Chairman Kassar’s wrap-up includes a tribute to Barbara Keating-Edh, the continuing nursing home crisis, Tuesday’s live interview with John Gizzi on Facebook and our 2021 legislative program.

Barbara Keating-Edh 1938-2021

Conservative Party friend & supporter Herb Stupp prepared the following obituary for the late Barbara Keating-Edh.

The Conservative Party of New York sadly announces the death of Barbara Keating-Edh, on January 30th.  Barbara is best remembered by Conservatives as the party’s 1974 candidate for U. S. Senator.   Left out of many statewide polls through September 30th that year, Barbara shocked many observers by garnering nearly 823,000 votes statewide, or 17% in the three-way race.   Her strong showing held three-term liberal Republican Senator Jacob Javits to well under 50%, with radical Democrat Ramsey Clark polling a distant second.   Keating TV commercials took a strong pro-life stance.

After a stint on the staff of U. S. Senator Jim Buckley, Barbara helped to found “Consumer Alert,” a non-profit policy group emphasizing free market competition over big government as the best way to protect American consumers.  During a speech for the organization in California, Barbara met her future husband, Lennarth Edh, who survives her.

Her marriage brought her from Westchester, New York to Modesto, California, where she lived with Lennarth for nearly 40 years.    She almost won a state legislative seat as a Republican and ran the county office of Catholic Charities.  Barbara also served on the Board of the American Conservative Union, as well as on the transition team for President-elect Ronald Reagan.

Born in 1938 as Barbara Galvin, she married Marine Corps officer Daniel Keating, and they welcomed five children.   Major Keating was killed in action in Vietnam in 1968, leaving Barbara to raise their children alone.

She joined the Conservative Party and began speaking about the importance of Vietnam, debating the likes of Bella Abzug, William Kunstler, Ramsey Clark, Black Panther leaders and other radicals and liberals.   Although she never attended college, Barbara was quick-witted and well-informed, always “schooling” her debating opponents on the left.   Her gleaming smile and fresh-faced beauty surely disarmed many of her opponents.

In addition to husband Lennarth, Barbara is survived by a large family of children, stepchildren, their spouses, 19 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.   Please keep them, and Barbara, in your prayers.

Nursing Home Crisis Continues

 A judge ruled Wednesday that Governor Cuomo’s Health Department broke the law by refusing to give the total number of nursing home deaths to a Government watchdog organization.

In the decision, acting Albany Supreme Court Justice Kimberly O’Connor voiced her displeasure with the DOH for repeatedly denying the Empire Center for Public Policy the information.

“We’re very pleased but we don’t have the data yet and there’s still a chance that they will appeal and tie this up for potentially months longer — and given the way they’ve behaved so far, I wouldn’t be surprised,” said The Empire Center’s Bill Hammond, who also referred to the ruling as a “great victory.”

However, in their efforts to shield Governor Cuomo from taking responsibility and answering for his failures, New York’s Democrat supermajority on Monday blocked a motion to subpoena records of the Cuomo administration. The motion was made by Sen. Thomas O’Mara, the ranking Republican on the Investigations Committee panel during a virtual meeting, but the Democrats put up a roadblock and did not even allow members to make a vote.

As dominos continue to fall, it is clear there will be attempts to pass the buck on the nursing home crisis as State Democrats will follow their pied piper and continue to disregard decency and common sense.

Live with Newsmax’s Chief Political Columnist John Gizzi

John is Newsmax’s chief political columnist and White House correspondent. He is “the man who knows everyone in Washington” as well as many who hold elected positions and party leadership roles throughout America. He has appeared on countless radio and TV shows in America and Europe. He is the recipient of the William A. Rusher Award for Journalistic Excellence and was named Journalist of the Year by the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2002.

We are happy to have him join us live Tuesday, February 9th at 7:00pm on our Facebook page.

 2021 Legislative Agenda

New York State Conservative Party released the Party’s 2021 Legislative Program earlier this week. We publicly submit our Program each year to make clear our beliefs and priorities for the annual legislative session in Albany.

Political parties have a duty to spell out the ideas and legislative measures they support, and we are pleased to do so again in 2021. Unsurprisingly, we continue to call for fiscally sound, pro-economic-growth policies; respect for human life; strong public safety laws; religious and other constitutional freedoms; free-market solutions to healthcare and housing shortages; accountability in education, and government reforms, including the return of powers to the State Legislature, a co-equal branch of New York State government. We urge members of all political affiliations to review and consider these recommendations for a better state.

You can access the full 2021 Legislative Program here:

 No, We Shouldn’t Launch A ‘War On Terror’ Against Trump Voters

Local New York reporters urge Gov. Cuomo to be more transparent, answer hard-hitting follow-up questions

Pence will be ‘very active’ in 2022 elections amid new partnerships with conservative groups: ex-VP’s adviser

Politico: California Gov. Newsom Recall Now ‘Unavoidable’

/ In CPNYS NEWS / By Gerard Kassar / Comments Off on Chairman Kassar’s wrap-up includes a tribute to Barbara Keating-Edh, the continuing nursing home crisis, Tuesday’s live interview with John Gizzi on Facebook and our 2021 legislative program.