Junior New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has never been bashful around a camera or microphone just like her mentor senior New York Senator Charles Schumer. She has followed the infamous Rose Garden strategy of ignoring her Republican/Conservative challenger Wendy Long since June.
With less than a week to election day, Gillibrand , A Democrat, has only participated in one public debate. It is apparent that Gillibrand prefers to hide behind both her voter registration advantage of Democrats outnumbering Republicans by 3,021,021 along with a $14 million dollar and growing campaign kitty. Republican Wendy Long is essentially broke. How much of Gillibrand’s funds have been raised from the infamous Washington K Street lobbyists, Pay for Play and other special interest groups? Her campaign clearly preferred to get her message out via canned television commercials versus a series of face to face debates.
Interesting to note that Gillibrand’s television ads omit any reference to support of Pres. Obama, Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), health care, cap and trade, stimulus program, cash for clunkers, bailouts, Solyndra and other “Green Energy” boondoggles, along with the other failures that have left us with an 8 percent unemployment rate along with 7 percent who have given up looking, millions more just getting by on minimum wage and or part time jobs along with another $5 trillion in national debt. Gillibrand continues to run away from her old friends and legislative record both of which have become unpopular among voters.
Too bad that Republicans couldn’t attract a credible candidate such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani. He had both name recognition and the ability to raise the millions of dollars necessary which is vital to be taken seriously. GOP Senate primary loser Nassau County Comptroller George Margolis had far better name recognition and could have raised several million dollars. This would have made him a much better challenger than Long. Long will be left on the Republican/Conservative Party altar of sacrificial lambs. Both State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox and Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long once again have run a third-tier candidate for statewide office who was preordained to lose. She will go down in the political history books as another asterisk just like her predecessors Joseph. J. DioGuardi (2010), Jay Townsend (2010), John Spencer (2006) and Howard Mills (2004). Former Congressmember Rick Lazio (2000) and former Senator Alfonse D’Aamto (1998) were the last two credible Republican/Conservative Party candidates to run in New York for United States Senator. They both had name recognition and the millions of dollars necessary to run credible campaigns. .
In New York, Obama is currently out-polling GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney by over 28 points, ditto for Gillibrand by 37 points over Long. The national GOP campaign committee, Romney’s own presidential campaign along with various independent political action committees conceded New York to Obama months ago. Romney just like previous GOP Presidential candidates has no boots on the ground in New York. There is no campaign office with a skeleton staff or campaign budget. No funds have been invested for telephone banks to get out the vote, mailings, newspaper, radio, or television media buys to provide any political coattails. Romney continues spending no time campaigning in a state he has already written off. The only visits to New York Romney has conducted were to raise money.
With Obama and Gillibrand heading the Democratic Party ticket, they will be providing strong coattails for fellow Democrats further down the ballot running for Congress, state Senate and state Assembly. Our new Democratic Congressmember Steve Israel (3rd CD) will easily triumph over his Republican/Conservative challenger Stephen Labate without breaking a sweat running for another term. The GOP Congressional campaign conceded the 3rd CD to Israel and provided no financial assistance to Labate. Many other conservative and pro business poetical action committees did the same. As a result, Labate could not raise anything close to a $1 million. This amount of money which could fund media buys, direct mail and telephone banks is necessary for any challenger to overcome the financial, enrollment and name recognition advantages held by an incumbent such as Democratic Congressmember Steve Israel.
This pending tidal wave may rival or surpass Democratic President Lyndon Johnson crushing Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964 or the resignation of Republican Pres. Richard Nixon which resulted in a post Watergate 1974 Democratic Party victories in 1974. Both the 1964 and1974 elections resulted in incumbent Republicans on the federal, state and local levels losing safe districts in record numbers.
Even worse is the weak Republican ticket lead by Romney and Long in New York. They will be an albatross around the neck for fellow Republicans running for Congress, state Senate and state Assembly. Republican incumbents will have a steeper hill to climb to win another term. Any hopes of victory for GOP candidates challenging incumbent Democrats are gone. Republican state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos with a slim two seat majority has the most to lose. His task keeping control of the State Senate has become even more difficult.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
