New York State of Mind Still Not Republican
Another factor to consider was brought up at CQ Politics, who point out that Rudy could inadvertently aid the Democrats if he does toss his hat in the gubernatorial ring. Right now, Andrew Cuomo is keeping his cards close to the vest, not wanting to start a civil war in his own party while Paterson is still insisting he wants to run for a full term of his own. And he’ll want to tread carefully, since the governor has already shown that he will use the race card at the drop of a hat.
If Cuomo stays on the sidelines, a concerted effort by the GOP could push one of their candidates into a stronger position against the embattled governor. But if Rudy is in the hunt and it’s clear that Paterson will get trounced — the poll shows Giuliani beating him 56 to 33 — that would give the AG the cover he needs to make a run at the nomination during the primary.
Things also look a little better on the Senate front for the Republicans. Kirsten Gillibrand is turning out to have relatively soft support, and the Siena numbers show former Governor George Pataki leading her 42 to 39, while she beats Congressman Pete King by a margin of 46 to 24. (Should it come to a primary battle, Pataki thrashes King by a two-to-one margin, currently.)
Chuck Schumer, as always, maintains high favorability ratings and his seat seems safe. Given the way his star has been rising recently in the Democratic Party on the national level, he has no compelling reason to seek greener pastures and I doubt the Republicans will put up more than token opposition to him next year.
So how to explain this rough ground for Republicans in a state so obviously fed up with their current leadership? A good clue may be found in their national views. President Obama’s approval ratings have now gone upside down for the first time across the land according to the latest polls by both Gallup and Rasmussen. But in New York, he still maintains a staggering 70 percent level of support. (That figure, believe it or not, includes 35 percent of the Republicans and 72 percent of the independents.) With followers such as that in the face of economic calamity, it’s not hard to believe that the GOP will face a tough slog here next fall.
So, again, New York is New York. The voters may lose patience with Democrats from time to time, but a fair number of them seem willing to simply usher in a new group of Democrats rather than risking a roll of the dice on the Republicans. This doesn’t mean that the GOP should fold their hand, though. Even picking off one Senate seat in the Northeast would be a major coup after the beatings they sustained in their last two at-bats. But they will need to be aware of that New York state of mind. And it’s not always a very stable one.
The state of New York is royally screwed. Its citizens are mostly crazier than bedbugs. Their local and state governments are financially destitute. The economy outside of New York City has sucked for decades. These fools also have nobody to blame but themselves. The hell with them. I live in Texas and we have the moral and rational right to look down our noses on these fools. Regrettably, some of these New Yorkers, Californians, and other blue state whack jobs, will try and escape to Texas. We then will have to worry about them polluting our state with their left wing, spendthrift politics. We should not feel any pity for these persistent Democratic Party and “moderate” Republican voters. They have made their own bed—and must now sleep in it.
The GOP is pretty much AWOL. We see no leadership or principled stances out of them. They must be expecting to ride in on the coattails of the grassroots revolt against Obama/Pelosi/Reid and somehow score big by being wallflowers. That’s pretty weak, pathetic, and spineless. It’s certainly no way to win back my support.
The Constitution is right there. All they have to do is stand up and defend it!
How pathetic that they shuffle their feet and cower.
Wimps!
“Stupid is as stupid does.” -Forrest Gump
Republicans in NY are pretty much like Virginia Democrats except they abhor the Second Amendment. So, you have a choice between the left and the far left. Both parties are statists, one just gets you there faster than the other.
Please New Yorkers stay in New York and enjoy the utopian, workers’ paradise you have created. The rest of the country is not good enough for you, save for the excepton of Massachusetts or California.
Is Rudy really the BEST the GOP can do?
When the electorate had the chance to vote for a sorta-conservative (Pataki I, as opposed to Pataki II, and III) they went for it.
Just when do we get a chance to vote for something other than LeftistCrazy vs. LeftistCrazy Lite? (No, pro-abortion, anti-gun, big-Gov’t spendthrift is NOT the way of the GOP!)
I live in NYC however I am leaving and taking my Conservative values plus my tax dollars with me when I flee this miserable Serfdom.
I’m looking to knowing Jon Stewart will be paying more in taxes to replace the revenue void taxpayers like me and Rush Limbaugh are leaving behind.
All that will be left for the silly NYers remaining behind is to dwell in their internet kiddie porn Jon Stewart has shoved up his anal cavity.
The Democrat Party is a criminal enterprise.
I live just outside NYC, but work in the city. People I work with constantly complain about the cost of living here, but they don’t complain about taxes. I always wonder about that, considering we pay more than some other states, especially those with no income tax.
I love this city, but the liberal politics drive me nuts. We had a work party this week, and the heads of my company were bashing the people of PA, saying that they really do cling to their guns and religion. Well, I’m at the bottom of the ladder and am from PA, but I made sure to speak out enough to let them know to shut up. Some of the narrowest minds really are the minds of liberals.
David Thomson – I always specifically look for your posts. I appreciate your adherence to facts and the logic of your analysis. How about starting your own blog where we can see more of both?
Cat – leftism is, itself, a religion. It is based on opinions resting in faith rather than facts.
There are several problems with this. First, a political, economic and societal analysis has to be based on facts not faith. Second, socialism is an elitist structure;it sets up an elite of Guardian Rulers, those who deem themselves the Smart and Powerful (limousine liberals)..versus the unwashed masses. There’s no room for a middle class in Socialism. That’s why NY is in a mess; it has ignored reality – and that important requirement for a middle class, free and individualistic.
Another key problem with the socialist ideology is that it is a tribal religion, which means that you are sub-human if you are not an ‘inherent’ or faith-based member of the tribe. Dissent is not allowed within the tribe; any who dissent are Others, Outsiders, and, of course, sub-human.
Christianity, by the way, is not tribal but emerged as a rejection of the isolationism of tribalism. Its mantra of ‘love thy neighbour’ speaks against tribal dehumanization of Others.
Wait until gas prices go up next summer. All republicans have to do is be ready with the common sense solutions that most Americans want, and then FOLLOW THROUGH.
Energy will be a huge issue going into late summer next year, mark my words. “Green jobs” is nothing but code for government bloatation, because the real jobs don’t come until the technology is there to start producing. Where are all the jobs? They are lost in mountains of environmental regulations, most of which revolve around te lie that humans can control earth’s temperature.
If Americans want real reform, we should start with stepping back and taking a fresh look at the burden these regulations have been on our economy and an honest cost-benefit analysis by someone other than the IPCC, which hase every reason to propagate an alarmist perspective.
Americans now trust republicans more on virtually every issue, including healthcare:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/trust_on_issues
It’s time to take advantage of it with concrete alternatives to unicorn oil, wings and prayers, knocking on wood, and crossed fingers.
- jobs; highlite huge gaps between empty promises and actual practice
- more domestic energy production; I’ve always wondered why oil drilled half way round the world and shipped across an ocean is more environmentally friendly.
- deficit control; making real “tough choices”, like cutting government bloat at a rate commensurate with job losses in the private sector, and not taking easy short term gains that create long term pain for our posterity.
- audit the fed
- ensure real competition in health insurance by allowing interstate policies; cut costs through competition and tort reform. Assess anti-trust laws to make sure they are having the intended effect in health insurance.
- To me the biggest would be education. One of Obama’s first acts in office was to repay the teachers unions by killing the DC voucher program. It was proven to work for the kids, but worked against the union bosses. Sorry kids, the Harvard grads running Washington need you to be dumb and poor to stay in power. Better luck to the next generation of you.
Jazz I think its time to move out of NY State
Ideology over practicality – the reason Obama won, too.
Giuliani was the best thing to happen to that state. He cleaned it up and made it a place you could actually live. After his changes, murders in Central Park were so rare that they made front-page news.
But oh noes he has an (R) after his name. Can’t vote for that, it would be like spitting on Woodstock. Better vote for the idiots who are driving the entire country into the ground.
This guy who calls himself Jazz Shaw strikes me as someone who has lived too long in the northeast. Northeast people don’t even know what American is all about, and neither does this author.
If Ed Cox becomes the new New York State GOP Chair, then there is reason to believe that the New York Republican Party will get its act together and provide an alternative to the Democrats that New Yorkers will support.
I just hope they enjoy their next 9/11, compliments of their leftist ideas and those they support such as their governor, obama and so on. I don’t think they can work much harder then that get their terrorist friends to bomb them once more.
I won’t shed a tear after the next attack and I certainly won’t be fighting for their freedom that they have thrown in the trash and stomped on.
Do hope they stay out of Texas, we have our own collection of looney toon characters and don’t need any more.
15 OLE SARGE:New York is hopeless and hapless. Mired in Libtardism, with a declining economy being killed of by taxes,it’s a moribund state;Cuba on the Hudson.I think it should be put under the joint management of Disney and PUSH,walled off(to prevent its affluent libtard tax base from escaping)and renamed, WELFARE WORLD:A libtard dependency theme park.Oh, and all the Gitmo inmates should be released there to serve as tour guides.
What most people don’t realize is that there are really two New Yorks. Downstate, including NYC, the suburbs and Long Island, is heavily liberal and dominant in politics. Upstate, which comprises a good 90% of the land mass of the state but less than half the population, is much more balanced and even leans toward the conservative side of the political spectrum in most areas.
Sadly, there is not much that we upstaters can do to change the political spectrum in our state. The good news is that upstate New York wasn’t hit hard by the global recession. Due to the downstate focus of state politics, upstate New York has been in a prolonged recession for decades.
Right now my work and family situation is decent enough to keep me where I am. But it wouldn’t take much for me to start looking for work out of state. Don’t worry, as much as I agree with Texas politics, I don’t think I could take the heat. Besides, it wouldn’t be Christmas without three feet of snow on the ground.
I visit New York several times a year and it seems to me the majority of the people I see are either black or hispanic. Don’t they usually vote Democrat?