come out of the closet!
Lots of issues that matter and need to be addressed here. First and foremost is the local economy, which was already pretty stagnant even before we got hit with the flooding of the Susquehanna River last spring. Action is needed there, pronto!
Energy is also a major concern among residents here, which is what happens when you live in a place where it's dark and cold for so much of the year. And, of course, health care issues are very important, too.
There are also agriculture-related issues and property tax issues and education issues ...
It's not like we'll have nothing to do!
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