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Democrats in House of Reps. joined J Street in supporting Obama administration's attempt to force Israel into making painful concessions Seventy-four Democrats in the House of Representatives have joined the dovish J Street organization in supporting the Obama administration's attempt to force Israel into making painful concessions to the Palestinian Authority. “In our view, support for a two-state resolution is inseparable from such support for Israel, its special relationship with the United States, and its very survival as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people,” the letter said. Seven Jewish members signed the letter, including Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), John...

Former Congressman Maurice Hinchey from upstate New York was a target of the mob during the 1980s when he was a State Assembly member investigating its "illegal dumping of toxic waste at landfills," and the politician resorted to his Second Amendment remedy to protect himself as reported by Brian Tumulty for the Ithaca Journal: "Hinchey began carrying a pistol because he was advised by law enforcement authorities they couldn't guarantee round-the-clock protection from a possible hit by organized crime. "My life was being threatened and the operation in Albany told me I should begin carrying my own gun," Hinchey recalled....

U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, a Hurley Democrat who has served in the House since 1993, will not seek re-election this fall, his office announced on Wednesday. On the eve of his retirement press conference, Hinchey's wife was charged with her second DWI in just eight months in Albany.... She was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while using a mobile phone, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and following too closely.... Mrs. Hinchey, a lobbyist for DKC, was arrested for drunken driving last May in the Ulster County town of Hurley, where she and her husband live, and ultimately...

Yesterday, YNN reported that Democratic incumbent Rep. Maurice Hinchey had assaulted a newspaper reporter after a debate with George Phillips in the NY-22 race. YNN’s videographer reported that Hinchey had “made a beeline” for Kingston Daily Freeman reporter Bill Kemble after he had asked Hinchey about a potential conflict of interest in the Partition Street Project, a project for which Hinchey had earmarked federal funds and in which the Freeman had reported Hinchey and his business partners to have financial interests, directly and indirectly. Hinchey’s campaign released a statement late yesterday that Kemble “took an aggressive step” towards the Congressman,...

Duck! Your congressman may be swinging for your jaw -- all because you dared to disturb His Majesty by asking a question. The Democrats can't tout their achievements because they don't have any. So instead, an increasing number of Democratic politicians are trying to reach voters -- with the business end of their fists. Here's a quick tour of the Democrats' greatest hits...and punches, grabs, and strangulations. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC) got the ball rolling in June, when a student approached him on a Washington street and asked if he supported the Obama agenda. The seven-term congressman responded with the...

ROSENDALE — A town justice on Thursday dismissed the harassment charge against U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey that was filed by a man who claimed the congressman struck him on the head during the Rosendale Street Festival. The judge, Robert N. Vosper Jr., said the alleged action did not rise to the level of criminal prosecution. He also cited the probability that no charge would have been filed had Hinchey, D-Hurley, not been a public official. Vosper, in a decision dated Wednesday but not handed down until Thursday afternoon, said Hinchey should not be held to "any higher standard than any...

<p>"A MASSACRE" is how U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey says history will remember the U.S. attack on Iraq.</p> <p>A Kingston-area veteran called Hinchey "sick" and said the congressman should "shut his damned mouth."</p> <p>Hinchey, D-22nd Dist., said in a recent letter that the current military action -- which has widespread support among the American public but which he opposes -- will result in the United States becoming a "pariah" to the rest of the world.</p>

ROSENDALE, NY—Controversial upstate New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey has been ordered to town court to answer a charge that he struck a constituent during a July event. Democrat Hinchey, who represents Ithaca and much of the state’s Southern Tier, has been directed to appear in Rosendale Town Court on September 9 to answer a charge of Harassment Second Degree. According to the Kingston Daily Freeman the charge stems from an altercation between Hinchey and a local member of the National Rifle Association: Paul Lendvay, 46, of Rosendale, the chairman of the Catskill Regional Friends of the National Rifle Association, had...

ROSENDALE - A Rosendale man said on Thursday that he plans to press charges against U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, alleging the congressman struck him on the head during an argument at the recent Rosendale Street Festival. "I do intend to press the issue," said Paul Lendvay, 46, who is the chairman of the Catskill Regional Friends of the National Rifle Association. Lendvay said he would file a criminal complaint against Hinchey, D-Hurley, with the Rosendale Police Department, but no complaint had been filed as of Thursday afternoon. A Hinchey spokesman said there is "absolutely no truth or validity to the...

<p>Many FReepers read the yesterday's thread posting a letter in which NY Congressman Maurice Hinchey accused the US of committting a "massacre" in Iraq.</p> <p>Two papers in Hinchey's district ran articles on Hinchey's letter, in which many residents criticized him, notably including a veteran who told Hinchey to "shut his damn mouth."</p>

POUGHKEEPSIE - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in town on Tuesday to campaign for Rep. Maurice Hinchey, promised to help human services agencies secure federal funding and criticized the economic policies of the Bush administration. Clinton and Hinchey attended two events together: a fund-raiser for the five-term Democratic congressman and a forum at the Family Partnership Center, a one-stop-shopping health and human services center. The visit to the Family Partnership Center was designed to give Hinchey and Clinton insight into the work of some of the roughly 30 agencies that call the North Hamilton Street facility home. While there, they heard...

Bill Kemble of the Kingston Freeman found out that when Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) tells you to shut up, he’s not kidding. Last night, according to YNN’s Capitol Tonight blog, Hinchey erupted after Kemble tried to get Hinchey to answer a question regarding allegations of conflict of interest between Hinchey’s earmark requests and his own financial interests the Partition Street Project, a story covered by the Freeman last May. Hinchey refused to answer, at one point telling Kemble to “shut up!” while on YNN’s camera. Last night, he said he has “no financial interest” in the project, and pointedly told...

Yesterday, Maurice Hinchey had to get Bill Clinton out to Binghamton to try to rescue his re-election bid and save his House seat. Today, Republican challenger George Phillips trumps Hinchey with a surprise endorsement from former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat who has a track record of backing common-sense Republicans. Hot Air reports exclusively this morning that Koch will deliver a speech tomorrow afternoon in Kingston announcing his endorsement of Phillips. Why is Koch opposing the Democratic incumbent? Koch is apparently unhappy with Hinchey over the nine-term Congressman’s hostility towards Israel. In his speech, Koch will hit...

some photos of Bill Clinton speaking at a rally for a desperate Maurice Hinchey. Binghamton, NY.

event: Tea Party Rally yesterday... put on by The Southern Tier Tea Party in Binghamton, NY... http://www.stteaparty.com/ here are my photos from the event: http://c5c5c5.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/tea-party-august-21-2010/ This was a rally to get both Maurice "Karl Rove planted the Rathergate memos" Hinchey and George Phillips (conservative who hopes to oppose him in this year's election) to participate in a Q&A. Just as expected, George showed up and Hinchey did not. the local media reports were pretty bad. two out of three local tv news outlets couldn't be bothered to report. Fox 40 was the only one: http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=15453 and the local newspaper article...

Not that Ithaca Journal readers would know it from the reporting. They sniff at the notion that the GOP might make a concerted effort to push Maurice Hinchey out of Congress, then neglect to point out the rather troubling development for an incumbent of having a challenger surpass him in fundraising in an election year: Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey, meanwhile, is not a major GOP target in the 22nd Congressional District covering Ithaca and Binghamton and stretching east to Poughkeepsie on the other side of the Hudson River. Yes, yes, nothing to see here, just move along. Or — perhaps...

Keith Ellison, widely hailed as America's first Muslim congressman, could more accurately be described as CAIR and Hamas' man in Congress. Congressman Ellison has been a regular presence at CAIR fundraisers and at pro-Hamas rallies in the United States. As a former member of Farrakhan's Nation of Islam , Ellison has enough anti-semitic and Islamist credentials to satisfy anyone, and had expressed openly anti-semitic beliefs in the past. Since Ellison got his start with CAIR , his attempt to provide support for Hamas is completely unsurprising. Both Hamas and CAIR are projects of the Muslim Brotherhood, which also helped...

Here is video of Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey accusing the Bush administration of intentionally letting Osama Bin Laden "get away." Rep. Hinchey said "we apparently intentionally let Bin Laden get away." Hinchey said the Bush admin. let Bin Laden get away because "they knew very well if they captured Al-Qaeda there would be no justification for an invasion in Iraq." (Video)

In Washington, New York, and all over the country, it’s business as usual, as usual.When it’s time to pick a nice wine, I usually order beer. It’s not my fault, really. My people hail from the west coast of Ireland, not the west coast of France. County Mayo has many things to recommend it; vineyards are not among them. Still, I can enjoy the occasional playful Chardonnay or plummy Merlot now and again. And wine has been on my mind a good bit lately, since I’ve been wondering what vintage goes best with pork. To find out, I may have...

New York Democrat Rep. Maurice Hinchey told CNN radio he thinks the Fairness Doctrine should be "reinstated." Hinchey says the idea of fairness is "very important."