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Arthur Jay Finkelstein (May 18, 1945 – August 18, 2017) was a New York state-based Republican Party (GOP) consultant who worked for conservative and right-wing candidates in the United States, Canada, Israel, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe over four decades.

With his brother, Ronald, Finkelstein ran a political consulting and survey-research firm based in Irvington, New York. His specialties were polling, strategy, message, media, ad placement, and advising on general campaign management.

Early life and education
Finkelstein grew up in a lower-middle-class Jewish family, living in Brooklyn's East New York section until age 11, then in Levittown, New York, and later Queens. He and his two brothers attended local public schools; Finkelstein ultimately graduated from Forest Hills High School. Their parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe, and the father worked as a cabdriver and did various jobs in the garment trade. While a student at Columbia University, Finkelstein interviewed and helped produce radio programs for author/philosopher Ayn Rand, and was a volunteer at the New York headquarters of the Draft Goldwater Committee in 1963–64 (the famous "Suite 3505"). He eventually earned a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Queens College in 1967.

Career

1968–76: Buckley, Nixon, Helms, and Reagan
In 1968, Finkelstein did behind-the-scenes election analysis for NBC News, part of the network's team working under former Census director Richard M. Scammon and exit-polling pioneer Irwin A. "Bud" Lewis.

In 1969–70, he worked as a computer programmer in the Data Processing department of the New York Stock Exchange at its offices on 11 Wall Street in lower Manhattan. During this period, he was a familiar face in Greenwich Village, where he often argued politics from a street-corner soapbox. In his spare time, he aided State Senator John Marchi in his unsuccessful Republican-Conservative campaign for Mayor of New York City in 1969.

F. Clifton White, mastermind of the Draft Goldwater Committee, was Finkelstein's political patron and consulting partner in the early 1970s in the firm, DirAction Services. The young pollster's first electoral success came at age 25 in 1970, with the independent Conservative campaign of James L. Buckley for senator from New York. This was one of several New York statewide contests where he was able to maneuver his clients to victory in three-way scenarios. Buckley won a plurality upset victory over GOP incumbent Charles Goodell and favored Democrat Richard Ottinger. Of that election night, Buckley later wrote, "By 10 pm, ... Finkelstein (my volunteer analyst who called the final results within one-tenth of one percent based on a Sunday-night telephone survey) assured me that I had won." Finkelstein encapsulated Buckley's message in the catchphrase, "Isn't it about time we had a Senator?"

Finkelstein's work in New York led to his serving in 1971-72 as one of several pollsters for President Richard M. Nixon's re-election campaign developing sophisticated demographic analysis.

The 1972 election also saw the first of his three victorious campaigns to elect Jesse Helms as U.S. senator from North Carolina. After the election, Finkelstein worked with Helms political aides Tom Ellis and Carter Wrenn to establish a permanent conservative organization, the National Congressional Club, which lasted until 1995.

Finkelstein and White went their separate ways in the mid-1970s, and he founded his own firm, Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates (often later shortened to AJF & Associates). In the 1976 presidential primaries, White supported Gerald Ford, while Finkelstein worked for Ronald Reagan's insurgent campaign.

He helped Helms's Congressional Club turn around the faltering Reagan effort with a victory in the April North Carolina primary. His work continued in the subsequent Texas primary. "Finkelstein had been a key figure in 1976, when he helped orchestrate Reagan's campaign-saving comeback in North Carolina" which was crucial in Reagan's further political advancement.

At Finkelstein's urging, Reagan made a major issue of the impending Panama Canal Treaties, which Gerald Ford was negotiating and which infuriated conservative voters. (This proved to be Reagan's signature issue throughout the late 1970s.) As Jules Witcover later reported, "Tens of thousands of Wallace voters were gradually cut adrift during his slide [in the primaries] ... and Reagan media man Arthur Finkelstein recruited a Wallaceite from Fort Worth to radio and television spots for Reagan ... It was dynamite." The Associated Press's Mike Robinson wrote Finkelstein was "viewed by many as instrumental in Gov. Reagan's 1976 primary successes in North Carolina and Texas."

1975–80: NCPAC, Senate, and Reagan
Passage of the post-Watergate Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) amendments, and the subsequent 1976 Supreme Court decision in Buckley v. Valeo, drastically altered the rules by which Presidential and Congressional contests were waged. Finkelstein was among the first to sense an opportunity, and pioneered the concept and execution of independent expenditure campaigns, which would operate as a third force in an election beyond the control of candidate or party officials.

Beginning in 1975, Finkelstein was the chief strategist behind the most successful IE operation of this period, the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC). Its Executive Director was Finkelstein protégé Terry Dolan. In 1981 New Right activist Richard Viguerie wrote, "NCPAC relies heavily on research and polling, a reflection of one of its founders, conservative pollster Arthur Finkelstein."

In 1978, NCPAC was instrumental in the defeat of Democrats Dick Clark in Iowa and Thomas J. McIntyre in New Hampshire. Both liberal senators were replaced by committed conservatives. NCPAC ran hard-hitting ads for television, radio and newspapers, crafted by Finkelstein. A central idea behind the strategy was to expose the liberal words and actions in Washington of elected officials, usually senators, whose moderate or conservative public image at home was at odds with their actual voting record.

NCPAC hit its peak in 1980, operating IEs in six states, its ads and organizing efforts helping to topple liberal Democrats in Iowa (John Culver), Indiana (Birch Bayh), Idaho (Frank Church) and South Dakota (George McGovern). Less well-known were NCPAC's TV ads in the presidential contest, both negative (one featuring Jimmy Carter in a 1976 debate, another with Edward Kennedy shouting "And no more Jimmy Carter!") and positive (footage of Ronald Reagan speaking on values); Finkelstein concentrated these ad buys in closely contested Southern states (e.g., Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama), all of which switched from Carter to Reagan in 1980.

Finkelstein believed in the usefulness of third forces to help conservatives win elections, but not a conservative third party (a much-discussed option in the mid-1970s). At a February 1977 conference, he told activists, "The development of a third party may very well hurt conservative options in the future by diluting them," warning that traditional and emotional ties to party labels would keep many conservatives in their present parties. He said the Watergate scandal had cost the GOP the one clear advantage it had over the Democrats – the perception by voters that it was the more honest of the two parties. Nevertheless, he counseled against third-party option, saying this would succeed only in drawing conservatives out of both parties, creating a weak satellite party and leaving the major parties more liberal.

Besides NCPAC, Finkelstein found particular success during this period in guiding individual Senate and House campaigns. Reagan backer and political unknown Orrin Hatch won a resounding 56% victory in Utah in 1976 against a three-term Democratic incumbent. In 1978, he was consultant to the successful re-election campaigns of Jesse Helms in North Carolina and Strom Thurmond in South Carolina — the latter being Thurmond's last seriously contested race (he served until 2002, age 100). That same year, Finkelstein shepherded Carroll Campbell to his first win in South Carolina's Greenville-area 4th Congressional District.

After a brief interlude early in 1979 as adviser to conservative Congressman Phil Crane, Finkelstein returned as one of the pollsters advising Ronald Reagan's primary campaign. His services were also reportedly sought by the George H. W. Bush campaign.

In 1980, he engineered the improbable Senate victory of Long Island supervisor Alfonse D'Amato over incumbent Jacob Javits, another three-way contest where the Democrat (Congresswoman Liz Holtzman) was favored. He advised the successful campaign of 31-year-old State Senator Don Nickles for U.S. Senate from Oklahoma. Most unlikely was the victory (aided by National Congressional Club allies) of John East in the North Carolina Senate contest;<ref name="Allen, Kenneth S. 1988">Allen, Kenneth S., St. Petersburg Times, April 11, 1988, "Attack politics' specialist to lead Mack campaign"</ref> East was a little-known professor who used a wheelchair, recruited for the race by Jesse Helms and elected through the efforts of Ellis, Wrenn, Finkelstein and the Helms organization.

Besides Campbell, House winners included Duncan Hunter in California and Denny Smith in Oregon (both 1980), the latter toppling House Ways and Means Committee chair Al Ullman. Finkelstein also had his share of Senate losses, including two by previous client James Buckley (1976, New York, and 1980, Connecticut), and with Avi Nelson (1978, Massachusetts). Finkelstein was also pollster-strategist for Maryland Congressman Robert Bauman, who narrowly lost his seat after he was charged in DC with homosexual solicitation, one month before the November election.

1980s
During the 1980 campaign Finkelstein was a Reagan pollster and had been "aboard the Reagan campaign" since mid-1979. from the early primary days all the way through November. Having ridden (and driven) the Republican wave of 1977–80, he found the 1980s a period of consolidation, helping clients grow their base and win re-election.

In 1981, Finkelstein was one of four pollsters designated to do work on behalf of the Reagan White House, paid by the Republican National Committee. (The others were Richard Wirthlin, Robert Teeter and Tully Plesser). Newsweek reported in 1982 that "each of the President's top three advisers has his own numbers man: "Wirthlin became Edwin Meese's pollster, Teeter became James Baker's and now Finkelstein has become Michael Deaver's."

Throughout Reagan's first term and into the 1984 re-election campaign, Finkelstein advised Deaver, conducting polls and planning events and visuals (e.g. Reagan's trip to France for the 40th anniversary of D-Day). As The Washington Post reported: "For the White House, Finkelstein is more of an idea man than a pollster, specializing in media events such as the president's "spontaneous" drop-ins on disadvantaged individuals and institutions."

He also began dabbling in gubernatorial contests—in New Jersey (1981), for Jim Wallwork (defeated by Tom Kean in the GOP primary); and in New York (1982), for Paul Curran (defeated by Lewis Lehrman for the nomination).

In 1982, Finkelstein client Orrin Hatch sailed to re-election in Utah, while in Florida, banker Connie Mack III won his first campaign for the House. But his efforts on behalf of Democrat-turned-Republican Congressman Eugene Atkinson of Pennsylvania ended in defeat, as did the Congressional campaign in Westchester County of John Fossel, chairman of Oppenheimer Funds.

That year, NCPAC (with Finkelstein as pollster-strategist) was successful in only one targeted race (helping to oust Democrat Howard Cannon in Nevada), failed in several others (e.g. Maryland), and thereafter declined in influence. The pitfalls of running IEs and campaigns at the same time were illustrated when NCPAC was sued for running ads in early 1982 against New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan—around the same time as Finkelstein was working for GOP Senate candidate Bruce Caputo.

In 1986, a federal court ruled against NCPAC, and The Washington Post editorialized, "Both NCPAC and the Caputo campaign used the same pollster, Arthur Finkelstein. They could hardly be said to be independent unless the Caputo side of Mr. Finkelstein's brain refrained from communicating with the NCPAC side." (Finkelstein himself was not sued or charged; ironically, Caputo's campaign had imploded after revelations he'd lied about serving in the military, and Moynihan was never seriously challenged.) As late as 1987, Finkelstein was doing surveys for NCPAC (e.g. in New Mexico).

During the early 1980s, Finkelstein became involved in international polling, for groups such as Canada's National Citizens Coalition and (in 1986) the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario after losing their majority in the Ontario Legislature following the 1985 elections.

The 1984 election cycle saw him involved in three pitched battles for the Senate, the most heralded being the challenge of Democratic Governor Jim Hunt to Helms in North Carolina. The Ellis-Wrenn-Finkelstein team used the permanent assets of the National Congressional Club to wage a three-year campaign to undermine Hunt, including a groundbreaking opposition-research and advertising effort that redefined the popular governor as a tax-raising national Democrat. Helms won with 52%, in what was then the most expensive Senate race in history. However, this was the last Helms campaign on which Finkelstein would serve as pollster. Before Helms' 1990 re-election campaign, Finkelstein told the North Carolina team he couldn't work for the Senator any more. According to Carter Wrenn the New Yorker was polite about it, didn't offer a reason and recommended one of his proteges, John McLaughlin, handle the survey and strategy work. At the time, Helms was becoming one of the leading critics of the gay rights movement. "I took it that Arthur wasn't comfortable with Jesse's stand on the social issues," Wrenn said, and chalked it up to Finkelstein's libertarian views.

in November 1984, Finkelstein also found success in New Hampshire, as he aided freshman conservative Sen. Gordon Humphrey in overcoming a tough challenge from long-time Democratic Congressman Norman D'Amours. But in Massachusetts, after winning a contested primary against Elliot Richardson, businessman Ray Shamie lost a close uphill battle to Lt. Gov. John Kerry for the Senate seat vacated by Paul Tsongas. Another client, Congressman Tom Corcoran, failed to dislodge incumbent Charles Percy from the Senate nomination in Illinois, despite tough ads (attributed to Finkelstein) suggesting Percy was personally close to PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

His Congressional clients in 1984 included three New Yorkers – Joseph DioGuardi (who won election in Westchester County), Robert Quinn (who lost in Nassau County) and Serphin Maltese (who lost a close race for Geraldine Ferraro's seat in Queens). He helped guide Bill Cobey to an upset victory for Congress in North Carolina against incumbent Ike Andrews.

In 1985, Finkelstein polled for the gubernatorial campaign of Virginia Attorney General Marshall Coleman, losing the nomination to Wyatt Durrette (who was then defeated by Democrat Gerald Baliles).

Republicans lost their Senate majority in the November 1986 midterm elections. Nevertheless, Finkelstein's leading clients won re-election — Alfonse D'Amato in New York, and Don Nickles in Oklahoma. However, his candidate to succeed John East in North Carolina, David Funderburk, lost his primary, and he fared no better in Ohio, where Congressman Tom Kindness made little headway against incumbent Sen. John Glenn as well as in Illinois, where state legislator Judy Koehler failed to dislodge Senator Alan Dixon.  Finkelstein also steered Californian Elton Gallegly to his initial victory for Congress, but failed to push State Sen. Ed Davis to victory in the California U.S. Senate primary.

In 1985–87, Finkelstein was part of the team advising former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick for a possible campaign for the Presidency.Edsall, Thomas B., "Kirkpatrick Indicates Interest in White House; Kemp May Suffer if Ex-Envoy Runs", The Washington Post, October 17, 1987. Kirkpatrick ultimately declined to run.

The Florida Senate contest of 1988 — closest in the country that year — was among Finkelstein's signature efforts. Congressman Connie Mack III won a tougher-than-expected primary, but his campaign did not wait for the results of the early-October Democratic runoff. Finkelstein determined (correctly) that Congressman Buddy MacKay would emerge from the bitter face-off, and began running TV and radio ads re-defining MacKay through his liberal voting record, with the tagline, "Hey Buddy, You're a Liberal." MacKay's primary and runoff campaign had focused on ethics — appropriate for defeating Democrat Bill Gunter, but useless against Mack — and he failed to blunt the ideological attack. Still, the "Hey Buddy" ads were unpopular with the press, and 22 of 23 Florida daily newspapers endorsed MacKay.

Mack continued to press the liberal vs. conservative contrast in debates and ads, closing with endorsements by the highly popular Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, plus footage of MacKay endorsing various tax increases. A slight majority of voters casting ballots on Election Day backed MacKay, but an aggressive GOP absentee-voter program had already banked a margin of tens of thousands of votes, and Mack was elected senator by a total of 34,512 votes out of 4 million cast.

Finkelstein also advised Joe Malone in his campaign against Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy; Malone lost with 34%, but gained enough positive recognition that, in 1990, he was elected Treasurer in the overwhelmingly Democratic state. Another client, Joseph DioGuardi, lost his congressional re-election contest in New York, 48% to 50%, to Nita Lowey. But, in another tight contest decided by absentee voters, Denny Smith won re-election to Congress in Oregon.

1989–94: Focus on New York
Brooklyn native Finkelstein had long advised local and state party organizations in New York (e.g., the powerful GOP committees of Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, then dominant in all three suburban areas).

In 1989, he dove into the contentious world of New York City politics. Rudolph Giuliani's initial candidacy for Mayor was met with a primary challenge by cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder, backed by Sen. D'Amato and guided by Finkelstein. The Giuliani-D'Amato feud had begun in 1988 over the selection of Rudy's successor as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York; it colored Republican politics in the Empire State for the next several years. In this first skirmish, Lauder's millions of dollars' worth of hard-hitting advertising failed to prevent Giuliani's winning the GOP nomination. (Giuliani later blamed Lauder's primary ads for his narrow loss to David Dinkins that November.)

A year later, in the disastrous 1990 gubernatorial election, GOP nominee Pierre Rinfret nearly finished in third place (behind Conservative Party of New York State upstart Herbert London). D'Amato, and by extension Finkelstein, assumed dominance over the moribund state party apparatus. Long-time Rensselaer County activist William Powers, a staunch D'Amato ally, was named chairman, and began the rebuilding process. (D'Amato allies had started their own state PAC in 1989, the Committee for New York, in order to aid Republicans independent of the decaying party team.)

At this time, the Reaganite Finkelstein was not a fan of the current Administration of George H. W. Bush. In a rare public appearance in February 1991, after the GOP's poor national showing in the November 1990 elections, he reminded a conservative audience that Reagan prospered through unabashed ideological appeals that drew crossover votes from sympathetic Democrats. But Bush and other GOP candidates "kicked that away" in 1990 by raising taxes, sidestepping abortion and other social issues, and soft-pedaling their anti-communism while rooting for Mikhail Gorbachev to succeed. "We are going to have to go back to the things that got us here," Finkelstein said.

Meanwhile, D'Amato faced mounting ethical problems, and these occupied much of Finkelstein's time in 1990 and 1991. Though the New York senator was ultimately cleared by the Senate Ethics Committee in 1991, he was the subject of ceaseless negative news stories and editorials.

When CBS's 60 Minutes ran a highly damaging story on D'Amato, Finkelstein produced a response program that refuted many of its charges and misstatements. All the while, D'Amato's aggressive casework program and advocacy for New York interests was emphasized in paid and earned media. Nevertheless, going into his 1992 re-election campaign, D'Amato was shown in surveys to be a near-certain loser to most prospective challengers. The indictment of his brother, Armand D'Amato, on two dozen counts of mail fraud in March 1992 darkened the clouds further.

When the Democrats nominated Attorney General Robert Abrams in September, Finkelstein's polls showed D'Amato down 25 points, just seven weeks before the election. With the huge lead enjoyed by Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton in New York, the Bush-Quayle ticket was a positive drag on D'Amato. As with the Mack-MacKay race in 1988, Finkelstein moved to define Abrams by his liberal positions on issues. Support for a single-payer national health scheme was translated into "a 6% tax on every job in America"—a contention never challenged. His backing for other tax increases was documented and publicized in TV and radio ads, with the tagline, "Bob Abrams: Hopelessly liberal".

The D'Amato campaign was no less bold on the ethics issue, repeating pay-for-play charges made by ex-Rep. Geraldine Ferraro during the Democratic primary, with ads featuring excerpts from the Abrams-Ferraro debate. When news stories late in the campaign revealed the nominee's disallowed business-tax deductions, Finkelstein's closing ad ran: "Bob Abrams never met a tax he didn't like ... except his own." On Election Day 1992, as Bill Clinton was winning New York State by 16 points, D'Amato won re-election by 1.2 points, a margin of 80,794 votes — with a wave of Clinton-D'Amato split-ticket voting in Brooklyn, Queens and Buffalo the deciding factor.

Finkelstein had several other results that day. In North Carolina, he helped the Ellis-Wrenn-Congressional Club team guide businessman and former Democrat Lauch Faircloth to victory over incumbent Sen. Terry Sanford. Don Nickles easily won a third term as senator from Oklahoma. But in Illinois, the candidacy of Rich Williamson failed to defeat Democrat Carol Moseley Braun to replace Sen. Alan Dixon.

D'Amato's comeback win had demonstrated the Republicans' window of opportunity in New York City's outer boroughs, among working-class Catholics and (especially) Jewish voters angered by Democratic leaders' handling of the Crown Heights violence and subsequent incidents.

The senator's ticket-splitting performance had the effect of shielding downticket candidates from the Bush debacle, and Republicans actually made Congressional gains in strong D'Amato areas — e.g., working-class Buffalo (Jack Quinn), and suburban Long Island (Rick Lazio) — while holding the majority in the powerful State Senate, which strengthened the hand of D'Amato, Finkelstein and Powers going into 1993 and 1994.

Giuliani's second Mayoral campaign in 1993 benefited from the resurgent New York GOP. He had made a point of endorsing the Senator for re-election, and D'Amato and Finkelstein did not again back a primary challenger. This time, Giuliani ran a more effective race, riding to victory on a wave of discontent with incumbent David Dinkins, with even stronger turnout among ethnic Catholics and Jewish voters than in 1989, and in the same areas where D'Amato had done well a year earlier.

In New York City in November 1993, Finkelstein and Ronald Lauder also guided to victory a measure limiting the terms of elected city officials. The New York Times called this vote "a terrific defeat for the city's mostly Democratic political establishment, which had fought in court throughout the summer to kill the referendum, only to have the state's highest court order it on the ballot just two weeks [before the election]."

Finkelstein had specialized in federal elections to this point, and it was uncertain how he would adapt to the localized issues and personal style of a gubernatorial contest. Reluctantly at first, and only after considering several alternative candidates, he and D'Amato settled on supporting little-known State Senator George Pataki of Peekskill for Governor in 1994. They guided him through the State Convention in May, and to a smashing 3-to-1 primary victory in September over Nelson Rockefeller's longtime political wheelhorse Richard Rosenbaum.

The main challenge was defining the race against Cuomo. Finkelstein's first ad radiated disappointment and sowed seeds of disbelief: "Desperate candidates do desperate things ... Mario Cuomo could have been senator or President..." Subsequent spots, often as brief as 10 seconds, highlighted Cuomo-era failures (e.g. snarled traffic and record-high utility rates in Long Island),Fisher, Ian,  "The 1994 Campaign: Issues; Clamor Over Death Penalty Dominates Debate on Crime", The New York Times, October 9, 1994. and especially the litany of tax increases over his 12 years. The persistent tagline: "Mario Cuomo: Too liberal for too long."

Pataki introduced himself in ads first as a gentle reformer, then angry in responding to Cuomo attacks, and finally enthusiastic (in excerpts from rally speeches at campaign's close). Cuomo defended his record and played up D'Amato's sponsorship of Pataki's campaign (to the tune of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al"), but had trouble overcoming the anti-incumbent tide. Pataki had a slight lead in public surveys when, on October 24, Giuliani endorsed Cuomo, with attacks on his fellow Republican quickly becoming a staple on evening news programs. Poll numbers fluctuated wildly, with Finkelstein's own tracking survey showing a Cuomo lead ballooning to 13 points within days. It required a swift response. He elected to attack Giuliani's endorsement as a corrupt deal with Cuomo, the ad using headlines citing suspiciously timed New York State grants to the City to suggest the Governor had used taxpayer money to buy the Mayor's backing. Pataki relentlessly pushed this argument in public appearances.

The pendulum swung back, with negative reaction to Giuliani especially strong Upstate and in the Metro North and Long Island suburbs. (GOP protestors even chased the Mayor's plane on an airport tarmac during a statewide flyaround for Cuomo.) Pataki closed the sale with an energetic tour of the state, appearing alone on a WCBS-TV Election Eve program when Cuomo refused a one-on-one debate. The final result: Pataki defeated Cuomo by 4 points. In an historic Republican landslide year, Mario Cuomo was the most prominent Democrat to fall. As Todd Purdum of The New York Times wrote that November, "For good or ill, Mr. Pataki's campaign [wa]s almost entirely a creation of Mr. Finkelstein."

Delaware provided another win for Finkelstein in November 1994, as longtime Senator Bill Roth coasted to victory for his fifth term, 56% to 44%.

1995–98: NRSC, Netanyahu, "Outed", and New York
Following Election Day 1994, D'Amato and Finkelstein were handed new challenges and opportunities, as the 14-year incumbent was named by his Senate peers as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), one of the four permanent GOP campaign operations in Washington. They had a tough act to follow—Phil Gramm of Texas had just piloted Republicans to a 7-seat gain and recaptured control of the Senate. For Finkelstein, it was his first bow as an inside player on a Washington campaign committee, his dealings previously being as representative of an individual candidate. Now he and D'Amato were responsible for helping to direct Senate campaigns in 33 states simultaneously.

One of their first moves was to break the cycle of hiring parochial-minded Senate aides to manage the sprawling committee; their choice for Executive Director was John Heubusch (later a top executive with Gateway Computers and head of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation). Other key hires were Jo Anne B. Barnhart as Political Director, and Gordon Hensley as Communications Director. Barnhart was a long-time aide and campaigner for Senator William Roth, and later served as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. All three were singled out by Roll Call newspaper in 1996 as among national "Politics' Fabulous Fifty."

The NRSC faced several challenges beyond their control, many emanating from the two dominant Republicans of 1995-96, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. The Oklahoma City bombing had given President Bill Clinton an opportunity to marginalize his opponents, and slowed the momentum of the reform-minded Republican Congress.

By late 1995, unrelenting Democratic/press attacks, and his own missteps, had turned Gingrich into a pariah through much of the country (2-to-1 unfav-fav ratio in surveys); meanwhile, Dole was running for President, and allowing ambition to overshadow his Senate work. In mid-1996, Dole resigned from the Senate to campaign full-time, but by then he was behind Clinton to stay, and eventually polled less than 41% nationwide.

D'Amato remained personally devoted to Dole, but Finkelstein and the NRSC team urged Republican Senate candidates to cut loose from unpopular national leaders and carve their own individual profiles on issues. D'Amato remained a champion fundraiser and the committee found new legal ways to deliver assistance to Senate campaigns and local parties. The NRSC paid particular attention to blunting the wave of millionaire political unknowns (e.g., Tom Bruggere in Oregon, Elliott Close in South Carolina) recruited that year by the Democrats. It shored up many endangered incumbents, including Bob Smith (New Hampshire), John Warner (Virginia), 75-year-old Jesse Helms (North Carolina) and 94-year-old Strom Thurmond (South Carolina).

On Election Night, as Clinton defeated Dole by nearly 9 points and Gingrich's House Republicans lost a net 8 seats, Senate Republicans won open seats in Alabama, Arkansas and Nebraska, while losing South Dakota. In a poor GOP year, the D'Amato–Finkelstein NRSC had gained a net 2 seats (and narrowly missed another gain in the Max Cleland – Guy Millner race in Georgia).

Finkelstein was not a consultant to the Dole Presidential campaign, despite his closeness to several of its top staffers. But, in the election's waning days, Time magazine reporter Erik Pooley detected the New Yorker's influence on strategy, writing:

For Arthur Finkelstein, this week might have been a vindication: Bob Dole finally started labeling Bill Clinton a "spend-and-tax liberal," using a crude but often effective strategy known as "Finkel-think" by some Dole advisers, because the secretive Republican strategist has been deploying it on behalf of his clients for 20 years ... These days, Finkelstein is exercising a kind of remote control. The Senator's latest brain trust is dominated by "Arthur's Boys" ... And Dole is rushing around the country chanting the Finkelstein mantra. "Liberal! Liberal! Liberal!" he cried in St. Louis, Missouri.

His own statewide clients in 1996 showed a mixed record, with Senator Larry Pressler (South Dakota) and ex-Senator Rudy Boschwitz (Minnesota) both losing, albeit in close races. Bob Smith survived with a 49% plurality win. New Jersey Congressman Dick Zimmer was defeated in his Senate bid against Robert Torricelli.Earlier in 1996, he also helped Benjamin Netanyahu oust Shimon Peres as Prime Minister of Israel in a close upset. According to The Jerusalem Post, "Finkelstein was largely responsible for the strategy that brought Netanyahu victory in the 1996 general elections."

According to the Times of Israel, "Finkelstein was behind the "Peres will divide Jerusalem" slogan that helped Netanyahu overcome Shimon Peres who had been forecast to sweep to power in the wake of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin the previous November. That election was credited with changing the tone of Israeli campaigns, bringing more American-style, aggressive and negative campaigning to Israel." But his expertise helped in subtler ways as well; biographer Neill Lochery wrote in 2016 that Finkelstein was behind such ideas as dyeing Netanyahu's salt-and-pepper hair gray to give him a more statesmanlike appearance.

Jeff Barak of The Jerusalem Post, a harsh critic of Finkelstein and Netanyahu, called the strategist "the brains behind Netanyahu's first election victory in 1996. Netanyahu's campaign back then, from which he has never wavered, was that you're either for him or an enemy of the people. His campaign slogan at the time, 'Netanyahu is good for the Jews,' encapsulated this. By implication, if you're not for Netanyahu then you're not good for the Jews, and therefore an enemy. And if Netanyahu is good for the Jews, then this also not-so-subtly hints that Netanyahu's bad for the Arabs, regardless of the fact that they are supposedly citizens of equal standing who comprise around 20% of the country's population."

Finkelstein's greatest personal challenge that year came with the August issue of Boston magazine, which revealed his private life as a homosexual; the ostensible excuse for the outing was that several Finkelstein clients had voted against gay-rights measures in Congress, and his work to elect them was therefore inconsistent and/or hypocritical. In September, D'Amato said, "I don't think a person's sexual orientation, his private life — a person's private life should be brought up and I think the question is offensive, it's wrong. He's a wonderful, decent person and whatever his sexual orientation is, that's his business."

Finkelstein's next two years anchored him again in New York, for the simultaneous re-election campaigns of Senator D'Amato and Governor Pataki in 1998. The contests were as different as the candidates themselves, with the calm, earnest Pataki winning high approval ratings and discouraging stronger Democrats from challenging him. New Yorkers' approval of Republican executives was signaled with the landslide re-election of Giuliani as Mayor in November 1997.

Finkelstein crafted a highly positive campaign for Pataki, focusing on fulfillment of promises from 1994 (e.g., tax cuts) and policy innovations (the STAR tax program for seniors) Raising $21 million, Pataki defeated New York City Council President Peter Vallone by 21 percentage points, polling 54.3%, the largest share by a Republican for Governor since Nelson Rockefeller in 1958.

D'Amato was another matter; since his narrow victory in 1992, his profile had grown more partisan Republican in this still-heavily Democratic state. Summoning First Lady Hillary Clinton to testify before his Senate committee in 1995, and aggressive campaigning for Dole in 1996, damaged D'Amato in a state where Bill Clinton crushed the Kansan by nearly 2-to-1 (60% to 31%), doubling his 1992 margin over Bush.

D'Amato's decision to divorce his wife after a long separation and announce his engagement to a young socialite did not help his favorable ratings, while others recalled his mock-Japanese impression of O. J. Simpson case Judge Lance Ito in 1995 (for which he was forced to apologize on the Senate floor).

D'Amato raised a record $26 million for the 1998 campaign, and Finkelstein went to work early shoring up his client's "Senator Pothole" image of close attention to local needs and the problems of individual New Yorkers (as he had done successfully in 1992). State polls showed a swing back to such issues as health care and social concerns, which needed to be addressed. The tagline of these ads: "Al D'Amato Cares, Al D'Amato Makes a Difference, Al D'Amato Gets Things Done."

The Democratic primary was ultimately between Queens politician Geraldine Ferraro and U.S. Representative Charles Schumer of Brooklyn. Finkelstein prepared for both eventualities. When Schumer won by a surprisingly large margin, he immediately began ads that raised questions about the candidate's work ethic. (As Congressman, Schumer had missed an inordinate number of committee meetings.) The unexpected line of attack stymied the Democrat in late September and early October, and despite his weaknesses D'Amato gamely held onto a lead.

All this collapsed in late October, after a remarkable show of hubris and bad judgment at a closed-door meeting with Jewish supporters in Brooklyn. First, D'Amato did a waddling impression of then-obese Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler. Later in the meeting, he referred to Schumer as a "putzhead" (a mangling of the Yiddish vulgarism "putz"). He later denied using this characterization, during questions from reporters (but was swiftly contradicted by his own supporters, present at the meeting, including Ed Koch). Film of the denial was turned into a Schumer TV ad within days.

Finkelstein's tracking survey the night of D'Amato's "putzhead" comment showed the senator leading Schumer by 10 points with two weeks to go. But the meltdown was quick and decisive, especially among Jewish voters, with Schumer's ads relentlessly driving the message of D'Amato's dishonesty and dislikeability. The Democrat's closing tagline was itself a homage to Finkelstein: "D'Amato: Too many lies for too long." Schumer won, 55% to 44%—a 20-point turnaround.

In other races that year, Senator Lauch Faircloth—who had earlier replaced Finkelstein for his 1998 reelection campaign in North Carolina — brought him back into the fold in the closing weeks of the race. (Faircloth ultimately lost a close contest to Democrat John Edwards.)

Later clients and campaigns, 1999–2017
International
In the 2000s, Finkelstein spent more time working overseas than in previous decades, with clients in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Ukraine and Azerbaijan (the last, in coordination with George Birnbaum.) He continued to consult in Israeli elections, working again for Benjamin Netanyahu   in 1999, Ariel Sharon (whom he helped become Prime Minister in 2001), and finally Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beytenu party.

Florida
Having twice steered Connie Mack III to Senate victories in 1988 and 1994, Finkelstein was in demand for the 2000 Florida contest upon Mack's retirement. His candidate was 10-term Congressman Bill McCollum, and he helped clear the Republican field early in anticipation of a tough general election against Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson. It was a nail-biter with many echoes of the 1988 Senate campaign, but with a different outcome. As enthusiasm among Republican voters faltered in the final days (after revelations of George W. Bush's 1976 DUI conviction), GOP coattails and McCollum's slim lead disappeared, and Nelson was elected, 51% to 46%.

McCollum ran for the other Florida Senate seat on Democrat Bob Graham's retirement in 2004, but succumbed to eventual Senator Mel Martinez after low fundraising allowed the challenger to overcome his early lead. But McCollum was more successful in 2006, when he was the consensus GOP choice for Attorney General, and defeated Democrat Skip Campbell, 53% to 47%, polling well in a poor year for Republicans.

In 2009 and 2010, Finkelstein helmed McCollum's campaign for Florida Governor, where he was the favorite of the state's GOP Establishment. These plans were upended by the surprise candidacy of wealthy businessman Rick Scott, whose bottomless spending that year ($75 million from his personal coffers) led to a furious contest for the nomination. McCollum fought gamely, but lost the bid to Scott, 44% to 46%, who went on to win election to the Statehouse that November against Democrat Alex Sink.

A 2004 open seat in Florida's 14th Congressional District allowed Finkelstein to help create a political dynasty, as he steered State Rep. Connie Mack IV to a narrow victory in a four-way primary, then general-election wins in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Finkelstein served as strategist for Mack's Senate campaign in 2012; a late entrant in the primary, the Congressman won the GOP nomination with 58%, but was defeated by incumbent Bill Nelson by a million votes in the Obama re-election year. (Mack IV later became a lobbyist, whose clients included the government of Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orbán was a leading Finkelstein client in the 2010s.)

New York
Pataki's third gubernatorial campaign, in 2002, provided some fresh challenges to Finkelstein, including a contest for the Conservative Party of New York State nomination, a still-shrinking Republican base, and a strong third-party challenge from millionaire B. Thomas Golisano, running again on the Independence Party line. Finkelstein positioned Pataki as an economic conservative but far more moderate on social and spending issues than in previous campaigns. This shift won the endorsement of influential union leaders such as Dennis Rivera and Randi Weingarten. Pataki enjoyed a 15-point victory, polling 48% to 33% for state Comptroller H. Carl McCall, and 14% for Golisano.

Finkelstein tried to make use of Pataki's likely coattails by helming the campaign of David Cornstein for the state Comptroller slot being vacated by McCall. Cornstein, a successful businessman and Giuliani's appointed chief of Off-Track Betting, brought personal resources and a strong finance team to the table. He was a longtime ally of both the Mayor and Governor, with a City/Long Island base and unusual appeal as a Jewish Republican running as a moderate-conservative. But party regulars instead fell in decisively behind former Upstate Assemblyman John Faso, a onetime legislative leader for the GOP minority, and Cornstein abandoned his run in 2001. (Faso further failed to expand his appeal beyond the limited Republican base, losing with 47% in November 2002; in his subsequent 2006 bid for Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer crushed him, Faso polling just 29%.)  In 2017, Cornstein was named U.S. Ambassador to Hungary.

Back in New York in April 2005, Finkelstein announced the organization of Stop Her Now, a 527 committee dedicated to defeating then-Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2006 New York U.S. Senate race. Clinton sailed to an easy re-election, and the PAC was not a factor in the contest.

In the titanic struggle over new stadium construction on Manhattan's West Side, Finkelstein was hired to defeat the proposal by Cablevision, MSG and its allies; they ultimately prevailed, and the new Yankee Stadium was instead built in the Bronx, next to the old ballfield site, opening in 2009. It was the only time that the Finkelstein firm filed disclosure forms as a lobbyist (the filer was Ronald Finkelstein, not Arthur).

Finkelstein advised former Congressman Rick Lazio during his campaign for the 2010 Republican nomination for New York Governor.: Lazio lost the GOP nomination contest to businessman Carl Paladino.

North Carolina
Finkelstein continued to partner with Carter Wrenn on Tar Heel State races after the demise of the National Congressional Club. In 2000, former Charlotte mayor (and UNC basketball star) Richard Vinroot sought the Governorship, to succeed the term-limited Democrat Jim Hunt. Vinroot won a contested fight for the GOP nomination, but the drop in Republican-voter enthusiasm in the closing days (noted above in Florida) hurt here as well, and Vinroot was defeated by Mike Easley, 44% to 52%.

In one of Finkelstein's last major races before his death, he worked with Wrenn in 2016 to win a spirited primary fight between two sitting Congressmen – George Holding and Renee Ellmers. Wrenn had helped Ellmers pull one of the shocking House upsets of the 2010 election, but she abandoned the veteran consultant after her swearing-in and allied herself closely with House GOP leaders. In this primary, Wrenn backed Holding (a former US Attorney he'd guided to victory in 2012 and 2014), after a court-ordered redistricting combined the constituencies of the two suburban-Raleigh members.  Aided by Wrenn's management and Finkelstein's polling and advice, Holding crushed Ellmers, 53% to 24%, and went on to a 56% re-election in November against Democrat John P. McNeil.

Other states and presidential
In Delaware, Finkelstein continued as pollster in 2000 to Senator Bill Roth, but the 30-year lawmaker fell to a 56–44% defeat that November to Thomas Carper.

Texas businessman David Dewhurst first approached Finkelstein in 1993 about running for Governor; he advised Dewhurst against challenging George W. Bush, who stormed to victory a year later. In 1998, he shepherded the millionaire to victory for the post of state Land Commissioner, then to two successive wins in 2002 and 2006 for the job of Lieutenant Governor.  In 2012, Finkelstein worked against Dewhurst in the U.S. Senate primary, polling for the campaign of former ESPN broadcaster Craig James.

Finkelstein also served as pollster for the 2004 primary challenge by conservative Pennsylvania Congressman Pat Toomey against moderate incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, pairing with strategist Jon Lerner. Specter averted defeat narrowly only after massive assistance from the NRSC and Bush White House (and then switched parties after the 2008 election); Toomey was elected to Specter's seat in 2010 and 2016.

In 2005, Finkelstein polled for the gubernatorial campaign of Doug Forrester in New Jersey; he was defeated by Jon Corzine.

Connie Mack IV's 2007 marriage to Congresswoman Mary Bono led to Finkelstein's aiding her sharply contested (but successful) California campaign in November 2008, defeating Democrat Julie Bornstein in Obama's triumphant year. Bono finally lost in 2012, after her Riverside County seat was redistricted, falling to Raul Ruiz.

Finkelstein returned to New Hampshire in 2009-10, taking on the insurgent campaign of Bill Binnie for the GOP Senate nomination. Binnie was defeated by former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, who went on to election that November.

In May 2011, Finkelstein told an audience in Prague that three presidential candidates had asked him to serve as pollster on their campaign for the 2012 Republican nomination, and he had turned all three down. (He further noted that Ron Paul was not one of those three.)

 Campaign style and reviews
Finkelstein was known for his hard-edged political campaigns, which often focused on a single message with great repetition. He is credited with helping to make "liberal" a dirty word in the United States during the late 1980s and 1990s through the use of commercial messages such as this, intended to damage the image of Jack Reed:

While often successful (as with NCPAC's attacks on seemingly moderate Democrats, or the D'Amato and Pataki campaigns in New York), Finkelstein's tactics sometimes backfired – in 1996, his repeated attacks against Minnesota U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone (calling him "Embarrassingly liberal. Decades out of touch.") may have helped galvanize Wellstone's liberal grass-roots base. Republican Sen. Rod Grams eventually condemned Finkelstein's negative ads against Wellstone as excessive; however, his client (former Sen. Rudy Boschwitz) came closer that year than any GOP challenger to defeating a Democratic incumbent.

Finkelstein refused the notion he engaged in negative campaigning, a phrase he said connotes false accusations: "It just means that you speak about the failings of your opponent as opposed to the virtues of your candidate"—a strategy he called "rejectionist voting"—a formula based on slogans that disparaged adversaries.

Time magazine in October 1996 reported the Liberal-branding strategy was dubbed "Finkel-think" by leading Bob Dole advisers, and the presidential nominee was (belatedly) employing it against President Bill Clinton.

Political scientist Darrell M. West, in 1996 said ". . .He uses a sledgehammer in every race ... I've detected five phrases he uses — ultraliberal, superliberal, embarrassingly liberal, foolishly liberal and unbelievably liberal."

Philip Friedman, a Manhattan consultant who got his start working for Finkelstein's frequent Democratic rival David Garth, described the pollster as "the ultimate sort of Dr. Strangelove, who believes you can largely disregard what the politicians are going to say and do, what the newspapers are going to do, and create a simple and clear and often negative message, which, repeated often enough, can bring you to victory".

Republican strategist Roger Ailes, who worked with Finkelstein on numerous races in the 1980s, described "Art" as "a polling guy with creative talents",

John Fossel, chairman of Oppenheimer Funds, characterized him as "basically sort of a mad scientist". Finkelstein polled in Fossel's unsuccessful Republican Congressional campaign in Westchester County in 1982. "We had a knock-down, drag-out over whether busing was an issue in Westchester. His polls told him it was. I said, 'I don't think it is, but if it is, it isn't to me,' and we didn't use it."

Carter Wrenn, who worked on Republican campaigns for 44 years with Finkelstein in North Carolina, called him "one of the most creative people I have ever worked with ... He is brilliant in terms of analyzing polls and numbers. He has a unique combination of an analytical and creative mind ... This guy's a workaholic. He must work 18 hours a day ... If you need him, he comes."

Tom Ellis, cofounder of the National Congressional Club said "Just knock on his head, and he'll give you an idea."

In 1990, Randall Rothenberg of The New York Times documented the rise of political and other ads intended to create controversy (in and of themselves), as well as to persuade. While Roger Ailes was credited by some as pioneering the tactic, "other Washington political hands give credit to Finkelstein, another Republican consultant, who deployed numerous news-generating commercials in his 1982 work for the National Conservative Political Action Committee."

Finkelstein's early style is described in a scholarly account of a Congressional primary race in Arizona, published in 1979 in the "Quarterly Journal of Speech".

Finkelstein gave advice to political candidates or elected officials to perform the "dance of the honest man", a metaphor for responding to "questions about transparency, honesty, or integrity" by imagining oneself as a typical, honest voter.

Britain's The Daily Telegraph credited Finkelstein with using polling data to pinpoint the division of Jerusalem as an issue over which Israelis would reject a deal with the Palestinians, during the 1996 election in Israel. The newspaper attributed Benjamin Netanyahu's victory in part to Finkelstein's "scare-mongering".

 Other businesses
Finkelstein's office shared a small building with Diversified Research, a separate but related firm that executes telephone surveys and packages their results for political and business consultants (including some media pollsters). The firm, long based in Irvington, New York, had formerly been located in nearby Mount Kisco.

Finkelstein also had interests in Murphy-Powers Media Inc. (whimsically named for two young campaign-manager proteges), and Multi-Media Services (a media-buying firm helmed for years by Tony Fabrizio).

 "Arthur's Kids"
Over four decades, Finkelstein was responsible for the early hiring and training of many successful Republican consultants, operatives and managers—collectively called "Arthur's Kids" or "Arthur's Boys"—including Tony Fabrizio, Alex Castellanos, James Hartman, Craig Shirley, George Birnbaum, Beth Myers, Mitch Bainwol, Ari Fleischer, Carter Wrenn, Kieran Mahoney, Zenia Mucha, Jon Lerner, Rick Reed, Patrick Hillmann, Jim Murphy, the pollster brothers John and Jim McLaughlin, Rob Cole, and Adam Stoll.  Others who worked with Finkelstein and have gone on to have successful independent careers include Frank Luntz, Larry Weitzner, Charles R. Black Jr., Roger Stone, Chris Mottola,John Heubusch, Barney Keller, Gordon Hensley, and Gary Maloney.

 Personal life
In 1996, Boston Magazine'' outed Finkelstein as a homosexual in a feature story. In April 2005, Finkelstein acknowledged that in December 2004, he had married his partner of forty years in a civil ceremony at his home in Massachusetts.

Finkelstein was a self-identified libertarian conservative, and once did polling work for the Free Libertarian Party. In his final years he increasingly distanced himself personally from social conservative elements within the Republican Party while nevertheless still working for many conservative candidates.  In a 1979 interview, he denied he was "a hard-core right-winger," but noted there was hardly "a serious conservative over the last 10 years [i.e. 1969-79] whom I haven't been involved with."

Finkelstein died of lung cancer on August 18, 2017, aged 72, in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  Survivors included his husband, Donald Curiale, of Ipswich and Fort Lauderdale; two daughters, Jennifer Delgado of Danvers, Mass., Molly Finkelstein of Alpharetta, Ga.; two brothers; and a granddaughter Maryn Baird-Kelly.

Quotes
 "A crook always beats a fool." (frequent saying)
 VARIANT of above: "When you allow people to choose between the corrupt and the stupid, they will go for the corrupt." (Said in reference to a 2003 Israeli campaign)
 "The most overwhelming fact of politics is what people do not know." (frequent saying)
 "Stupid people say stupid things." (Hebrew language paper Maariv in 1999)
 "I have been criticized for 20 years for running ideologically arched campaigns.  I plead guilty. I will continue to run ideologically arched campaigns as long as there are more conservatives than there are liberals, rather than more Democrats than there are Republicans." (Speech to Conservative Political Action Conference, 1991)
 Finkelstein insisted he never lied – "I do not slander somebody without proof."
 "In politics, it's what you perceive to be true that's true, not truth.  If I tell you one thing is true, you will believe the second thing is true.  A good politician will tell you a few things that are true before he will tell you a few things that are untrue, because you will then believe all the things he has said, true and untrue." (2011 speech in Prague)
 "The political center has disappeared, and the Republican Party has become the party of the Christian right more so than in any other period in modern history ... Bush's victory not only establishes the power of the American Christian Right in this candidacy, but in fact established its power to elect the next Republican president."
 "From now on, anyone who belongs to the Republican Party will automatically find himself in the same group as the opponents of abortion, and anyone who supports abortion will automatically be labeled a Democrat."
 "She will put off Democrats from the center. In terms of the Republicans, Hillary Clinton is a wonderful candidate for the presidency." (Maariv, 11/04)
 "I think I'm the playwright or the director, and not the actor. And the actors need to be onstage, not the director. And I think it's absurd that people who do what I do become as important, as celebrated, as the ones who are running."
 Speaking to GOP congressional hopefuls in 1978: "If any of you do get elected, and chances are 19-to-1 you won't ... don't run your own campaign; don't let your spouse do it; and don't listen to the nice lady who praises the brilliance of your speech—she probably was the only one in the audience who thought so." He said Proposition 13 (just passed in California) shouldn't be interpreted as "evidence people want services cut. They want taxes cut," and voters aren't sophisticated enough to understand that one leads to the other.
 He cited the 1965 New York mayoral campaign of John Lindsay, elected because "he promised to cut the budget in half and double the services. Four years later, when it was apparent that he had doubled the budget and cut services; Lindsay said, 'Yes, I made a mistake,' but he was re-elected when he promised to help end the Vietnam War."
 Said in 1979 that there are three kinds of candidates' wives—the wife "who hates politics and refuses to come out of the house," the wife who is reluctant but "will do what she is asked," and the wife "who wants to be the candidate and loves politics more than her husband does." He put Rosalynn Carter and Arlene (Mrs. Phil) Crane in the last category.
 After being praised for his winning advice in a Nassau County election: "I'm a hero, but the first time a town clerk loses an election after my figures show him winning, I will be over the hill and a bum."
 Longtime associate George Birnbaum: "I would always say, 'Arthur, do you realize how much we're changing history?' He would say, 'I don't know how much we're changing history; we're touching history."
 In 2011, in one of his last public speeches, he said: "I wanted to change the world. I did this. I made it worse."

References

External links

 Romanian journalist Cristi Şuţu photo of Finkelstein
  (2011 Lecture in Prague by Finkelstein)
  (News report in Hungarian concerning Finkelstein and Viktor Orbán)

1945 births
2017 deaths
20th-century American Jews
American political consultants
American libertarians
Businesspeople from Brooklyn
Columbia University alumni
People from East New York, Brooklyn
American LGBT businesspeople
LGBT Jews
LGBT people from New York (state)
LGBT people from Massachusetts
Massachusetts Republicans
Queens College, City University of New York alumni
New York (state) Republicans
Pollsters
People from Irvington, New York
People from Levittown, New York
Deaths from lung cancer in Massachusetts
Forest Hills High School (New York) alumni
21st-century American Jews
21st-century LGBT people

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Dr. Jose Luis Rugerio is a traditionally-trained physician who specializes in percutaneous hydrotomy. Dr. Rugerio is a board-certified surgeon who has extensive experience with a wide range of conditions and therapies.
Dr. Rugerio has enjoyed a long and interesting medical career in France, as well as in his home county of Mexico. He is a citizen of both culturally-rich countries. Dr. Rugerio speaks fluent Spanish and French and is also skilled in the English language.
Jose L. Rugerio, MD is very interested in health and wellness on personal, as well as professional levels. He cites jogging and swimming as his preferred fitness activities. He also enjoys reading and cooking healthy meals to enjoy with his wife and 2 daughters.
Dr. Rugerio's clinic is famous for its medical tourism packages, attracting clients from around the world to benefit from treatment in a vacation setting.
Percutaneous hydrotomy therapy is used to treat spine and joint discomfort that is thought to be caused by such diagnoses as arthritis, herniated discs, arthrosis and other chronic pain producing disorders. The philosophy of treatment is unique in the dorsalgia sector, using injection therapies consisting of essential trace elements, Quinton isotonic sterile sea water containing 92 chemical elements from Mendeleev's periodic table, as well as a mixture of vitamins and minerals.
Treatment results in removal of toxic heavy metal deposits from the treated regions, generation of new mucous membranes and the reduction of compression and inflammation that are known to cause pain and functional limitation in affected anatomical regions.
Magnetic resonance imaging has shown dramatic reduction in herniated disc severity following percutaneous hydrotomy therapy.
Percutaneous hydrotomy is said to produce long-lasting positive results with no adverse secondary effects or substantial risks. The injection process does not use analgesics, steroids, or other harmful substances.
Treatment has been successfully applied to resolve back and joint pain, arthritis, intervertebral herniation, spinal stenosis, TMJ/TMD, carpal tunnel syndrome, and a host of neuralgias including sciatica, as well as other problematic conditions.
Read our interview with Dr. Rugerio detailing his use of percutaneous hydrotomy for back pain.


text:
Person › Details
Matthew R. (Matt) McGrew (Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR))
McGrew, Matthew R. (Matt) (Danaher 20901–CFO joined 2012 before KPMG)
Organisation Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR)
Group Danaher (Group)
Product laboratory equipment and instruments
Danaher Corporation. (1/30/18). "Press Release: Danaher Announces Transition Plan For Chief Financial Officer". Washington, DC.
Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) today announced that, effective January 1, 2019, Matthew R. McGrew, Group CFO of the Company's Diagnostics and Dental platforms, will succeed Daniel L. Comas as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Comas will continue as an Executive Vice President of the Company, and a member of the Office of the Chief Executive, effective January 1, 2019 as he begins a gradual transition to retirement.
Thomas P. Joyce, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "I have had the opportunity to work with Matt over the past fourteen years. During his tenure at Danaher, Matt has consistently demonstrated superior leadership and has played an integral role in the corporation's growth, both organically and inorganically. Matt is uniquely qualified to take on this important role. He brings together extensive Danaher experience in internal audit, M&A, investor relations, and as Group CFO, with operational experience across four of our five platforms."
Joyce continued, "It has been a privilege for me to work with Dan Comas for over 25 years. All of us at Danaher value his outstanding financial stewardship, thoughtful guidance and long-time friendship. Danaher would not be where it is today without his leadership, strategic vision, and humility. We are very pleased that Dan will continue to work with us for some time to ensure a seamless CFO transition, and provide the strategic counsel we value so highly."
Mr. Comas, 54 years old, has served as Company CFO since April 2005. He joined Danaher in 1991 in the Corporate Development organization. Since taking over as CFO in 2005, Danaher's revenues have more than doubled to $18 billion and its market capitalization has increased four-fold to approximately $70 billion, with shareholder returns more than double that of the S&P500 Index.
Mr. McGrew, 45 years old, has served as a Danaher Group CFO since 2012, during which he has had responsibility at various times for the Company's Life Sciences (including Pall), Product Identification, Diagnostics, and Dental platforms. He served as Vice President, Investor Relations from 2009 to 2014 and started at Danaher in 2004 as Director, M&A Finance. Prior to joining Danaher, Mr. McGrew was a Director in the Transaction Services Group at KPMG. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from DePaul University.
ABOUT DANAHER
Danaher is a global science and technology innovator committed to helping its customers solve complex challenges and improving quality of life around the world. Its family of world class brands has leadership positions in some of the most demanding and attractive industries, including health care, environmental and industrial. With more than 20 operating companies, Danaher's globally diverse team of approximately 67,000 associates is united by a common culture and operating system, the Danaher Business System. For more information, please visit www.danaher.com.
SOURCE Danaher Corporation
For further information: Matthew E. Gugino, Vice President, Investor Relations, Danaher Corporation, Telephone: (202) 828-0850, Fax: (202) 828-0860
More documents for Matthew R. (Matt) McGrew
[1] Danaher Corporation. (2/13/19). "Press Release: Danaher to Present at Barclays Industrial Select Conference". Washington, DC....
[2] Danaher Corporation. (1/30/18). "Press Release: Danaher Announces Transition Plan For Chief Financial Officer". Washington, DC....
[3] Danaher Corporation. (4/16/14). "Press Release: Danaher Reports Record First Quarter 2014 Results". Washington....
[4] Danaher Corporation. (1/28/14). "Press Release: Danaher Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Results". Washington, D.C.....
[5] Danaher Corporation. (12/12/13). "Press Release: Danaher Reaffirms 2013 Guidance and Initiates 2014 Outlook". Washington, D.C.....
[6] Danaher Corporation. (12/10/13). "Press Release: Danaher Announces Quarterly Dividend". Washington, D.C.....
[7] Danaher Corporation. (10/17/13). "Press Release: Danaher Reports Record Third Quarter 2013 Results". Washington, D.C.....
[8] Danaher Corporation. (9/10/13). "Press Release: Danaher Announces Quarterly Dividend". Washington, D.C.....
[9] Danaher Corporation. (7/18/13). "Press Release: Danaher Reports Second Quarter 2013 Results". Washington, D.C.....
[10] Danaher Corporation. (4/18/13). "Press Release: Danaher Reports Record First Quarter 2013 Results". Washington, D.C.....

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
NC A&T's Cambrea Sturgis sweeps NCAA women's 100 and 200
June 13, 2021 June 13, 2021 5590
The Southern California women's team accepts the team trophy at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Saturday, June 12, 2021, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Thomas Boyd)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Cambrea Sturgis of North Carolina A&T swept the women's 100 and 200 meters Saturday in the NCAA outdoor track and field championships,
Southern California won its third outdoor women's national title, with Texas A&M finishing second.
Sturgis won the 100 in a wind-aided 10.74 seconds, the fastest all-weather time in NCAA history. She then ran the 200 in 22.12, a personal best.
North Carolina A&T was third in the 1,600 relay. The Aggies men also fared well at the meet, with Randolph Ross winning the 400 in 43.85 and a third-place team finish.
"We can go out there and do it if we put our minds to it," she said about competing for the historically black college.
USC's Anna Cockrell won the 100 and 400 hurdles, becoming just the second woman to pull off the double in those events in the NCAA meet.
"Ever since I came to college this was my dream honestly, to double. I know only one other person had done it before me," Cockrell said. "I don't think it has sunken all the way in yet, I finished my interview for 400 hurdles down there and then I burst into tears."
Texas A&M freshman Athing Mu won the 400 in 49.57, a national collegiate record.
BYU senior Anna Camp won the 1,500 in a personal-best 4:08.53 ahead of a strong field that included Colorado's Sage Hurta, the the women's indoor mile champion. Hurta finished second.
"I knew Sage was crazy fast, so my goal was to sit on her shoulder for a lot of the 1,500 and win," Camp said. "My legs felt good, I was just hopeful that I could outrun her through that push," Camp said.
Air Force's Mahala Norris, who grew up in Roseburg, Oregon, won the steeplechase in 9:31.79. Also, North Carolina State's Elly Henes won the 5,000 in 15:28.05, and Virginia's Michaela Meyer took the 800 in a personal-best 2:00.28.
On Friday, LSU won its first men's team title since 2002.
The NCAA championship was among the first major meets at Hayward Field since it underwent an extensive renovation.
The U.S. Olympic team trails get underway at Hayward next week. Sturgis is among the college athletes hoping for a spot on the team for Tokyo.
By MATTHEW LEE, AAMER MADHANI and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV President Joe Biden gives a thumbs up as he walks to board
How much for gas? Around the world, pain is felt at the pump
By DANIEL NIEMANN, PAOLA CORONA, JADE LE DELEY and HAU DINH At a gas station near the Cologne, Germany, airport,
Black innovators who reshaped American gardening, farming
By JESSICA DAMIANO This 1902 portrait provided by The Library of Congress shows George Washington Carver, front row, center, seated
North Carolina Senate gives final OK to $2B tax-cut plan
As summit ends, G-7 urged to deliver on vaccines, climate


text:
Naveen Patnaik seeks urgent release of central funds for cyclone 'Titli' affected areas
Naveen Patnaik had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 18, seeking an interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore, however, the state has not received any assistance from Government of India.
NEW DELHI: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that the state has not yet received any central assistance to carry out restoration works in the areas hit by cyclone "Titli" and demanded that the same be released immediately.
In a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday, Patnaik said the cyclone that hit Odisha in October affected 60.31 lakh people in 17 districts of the state."The state government has submitted a memorandum to the Government of India seeking a central assistance of Rs 2,023.13 crore against the total requirement of Rs 2,779.32 crore for relief and restoration measures," Patnaik wrote.
He said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 18, seeking an interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore. "The inter-ministerial central team has already made an on-the-spot assessment of the damages during first week of November, 2018. However, we have not received any assistance, so far, from the Government of India," he said.
Patnaik said Rs 1,689.13 crore released for relief and restoration works from the state disaster response fund (SDRF) has been utilised.
"Hence, assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund is urgently required for replenishing the SDRF and for undertaking the balance works," he said.
The chief minister sought "personal attention" of the Union home minister for "immediate" release of the central assistance to Odisha for undertaking repair and restoration works, squaring up the liabilities and smooth management of other disasters.
NEW DELHI: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that the state has not yet received any central assistance to carry out restoration works in the areas hit by cyclone "Titli" and demanded that the same be released immediately. In a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday, Patnaik said the cyclone that hit Odisha in October affected 60.31 lakh people in 17 districts of the state."The state government has submitted a memorandum to the Government of India seeking a central assistance of Rs 2,023.13 crore against the total requirement of Rs 2,779.32 crore for relief and restoration measures," Patnaik wrote. He said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 18, seeking an interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore. "The inter-ministerial central team has already made an on-the-spot assessment of the damages during first week of November, 2018. However, we have not received any assistance, so far, from the Government of India," he said. Patnaik said Rs 1,689.13 crore released for relief and restoration works from the state disaster response fund (SDRF) has been utilised. "Hence, assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund is urgently required for replenishing the SDRF and for undertaking the balance works," he said. The chief minister sought "personal attention" of the Union home minister for "immediate" release of the central assistance to Odisha for undertaking repair and restoration works, squaring up the liabilities and smooth management of other disasters.
Naveen Patnaik Rajnath Singh Odisha CM Titli


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HomePosts tagged 'written'
Plant Puns: Weed 'Em And Reap!
February 12, 2015 January 12, 2015 fasab comedy, Humour, Language, Puns a flat, adamant, amusing, army, assholes, average, bad jokes, broad, capitalist, chatting, clever, Colonels, Comedy, congregation, coroner, decent feller, didn't pan out, Don Juan, Don Juan with the ladies, Entertainment, fancy dress party, flamenco dancer, funny, gardening pun, gender issues, Generalize, gold prospector, great composer, Hairdressing Championships, highlights, Humor, Humour, hymns, I Love The 80s, impotence, jibes, jokes, know the drill, ladies, local church, lumberjack, mean, men, new slogan, not rising to that, officers, Plant Puns, political manifesto, pub, pun, pun day, Random, silly jokes, sing, singing my praises, Spaniards, stiff examination, stupid, teacher, train a bird, upper-case letter, Vicar, weep, WHO cares, wife, word play, word plays, World Health Organization, written
Not really a day of plant puns, but it is Pun Day, so you might want to weep anyway.
You know the drill (little gardening pun there).
Enjoy or endure!
Teacher: If you were a great composer,
Boy: In A Flat.
I missed today's Hairdressing Championships,
can anyone tell me if there were any highlights?
The World Health Organization has
just announced its new slogan.
My teacher said I was average,
I told him that's just mean.
I used to be a gold prospector,
but it didn't pan out.
I've written my own political manifesto
but I haven't used one single upper-case letter.
I'm not a capitalist.
Men with gender issues have it tough in the UK,
I'm sure they'd love to be a broad.
I wrote some new hymns for the congregation
to sing at my local church and the
Vicar says everybody loves them.
They can't stop singing my praises.
I got chatting to a lumberjack in a pub.
He seemed like a decent feller.
If you want to be a coroner be
prepared for a stiff examination.
My friend is a real Don Juan with the ladies.
The ladies Don Juan anything to do with him.
When I was in the army I reckoned all
officers higher up that Colonels are assholes.
But I hate when people Generalize.
I've never seen a flamenco dancer,
but those Spaniards must be clever
to train a bird of that size.
My wife is trying to wind me up
with jibes about my impotence.
I'm not rising to that.
I didn't want to go to the
"I Love The 80s" fancy dress party,
but my friend was adamant.
J.F.K.
November 22, 2014 November 21, 2014 fasab Factoids, Unusual 35th President, aeriel photograph, aircraft, aircraft carrier, aircraft elevators, armaments, arresting wires, assassinated, berthed, carrier, cars, Close In Weapon System, compliment, conspiracy theories, conventionally powered, cruising range, cruising speed, Dallas, Dealy Plaza, E-2C Hawkeye electronic early warning aircraft, EA-6B Prowler offensive electronic warfare aircraft, education, enlisted, ES-3A Shadow electronic warfare, F/A-18 hornet strike fighters, fact, facts, flight deck, HH-60H Seahawk combat search and rescue aircraft, houses, how big and impressive, impressive ship, jfk, Kennedy, Kitty Hawk class, knots, launching, legacies, Malta, Mediterranean, Misc, Miscellaneous, mission requirements, Mk 15 Phalanx 20mm CIWS, Mk 29 Sea Sparrow Guided Missile Launch Systems, Name, officers, operational range, People, President, President John F Kennedy, RAM, Random, recovering, retired, Rolling Airframe Missile systems, S-3B Viking ASW aircraft, service, SH-60F Seahawk ASW helicopters, ship, ship's company, SIGINT, stationed, steam-powered catapults, story, Texas, top speed, United States, United States Navy, up close and personal, USS JFK, USS John F Kennedy, written
Fifty-one years ago today the United States 35th President, John F Kennedy, was assassinated at Dealy Plaza, in Dallas, Texas. We all know the story and the various conspiracy theories that have been written about ad nauseam over the past half century so this post is not about that.
Rather it is about one of the legacies of the JFK name, the USS John F Kennedy, the only ship of her class (a variant of the Kitty Hawk class of aircraft carrier) and the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy.
Although it was retired in 2007 after nearly 40 years of service in the United States Navy, the Kennedy was a very impressive ship. For those who like the details it measures 1,052 feet long, has a beam of 130 feet, and draws 37 feet of water. The flight deck is 1,046 feet by 252 feet.
The JFK displaces 81,430 tons at full load and her compliment is 155 officers, 2,775 enlisted (ship's company), and 2,160 enlisted and 320 officers (embarked air wing).
it's top speed is 32 knots, and her cruising speed is 20 knots. The operational range at 30 knots is 4,000 miles while the maximum cruising range is 12,000 miles.
USS JFK is equipped with 4 aircraft elevators and features 4 steam-powered catapults and 4 arresting wires. The carrier was capable of launching and recovering aircraft simultaneously and could embark 80+ aircraft, depending on mission requirements.
Aircraft on board included 56 F/A-18 hornet strike fighters, 6 S-3B Viking ASW aircraft, 4 EA-6B Prowler offensive electronic warfare aircraft, 4 E-2C Hawkeye electronic early warning aircraft, 2 ES-3A Shadow electronic warfare (SIGINT) aircraft, 4 SH-60F Seahawk ASW helicopters, and 2 HH-60H Seahawk combat search and rescue aircraft.
Its armaments included two Mk 29 Sea Sparrow Guided Missile Launch Systems, two RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) systems, and two Mk 15 Phalanx 20mm CIWS (Close In Weapon System.)
During it's service it was stationed some of the time in the Mediterranean area.
If you have never seen one of these babies up close and personal and wanted to get an idea of just how big and impressive they are have a look at the aeriel photograph below, taken as the JFK berthed at the island of Malta.
Compared to the houses, cars and people you can see in the shot I'm not sure the word 'big' is big enough to describe it.
I mean I wouldn't want to mess with it. Would you?
E-mail Is Post, Modern.
November 14, 2013 fasab comedy, Humour, Language, Puns accident, advice, aerobics class, amusing, aorta, bad jokes, bed, bedroom, blonde, bright side, camera shy, carrion, chemistry class, coconuts, Comedy, comedy actors, court, Czech, doctor, dyslexics, e-mail, eat another bite, Entertainment, European food, exposed, Finnish, funny, gym, half-heartedly, heavy breathing, Humor, Humour, Hungary, joke, jokes, judge, light-bulb, lying, menu, Misc, Miscellaneous, modern, Moon, movies, Norway, optimists, patient, pervert, phone, play on words, poems, poet, post, pun, pun day, puns, react, rope tricks, Russia, sillyjokes, Skunk, sodium chloride, spain, study, stupid jokes, sulphuric acid, taut, telling jokes, tight ass with no hair, too big for their britches, Turkey, ventricle, verse, vultures, waiter, wife, word play, word plays, worked out, written
E-mail is post, modern – get it?
Yes, it's pun day again.
The poet had written better poems,
but he'd also written verse.
Those who get too big for their britches
will be exposed in the end.
"This must be an aerobics class!"
the blonde worked out at the gym.
When the doctor told him he was missing
a left ventricle and a left aorta
the patient laughed half-heartedly.
I've got some good advice for the camera shy.
Use coconuts instead.
I like European food so I decided to Russia over there
because I was Hungary. After Czech'ing the menu
I ordered Turkey. When I was Finnished
I told the waiter, Spain good,
but there is Norway I could eat another bite
Those who study the moon are optimists
– they look at the bright side.
To learn rope tricks you have to be taut.
You know, vultures can make really good comedy actors.
I really loved them in those old "Carrion" movies.
When a skunk walked in, the judge said,
'odor in the court'.
How does it change many dyslexics to take a light-bulb?
I had an accident in chemistry class yesterday
when I spilled some sodium chloride
and sulphuric acid over myself.
It was terrible.
I didn't know how to react.
I've just gone into the bedroom
and someone's stolen my bed.
I'm not lying.
My friends tell me that I'm terrible at telling jokes.
I always punch up the mess line.
The phone rings, and the wife answers it.
A pervert, with heavy breathing, says,
"I bet you have a tight ass with no hair."
Woman replies, "Yes, he's watching TV – who shall I say is calling?"
Feeling Smart? Good, Coz It's Quiz Day!
September 16, 2013 September 16, 2013 fasab Factoids, Questions, Tests Aaron Pierce, Academy Award, acronym, Alan Shepard, American, American president, animal, apple sauce, Bugs Bunny, canard, car, catchphrase, Chinese year, city, classic, country, Crow, directed, earth, eat in space, education, Entertainment, Errol Flynn, ET, face, First Fatality in A Plane Crash, first man, French Menu, goat, Greek, hare, historical character, Jack Bauer, Jaws, KITT, Knightrider, launched a thousand ships, life forms, Little House On The Prairie, meat, Misc, Miscellaneous, non-consecutive terms, oceans, Ox, percentage, Pilot, planet, port, questions, quiz, quizzes, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Random, sad word, seas, song, Sonoma, Spock's mother, star trek, tea ceremonies, tea houses, test, tests, They Died With Their Boots On, Thomas Selfridge, three styles, town, TV series, USA, When You Wish Upon A Star, wine growing region, winning song, written
Another random selection of questions in today's quiz.
This has become quite a long running feature on the fasab blog. I enjoy putting them together, I hope you all continue to enjoy trying them out.
As always you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below – but NO cheating!
Q. 1: What is Bugs Bunny's catchphrase?
Q. 2: Where in the USA is the Sonoma wine growing region?
Q. 3: Which sad word stems from the combined Greek words for goat and song?
Q. 4: In 'Star Trek', from which planet did Spock's mother come?
Q. 5: Which animal is not a Chinese year?
a. Ox b. Crow c. Hare d. Goat
Q. 6: Who is the only American President to have served non-consecutive terms in office?
Q. 7: Thomas Selfridge was the first fatality in a plane crash. Who was the pilot?
Q. 8: In which American town or city was the 'Little House On The Prairie' TV series set?
Q. 9: If you saw 'canard' on a French Menu, what type of meat would be on offer?
Q. 10: Which historical character did Errol Flynn play in the 1941 movie 'They Died With Their Boots On'?
Q. 11: Whose face is said to have launched a thousand ships?
Q. 12: Who directed 'Jaws', 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and 'ET'?
Q. 13: What are the three styles of port? (a point for each)
Q. 14: Which country has special tea houses and is famous for it's elaborate tea ceremonies?
Q. 15: Jack Bauer and Aaron Pierce are the only two characters that have appeared in seven seasons of the TV series '24'. What does Aaron Pierce do for a living?
Q. 16: Alan Shepard was the first man to do what?
Q. 17: Plus or minus 10, what percentage of the life forms on earth live in the oceans and seas?
Q. 18: The car in the 'Knightrider' series was called 'KITT'. What does this acronym stand for?
Q. 19: Who sucked apple sauce to become the first American to eat in space?
Q. 20: The Academy Award winning song 'When You Wish Upon A Star' was written for which classic 1940 movie?
A. 1: 'Whats Up Doc?'
A. 2: California
A. 3: Tragedy
A. 4: Earth
A. 5: b. Crow
A. 6: Grover Cleveland
A. 7: Orville Wright
A. 8: Walnut Grove
A. 9: Duck
A. 10: General Custer
A. 11: Helen of Troy
A. 12: Steven Spielberg
A. 13: Ruby, tawny and vintage
A. 14: Japan
A. 15: Secret Service agent
A. 16: Hit a golf ball on the moon
A. 17: Circa 90%
A. 18: Knight Industries Two Thousand
A. 19: John Glenn
A. 20: Pinocchio


Just behind Botley Road, sitting on the banks of The Thames, amidst a quaint residential area of Oxford known as Osney Island, sits The Punter Oxford. An old, family friendly, traditional looking pub, with a small patio garden to the rear.
Having heard good things, I called to book a Sunday afternoon table for the Foodie family and some visiting guests. With parking in the area limited to residents, your best bet is one of the car parks near the train station, or one of the nearby retail parks. Either way, you'll need to walk the final 10 minutes or so. Not such a bad thing pre and post pub lunch.
With my search for the best Oxfordshire Sunday lunch in full swing, I was hopeful that The Punter could be a contender. We were disappointed, however, to see no roasts on the menu – if there were any available, we certainly weren't made aware of them.
We didn't feel too disappointed though, as there were enough items of interest on the menu to distract us from our initial goal. The homemade Scotch egg and French onion soup were very tempting, as was the goose and pork terrine, though I ultimately settled on the potted mackerel (£5) to start. For main there was zero doubt, I was sucked straight in by the venison steak with dauphinoise potato, braised red cabbage, greens and jus. MrF selected the chilli con carne with rice and garlic chive crème fraiche (£8) for main, while joining me in the potted mackerel starter.
We were seated in a corner of the pub, right beside the back door and an open lit fire, which did well in counteracting the occasional blast of cold air as diners nipped out for the odd ciggy. The pub itself is pretty rustic inside, certainly more 'old money' than 'new money' in style, but maybe without vast amounts of the actual money. With weathered wooden furniture and walls a mixture of deep blue and creamy vanilla, the décor lent itself well to the riverside location, while vintage mirrors, framed pictures and sash windows nodded to the buildings Victorian heritage.
After a perfectly reasonable wait, our starters arrived, served up on pretty rim patterned plates that had me dreaming of afternoon tea; the potted mackerel served in cute little kilner style jars beside a ramekin of salad leaves and pickled cucumber, plus a small portion of toasted sourdough. Small being the operative word. I had just enough bread (I could have done with one more slice to fit the measure of mackerel), while MrF was done-over somewhat in receiving one slice less than me.
Portion size aside, the potted mackerel was delicious – well-seasoned and well-balanced, with the spices and lemon juice enhancing, rather than overshadowing, the star of the show. A little stingy on the bread, but a good start nonetheless.
Along came our mains, my Venison steak looking impressive, though more like chunks of venison than a single steak which I had imagined. MrF's chilli looked no more or less than you would imagine of a chilli, while one of our dining companion's beer battered haddock and triple cooked chips (£10) looked utterly jaw-dropping – a whopping big piece of golden battered fish, atop the most tantalising looking chunky chips. Now I'm much more of a fries gal generally, but I do love a good dark golden crisp on my chips – and these looked perfect! On stealing a chip excitedly, I was sadly let down to find a distinct lack of flavour, though I imagine once doused in vinegar and smothered in tartare sauce they may cut the mustard.
MrF was also grumbling, finding his chilli lacking punch, and not just in the heat stakes. But enough of other people's food, my venison was awaiting. Accompanied by two of my favourite side dishes – dauphinoise and red cabbage, this was a dish which should be right up my street. On digging in, I was again, slightly let down. The meat was rare, which I can handle, but bordering on too rare in parts. The jus and braised red cabbage were both pleasant, though the dauphinoise was approaching bland, with a shortage of both seasoning and flavour.
I feel a pang of remorse reporting my findings, as I had high hopes for The Punter Oxford. I'd heard positive feedback and was expecting to be impressed, which I was, a bit. However the overwhelming feeling on leaving was one of disappointment. I'm not wondering how soon I can return. I'd stop by if I was in the area, or visiting people nearby; but would I make an effort to go there? Not really. Would MrF return? Only for their beer – which he said was excellent!
Bitten Says: It was cosy and the menu read well (if a little long), but I ultimately found the flavours underwhelming and underseasoned.


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Ilhan Omar's getting divorced; Fox News freakout coming in 3, 2...
Monday, October 7, 2019 by Mike Mullen in News
DFL U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar denied rumors of an affair and/or separating from her husband in August. Associated Press
DFL U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has filed for divorce.
This ranks, like, No. 5,009, tops, on the list of political happenings you or anyone not personally involved in Ilhan Omar's marriage should be worried about. But the news comes not a moment too soon for conservatives, who'll take any distraction from Donald Trump's various messes they can get.
Expect many insightful tweets and at least a few faces of relief from Fox News anchors who finally have a major news story to talk about that isn't 1) bad for the president, 2) good for ISIS, or 3) ripped from the Instagram feed of... Courtney Cox?
News that Omar was filing to split from her husband Ahmed Hirsi will undoubtedly reignite rumors from this summer that the freshman congresswoman had or still was having an affair with campaign consultant Tim Mynett.
Omar denied that allegation, which surfaced in a filing from Mynett's own divorce, and also said at the time (late August) she and Hirsi had not separated.
Details of Omar's pending separation aren't out, though TMZ says her filing cites "irretrievable breakdown of the marriage relationship." Omar, 37, filed the papers on October 4, her birthday.
The couple were unoficially wed in a religious ceremony in 2002, and have three kids together. After a separation of several years and a subsequent marriage (and divorce) for Omar, she and Hirsi got back together and were legally married in 2018.
Omar is seeking joint custody of the kids, and, per TMZ "wants the court to decide child support, though she didn't say who should receive it."
Hirsi had previously run a financial literacy and advising firm geared toward immigrant clients. In 2018, he was hired by Minneapolis City Council Member Alondra Cano as a policy aide, though a recent report indicates he no longer had that job as of June.


When visitors come to Tillamook County on the Oregon coast, they often have fresh seafood on their minds. Community Supported Fishery, based in the fishing port of Garibaldi, turns those thoughts into reality.
CSF is a "boat to table community enterprise" headed by Jeff Wong and Mark Wilde, who took over the former Tillamook Bay Boathouse processor facility in March 2014. The two men grew up in Portland and met about four years before starting their business. They do their own fishing aboard Wilde's 30-foot Longfin, and they work with about three dozen other boats along the Oregon coast to supply high-quality seafood to chefs, groceries, wholesalers and directly to consumers.
The Community Supported Fishery label appears on the company's products, which are sold at locations including New Seasons Market stores in the Portland area.
In Tillamook County, CSF seafood is served by chefs at Manzanita's Big Wave Cafe and Bread and Ocean Bakery, and is available at Manzanita's IGA supermarket, the Schooner Restaurant & Lounge in Netarts and Pirate's Cove near Garibaldi. It is available at CSF's cannery at the northeast end of the Garibaldi boat basin, the summertime Manzanita Farmers' Market and other locations — including stores and restaurants in the Willamette Valley and Bend — which are listed on the CSF website, with more outlets in the works.
What puts the "community" into Community Supported Fishery? A couple things — one is the company's increasing shift toward a model in which consumers can pay an annual fee to have access to CSF products at chef prices.
"We're using Our Table Cooperative out of Sherwood. We're a member producer with them," said Wong, adding that he and Wilde are setting up their own community-supported operation now that their sales to bigger markets have given them the needed financial sustainability.
The word "community" also figures in the value that CSF brings to the local community by offering a better deal to fishermen, and by using other products from the area. Buying directly from fishermen at Oregon ports and selling directly to end users means other middlemen aren't in the picture, creating value at both ends. In addition, CSF sells its canned fish in Jacobsen Salt from Netarts Bay and Oregon Olive Mill oil from Dayton. "Everything in that can is sourced within 100 miles," Wong said.
CSF insists on high standards of fish handling by skippers, but Wilde says only a few have been rejected. "These guys, they've all been doing it for three, four, five generations; they know how to treat those fish way better than we do," he said.
Wilde and Wong sell albacore tuna, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, black rockfish, lingcod, Dungeness crabs, spot prawns, octopus, oysters, clams and limited black cod, plus some sockeye salmon from northern waters that they receive already cut.
CSF tries to get seafood from boats to diners' plates in half the industry standard time, and sometimes the turnaround is much faster.
Scott Gilbert is a longtime writer and editor with a background in journalism. Scott grew up in Indiana and spent many years in Colorado before moving to the Oregon coast.


Discussion in 'Android Devices' started by Graffen, Sep 16, 2011.
Hi all, I have quirk with my Iconia.
When playing some games on it and there is a pop up window in the game, I can't interact with it, as when I click on it, a small window appears with a number and an option to dial!?!
How do I make that go away? Is it some setting or maybe some app that is interfering?
Are they games you downloaded that get the pop up? If so sounds like it's part of that game app. Do you get the pop up playing the games that came preloaded on the tab?


Villa Brigitte - row 1, positioned in first floor with 82.83 m2 internal surface and 77.48 m2 garden. Sea view Villas in Lalzi Bay Resort and Spa. This resort is located at the center of the prestigious Lalzi Bay in the North of Durres.
Fully managed by an internationally renowned resort operator, Lalzi Bay Resort and Spa will provide 5 star amenities, service and unqualified luxury, making it one of the most desirable resort destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
With an impressive 300m of private beach frontage and occupying an area of 200,000m2, the resort will be built to a low density 25% and buildings will be low lying with a maximum height of 4 levels towards the rear of the development.