Wendy Long Attacks Sen. Gillibrand Over "Off the Sidelines" Website

Wendy Long, the Republican challenger to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, went on the attack against the incumbent earlier this week over the senator's Off the Sidelines web site, which Long called a "deception" and "a big scam." The web site, [OfftheSidelines.org](http://www.offthesidelines.org/about-us), [portrays itself](http://www.offthesidelines.org/about-us) as an avenue to get women "off the sidelines" and involved in their communities, whether it's "in the classroom, the boardroom, Congress or at home." The senator came under scrutiny a year ago when [The Buffalo News reported](http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article479080.ece) that the site didn't make it clear that contributions were going to Gillibrand's re-election campaign, not to promote other women. The campaign [updated the site](http://www.buffalonews.com/city/politics/article486976.ece) to clarify that it was a Gillibrand project and that donations were going to the senator, who has since [taken other steps](http://www.buffalonews.com/city/capital-connection/albany/article980205.ece) to aid women. But in appearance on MSNBC on Monday, Gillibrand portrayed the Off the Sidelines effort as a way to promote all women, both Democrats and Republicans. "As I understand it, she made some adjustments in response to that scoop by The Buffalo News, but it appears that the problem still exists and it was only amplified by her appearance on MSNBC when she said that the Off the Sidelines effort is an effort to get women of all political stripes off the sidelines and into politics," Long said at a campaign stop in Buffalo yesterday. The Weekly Standard, a conservative news outlet, wrote a [blog post](http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/pro-women-political-site-front-gillibrand-campaign_650311.html) criticizing the Off the Sidelines web site after Gillibrand's remarks tied it to efforts to help women in both parties, and the New York State Republican Committee called on Gillibrand to "name the Republican women that her organization helps," a question Long repeated on the campaign trail. To read the full article at City & State [click here. ](http://www.cityandstateny.com/long-attacks-gillibrand-sidelines-web-site/)