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SENECA FALLS Town Democrats nominated two incumbents and an outspoken foe of the Seneca Meadows Landfill as candidates for the fall town election.

Doug Avery of Cayuga Street was nominated for one of two town board seats to be elected this November. He will join incumbent Democrat David DeLelys in running for the two seats on the five-member board. Avery is a retired music and drama teacher at Mynderse Academy.

The two Democrats will oppose incumbent Republican Tom Ruzicka and former board member Steven Turkett.

Avery is president of the Seneca Falls Environmental Action Committee and has spoken frequently against the ongoing odor and other issues at the landfill, in favor of Local Law 3 of 2016 that would require the landfill to close by Dec. 31, 2025, in opposition to Local Law 2 of 2017, which rescinded Local Law 3 and in opposition to a renewal of the landfills state operating permit.

DeLelys voted for Local Law 3 and against Local Law 2.

Democrats also tabbed incumbent Town Justice Sean Laquidari to seek a second, four-year term. He is one of two town justices running this year. The caucus did not put up an opponent for incumbent Republican Town Justice Chuck Lafler.

Democrats in Waterloo, Fayette, Varick and Lodi also select their candidates at a caucus.

Waterloo Democrats do not have a date set yet, but party Chairman Ted Young said it would likely be next week. Up for election this year in Waterloo are two town board seats, supervisor, town clerk, highway superintendent.

In Fayette, Democrats will caucus at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at the home of Supervisor Cindy Lorenzetti, 4144 High Banks Road. Lorenzetti said she will seek the party nod for another term.

Democrats will also look to nominate candidates for two town board seats, now held by Republicans Coreen Lowry and James Johnson; for town justice, town clerk and highway superintendent, a position held by Republican Bill Trout. Lorenzetti said there may be an effort to cross endorse Trout.

In Varick, Democrats will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 at the home of board member Kathleen Russo, who is also Democratic Party chairwoman. Her home is at 5280 Route 89.

Positions to be elected this fall are two town board seats, including Russos seat, and town justice.

Lodi Democrats will meet in caucus at 7 p.m. Sept. 13, at the Lodi Firehouse on Route 414, to nominate candidates for two Town Board seats.

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Seneca Falls Democrats nominate candidates - Finger Lakes Times

WASHINGTON From the second floor of the Democratic Partys headquarters near the Capitol, the campaign arm of House Democrats just announced almost double congressional Republicans fundraising haul last month the third month in a row in which they beat their GOP counterparts.

But one floor up, where the Democratic National Committee sits, the news was disappointing. The party posted its worst July performance in a decade.

Fundraising has been sluggish all year at the DNC, as the Republican National Committee has been eager to point out in press releases and jeers at a recent softball game between the party staffs. The RNC raised $86.5 million so far this year and has $47.1 million in the bank, compared to the DNCs $41.9 million fundraising haul and $6.9 million in the bank, offset by $3.4 million in debt.

But the DNCs fundraising struggles make it the exception, not the norm, of Democratic groups in the Trump era, many of which have been inundated by donations from the energized liberal base.

On one hand, thats grounds for relief among Democrats, who survey the big picture and conclude their causes and candidates if not their official national party will have plenty of money heading into the 2018 midterm elections and beyond. But on the other hand, it underscores that the challenges facing the DNC are endemic to the national party and severe enough to prevent its boat from being lifted in the rising tide of cash.

If there's a lag in the DNC's fundraising I think it's because [Chairman] Tom Perez is getting better known and there was a lot of fallout from all of the stuff involving the DNC in 2016, the Bernie Sanders stuff and all that, said former DNC Chair and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. So I think Democratic givers have been focusing more on congressional and senatorial campaign committees and a lot of the super PACs.

Related: Democrats Could Win 50 House Seats. Heres How

Several Democratic donors, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly, said theyre staying away from the national party, at least for now, because theyre not confident Perez has brought the organization back up to speed and think their money can have a bigger impact elsewhere.

The DNC still needs to communicate what its value-add is, said South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigeig, who unsuccessfully ran for DNC chair. I do think there are some problems in our fundraising.

Donors have more options than ever now for where to invest their money, Buttigeig said, so its not obvious how much of it needs go through the particular piping of the DNC."

The DNC has acknowledged they have rebuilding to do and that the partys brand has been damaged after years of neglect and controversies, including its hacked emails which led to top donor's personal information being posted online and its handling of the presidential primary process last year. Staffing had reached an all-time low when Perez took over about six months ago, and a new finance director and CEO didnt start until earlier this summer.

Still, officials say theyre now on track to raise about what they raised in 2013 and 2015, the last two off-years before an election.

While were still focused on building up our team and hiring fundraising staff, were witnessing robust grassroots enthusiasm with a majority of our contributions coming from small-dollar contributions, said DNC spokesperson Michael Tyler. Were confident that our team will raise the resources needed as we head into 2018 and beyond.

Still, some Democrats patience is running thin with each new month that brings more underwhelming news, especially while theres plenty of money finding its way to other Democratic groups.

DNC Chair Tom Perez (L) hugs Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as he introduces him to speak during their "Come Together and Fight Back" tour at the James L Knight Center on April 19, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

And ActBlue, the online campaign finance clearing house for dozens of Democratic candidates,

Others donors, meanwhile, like members of the powerful Democracy Alliance, are turning more attention than ever to the states, where Democrats have been virtually hollowed out.

Big donors like Perez, but after spending most of his career removed from politics in the federal bureaucracy, he doesnt have the years-long relationship with donors predecessors like current Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe enjoyed.

And the grassroots donors who contribute smaller amounts online may be more interested in giving to individual candidates, with Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff raising more than any congressional candidate

[W]ithout a positive context, the overall picture one gets from the DNCs emails is of a directionless, reflexive party that fails to ask Democratic supporters to do more than oppose Republicans, Michael Whitney, who helped run Sanders online fundraising efforts last year, wrote in

Howard Dean is often considered the gold standard Democratic Party chairman. He took over at a low moment in the partys history, similar to now, before helping it win back the House and Senate in the 2006 midterms. But he, too, faced

This year's fundraising windfall for Democrats has not been uniform. The Republican Governors Association has a solid

But when it comes, it can come big.

With all the competition, the DNCs share will likely never be as big as it once was.

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DNC Struggles to Cash In on Anti-Trump Fervor - NBCNews.com

Democrats argued Trump was proposing an open-ended commitment with no exit strategy or ceiling on US troops there.

"Tonight, the President said he knew what he was getting into and had a plan to go forward. Clearly, he did not," House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement."The President's announcement is low on details but raises serious questions."

New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Trump's speech was "terribly lacking" in details, substance and "a vision of what success in Afghanistan looks like."

And Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat and Marine Corps veteran, accused Trump of "repeating the mistakes of previous administrations."

"Tonight, the American people should have heard a detailed, realistic strategy with achievable objectives and measurable benchmarks," Gallego said. "Instead, we got only vague promises and wishful thinking."

In his speech Monday evening, Trump said the US would be victorious in Afghanistan while focusing on defeating the terrorists as opposed to nation-building. He declared his administration would not talk about troop levels in order to keep the enemy in the dark, a frequent refrain during his campaign.

Trump's proposal won praise from one of his biggest foreign policy critics in the Republican Party, Sen. John McCain.

"I believe the President is now moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat," McCain said in a statement. The Obama administration was frequently criticized by Republicans for putting timelines on troop withdrawals.

The Arizona Republican said the US now must keep up with sufficient resources in Afghanistan to succeed there, adding that Trump "must conduct himself as a wartime commander" and arguing the President should speak regularly to the American people about the war.

Ryan said he believed he had heard a new doctrine Monday from Trump of "principled realism."

Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, who was considered for a top administration post, also praised Trump's speech, saying in a statement that he supported the direction that was laid out, though he noted there were still unanswered questions about the capability of the Afghan government.

"While there are certainly substantial questions about whether Afghanistan has the capacity over time to provide stable governance to its people, this more focused plan provides the U.S. military with the flexibility it needs to help the Afghan military regain momentum," Corker said.

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Democrats: Trump has no Afghanistan strategy - CNN

This Fox News headline is typical of many in recent weeks: Democrat Fundraising Is Worst in a Decade. A less partisan authority, the Washington Posts David Weigel, had a parallel Twitter take:

Itd be apt to call this state of affairs the Democratic Partys Looming Fundraising Crisis, as another headline did, if Democratic Party meant the same thing as Democratic National Committee. But the DNC and RNC are by no means the principal, or even secondary, factors in midterm-election funding. A more comprehensive assessment in The Hill notes that the playing field is pretty much even if you look beyond the national committees:

The DNCs fundraising woes have not extended to party committees and candidates. On the House side, both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee each raised about $60 million in the first six months of 2017. The Republican grouphas a $12 million advantage in cash on hand.

Republican House candidates have narrowly outraised Democratic House candidates, $145.4 million to $142 million.

Comparing Senate candidates is more difficult, since many more Democratic incumbents than Republicans find themselves in difficult reelection fights. But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee outraised the National Republican Senatorial Campaign by a slim $700,000 margin.

You could apply that note about the broader turf that Senate Democrats must defend to House Republicans, given the huge 20102014 gains the GOP is defending alongside the historic midterm pattern of the party controlling the White House almost always losing seats, compounded by Trumps poor approval ratings. Similarly, the $36 million to $21 million fundraising advantage of the Republican Governors Association to its Democratic counterpart looks impressive, until you realize the GOP is defending nearly three times as many gubernatorial seats as its rival.

In the end, all these party accounts could be dwarfed by candidates, especially wealthy self-funders. The Illinois governors race could wind up costing an aggregate $300 million. And Democratic candidates for governor of California have out-raised the DGA.

There is a big wild card that is not being reflected in any of these numbers: independent groups that supplement and sometimes eclipse party and candidate expenditures. On the GOP side, that includes the powerful Koch donor network, which can be expected to overcome its lack of enthusiasm for Trump to defend GOP congressional power next year (though theres some talk of a big donor strike if Congress doesnt enact tax cuts or health-care legislation before the midterms). And small-dollar online donations to nonparty funding sources have made a big comeback on the Democratic side during the 2017 special congressional elections.

While the importance of the fundraising numbers for the RNC and DNC has been grossly exaggerated, they do matter, and the turmoil and turnover at the DNC have greatly undermined the organizations finances. For one thing, the DNC is struggling to connect with the nearly 3 million people who gave money to Bernie Sanderss 2016 campaign, which isnt surprising given the widespread belief in their ranks that the DNC helped rig the nominating process for Hillary Clinton last year. There is also an undercurrent of discontent with Democratic small-dollar-fundraising tactics, which tend to rely on negative messages that may not wear well over the long haul.

It is far too early, however, to concede a big Republican money advantage particularly if the GOP continues to stumble in keeping its promises to past donors, large and small. Another possible problem for the GOPs midterm effort is now coming into sight: Team Trumps preparations for 2020. Aside from creating an alternative magnet for donations (especially the massive small-dollar donations that Trump generated late in the 2016 campaign), the president might decide to triangulate against his ineffective congressional allies, which could hit the GOP in places even more sensitive than the wallet.

A high-speed train hit another train parked at the station in Upper Darby.

All ships will have a one-day operational pause this week after the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker.

He thinks asking lawmakers to hold Trump accountable would amount to a partisan hack-fest.

To the extent that its bold, its dangerous; to the extent its new, its vague; to the extent that its a strategy, its Obamas.

He offered few details, saying, Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out.

Luther Strange may need all the money and all the Trump love he can get to catch up with Roy Moore, whos winning over supporters of other candidates.

Sarah Jessica Parkers voice-over is a surprisingly good match for Trumps stoic facial expressions.

Still, House conservatives are threatening to let America default on its debt, unless Democrats agree to massive spending cuts.

Instagram is inundated, and even Donald Trump dons a pair of special glasses.

Trump seems to be the only one who dared to risk staring at the sun without eclipse glasses.

A vernacular translation of the the New York Times report on Rinat Akhmetshin.

New stories on the site recall Bannons threats to go nuclear on the First Daughter.

As Trumps approval rating in the Rust Belt dips, labor leaders work to help Democrats exploit an opening with working-class Trump voters.

More are being taken down every day.

While the DNC is struggling to keep up with the RNC in fundraising, other sources of campaign financing are more balanced, and its very early yet.

He was the last remaining at-large suspect in a terrorist cell.

Pulling down monuments is a start, but the real change happens in schools.

Last-minute tips for the astronomical event of the century.

A new book will profile Trumps mother, grandmother, and three wives.

Excerpt from:
Too Early for Democrats to Freak Out Over Fundraising 'Crisis' - New York Magazine

Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP

Democrats push new bill to change recall rules, save senator

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California Democrats started a new legislative push Monday to change recall election rules in an effort to protect one of their own after a court put an earlier attempt to slow the recall process on hold.

A measure introduced Monday would help state Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton, who is facing a recall attempt backed by Republicans over his support for a gas tax increase. If they succeed in replacing Newman with a Republican, Democrats would lose their supermajority that allows them to raise taxes without GOP votes.

Election officials in three counties reported Friday that they've verified enough signatures for the recall to proceed. State law gives Secretary of State Alex Padilla 10 days to certify them.

Republicans are pushing to hold a recall election shortly after the gas tax rises Nov. 1.

The Democratic bill would allow people to remove their name from a recall petition and require the state to estimate the costs of holding a special election. The new procedures were initially tucked into a state budget bill, SB96, in June, but the California Court of Appeal put them on hold last week because the bill touched on multiple unrelated subjects.

Democrats say people were tricked into signing the petition believing they were supporting a referendum on the gas tax. They say those people should have a chance to remove their name.

"It remains in the overwhelming public interest to safeguard the integrity of California's recall process and to ensure that recall petitions are not being signed under false and fraudulent pretenses," said Jonathan Underland, a spokesman for Senate Democrats.

The bill would draw out the recall process, potentially allowing it to coincide with the statewide primary in June when more Democrats are likely to participate.

The bill will get a hearing in the Senate and Assembly budget committees on Tuesday and Wednesday and could be considered by the full chambers on Thursday, before the deadline for Padilla to certify that recall organizers collected sufficient signatures.

"In light of the Court of Appeal's recent order staying the recall procedures in SB96, the secretary is consulting with his attorneys to determine what his current obligations are under the law and how to appropriately proceed," Padilla spokesman Jesse Melgar said.

California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte has urged Padilla, a Democrat, to act quickly.

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Democrats push new bill to change recall rules, save senator - SFGate