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Two new GOPers are standing up to Conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist and his stubborn "Taxpayer Protection Pledge," and they're both New Yorkers.

Upstate GOP congressmen Richard Hanna and Chris Gibson have both said they will not adhere to the guidelines of Norquist's pledge. Gibson signed the pledge last year when he was a newly elected congressman. Hanna has steered clear of it in the past, and says he won't sign on now.

The two join a growing list of opponents and defectors of Norquist's pledge, including notable Republican members of Congress like Long Island Representative Peter King and senators Lindsey Graham and Saxby Chambliss.

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The New York State Republican Party put out its post-election memo over the weekend and -- after blaming President Obama for the ills of the world (and the NYS GOP) -- Chairman Ed Cox echoed what political experts have been saying since Tuesday (and we've been saying for the last five years): Republicans need to embrace Hispanic voters.

For the most part, the memo is NYS GOP Chairman Ed Cox's campaigning to keep his job -- we got a copy, and Cox points to"some" local victories, but blames failures in local races on the large number of voters who turned out for President Obama. He makes no mention, however, of the party's unpopular positions on many social issues -- like abortion, immigration, and gay marriage -- that often make Republicans look like hateful, bible-beating dopes (ref: Todd Akin).

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To: Lovers of America
From: The Republican National Committee
RE: Emergency platform changes

Dear Patriots: It seems that 47 percent was somewhat larger than we anticipated in last week's election. Henceforth, we urge all Republicans to adopt these immediate policy changes.

1. Our new platform on babes.

Please refrain from any further discussion of women's health, reproductive issues, and/or sexual assault. If you're asked to comment on any of these matters, subtly pivot to safer ground. Suggestions include saying "Some of my best friends are broads" to recounting your glory days as a shutdown defender off the bench for your middle school basketball team.
Here after, our entire platform on babes will be boiled down to two simple policies:

A. "I really like what you've done with your hair" and

B. "There's nothing hotter than a good pair of child-bearing hips."

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www.electronicvillage.com

As we reported yesterday, State Senate Republicans killed a bill proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo that would further decriminalize marijuana in the Empire State by closing a loophole that makes having weed in public a misdemeanor, while possessing weed in private is only a violation.

No skin off the gov's ass, though -- those "extreme" Republicans can look forward to facing voters in the fall, he says, and there's "no place" in New York for "extreme Conservative philosophy."

"You had the Conservative Party make their voice heard," the governor said on Fred Dicker's radio show this morning. "The state Senate heard the Conservative wing of the party and they're reacting to it -- and that will be an issue in the campaign season."

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Admit it, Ed Cox -- you own this movie.

If there are three things that New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox loves they're puns, chick flicks, and more puns!

In his latest attack on President Barack Obama's proclivity for partying with celebrities, the chairman issued a statement this afternoon bashing Bam over tonight's fundraiser at the home of Sarah Jessica Parker. Vogue Editor-in-Chief/inspiration for the film The Devil Wears Prada Anna Wintour will be in attendance -- which Cox apparently sees as an invitation to pack as many pop-culture, chick-flick-based puns into a single press release as humanly possible.

Cox's statement comes under the headline "Carrie Bradshaw May Be 'Doing Fine,' But New Yorkers Know the Obama Economy is Not In Vogue."

(Badop-ching!)  

Cox's statement includes the following (ahem) knee-slapper: "The devil may not wear Prada, but its certainly in the details."

Read the full release below.

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www.flickr.com

You could vote in today's primary, or stare at a wall for 30 minutes -- both will have the same impact on the outcome of the GOP primary.

Happy Republican primary day, New York! Now make sure and get out there and vote because your vote really (ahem) matters -- according to the New York State Republican Party, anyway. In reality, however, your vote means precisely nothing.

The New York State Republican Party issued a press release last night reminding GOPers to vote in the primary, noting that "It is important for New Yorkers to get out and vote this year to send a message to Washington that we're fed up with increasing debt and government overreach."

Again, your vote in a Republican primary means absolutely nothing -- former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee regardless of whether a single New Yorker casts a vote. Even if Romney weren't the clear nominee -- and he actually had a legitimate opponent (which he doesn't) -- New York's primary wouldn't make a lick of difference in the outcome of the overall contest (click here to find out why).

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www.biography.com

Rick Santorum is no longer running for president -- and he's no longer attending the New York GOP's fancy party next week.

There's bad news if you forked over $1,000 to New York's Republican Party to attend its annual dinner: former presidential candidate Rick Santorum won't be there.

GOP spokeswoman Becky Miller tells the Voice Santorum is out. Santorum, she says, didn't give a specific reason, but we can only assume the former presidential candidate's bailing on the pricey dinner has to do with his throwing in the towel in the presidential primary earlier this week.

Santorum and former U.S. House Speaker/now-faux presidential candidate Newt Gingrich were both scheduled to attend the dinner in what state GOP Chairman Ed Cox has pimped as one of the final campaign stops for presidential candidates before the New York primary on April 24. He's made attempts to hype New York's GOP as actually "playing a decisive role in this year's Republican presidential nominating process."
 
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New York hasn't played a role in the GOP presidential primary since 1976 -- despite what Ed Cox has to say about it.

The New York state Republican Party is holding its annual dinner next week, at which now-former presidential candidate Rick Santorum currently is scheduled to be a guest of honor. However, now that he's bailed on his campaign, it's unclear whether Santorum will actually show up -- and that's because the New York GOP won't tell us.

We've called, emailed, and even sent smoke signals (alright, maybe not smoke signals) to the state's GOP asking whether Santorum would attend the dinner. Its response: crickets.

It doesn't matter to us whether Santorum shows up for the dinner, but it seems like something people who are coughing up $1,000 a plate for an evening  with Republican bigwigs might want to know (oh, and $1,000 just gets you in the door -- it'll cost you $5,000 to get a picture with any of the honored guests).

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www.quickmemes.com

Wannabe presidential candidate Rick Santorum -- who the Washington Post has decided is edging "towards the embarrassment zone" -- apparently still thinks he can win the GOP presidential primary -- which is adorable. Sadly, that means he'll soon start campaigning in New York, where 95 delegates are at stake when New Yorkers head to the polls in the April 24 primary.

One of the stops on Santorum's quest to woo New York Republicans will be the New York Republican Party's Annual Dinner on April 19, just five days before the primary -- where he'll likely steal some of the thunder of the Dinner's keynote speaker, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (see our post on Jindal here).



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Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

​Following yesterday's passage in the U.S. Senate of the Federal Stock Act, the New York State Republican Party came out swinging. Per usual, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand -- who voted in favor of the bill -- is the target of the GOP's blows.

First and foremost, the Federal Stock Act would make it so insider trading by members of Congress is expressly illegal. In other words, it would be a crime for members of Congress to make stock transactions based on information they're only privy to because they're in Congress. It's been hailed by the Washington Post as the "most substantial debate on congressional ethics in nearly five years."

Gillibrand voted in favor of the bill -- which apparently wasn't enough to satisfy state GOP Chairman Ed Cox, who used the passage of the bill as an excuse to take shots at the junior senator (who happens to be up for re-election this year).

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