Caesar Trunzo is apparently back from his Florida primary residence and campaigning in his district. The one here in New York, that is. So the question today is whether Caesar will be a bundle of energy like he always is. Oh look, here he is now.

Caesar Trunzo would like to let you know just how hard he's willing to work for you and your vote. Wait, here he is now.

Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Brian Foley continues to gather momentum, with endorsements by Charles Schumer, Hillary Clinton, David Paterson and, as of yesterday, Andrew Cuomo.

Some action words from Caesar's campaign site: Delivered, secured, created, provided, increased, established, fought, sponsored, and saved.

And here his now, doing all that.

Caesar Trunzo, octogenarian incumbent in Suffolk, is still rocking out hard on the campaign trail. Wait, here's the photo.

Heh. Rock on, Caesar.

Really, really old. Oh, look, here he is now.

One of the more hilarious features of this campaign cycle has been Caesar Trunzo's campaign literature. The eternal incumbent in SD-3 has portrayed himself - or, more likely, his staff have portrayed him, since one doubts he's actually involved in running his own campaign - as a man of action. He fights for school funding, he takes on gas prices, the claws his way through the jungle with his bare teeth.

The reality is somewhat different.

You can't fight when you'd rather nap.

Had to take down an earlier post because of some copyright issues, but here are two beautiful Trunzo videos via TAP:

Caesar Trunzo creates the Internodal, a Suffolk transportation project that he has since disavowed (constancy! steadfastness! fighting for us!)

And here's Caesar's take on people who speak, not making this up, "Hispanic".

Caesar Trunzo: totally in touch!

As Phil on TAP points out, there's been a generational fight brewing for a while out in Suffolk between younger, less traditional republicans and the older elite that controls the party apparatus. This is a healthy development, and not just for our momentary partisan convenience. A new and smarter republican party could offer some interesting challenges to overwhelming Democratic strength.

For now, though, republicans are seeking their immediate refuge with Demnocrats.

Farmingville, NY – More and more Republicans are supporting Brian X. Foley in his effort to unseat 36-year incumbent senator Caesar Trunzo. The Foley for Senate campaign announced the formation of "Republicans for Foley," a group of voters and grass-roots activists who will work to elect Brian X Foley.

Like the rest of the electorate, Foley's message of putting working families' interests over special interests is resonating with registered Republicans. Voters see Foley as a fiscal conservative who has a record of cutting taxes and strengthening our middle-class.

"As a lifelong Republican, I am proud to support Brian X. Foley for Senate because I know he will stand up for me and my family," said Ken Chebat, of Patchogue.

When it comes to fighting for working families, there is a clear contrast between Brian X. Foley and Caesar Trunzo. While Foley has stood up for the middle-class, Trunzo has supported increasing tax breaks for Wall Street banks.

Trunzo has crowned himself the king of pork-barrel spending and even boasts about using his member-item slush fund as a way to buy votes. On the Senate floor, Trunzo voted against expanding mammography services and cervical cancer screenings for women, despite Long Island having the highest rate of breast cancer in the country.

As Foley cut taxes on residents in Brookhaven, Trunzo went on a tax binge in the State Senate, voting for 611 separate increases in taxes and fees on working families. In total, Trunzo is responsible for $33.4 billion in tax and fee increases. He's voted on increasing taxes on everything from bike helmets to baby diapers to smoke detectors.

"I'm supporting Brian X. Foley because we need someone in the Senate to work for ordinary people, not special interests," said Jack Geoghan, a Republican voter from Davis Park. "Foley has a record of fighting for the middle-class. We need his strong leadership and smart economic policies in Albany."

Foley, a lifelong resident of Brookhaven, has spent the past 15 years working on behalf of those in his community both as a member of the Suffolk County Legislature and in his current position as Brookhaven Supervisor. He will bring to Albany a proven record of fighting for working families and taking on and defeating special interests.

"We are thrilled with the depth of support Brian X. Foley enjoys from a broad base of voters, including Republicans," said Ibrahim Khan, Communications Director for Foley for Senate. "Supervisor Foley has a record of fiscal responsibility and cutting taxes, a sharp contrast from Senator Trunzo's failed economic policies that have brought us the worst crisis since the Great Depression."

Republicans for Foley will actively campaign in the 3rd Senate District to persuade Republicans, Democrats and independents to support Foley. Their efforts will be particularly helpful with GOP supporters since one out of four Republicans already oppose Trunzo's reelection, according to a recent Siena poll. Instead, voters want Brian X. Foley to bring the same integrity and common-sense approach to politics that he used to turnaround Brookhaven.

In just two years as the Brookhaven Town Supervisor, Foley cut a $15 million deficit, got the town its highest bond rating ever, and saved taxpayers $10 million through innovative economic policies. Because of his hard work, Brookhaven now has the lowest town tax rate in Suffolk County, and is the only town on Long Island to hold the line on taxes for the coming year.

There's going to be a role to play for republicans in this state going forward; a diminished role, no doubt. But it's alliances like this that might give individual republicans a seat at the table, even if they haven't been in politics for decades.

The numbers are staggering: In Suffolk County, as of August, there were 8,055 homes in foreclosure or at risk of foreclosure. Of these, 5,088 were 30 days past due to lenders. Statewide, up to 150,000 homes could be lost to foreclosure.

In Caesar Trunzo's fief, the Third Senatorial District, the numbers indicate real and growing pain. Brentwood has 526 loans in foreclosure and Central Islip has 433 loans in foreclosure. Yes, that's almost a thousand homes in just two towns. Now, think about what that means: that's a thousand families - more, no doubt, because the district is larger than just these two municipalities - on the verge of eviction; several thousand more of their neighbors whose home values are going to be negatively impacted by empty properties next door or down the street (the Empire Justice Center estimates value lost to neighboring houses at $18,000); declining property tax revenues to local authorities just as the demands on them rise; in short, a witches brew of negative effects on entire communities.

In that context, it's fair to ask why Caesar Trunzo and Senate republicans voted against a one year foreclosure moratorium that easily passed the Assembly. Trunzo's vote is especially unforgivable among his peers, and here's why: his district is the hardest-hit Senatorial district in the state. There are other areas being devastated by the foreclosure crisis - Queens, Kings, Nassau, Monroe, Erie, to name a few - but in Suffolk, the pain is greatest.

And Caesar Trunzo walked away from providing relief. Think it's time for a change?

On the web: Brian Foley for Senate

SD-3 Democratic challenger Brian Foley is out with his first ad, and directly takes on out-of-touch octogenarian incumbent Caesar Trunzo's message that 'you don't fix what's not broken'.

The ad unintentionally highlights one of the central dynamics of this entire election: people are sick and tired of things as they are. Locally, it's property taxes; at the state level, an un-democratic, dysfunctional legislature coupled with a culture of secrecy and legalized bribery of legislators, special-interest groups, and citizens themselves, all while the budget tanks and nobody has a clue what to do about any of this; nationally, with a war we didn't need to fight, with a financial sector in meltdown, with job losses that will top a million before Christmas and, of course, with millions of Americans losing their homes. Trunzo's decision to call for continuity - other republicans, notably New York Senate republicans, are trying to make the same argument - flies in the face of everything that we know about public opinion in this cycle.

The Senate republicans have made a number of bad choices this cycle, recruiting a weak field of candidates and spending millions of dollars to go on offense without moving the needle much, if at all, in their targeted races. Trunzo's stay-the-course messaging - and similar efforts by other members of his conference - may prove to be a similar mistake.

Transcript below the fold.