Senator Diaz to run as a Republican
Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., of the 32nd Senate District around the Bronx, is running as a Republican despite the fact that he caucuses with the Democratic minority in the State Senate. He is also running as a Democrat, but has two declared primary opponents.
Senator Diaz, who has been in the state senate since 2002, is a Pentecostal minister and is known for his very conservative positions on social issues. Back in 1994, when he was a member of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, he criticized the city’s decision to hold the Gay Games:
He wrote that the Gay Games, to be held in New York in June, would lead to an increase in AIDS cases and to wider acceptance of homosexuality by young people.
In 2007, he was a strong opponent of the marriage equality bill that then-Gov. Spitzer was advancing:
…I am confident that the New York State Senate, controlled by the Republican Party, will not allow this to come to the floor of the Senate.
I would like to praise those members of the New York State Assembly who resisted pressure from the Governor, from their fellow members, and from the gay and lesbian communities and will vote against this bill.
If you had any doubts about Diaz’s insanity, his opposition to the stem cell research bill takes the cake:
…embryonic stem cell research requires the sacrifice of precious living human fetuses as fodder for their experiments. Embryonic stem cell research is nothing New York State tax dollars should fund and nothing New Yorkers will support if they realize what it entails. When the world learned about Joseph Mengele’s experiments on Jewish children, the reaction was shock and revulsion. Using abortion clinics as a source of material for embryonic stem cell experimentation fills most New Yorkers with the same kind of revulsion.
The only thing I’m revolted by is Diaz’s ignorance, fear-mongering, and of course the exploitation of the Holocaust to make a political point.
So it appears that we have our very own Joe Lieberman right here in New York state:
He also said he did not know whether he would support the Senate majority leader, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, or the Senate minority leader, Malcolm A. Smith, a Queens Democrat, next year. Mr. Díaz already refused to sign a loyalty pledge to Mr. Smith.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Mr. Díaz said when asked which man he would support, adding he would decide “when they sit down with me and talk to me and tell me what they’re going to do.”
Unless he’s defeated in the Democratic primary, this means that we need three Democratic gains now instead of two in order to be certain that we have won a majority. He’s having a really difficult time deciding which side of the fence he wants to be on. Let’s have the residents of the Bronx put him out of his misery by defeating him in the primary. Given the overwhelming Democratic edge in the 32nd district, there’s no way that he’ll be reelected as a Republican.
Thanks for this info!
He’s been supported by Democrats for Life. Actually, I’ve heard good things about him, and it’s nice to see a pro-life voice among Democrats, whihc is supposed to be an inclusive party, after all.
Lee — read more about him. The guy’s a nut.
Being pro-life is one thing. Comparing us to Nazis because we would rather see embryos be used for research to save someone’s life rather than just be destroyed, is quite another. And there’s no excuse for sitting on the fence when it comes to which party you belong to, or which party you will caucus with. He knows exactly what he’s doing… he can’t change parties before the election, as the Republican that he defeated in 2006 got a whopping 9% of the vote in his district. So he’s going to wait until after the election at which point he will decide who he will support based on who gives him the sweetest deal. I take back what I said about Diaz being the Lieberman of New York: he is below Joe Lieberman.
Yeah,Lee, because the other people are “pro death”? I’m NOT trying to debate about abortion and who decides what - that has already been decided.
Just pointing out how the comment reads, especially with the comment about the “inclusive party”.
I also want to point out that candidates should be taken as a whole, not as a single issue.
So, of nice things you have heard about him, what else have you heard aside from his stance on choice?
Just asking.
The guy’s a total sleaze. He’s under indictment for stealing money from charities; he’s completely untrustworthy; he’d throw his own mother under the bus if he could get his name in the paper. Send him packing as quick as we can.
Good things (from my perspective): I agree with him on his opposition to abortion, embryonic stem cell research and same sex marriage. And abortion is a major issue with me, as you know.
As for other things he’s done – a mixed bag (as is true of most politicians) - and there was an investigation last year involving both him and his son ( the son is probably more to the liking of folks at this site).
But prior to being elected to the legislature, he created the Christian Community Benevolent Association, a non-profit organization that assists senirs and the needy. He has continued to be involved in senior issues in the Senate, including sponsoring bills to allow employees time to care for seniors, tax deductions for the care of seniors, discounts for seniors on on campgrounds, etc.
Among other bills he sponsored were ones devoted to requiring that nursing mothers be given time at work to express milk, and that phone companies to provide essential equipment, including voice dialing equipment, to persons with disabilities, concerning education problmas for people caught DWI, etc..
There’s a few things. I’m sure folks can list many they don’t like about him as well.
[...] for something else in our archives and came across this stunning post from July 2008 by Airbare. Read the whole thing here. The summary below does not do the post justice. Further evidence why Airbare is simply the [...]
[...] there’s Ruben Diaz, a pentecostal minister as well as a state senator, who has said that he would oppose any leader [...]