Reader Joe let me know that Gannett is reporting that Paterson will not have a special election. Now CBS has picked up the same story.
Here's the problem. Gannett headlined their story "Governor won't call special election for Eric Massa's former seat". But the body of the story says:
McKeon indicated no decision has been made on whether to wait until the Nov. 2 general election to fill the seat, but she said the governor also is concerned about disenfranchising voters serving in the military overseas.
Paterson is clearly signaling that there might not be a special election, but it hasn't been announced officially.
Comments
I'm sure the 12 registered military votes currently serving overseas will be very appreciative of the Governor allowing them time to vote to replace their tickle-fighting former Naval comrade.
Did he not care about the military voters in the McHugh and the Gillibrand House seats when he called for those special elections?
Seriously, New York is f'd up.
Yeah, Paterson is a piece of work.
Don't be naive. Patterson couldn't care less who is in congress in the southern tier. Its the 8 county Democratic Party chairs who are pleading not to call a special election when they can't find a candidate. Koon, who is tired of gathering dust in Albany and desperately wants out so his son can run for his assembly seat before he loses his mayor job, finally accepted the harsh reality that he has zero chance of being elected to a real job with real responsibility. Nachbar couldn't get elected president of his synagogue. Mary Wilmot is too busy clipping her trust fund bond coupons. Susan John basically lives in NYC these days with her girlfriend. In short, they have zero chance of winning the game so they decided to take the ball and go home.
You're probably right that the chairs, not Paterson, are stalling.
But I don't think Koon would have dropped out if they didn't have another candidate in mind. I think he was pushed out for someone they consider "better".
T'is a shame if they honestly can't come up with a presentable candidate. I guess the novelty of the recent Afghanistan veteran, who I'm told is now working for the CIA ? in D.C., died for lack of a second? Let's face it: The 29th pretty much will be going away/absorbed so why not give a fresh younger face the opportunity to make a name for her/himself and thus be positioned to run for something different, and more winnable, in the future?
Koon has skeletons in his closet. Like many of the Albany legislators he has an active social life there which he may not want the whole world to know about. When you are in a rank-and-file position in the Assembly, no one really much cares about who you are or what you do. When you run for congress the whole world is watching and the skeletons come out sooner or later, as massa found out. When the screening committee started to realize what Koon's life would look like after it was printed in the newspapers, he was toast.
So this is the third anti-Koon comment you've posted in the last few hours. That's fine, everyone has an opinion.
Since he's not running for this job, take your personal innuendo elsewhere. Stick to the stuff you don't like about his politics and job performance.
I second that!!!
I don't believe I've stated any opinions, only facts. And, I'm only responding to inquiries from others, so I'm helping to answer their questions. Although I do not like the personal innuendo, it is a simple fact that the reason Massa is no longer a congressman, Spitzer is no longer Governor, ad nauseum -- personal problems they tried to conceal which came out when people started lifting the rocks. It is an unfortunate fact of modern political life that personal, lifestyle related behavior has become possibly even more important than policy stands in the selection of candidates. I don't name call or engage in slander, but don't shy away from relevant facts, either.
I'm serious about what I said above, so I edited out two "facts" that aren't publicly-know "facts" about politicians who are not running in the 29th.
Stop making allegations about politicians who aren't running in this race, if those allegations haven't been printed in a newspaper or seen on TV. Peddle that stuff elsewhere.
And I don't give a shit whether they are Democrats or Republicans - I just don't like anonymous, unsourced personal smears.
An interesting comment came up over at monrising about Koon. TinFoilhat asked if anyone could tell them what Koon had done in albany. The answer was Tax Tax Tax and more Tax. The absolute last thing we need right now. Koon has not had a stellar carrer in Albany and has been a very back bencher.
http://monroerising.com/2010/04/02/dave-koon-democrat-leaders-cant-get-t...
NY is fouled up and people are leaving, that is undeniable or else the problem of finding people to run in a seat that is going to disapear would be irrelevant.
This is enough to throw even the most usually apathetic independent voter into a rage.
Paterson is just insuring that no Democrat has a snow ball's chance in hell of winning in the 29th this November.
He had no problem calling special elections in 2 other districts within the past 12 months..so why the problem with the 29th?
It's obvious is all pure politics..since the Democratic Party county chairs can't find a sacrificial lamb to offer up as a candidate.
Sorry.. that's THEIR problem.. not the problem of the voters of the 29th.
We shouldn't be left without ANY congressional representation just because they want to play partisan politics with this seat.
This is just another reason for district voters to be angry at Democrats in November... as if any more reasons were needed at this point.
This November is going to be a political bloodbath.
Who says they haven't found a candidate? I thought they were interviewing a final three (or four?) somewhere in the District today? Probably near the Rochester airport, to accommodate any out-of-towners?
Looks like they found someone to run. Their press release basically says they picked a candidate but please, Paterson, don't make him run in a special election. Funny thing is they are already speaking of Reed like he is the sitting Congressman but in the same breath state they are confident the seat can be held. Now that is some serious gallows humor! Now let's see if Paterson mans up, calls the special, and tells the County Chairs that they made this bed, now sleep in it.
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100406/NEWS01/100406018/Dems+have+c...