Rubberstamp Randy has long beleived that he is on a higher level than those around him, his family and his constituents.  Before this meeting started the Rubberstamper proceeded to lay down the law in stating that this would not be a forum for debate and that everyone needed to respect each other.  Of course, it would seem that the Shotgun Senator did not believe that this applied to himself when he confronted one of constiutents afterwards, who by the way had said NOTHING to him, had not taunted him, nor asked him any questions.  In fact, by all accounts the constiutent played by the rules that the Rubberstamper put down himself.  

As though Eric Massa's creditionals weren't enough, the total lame incompetence, clueness, and flat out elitism exhibited by Kuhl all point to a need to facilitate his departure.  

One to watch, and one to watch the watching.  

You need a good tracking camera when someone is running at full speed away from his constituants.

BTW - Massa is one of five Congressional candidates featured in a really excellent documentary "Taking the Hill" which was aired in the Discovery Times Channel a few months ago.  Hopefully, the documentary will be shown at Yearly Kos.

There are often second acts in Congressional campaigns.  Massa came close on his rookie try in 2006 and made some rookie mistakes.  This should be a prime pickup opportunity in 2008 oh, and a memo to the DCCC -- TV time in Rochester, Syracuse & Corning is cheaper than in Chicago.  Really!

The local media write up of the event...

http://rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=46666 &rnews_story_type=18

Pretty decent, but they sugar coated Kuhl's reasons for running away.

"When it comes to the war in Iraq, some questions from the media don't always get answered either.

When R News asked Kuhl about his unwillingness to answer questions during his forum, the congressman stopped the interview.

"Well, I will do it another time," Kuhl said as he walked out. "

The Massa campaign builds on local organizing, and is a valuable catalyst for organizing. For political creatures who are frustrated at not getting candidates elected, there is fantastic opportunity for satisfaction. I have copied excerpts from an article in the Corning Leader about yesterdays municipal elections.

• Don't you wish you had worked on a race the Dem losing by 4 votes?
• How about doing some get-out-the-vote in a race with 1% voter turnout?
• How big a difference could you have made in a race where there were two open seats and no candidates?
• How satisfying is it to see a Democratic sweep in Republican Bath?

In the village of Bath, Democratic candidates won the two open trustee seats on the village board. Political newcomer Tom Sears was the top vote-getter with 190 votes. Former trustee Donna Simonson garnered 176 votes.

James Stewart, another political newcomer and the Republican Party's only nominee for village trustee, took in 155 votes.

Turnout for the Bath election was lackluster, with less than 1 percent of the registered voters casting ballots.

In Hammondsport, incumbent village trustee Republican Stella Pulver won 93 votes while former trustee Democrat-turned-Republican Bruce White squeezed out a win, tallying 70 votes to newcomer Democrat Mary Ryan's 67 votes.

In other contests in the Southern Tier, most candidates ran unopposed in village elections for mayors and trustees.

The village of Odessa in Schuyler County was the exception, with no candidates officially in the running for two vacant trustee seats.