174 Smith Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Wednesday, September 15th @ 6:30PM

DioGuardi gave us a look into his background as a CPA and as a former Congressman to understand why he’s running now and what issues have motivated him to undertake this challenge.  He then took questions about the economy, the planned Cordoba House/Park51 mosque near Ground Zero, and the work that he and his wife have done to help the Albanian people, among others.

He also addressed a number of points about his opponents’ attacks on his record, and much more!

To hear the chat now, listen here or click play below.

(THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS EXCLUSIVELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR AND DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THAT OF THE BROOKLYN YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB OR ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION.)

It was the crown jewel of New York City’s Republican Party.  The 13th Congressional District, which covers Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, had been held by many notable center-right Republicans, like Guy and Susan Molinari.

In 2008, its last occupant, Vito Fossella, regrettably stepped down after a number of personal issues came to light that would have undoubtedly interfered with his ability to perform his public duties.

And so, the crown jewel was captured by a Democrat, then-City Council Member Michael McMahon, after an embarrassingly botched and superbly lackluster effort by Republicans to retain the seat.

It’s 2010, and the political world in New York from just two years ago is vastly different.  However, the makings of the upcoming September 14th primary election have proven that, regrettably, not much has changed in the bizarro world of Brooklyn and Staten Island Republican politics.

It’s time to give the bums, inside our party as well as in Washington, D.C., a pink slip, and show them that there are Republicans who can do much better.

While I personally have informed people that I had no intention of picking any particular side in this primary election, recent events have compelled me to do so for the good of the Republican Party.

That’s why I am endorsing Mike Grimm for the 13th Congressional District Primary Election on September 14, 2010.  He has clearly distinguished himself as the right person and the best person to represent the Republican platform to voters in the November 2nd General Election.

Mike has a long and renowned career in public service as a decorated war hero of the Persian Gulf Conflict, a former undercover FBI agent fighting organized crime, and, following that, as a lawyer and local entrepreneur.  He has the backing of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator John McCain, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Iraq Veterans for Congress, Combat Veterans for Congress and a variety of grassroots Republican organizations in Staten Island and Brooklyn.

Mike’s positions on the issues ranging from the economy to national security demonstrate a concerted and serious effort to understand what’s wrong and how to fix it.  Plus, his experience serving the public in the Federal government has given him the expertise necessary to figure out how best to strengthen our national security and law enforcement policies.  On the economy, as an entrepreneur, Grimm is a trusted vote for economic policies that will encourage growth for small businesses, job creation and opportunities for young people in this economy without saddling us with higher taxes and more expensive government programs.

Beyond all that, he has been composed, calm, and positive throughout his campaign while remaining strong on the issues.  Meanwhile, he’s been fighting against the same old political tactics from the failed Republican establishment leaders that have, for instance, in my presence, expressed how “nice of a guy” Democratic Congressman Michael McMahon is, even though his first vote in the new Congress would be to keep Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House.

In the interest of transparency, his primary opponent is Michael Allegretti.  Allegretti, whose family founded Bayside Oil in the 1930′s, is a Brooklyn-born-and-raised political operative out of the State Senator Marty Golden Republican camp, having served as a staffer for Golden before working as one of Mayor Bloomberg’s Host Committee organizers for the Republican National Convention in 2004.  After that, he attended the Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he specialized in environmental policy.  Then he started working for the Partnership for New York City, a non-profit that focused much of its energies to pass Mayor Bloomberg’s failed congestion pricing tax plan in 2007 and 2008.  He later on went to work for the Climate Group, a environmental lobbyist group, trotting the world in support of a variety of policies designed to fight climate change, like cap and trade.  Allegretti has the backing of the Brooklyn and Staten Island Republican Party establishments.

Allegretti, someone who I have considered a friend (as we have known each other for a couple of years in Republican circles), has chosen to take a very unfortunate and destructive path to win this primary.

In a recent debate on NY1, Allegretti spent more time nitpicking one of Grimm’s military photos over what medals he was properly awarded than articulating how he would work with Republicans in Congress to fight for principled reform in Washington.  When the conversation did turn briefly to policy, they disagree on almost nothing.

He has also released an ad that has shamelessly prostituted his Italian surname in a last-ditch effort to convince the district’s largely Republican Italian-American voters to blindly vote for another “paisan”.  Of course, Grimm, too, is of Italian descent (Castronova is his mother’s maiden name), but his last name does not readily reveal this.  So not only is this ad misleading about his opponent in context, but this disregard for the intellect of Italian American voters, speaking as a paisan myself, is, at best, disrespectful and unbecoming of a serious Republican candidate.

Not only do these tactics call into question his fitness for public office, but it is emblematic of the worst sort of Gerry O’Brien-esque politics of personal destruction that have come to typify the Brooklyn Republican Party under its current administration.  There’s no more room for that in our party.  Period.

Not to mention it will do nothing to help him defeat Democrat Michael McMahon in November.

That’s why voting for Mike Grimm this September 14th will help bring our great New York Republican Party back on track by putting our best foot forward in the 13th District.

Jonathan J. Judge is the President of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club.

Plus, find out about some opportunities to get involved in some of these campaigns locally, like Gary Berntsen‘s U.S. Senate campaign.

To join in, dial 218-895-4473, Passcode 1880# at 9:30 PM.  If you have any questions that you’d like to ask Joe, please email them to BrooklynYR@gmail.com, or text them in to 347-560-1880 during the call and we’ll patch you in!

Login at 9 PM TONIGHT at http://www.livestream.com/brooklynyr to watch and participate.

If you would like to speak live on the ActionCast, send us an email at BrooklynYR@gmail.com to receive the link. Otherwise, you will be able to ask questions and discuss through the live chat, Facebook and Twitter applications on the page.

Meanwhile, upon request from the Gary Berntsen campaign, the Brooklyn Young Republican Club is helping to distribute literature for his campaign in anticipation of the upcoming primary election on September 14th. Email us your name and address at BrooklynYR@gmail.com or text us at 347-560-1880, and we’ll send you a small package of 10 pieces of literature with the names and addresses of prime Republican voters in your building/block.

Look forward to seeing you tonight!

Login at 9 PM at http://www.livestream.com/brooklynyr to watch and participate.

If you would like to speak live on the ActionCast, send us an email at BrooklynYR@gmail.com to receive the link.  Otherwise, you will be able to ask questions and discuss through the live chat, Facebook and Twitter applications on the page.

Meanwhile, upon request from the Gary Berntsen campaign, the Brooklyn Young Republican Club is helping to distribute literature for his campaign in anticipation of the upcoming primary election on September 14th.  Email us your name and address at BrooklynYR@gmail.com or text us at 347-560-1880, and we’ll send you a small package of 10 pieces of literature with the names and addresses of prime Republican voters in your building/block.

Look forward to seeing you Wednesday!

We’re about to fix that.

We are proud to announce the creation of Brooklyn Young Republican TV, a 24/7 channel dedicated to providing Brooklyn’s Young (and Young-at-Heart) Republicans, as well as all young Brooklynites, with all the information they need about local, state and national politics, especially to learn about issues and Republican candidates running for office.

We will be syndicating videos non-stop featuring candidates and their own campaign videos, instructions on what to expect from new machines when you go to vote this fall, coverage of events and other issue of concern, and much, much more!

Plus, you can join us there for our live ActionCasts and other live, featured club events.

All you have to do to tune in is check our website out at BrooklynYR.com.  Got ideas? Send your suggestions to BrooklynYR@gmail.com.

Grand Prize: Duette Designs‘ specially donated 3-piece hand-crafted, custom-made Brooklyn YR jewelry set (necklace, bracelet and earrings), valued at $150 (see photo).  Duette Designs is a Brooklyn YR-owned and operated enterprise by Rebecca Bennett.

The Grand Prize winner is Roy Antoun!

First Prizes: Two $10 iTunes Gift Cards

The winners of these prizes are Mike O’Dea and Dan Nizza!

Congratulations to all of our raffle prize winners and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon–especially on the campaign trail!

In fact, the Brooklyn Young Republican Club, upon request from the Gary Berntsen campaign, is helping to distribute literature for his campaign in anticipation of the upcoming primary election on September 14th.  Email us your name and address at BrooklynYR@gmail.com or text us at 347-560-1880, and we’ll send you a small package of 10 pieces of literature with the names and addresses of prime Republican voters in your building/block.

To listen to the Call to Action to hear the rest, just click here or hit play below:

Plus, find out about some opportunities to get involved in some of these campaigns locally, like Gary Berntsen‘s U.S. Senate campaign.

To join in, dial 218-895-4473, Passcode 1880# at 9:30 PM.

Courtesy: NY1