Arcuri Secures Money for Manure Project, Other Pork

There are benefits to being in the majority in Congress, and Rep. Michael Arcuri is taking full advantage of bringing home the bacon. There’s no better example of that than the $25,000 he secured for the Chenango County Agricultural Energy Steering Committee to study how to “turn cow manure into energy.”

The manure project is just one of many pork-barrel projects that Arcuri has trumpeted in recent weeks. Other examples include:

• A federal grant of $1.2 million for Broome County to purchase four new hybrid-electric transit buses. Arcuri had the help of Rep. Maurice Hinchey for this grant.

• Four fire departments in Arcuri’s district will get a total of $526,672 to improve their preparedness as first responders. They include $185,250 for the Pinders Corners Fire Department in Otsego County, $135,850 for the Coventry Volunteer Fire Company in Chenango County, $57,000 for the City of Norwich Fire Department in Chenango County, and $148,572 for the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Department in Oneida County.

• Oneida County will get $243,600 from the U.S. Transportation Department to buy to buy “one support vehicle, a bus washer, and computer hardware and software.”

• Following in the footsteps of former Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, Arcuri has secured $1.7 million from the Federal Aviation Administration for “continued redevelopment efforts at the Griffiss Airfield in Rome.” This brings the total to $19.4 million for Griffiss over the past four years.

Arcuri’s MoveOn Vote Angers the Left

It’s not often that Rep. Michael Arcuri turns against his left-wing base, but last week he did just that when he voted to condemn MoveOn for its smear of Gen. David Petraeus in the New York Times — despite the fact MoveOn raised $183,495.05 for Arcuri’s 2006 election campaign.

Arcuri’s decision hasn’t won much sympathy from liberal bloggers. The liberal blog Open Left examined the vote and what it means for those who voted like Arcuri.

We achieved some remarkable things in 2006, and I don’t think our calculation of trying and succeeding in winning Congress back by supporting the party was wrong. But now we have to reassess our strategic objectives, and that starts with understanding where there’s leverage. That’s already started, with us asking the Blue Majority candidates how they would have voted on FISA and the supplemental, and engaging in more House primary fights.

But there’s a HUGE amount on the table, in terms of money and energy from us that’s going to people who vote against our values. We ought to think through the massive betrayal that we’re experiencing, not as a loss, but as an opportunity to learn how to deal with leverage. After all, in 2009, a whole lot of Americans are probably going to wake up to a new female leader, and they are going to believe that everything is fresh and new, that the bad people are finally gone and good governance and a real America can finally return even as the new administration is packed with status quo Democrats.

Another liberal blog, Daily Gotham, got personal, calling Arcuri and his Democrat colleagues “patsies.”

Dear Democrats, we need to have a talk. The subject of that talk is going to be just how much of a disappointment you are. And face it, you are a disappointment. Your poll numbers don’t lie.

The newest installment of your chronicle of disappointments is one that is especially bitter, because it illustrates with startling clarity just how deeply, how irretrievably, you don’t get it. I’m talking, of course, about the MoveOn.org censure vote.

Will this left-wing anger translate into Democrat primary opposition for Arcuri and others?

Who Will Be Arcuri’s 2008 Opponent?

The Hill reported last week that national Republicans are expecting an opponent to emerge against Rep. Michael Arcuri very soon. The article also reveals that New York’s 24th District is one of the NRCC’s “top targeted races.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is expecting a small wave of recruits in the coming weeks, including filling holes in several top targeted races.

The committee is expecting recruits to emerge soon against Reps. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.), John Barrow (D-Ga.), Baron Hill (D-Ind.), David Loebsack (D-Iowa) and Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), who are all without major committee-recruited GOP challengers. All but Barrow are freshmen.

It is anyone’s guess who the opponent might be. Former state Sen. Ray Meier, who ran against Arcuri in 2006, remains a possibility, but the GOP could also seek a fresh face. Regardless of who emerges, Arcuri will be hard to beat.

Does Arcuri Really Reject an Immediate Withdrawal?

President Bush’s speech to the nation on Thursday night has left Rep. Michael Arcuri conflicted and confused about when the United States should begin withdrawing our troops. Here’s the report from News 10 Now:

Congressman Arcuri says he’s not for an immediate withdrawal but says something needs to be done.

“I think we need to set a time table, we need to say about a year, six months, somewhere in that range and begin to bring the troops home immediately, not a small token withdrawal as has been recommended but rather a substantial withdrawal to have them home within a year,” Arcuri said.

Arcuri, always one to follow public-opinion polls rather than his gut, has caught on to the fact that Americans don’t favor an immediate pullout of troops. Three polls this week posed that question to respondents. Here are the answers: 22% in a Fox News poll said to pull out the troops; 26% in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll said to begin the withdrawal now; and 30% in a CBS News/New York Times poll said to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq.

Arcuri is talking out of both sides of his mouth. Despite his supposed opposition to an “immediate” withdrawal, pulling the troops out in six months would pretty much constitute an “immediate” withdrawal given the arrangements that would need to be made for the force of 130,000 currently stationed in Iraq.

Again, this is more evidence that Arcuri should follow the advice of military commanders rather than MoveOn.org.

Arcuri’s ‘Simple’ Solution for Iraq: Leave

John DeSio of New York Press has a lengthy piece about Rep. Michael Arcuri’s views on the Iraq War, including his “frustration” with a deputy prime minister who wouldn’t answer one of his questions.

You can clearly tell exactly when upstate Democratic Congressman Mike Arcuri became frustrated. Just back from a 23-hour whirlwind tour of Iraq, the freshman congressman recounts a story of his meeting with Salam al-Zuwba’i, deputy prime minister of Iraq. Arcuri asked al-Zawba’i to tell him exactly how he should convince his constituents that American troops should stay in Iraq.

Arcuri has repeatedly cited his conservation with Salam al-Zuwba’i as a reason for the United States to leave. Could it be that the poor schmuck didn’t understand what the often-inarticulate Arcuri was asking?

There’s also this gem from the story:

Arcuri’s solution is simple: It is time to force the Iraqis to move forward, and that requires Americans to move out. If they see their safety net quickly disappearing, perhaps the Iraqis will finally take responsibility for their own country. And as long as the United States maintains a huge, powerful force in Iraq, Arcuri thinks the Iraqi government will never find the right motivation to actually work.

One can only hope that Arcuri took the time to listen to Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker this week. They explained precisely why Arcuri’s “simple solution” wouldn’t work. In case he missed their testimony, President Bush made the case again tonight.

Constituent Blasts Arcuri’s Iraq Comments

Eric Jenkusky of Oneonta expresses his disappointment in Rep. Michael Arcuri in a letter to the Daily Star.

I am afraid that Mr. Arcuri’s motives for making the call are steeped more in politics and his pandering to both his party leadership and far-left constituents than in solid, well-thought-out policy. Arcuri’s call for withdrawal shows a shocking naiveté as to the true nature of the threat we face and the implications that we would have to confront should such a withdrawal from Iraq take place.

Hopefully others will follow Jenkusky’s example and send Arcuri a message.

Arcuri Under Fire for MoveOn.org Donations

The MoveOn.org ad in the New York Times attacking Gen. David Petraeus is coming back to bite Rep. Michael Arcuri. The New York Republican State Committee today issued a statement calling on Arcuri to denounce the ad and return any contributions he has received from MoveOn.org.

Democrats from New York State, including Senator Hillary Clinton and Representatives Kirstin Gillibrand, Michael Acuri and John Hall have not voiced their opposition to these baseless attacks. This raises many questions for Senator Clinton in particular, as she seeks to be our Commander-in-Chief and lead our armed forces. Additionally, Representatives Gillibrand and Arcuri have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Moveon.org.

There’s little doubt Arcuri will do any of this, but it’s worth applying some pressure. The residents of the 24th District aren’t exactly hard-core leftists like the folks at MoveOn.org.

One Week in Iraq Made Arcuri an Expert

The Utica Observer-Dispatch carries a story about Rep. Michael Arcuri that includes his comments about Gen. David Petraeus’ congressional testimony about the “surge” in Iraq. Arcuri, who visited Iraq for a week last month, apparently thinks he knows better than the man who has served three tours of duty there.

“I respect General Petraeus as an honorable man who serves our nation, (but) unfortunately, Gen. Petraeus’ report to Congress was more of the same rhetoric, which we have heard all too many times from this administration,” Arcuri said Monday night. “I was truly taken aback by his continued defense of the administration’s misguided and ill-conceived war, which has cost this country far too many lives.”

It’s sad that Arcuri has chosen to align himself with the extremist MoveOn.org crowd. But perhaps it’s not surprising that someone as cocky as him — who boasted upon his return from Iraq that “what I saw confirmed what I already knew” — would make such a statement about Petraeus.

What’s most alarming about Arcuri’s statement is that he fails to address the consequences of a pullout — the devastating humanitarian crisis that would ensue and the regional conflict that would require an even greater American involvement in the future.

Worst of all, Arcuri used the opportunity to once again complain the money spent on Iraq should instead be spent on “roads and bridges in upstate New York.” At least he didn’t complain about the Route 5S extension.

Arcuri Blames Iraq War for Stalled Road Projects

Rep. Michael Arcuri returned from his trip to Iraq boasting about the dedication of our soldiers and blaming the Bush Administration for bungling the war effort. On the one hand, it was surprising he even made the trip, claiming “what I saw confirmed what I already knew.” Still, it was nice to consider — at least for a moment — that he was keeping an open mind.

Today in the Herkimer Evening Telegram and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, we learn just how ignorant Arcuri is about the Iraq War.

The story in the Evening Telegram is framed around a meeting hosted by Arcuri in German Flatts over the weekend. He was talking to constituents about their concerns — and the one he cares about most: bringing American troops home from Iraq as soon as possible. Here are just a few quotes from Arcuri demonstrating his profound intelligence.

On why it’s important to talk to constituents:

“It’s hard to get feedback (from the area) when I’m in Washington.”

Duh.

On his recent trip to Iraq:

He said when he entered Iraq, he didn’t realize he was in a war zone and the first thing he noticed about the place was the extreme heat.

“I’ll never think of heat the same way again,” said Arcuri, who credited soldiers for withstanding the heat while walking with 40 to 50 pounds on their backs.

Did Arcuri think he was headed for a vacation at the beach? Is he so clueless that he couldn’t fathom that our troops would be carrying guns? And what did he think the climate of Iraq would be like? Syracuse?

On the cost of the war vs. the cost of road projects in his district:

He said money being used for the war could be used in Mohawk Valley instead.

“We’ve been trying to get Route 5S extended and to build Route 12 between Utica and Binghamton, but there is not enough money when we are spending $16 million an hour in Iraq,” said Arcuri.

So let’s get this straight: Arcuri would rather invest money into an extension of Route 5S than making sure Iraq was a safe and security place that didn’t pose a risk to our children and grandchildren? This guy needs to get his priorities in order. As much as Utica needs another Route 5, it’s laughable that Arcuri would compare the two.

Moving on to the Democrat & Chronicle, the newspaper gave Arcuri space to pen an essay explaining why withdrawal was the “only” step forward in Iraq.

The question on everyone’s mind is whether the “surge” is working. As I walked down the barricaded and carless streets of Fallujah, it was hard for me to imagine that this is what some call progress. This was what our soldiers have been able to achieve only at a great price. Those few gains have been squandered by Iraqi political leaders who continue to fight among themselves and have not used the time given to them to come together. The surge was intended to create stability for political reconciliation in Iraq and that has not happened.

This guy is in a hurry. Arcuri leaves the impression we’ve been meddling in Iraq for 30 years. His assertion that the surge has failed is not only dead wrong, but he’s also citing as evidence a Government Accountability Office report that’s been rebuked. If Arcuri had taken the time to actually listen to Ambassador Ryan Crocker when he visited Iraq last month, he would have heard that progress is being made at the local level.

Unfortunately, Arcuri has aligned himself with the politically expedite solution for Iraq: pull out the troops and let the Iraqi fend for themselves. Not only would that situation be a recipe for a humanitarian crisis, but it would also open the United States to the threat of terrorism. It’s unfortunate there’s no way to change Arcuri’s mind.

Welcome to Eye on Arcuri

Try as they might, the local media of Central New York haven’t exactly done a great job covering Rep. Michael Arcuri during his first eight months in Washington as the 24th District’s congressman. In fact, it’s been pretty pathetic. This blog will try to fill that void. If you have a tip or suggestion, send an e-mail to eyeonarcuri@gmail.com.