Lee cuts new path by working with Democrats

 WASHINGTON — It wasn't often that you saw Bill Paxon or Tom Reynolds standing next to a Democratic congressman at a press conference — but their successor has done just that twice in the last two months.

   In other words, Rep. Chris Lee, the Clarence businessman turned Republican congressman, isn't exactly following the footsteps of his predecessors.

   Instead, he's forging his own path, teaming with Democratic Reps. Brian Higgins and Louise Slaughter on local initiatives and bucking the GOP on its budget plans and an important children's health care bill.

   It's hardly what we could have expected from a congressman who succeeds three consecutive right-wing superstars (including the late Jack Kemp, who tended to have better relations with his Democratic colleagues than Paxon or Reynolds).

   But then again, it was sort of hard to know what to expect from Lee, given that he had never before held public office.

   Now, though, it is becoming clear that Lee is his own man — which, of course, doesn't sit well with everybody. Some Republicans deride him as the country-club sort who's too quick to compromise and too reluctant to follow the party line.

   So, what do you think? How is Lee doing after four months in office?

   — Jerry Zremski

Comments

[mamacrat]

Is Lee is own man or does he see the Democratic tide? He certainly must be mindful of the soon to be redrawn district that will likely favor Democrats. He's already running as if the district has been redrawn. I didn't think he was all that smart - but maybe he isn't so 'not smart' afterall.

[BobbyCat]

"It's hardly what we could have expected from a congressman who succeeds three consecutive right-wing superstars....[and] ... Some Republicans deride him as the country-club sort who's too quick to compromise and too reluctant to follow the party line."

This is old thinking from the old political paradigm. That 'party line' nonsense has made New York a dysfunctional, destroyed state. It has put the USA's standard of living well behind other countries in a thousand ways.

But politicos continue to revel in the old political games. If you haven't noticed the new President campaigned on a new paradigm and is governing that way. It wasn't spin and America is behind him because they have lost patience with the old 'game' of politics. They want jobs, they want to get things done. If Chris Lee is pragmatic and wants to get things done, good for him. Nobody cares if he's in the GOP or Dem or Bull Moose. Nobody cares.

There is an apparent generational gap between those who understand that difference, and those who don't. Get with it.

[Mark]

We clamor for new faces and new blood that isn't beholden to the party bosses or party line. If he is finding his way by going across the aisle so be it. Worse case, he screws up and his district elects someone else next time. We have been waiting for decades for different thinking, we can afford to wait two more years.

[hate me now]

Glad to have Chris Lee and his vote for such a wasteful budget. Thanks Chris. I love paying taxes. it is the American way.

[Frank]

It must be really difficult for all those NeoCons in Clarence to have to deal with a democratic thinking republican. Too bad for the neocons in Clarence. I'm sure if he keeps it up they will trash him out in the next election because thats just how Narrow minded Neocons are. It's too bad.

[The Last Word on the Matter]

Chris Lee is the kind of "good" Republican that the Buffalo "News" likes:
*He abandons core conservative principles of fiscal responsibility and limited govt.
*He works and votes with hard-core left-wing trash like Louise Slaughter.
*He is a "moderate" and a "centrist". (Translation: has no core, principled beliefs.)
*He is liked by the biased, leftwing media.
*He's "bipartisan". (Translation: votes like a democrat)
*He doesn't stand against barrack hussein obama and his bankrupting of America.
*He doesn't stand up for this country or the American people.

But at least he gets a little condescending pat-on-the-head from the Buffalo "News" and the NY democrats.

Nice going, Chris. Way to stand up and fight when the marxist democrat party is destroying America.

[OPMike]

It's good to see Representative Chris Lee take a page from Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman's playbook and cooperate on common sense issues where there is good deal of common ground.

Lieberman and Lee demonstrate a more pragmatic and open minded approach to how government should work.

This is a much better approach than the old hard line, left-wing, obstructionist politics of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, Barack Obama, and others.

Old BobbyCat says that "the new President campaigned on a new paradigm and is governing that way." However, there is no evidence that during his three year stint as the junior United States Senator from Illinois he was anything other than a party line voter. In 2008 Obama voted the party line on all but three occasions. He also missed voting 80 times during 2008.

Wow, what a glorious record from Mr. New Paradigm!

[Celtic Tide]

I have a question about a quote from today's article on the discussion surrounding the DMV registration surcharge: What did Marinelli and Kozub say as a warning? This is the REAL story here and no details are provided. What did they say? I don't think voters understand the games that are played in politics and it's because they aren't given the dirt. Why? Because the SNOOZE is a POS.

"But with warnings from Marinelli and fellow Democrat Daniel M. Kozub of Hamburg, no legislator opposed the amendment that weakened the statement. It was then approved unanimously."

[Alice]

This is exactly what I want to see in government. I don't know much about Lee, but it is encouraging to see someone willing to work with someone who may have a disparate philosophy from him, and still has the foresight to work together to come up with solid solutions to complex problems. Kudos to Lee for his work so far. As a registered Democrat, I would love to see more Republicans stop with the hard stance and forge ahead to work with Democrats and Independents to make this area and New York State in general a better place to live.

[gunfighter1b]

Lee is just laying the groundwork for when his district is re-drawn. Remember, this district was drawn up almost by house number for the benifit of Bill Paxton and then Tom Reynolds. Now that the GOP is not in control of the state senate it will be much different. Lee better watch it, or his biggest challenge he will face is from his own party around primary season. Maybe we can even get rid of the "Bohunk" next.

[Concerned reader]

I think once again the gop is frightened of bipartisanship....god forbid we actually accomplish legislation which helps anyone. Let's argue about who is on who's side. What is this gradechool....please I am delighted to see to sides working together to reach a common goal. Look the donkey and the elephant are learning how to share

[David]

Bipartisanship on issues important to all Americans – like the need for action on health care – is to be applauded. The health care challenges facing the American people are significant, and growing. Bipartisan health care reform is critical to a strong economy. We should all be urging Congressman Lee – and all members of Congress - to work in a bipartisan way make health reform legislation a top priority this year. Health care reform requires everyone working together and taking responsibility to improve the system

[Bill Armbruster]

I too am glad to see Congressman Lee work both sides of the aisle. And it couldn't be at a better time, with promises of health care reform in our immediate future. The only way that we will see real reform is if both sides work together on real solutions in real time - let's make sure that people have access to affordable health care and don't have to go without, let's make prescription drugs more affordable (why not make biologic drugs available in generics - create some competition and drive the cost down)and let's look at getting rid of the waste, fraud, and abuse that are rampant in our current systems. I look forward to seeing what good things the Congressman can do on healthcare reform.

[Gene Simon]

I am a staunch Republican, but if I get one more robocall from Chris Lee I'll never vote for him again.

[Celtic Tide]

Pols usually only talk bipartisanship when their job is on the line and voters are listening, gimme a break, who cares about bipartisanship when there are no term limits. Career pols are the problem and until it is rectumfied (sorry), the problems will continue. Just look at today's article titled "Cuomo urges use of new law to shrink government"

For every one local government position consolidated there are three or four being created at the federal level. When are we going to realize that consolidated power is deadly? As we continue down the road of our leaders being further and further away from where we live, we will continue to get less an less results because they know they won't see you at the grocery store. I know there is waste with so many levels of gov't but I would rather see us make people pay with their jobs when they stand by and watch government growing exponentially as it is today.

[The Z Machine]

As economy drops jobs, paychecks drop some weight
Rising jobless rate could endanger bids for economic recovery

Americans lucky enough to still have a job are noticing something unpleasant in their paychecks: They’re making less money.

Employers cut 467,000 jobs in June, far more than expected, and the jobless rate hit a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. Just as worrisome, wages shrank to their lowest in nearly a year.

The bleak news Thursday from the Labor Department underscored one of the big threats to an economic turnaround: Rising joblessness and falling wages for those still working could send Americans back into spending hibernation and short-circuit any recovery.

President Obama acknowledged concern. What we’re still seeing is too many jobs lost, too many families who are worried about whether they’re going to be next in terms of job loss, or whether they can find another,” he told The Associated Press.

The falling wages come from furloughs, pay freezes and pay cuts imposed by employers across the country. Many also have cut hours: The average work week in June fell to 33 hours, the lowest on records dating to 1964.

Is Barack Hussein Obama a terrorist sympathizer?

Obama gave almost one billion dollars to HAMAS through UNRWA.

Obama let Pakistan surrender the Swat valley, giving it to the Taliban, who imposed Sharia law.

Obama freed al-Qaeda terrorists Binyam Mohamed from Gitmo.

Obama nominated Eric Holder for Attorney General who helped Bill Clinton pardon 17 FALN Puerto Rican terrorist members in 2000.

Obama dropped all charges on al-Qaeda terrorist Abd-al-Rahim al-Nashir, who organized and directed the bombing of the naval vessel USS Cole Oct. 2000 that killed 17 US sailors.

Read "Common Sense" by Glenn Beck and "Catastrophe" by Dick Morris. and give me your answer.

Obama's approval rating has dropped like a rock with all his lies about the economy and national defense.

Iran and North Korea are slapping around Obama like a red haired step child. Obama has no clue. All he wants to do is screw the American workers and taxpayers by increasing taxes and creating new taxes.

The atheist, socialist, liberals are attacking you because you're NOT drinking the Obama Kool-Aid and they're mad.

So why isn't the liberal media asking Obama questions about Afghanistans exit strategy and timelines? The media did it to Bush each and every single day.

What goals does Obama have for Iraq?

What about the amount of US military killed and the billions of dolars in cost?

A soldier was kidnapped by the Taliban yesterday, so what is Obama going to do about it?

Obama is doing NOTHING about anything in these two wars.

What about the 4 missiles that North Korea fired off yesterday? NOTHING! You don't hear anything from this weakling, yellow bellied liberal socialist coward.

Just tax this and tax that. Spend more and more US taxpayer money. This has got to stop.

All Obama is doing is trying to sell the biggest tax hike in American history with the Cap and Trade bill and socialized medicine bill that no Congressman has read.

The liberal media is hiding Obama's evil plans by giving us Michael Jackson 24 hours a day.

Israel, it's time to act on Iran. Don't wait for Obama, he isnt going to do anything to hurt his Muslim buddies.

Democrats are bought and paid for by lobbyists.

Top recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie mac pay to play money

1)Chris Dodd D-CT $133,000 senate banking committee chairman

2)John Kerry D-MA $111,000

3)Barack Hussein Obama D-IL now $105,000 president

4)Hillary Clinton D-NY now Secretary of state

AIG Donations

1) Chris Dodd D-CT $281,000

2)Charles Schumer D-NY $112,000

3) Barack Hussein Obama $110,000

Chris Dodd D-CT also gave AIG a bill that would ensure they get 100 million dolllars in 'taxpayer paid' bonuses for AIG's top managers

Unemployment has hit another (26 year)new high at 9.5% with this weeks job losses reported at 467,000. More than expected. Expect unemploymnet to hit 10% and more. That's Obama's hep and change you were sucked into believing.

In 1995 President Bill Clinton and Interior secrtary Bruce Babbit lost our government a total of 60 billion dollars for not setting a target price on oil. The bill passed was called "Outer continental shelf deepwater royalty relief act of 1995.

That's why big oil is gettig huge profits for the next 25 years. It was from Democrat Bill Clinton and his liberal administration.

[Dave Marx]

He voted against the "Cap and Tax" bill and is for an "All of the Above" approach. He would get my vote, if I was in his district.

[Tracy]

Chris Lee....I just received a solicitation from what I am assuming is his campaign begging for a contribution. What gets me is the propaganda and scare tactics that he has decided to use in this mailer instead of what he brings to the table. How very disappointing that he must use this tact to solicit money. I was going to send him a contribution and support him but not any more. I am tired of this game.

[Biased news is all you get here]

I have to laugh at the Buffalo new blogs and their liberal bias. They remove all the conservartive blogs while keeping all the crazy pro liberal socialist blogs, just like one their Opinion column. Today's which said we're all gonna die from global warming is a real laugher. No hurricanes or typhoons. Buffalo has barely recorded an 80 degree temperature and is about 10 degrees below normal this summer.

Liberals are just plain NUTS!

The facts is, Obama has been a total huge failure.

Some other questions have to be answered and they could be done easily, but the Obama administration fails to do so. ie. His ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE. We all know that documents can be altered/faked, just look at poor sap Dan Rather of CBS.

The Whitehouse so far just gave us a copy of a certificate of LIVE birth and NOT a "Hawaii BIRTH certificate."

Why does it list TWO hospitals?

Why did Obama's step Gramdmother swear under oath that Obama wasn't born in the USA????

"Where's the doctors and nurses who were there when Obama was born in Hawaii???" Hmmmmm?

Where are these people? Hmmm? Where?

No matter, Obama is a total and complete failure as a president and he won't last long. He'll be impeached once we're hit by a rougue state that Obama didn't protect us against, because he cut our defense funding so that his malt liquor drinking, crack smoking brothers can get more free government cash.

Please, no more one hour snooze fest on all TV stations. No other presient has been giving the liberal biased treatment that Barry Hussein Obama is getting. We're all sick of seeing the guys face. STOP!!!

Obama was STUPID to comment on the police matter that he knew knowing about. The fool. Gates just acted like a typical uppity, elitist Negro and the cop got sick of his mouthing off. I'd would have done the same to the fool blabber mouth. We all know the kind and have met them before.

Obama calling he police man and department STUPID after he just said he didn't have all the facts really is "STUPID."

Obama is looking for a new DEATH CZAR that will be used to kill off all the old people, because with rationed healthcare, there won't be any money or doctors available to treat them. Sorry old people. You had your day.

[wil]

This is what happens when you drop out of school...kids...you write uneducated things and become a laughing stock of society.... Poor fool....

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html

[The Truth is out there]

Yeah, CBS Dan Rather had some original documents on President Bush too. It didn't turn out too good for Dan.

How about Obama bringing forth his ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE? Hmmm?

It's not like it's the Magna Carta or Declartation of Independence.

So where are all the doctors and nurses that were at Obama's birthing room in Hawaii? You'd think they'd stand up and shout, "I WAS THERE!" Hmmm?

Obama has been a total disgrace to our country.

Obama can apologize to the entire world but won't apoligize when he's WRONG. ie The Surge in Iraq and this new police incident that he called the officers actions "stupid."

Obama is a total failure. He really stuck his foot in his mouth when he called that wonderful officer, stupid.

The cop just ran into another uppity negro that thought since Obama is president, he can get away with anything. No dice.

We need another Ronald Reagan and not Jimmy Carter the wimp.

We'll see come 2010 and 2012 when the Democrats are stomped into the ground.

It's YOUR party that holding Obama's 'socialized' medicine plan up that will bankrupt this country, give out rationed care that will kill thousands of Americans. Old people.

What new doctors will there be with lower pay, high malprtactice insurance and a huge workload of sick people that can sue him/her if they make a mistake, because certain tests aren't done because they won't be approved?

Where are the doctors for the 47 million new patients coming from and why should we pay for illegal aliens healthcare? Hmmm?

Cap and Trade will just cost us millions of jobs and hurt our economy and country while doing nothing for your hoax global warming. Even if there was global warming China, India, Russia and other countries aren't going to hurt their people and economy for nitwit Nancy Pelosi's fantasy. You fool!

You can hoodwink and bamboozle the American people once with the liberal biased media, but as the polls show, they're smartening up real fast.

[wil]

You fool nobody with your multiple posts under various pseudonyms..How disingenuous.. Why are you hiding behind these multiple personalities.. It's because your nuts...The Obama birth certificate thing just validates your mental affliction... The proof is beyond dispute.. Courts have already thrown the cases out..He was born in Hawaii.. You can go there and see the certificate yourself... The Republican governor of Hawaii has seen it..John McCain"s staff has seen it... The FBI, and Justice dept has seen it... But they are all wrong and you are right...It is laughable to think that you really think you are going to win over a majority of the American people with this stuff... Fringe lunatic... I will do my best to keep you online here so the authorities can keep an eye on you..The other people who spoke the way you are speaking now have already gone out and committed acts of cowardly murder...James Von Brunn, Roeder,etc... We are watching you...hehehehe

[Watch Me]

Is that what you're doing? Threatening to "watch me" with your liberal, socialist, fascist Obama administraiton, because I don't agree with his socialist policies and am NOT drinking his liberal Obama Kool-Aid? Go for it. Is that Freedom of Speech?

Is this America anymore, or a Nazi fascist Obama state, where you't can criticize the president for doing things WRONG and trying to bankrupt this country for generations?

I see the liberal biased media is putting some 7 year old smoke screen garbage about the Lackawana Six al-Qaeda terrorists to cover Obama's failing socialist health care plan and Obama's bonedheaded remark calling a police officer stupid.

I guess you liberals won't have Sarah Palin to kick around or sue anymore. I don't blame her one bit. These rabid, foaming at the mouth liberal attack dogs were going after her and her family. Shameless, yellow bellied liberal cowards.

Where were they with Tony Rezko, Rev. Wright, Bil Ayers, Bernadette Dohrn SDS Weathemen terrorists and Obaam's other shady friends. Obama is a failure never seeen before in American history. I thought weak, wimpy Jimmy Carter woud always hold that title, or liar, adulterer Bill Clinton who was the 2nd president to ever be IMPEACHED.

Is Obama's dog still around or did he eat it, like he ate that poor dog in Indonesia?

How about Obama cocaine and pot problems? Not one word in the press conference about Iraq or Afghanistan. Shameless.

[wil]

I am sorry for feeding the troll..But now everyone can see what the lunatic fringe of the right party is all about... our country is right to reject them... they are irrational non thinkers....the proof is in the posts... Thank you America for voting these "crazies" out of power...

[wil]

I never ever thought i would be saying this... But....
Ann Coulter is the voice of reason on the Obama birth certificate fiasco? Even she believes he is an American citizen...watch....
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907270011

Coulter is as crazy as they come... so what does that say about the ignorant people who continue this fraudulent claim.......