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Blogger endorsements
There's an odd trend these days, with bloggers offering endorsements in various races. Rock Hackshaw has done so; so has New York's solipsistic blogger diva, Gatemouth, in what seems like an escalating howl for attention; and a new contributor on Room Eight, "Buddy", also chimes in.
With the exception of Rock Hackshaw, who has a name and reputation independent of the yammersphere - note to Rock, I'll take you up on that lunch idea, a phone call is forthcoming - I hesitate to ascribe much by the way of influence to any of these endorsements. And in that spirit, I now offer my own.
NY-11
No question about it: Chris Owens. I've met literally dozens of candidates and electeds, and with all due respect to all of them, Chris is by far the best in terms of intellect, passion, and that rarest of qualities in politics, simple human decency. We need more of that in Washington. If you value honesty and independence, vote for Chris.
NY-Gubernatorial
Eliot Spitzer, for much the same reasons as above. I'm astounded that the New York Democratic Party has managed to produce someone of Eliot's quality. Some people don't like him - "he's so mean" - but that's exactly what I like about him. To clean up the fetid swamp that is Albany, we need someone unafraid of stepping on some very pampered toes. With the kind of mandate Eliot is going to get in November, we have a chance for change that we haven't seen in generations.
NY-AG
Mark Green. As I wrote before, Mark may be an a**hole, but he's our a**hole, and if we want Eliot's shoes filled - to take up that tired metaphor despite its being flogged to death - Mark is the superior candidate.
NY-Senate (D)
Ignore that race. Hillary is an OK legislator (not much more, not much less), and Tasini is completely unacceptable, but honestly, can anyone in the Progressive community in good conscience cast a vote for either of them? I'd suggest to anyone appalled at the idea of Hillary as the 2008 nominee (including myself) to get busy helping other contenders for the nomination (my favorites being Warner and Edwards); but as far as this year's race is concerned, it's a done deal. So let's just use her popularity to get some more Democrats elected.
NY-Senate (R)
No doubt about it - John Spencer. He's a one-man gift to Democratic GOTV efforts for November. It's not just the sleaze, it's not just the nepotism, or even the sleeping around with his employees while still married, it's the ideology. Spencer is a Rove republican, and will single-handedly add several points to every Democratic contender in any race where his ads will be seen.
AD-57
Bill Batson, for the sheer pleasure of the boundless irritation he will cause Sheldon Silver.
AD-40
Anyone who is not Diane Gordon.
[Update]: Heh. I missed Solomon Grundy, and I promise I didn't rip off the "Anyone who is not Diane Gordon" line, which he uses as well.
republican endorsements
John Spencer over KT McFarlane after all we only need one Katherine Harris for Senate this year.
Solomon Grundy
While Solly mostly agrees with you on candidates (and when his palm card differs, he is usually wrong), he has a somewhat different viewpoint about my howl for attention (see
http://leftbehinds.blogspot.com/2006/09/primary-endorsements-that-are-ev...)
"Primary Endorsements That Are Even Funnier Than Ours (But Only Because They're So Much Longer)
I have only just read Gatemouth's endorsements, which are actually more like a series of very smart, funny essays on the various campaigns. I highly recommend reading them all in full.
The AG's Race: Part One (Kidney Punch), Part Two (The Homophobe v. The Racist), and Part Three (The Consolation Prize).
Gatemouth's Voter's Guide: Part One (Intro; Statewide and Congressional Races; Notes), Part Two (Judicial Races), Part Three (The State Senate), and Part Four (The State Assembly).
You might find it hard to believe that reading about the State Assembly could make you guffaw, giggle, and galumph, but you'd be wrong.
A+, Gatemouth, A+.
Also, is it possible that Gatemouth is in fact Matt Taibbi? That would for me be a handy consolidation of my platonic writerly crushes. Well, in Matt Taibbi's case, not so platonic, after I met him."
Or did I just prove your point?
Come on, Gate
...an unusual number of your postings recently have been a bit on the self-adulatory side.
Well, come on!
Some one has to praise Gatemouth : -)
Perhaps
Yeah, I know, all those press clips comparisons, but I love making fun of the press, and the Daily News certainly wouldn't have known Yassky ran for DC school board any other way. Plus, the Ravi Batra letter praising me was a parody of the man's nauseating ass-kissing, and actually provoked a nasty reply from the legal world's greatest blow job-artist.
Anyway, with self praise comes self-criticism, and my most recent piece not only admits to greivious wrong-doing, but admits that FUSTB was right about something and that I was wrong.
Can't get more humble than that, or could you so debase yourself under similar circumstances?
well
I am a fan of GM's writing (as opposed to his unabashedly Bill Clinton politics), but reading my post about him again, it seems just a bit over the top, at least outside of its natural, pink-hued home.
I don't really get (or, honestly, care) why GM rubs so many Room 8ers wrong, but I will say that despite my admiration, "solipsistic blogger diva" doesn't sound too far off. Heh. In the best way.
I only wish I were bigtime enough to get called a diva by anyone other than my significant others.
AD-57 looks to be over
Ben Smith just put up a new poll on the daily news blog in AD-57, showing:
Hakeem Jeffries 51%
Bill Batson 17%
Freddie Hamilton 6%
Undecided 23%
Hakeem may have had an insurmountable advantage from having run for this office before. Even if Batson gets all the undecideds, he still loses by a wide margin. Things don't look good at all for him.
Ben Smith Pushes Hakeem's "Privately-financed" Anonymous Pollaga
Ben Smith Pushes Hakeem's "Privately-financed" Anonymous Pollaganda
http://atlanticyardsvote.blogspot.com/2006/09/ben-smith-pushes-hakeems-p...
Working Families Party
CD-11 could get even more interesting, as there's an article out today in daily news about how the Working Families Party (WFP) is set to offer its line on the November ballot to whoever finishes second in the primary, if Yassky wins. They will offer it to Owens, Andrews OR Clarke. Even though petitions have been circulated and done to get Chris on the Green party line, I guess that won't happen now as the WFP is the more firmly entrenched third party locally. I'm wondering frankly if a deal is in place, where Sharpton and Vann and the Stop Yassky machine folks have recruited WFP to run the second place winner in the primary in November if Yassky wins. Thus on primary night, if say Yassky wins, and Owens finishes second, Owens then announces for the WFP line and Andrews and Clarke endorse him instead of the Democratic Party nominee. It would be the WFP effectively trying to force a runoff in a race where one isn't allowed by democratic party rules.
This scenario could result in a civil war within the Democratic Party in the 11th CD if Yassky wins, with the other candidates and various local leaders (sharpton, vann, major owens) refusing to back the winner of the primary. This would be a test of who is loyal to the democratic party and who is not. It could get really ugly.
established?
I'm not sure you can say the WFP is more established - they certainly don't have as many registered voters, but they do have a ballot line statewide to offer, not to mention TIsh James. We Greens valiently tried to get Chris on, but since we're a non-ballot party (hopefully to be rectified by Malachy McCourt for Governor in November), we needed 3750 valid sigs, and finding that many folks who hadn't already signed for the 4 candidates already proved to be a very difficult task indeed.
Second week in November (preferably on the weekend).
Yes. I will gladly welcome brunch (or whatever). I expect to be going away for a few weeks, so after the general election we could do this, TYVM.
thanks for the shoutout
My one quibble: if you're against Hillary's presidential run, imagine one year from now when her campaign site will tout the numbers in her landslide NY victory. A Tasini vote will make that landslide a little less extreme.
Besides, Tasini kicked off his run with a bicycle tour. That's just so cute.