Reader Elmer sends today's Corning Leader editorial page [pdf], which includes managing editor Joe Dunning's column. Dunning's topic is the Kuhl/Massa race. He says that Kuhl's reluctance to say that it's time to pull out from Iraq will cost him votes, and that the Petraeus report is an anti-climax.
Comments
This is a big deal, this column. People know they are in for an exciting rematch.
I think it's an interesting example of how upstate politics works. Essentially, upstate Republicans like Kuhl can coast by voting for things that are way to the right of what their constituents want (I believe that even in most of the Tier, voters are way to the left of George Bush) as long as they don't get too closely tied to some issue that infuriates the voters.
The fact is, people in this part of the country just aren't that pro-war and never will be. An upstate Republican is a lot closer to a mainstream Democrat than to a real southern Republican. And the war really brings that home.
This is really big news, if Kuhl's friend Dunning is giving the race to day to Massa, maybe Kuhl will get the wakeup call. Its unlikely though, Kuhl has difficulty fundraising, and the money spigot is about to dry up.
I'll take the word of Southern Tier readers James and OG that this was a big deal. I assume it was, too, since the Leader seems to be pretty conservative.
Exile: I think you're right, and an upstate Republican from a couple of decades ago was even more liberal, from what I've read. Houghton was more of a "Rockefeller Republican". Kuhl is more like the newer brand of Republican.
Randy is behaving a though the Delay/Rove party discipline is still in effect. If you didn't toe the party line you were replaced in the primaries by candidates with huge financial backing from the party. Marge Roukema, liberal Republican congresswoman from North Jersey suffered that fate, for example. Amo may have been an indirect casualty of that tactic.