Election 2008: Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy seeks re-election

Issue of Oct. 31, 2008 / 2 Cheshvan 5769

At the opening of an Ohel residence for adolescents with developmental disabilities two weeks ago, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) of the Fourth District was in her element.

Two parents discussed the problems they faced raising children with serious disabilities and McCarthy listened attentively, interjecting her opinion and stories from her own experience as a nurse. In an upstairs bedroom she explained how parents could make sure that the sheets were changed every day.

“Write the date on the corner of the bed sheet in a marker,” she said while running a polish-less finger over the bed. “That way you’ll know it’ll get changed.”

The anecdote can be seen as the embodiment of McCarthy’s campaign. A focus on, in her words, “kitchen-table” issues with her constituents, coupled with a larger perspective on America and the world; in short, a plainspoken Congresswoman who can give parents advice on how to get sheets changed before flying down to Washington to vote in favor of a financial bailout.

McCarthy first became involved in politics 12 years ago after her husband was killed and her son was injured in the infamous Long Island Massacre. She challenged the then Republican Congressman Dan Frisa, after he tried to repeal the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.

“I got involved because a tragedy happened in my family,” McCarthy said in a phone interview with The Jewish Star. “I wanted to do something so others wouldn’t have to go through what I went through.”

Her track record, after 12 years as a Democrat in Congress, includes working as both a member of the minority and the majority. She’s passed legislation for improving health care, easing the nursing shortage, and she sponsored the first anti-gun bill that made it through Congress in fourteen years. She serves on both the Committees of Education and Labor and the Committee of Financial Services and is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. Most recently, she supported legislation that brought fresh fruits and vegetables to local schools and worked with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) to make heat more affordable to the elderly.

“I have a proven record of what I’ve been able to do for the community,” McCarthy asserted, “My background as a nurse has made very sensitive to a lot of the issues going on.”

McCarthy has also been heavily involved in the Jewish community. This past year she secured a grant a $282,000 grant for Kulanu Torah Academy and a $400,000 dollar grant for Ohel.

She doesn’t mince words about her feelings for Israel either.

“Israel is probably our only true friend,” McCarthy explained. “We’ve got acquaintances but they are our only true friends. I believe we must protect Israel to make their decisions about their own country. We as their partners need to make sure that they are secure.”

She views the economy as the most serious issue facing America today. “The economy has got to get under control,” McCarthy said. She feels that the crisis is a result of many factors including predatory lending, higher oil costs, and higher food prices. She voted for the financial bailout and said she believes that a second stimulus package is necessary.

This election may be one of the most difficult for McCarthy. Her opponent, Jack Martins, has run one of the more negative campaigns seen in Nassau County in recent memory. But McCarthy declined to return fire.

“I have never run a negative campaign and I never will run a negative campaign,” she said. “Integrity, that’s what I came into Congress with and when I leave I’ll come out with it. “