 |
 |
   Dan Savage, the brilliant and foul-mouthed sex columnist, has become one of the most important ethicists in America. Are we screwed?
 The federal government is supposed to issue new rules about debt levels for students in for-profit colleges. In the meantime, the states are working on their own regulations.
 Washingtons budget hawks want to decimate the federal workforce to shrink the deficit. It will have the opposite effect.
 There arent nearly enough counterterrorism experts to instruct all of Americas police. So we got these guys instead.
|
   |
|
|
March 31, 2009
HOW SPECIAL IS THE SPECIAL ELECTION?.... Today's special election in New York's 20th congressional district, filling a vacancy left by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D), is getting quite a bit of attention. For election junkies going through withdrawal, the race offers a very competitive contest. But as voters head to the polls, it's probably wise to consider what this race isn't. CNN reports today that the special election has "national implications." CQ notes that campaign "has been described as a litmus test, a referendum and a bellwether for Democratic agendas and Republican political fortunes." The NYT's Adam Nagourney walks back the hype a bit.
Realistically, Jim Tedisco has to be considered the favorite for one simple reason: he's the Republican in a Republican district. As recently as 2006, GOP voter registrations in the district outnumbered Democratic registrations by 15 points. Sure, Gillibrand won, but she ran as a very moderate Democrat, and only eked out a victory after news surfaced that the Republican incumbent's wife had called 911 to report domestic violence. What's more, the GOP, desperate for some good news, have invested heavily in this special election, in support of a well-known leader in the state legislature (the Democrat, Scott Murphy, moved to the district three years ago and has enjoyed far less name recognition). The race is too close to call, which necessarily makes it pretty interesting. It becomes all the more fascinating to watch with national figures and the national parties weighing in. That said, it's a stretch to think the results will offer key insights into the larger political landscape. No matter who wins, it's a local special election with low turnout, not a national referendum. —Steve Benen 2:50 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (12)
Comments
Once again - failure to fully comprehend on Steve's part! This race has major national implications if the rethug wins! It would be a repudiation of Obama, his policies, and the dem party! This 'news' would be proclaimed throughout the corporate media and talking head worlds. If the dumbocrat wins, this race means little to nothing! Posted by: SadOldVet on March 31, 2009 at 2:54 PM | PERMALINKThis election will be freighted with national significance by the genius MSM in direct proportion to the size of Tedisco's vote. If he wins, it's hugely important!! If he loses by a little, it's very important! If he loses by a lot, well it WAS a Democratic seat, after all... Posted by: bruce k on March 31, 2009 at 2:55 PM | PERMALINKAs a Schenectady N.Y. native now living in San Francisco, I'm amused that they guy whose political yard signs were a near-perennial fixture in my neighborhood is now a figure in the national news. Jim, we barely knew ye! Posted by: anonymous on March 31, 2009 at 3:01 PM | PERMALINKIf Gillibrand wins, I'm holding you Bush Lite sheep totally responsible. Posted by: SocraticBadfly on March 31, 2009 at 3:04 PM | PERMALINKIf Gillibrand wins, I'm holding you Bush Lite sheep totally responsible. If Gillibrand wins, I'm thinking something fishy is going on. Posted by: qwerty on March 31, 2009 at 3:14 PM | PERMALINKOh, for crying out loud!! Read the post again! Gillibrand is NOT running. This election is to choose her replacement. Posted by: Michael W on March 31, 2009 at 3:15 PM | PERMALINKIf Gillibrand wins, I'm holding you Bush Lite sheep totally responsible. Surely that was generated by some kind of AI engine, right? It's time to go back to the drawing board. Posted by: DR on March 31, 2009 at 3:21 PM | PERMALINKI think this race is a big deal. While the 20th is the most Republican district in NY in terms of registration, Gillebrand won easily in 2008 and Obama won there as well. The people there are not the new party of "no". But the Tedisco campaign has been running as if it were coordinated by Rove. That said, it's not just the overall results that are important. It's also the turn out. If it is low, it probably means Tedisco will win, but the enthusiasm factor in this age of crises is important. BTW - SocraticBadfly is a parody. Not me, but not real, I'm certain. Posted by: Danp on March 31, 2009 at 3:32 PM | PERMALINK"Sure, Gillibrand won, but she ran as a very moderate Democrat," Steve: You complain about "moderate" democrats like Bayh being terrible Democrats and a bunch of comments state they would rather have a republican than someone like Bayh. Why aren't you picking on Governor Paterson for appointing her and Gillibrand, herself, for being a DINO???? Why are you being inconsistent???? Posted by: neil wilson on March 31, 2009 at 4:26 PM | PERMALINKThis race would likely not be as close as it is if Libertarian Eric Sundwall had not thrown his support behind Murphy after Tedisco's supporters had Sundwall's name removed from the ballot by contesting over 4000 signatures on his ballot petition. The fact that Tedisco is already filing to challenge the results is merely a continuation of the standard Republicrat/Demoblican procedure of election by litigation. Posted by: froy on March 31, 2009 at 5:53 PM | PERMALINKWell, I worked as a poll inspector today for this particular election, and while my town isn't very large, the Republican registrations outnumber the Democratic. Not by that much, mind you, but we do have more registered Republicans. I have no idea how representative my town may be of the district as a whole, but... Scott Murphy won 70% of the vote here. Posted by: WBC on April 1, 2009 at 1:36 AM | PERMALINKNY voters register for a party in order to vote in the primary that will likely determine their local, Assembly, and State Senate choices, meaning voter registration in New York does not necessarily influence how we vote for Congress or President. THIS special election had higher turnout than most NYC CDs had on historic Nov 5, higher than NY1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, & 12. Half of Columbia County is owned by NYC weekenders, who certainly may be registered to vote there. Working Families Party has very good, and very intimidating, ground game in NY20. Doesn't help that NY GOP has failed to find real reform candidates. NY GOP still thinks Giuliani is their great hope. Posted by: K2K on April 1, 2009 at 10:05 AM | PERMALINK
May 2011
April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 |
|
|
    |
|
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
buy from Amazon and
support the Monthly
|
||||||||
