GOP rivals sling mud in race to represent Staten Island in House (NY-13)

[brooklynite]

from the Staten Island Advance:

In a verbal barrage worthy of the hardcore political battle the Republican congressional primary has turned into, Bob Straniere accused Jim Wyne of trying to hide his Pakistani and Muslim heritage by "changing his name," while Wyne said Straniere wanted him to make an "illegal" campaign contribution when Straniere ran for Staten Island borough president in 2001.

Wyne -- who uses the name Dr. Jamshad Wyne professionally -- said Straniere asked him to take $5,000 of his personal cash and disburse it to relatives who would, in turn, write checks in the amounts of $250 or $200 to Straniere for Borough President, thereby maximizing the amount of matching funds Straniere could receive from the city Campaign Finance Board.

...snip...

Meanwhile, during an interview yesterday, Straniere said Wyne has been using the name "Jim" on the campaign trail because "he is trying to remake himself into something other than who is. He obviously doesn't want people to know he is Pakistani and a Muslim."

...snip...

Elsewhere, Straniere acknowledged that he will not be eligible to vote for himself in the primary because he is not a resident of the 13th Congressional District. While he maintains a law office in Annadale, Straniere's official residence for the past several years has been in Manhattan.

This stuff just writes itself.....

[KamaAina]

1. Yet when Democrats used Bobby Jindal's first name Piyush, they were called racists

by a small-town newspaper publisher in north La.

http://www.ouachitacitizen.com/news.php?id=1191

Issuing a news release pointing out that Jindal's first name is Piyush, which the state Democratic Party did last week, removed the racist label from the Republican Party and placed it clearly on the backs of the Democrats.

Actually, seeing as how this guy actually recognizes that the racist label is on the repukes in the first place, he could be considered a moderate. :eyes:

edit: Jindal, the repuke governor of La., is of Indian descent.