Steve Harrison (Democrat for NY-13): Flashback to 2006
This last week, Steve Harrison made his long anticipated anouncement (reported first on Daily Gotham as far as I am aware) that he would run for Congress against Bush Lap Dog, Vito Fosella in the NY-13 Congressional district. Make no mistake. This is big because in 2006 Harrison entered the race late and ran an almost strictly grassroots, shoestring campaiagn and by November was breathing down Fosella's sweaty neck.
This time Harrison is anouncing early and already fundraising. And this time, the DCCC is watching with a real eye towards getting involved. Vito Fossella, part of the Cheney/Bush Axis of Corruption, is scared.
To welcome Steve into the race, I want to repost what I wrote in 2006 after first meeting Steve Harrison at a New Democratic Majority meeting in Brooklyn. And let me be the first one to extend a new invitation to him to come by our meetings again this year...anytime!
The following was originally posted in 2006:
Last night I finally got to meet Steve Harrison at the Brooklyn meeting of New Democratic Majority. Steve Harrison is running for Congress against the extremely corrupt buddy of Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, Vito Fossella...
Steve Harrison was one of the most relaxed candidates I have met. He came in, gave everyone the obligatory handshake, and then proceeded to sit down with us, have a glass of wine, and converse with us. He wasn't giving a speech, he was simply talking with us. He felt comfortable and we felt comfortable.
Steve Harrison gave us a run down of the district. The Brooklyn side, which has been almost completely neglected by Fossella, was easily won by Barbaro two years ago. Harrison lives in that part of the district and has served on their community board with considerable distinction. Harrison will do well there.
The Staten Island part of the district is divided in half: North Shore is Democratic and South Shore is Republican. North Shore again was an easy win for Barbaro 2 years ago and Harrison has no trouble connecting with voters in that part of the district.
South Shore is territory where Democrats have feared to go. In many ways, Democratic candidates cede this territory to the Republicans and try to rely on the other to segments. This fails. This is why Fossella wins. Steve Harrison was not afraid to brave the dreaded South Shore!
Which is why he may yet win. He went down into the heart of Republican territory and the voters LIKED him. He described burly, blue-collar Republicans who eyed him suspiciously at first, but were supporters by the end. He asked some why they never supported Democrats and they replied, "Because they never come down here and talk to us."
Steve Harrison went down there and talked to them and they responded. That is what wins elections. Visits by Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, like Fossella gets, don't win elections. Meeting the voters does. And Steve Harrison bonded with the Republican side of Staten Island at least as well as he bonded with the Democratic parts of the district.
This is why he may yet win.
The other thing that will play out big time in NY-13 is Fossella's corruption. Remember, corruption is what brought down Republican icons Tom DeLay, Randy Cunningham and Bob Ney. All of these were untouchable...until their corruption came out. Well, the Daily News ran a whole series of articles exposing Vito Fossella's misuse of funds. I have covered a little of this in the past. But the Daily News really exposed him for the corrupt SOB he is and that will chip away at his standing in the district just as it chipped away at Tom DeLay and Randy Cunningham. An elderly Italian woman Steve Harrison spoke to told him that she had been a die-hard Republican all her life but she will never support Fossella again because of the Daily News revelations. She felt betrayed by Fossella's corruption and will now have nothing to do with him.
Then there is Social Security. Fossella has been an advocate of Bush's "privatization" of Social Security. He was a STRONG advocate of it. Until polls showed 70% of the district disagreed with him. Then he flip-flopped and opposed it. But then he flip-flopped again and said privatization was still on the table. Which is it, Vito? Are you for Bush and Cheney's privatization of Social Security or are you against it the way your district is? You can't have it both ways. Steve Harrison is solidly opposed to the Bush-Cheney-Fossella plan to privatize Social Security and that will play well in the district.
Put those three things together. A candidate who can connect with BOTH Democratic and Republican votes, Fossella's blatant corruption, and Fossella's flip-flopping on Social Security: added up that will, by November, make this a competitive race.
That was 2006, when Steve was recruited at late and the DCCC was sleeping. Now it's 2007 and Steve, the marathon runner, already has his running shoes on and the DCCC is already paying attention. Be afraid, Vito. The Harrison Express is coming fast.
For all who want to help Steve (and other Democratic challegers in NY State) visit my Act Blue page.
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2008 Elections | Congress | NY-13 | Democratic Party | Steve Harrison
While you may be right about Mr. Harrison being a good guy ,
Submitted by Daniel Millstone on 13 August 2007 - 6:58am.
(I've never met him), and you are certainly right that getting rid of Mr. Fossella could be an excellent project, the 2006 Harrison campaign seemed fraught with difficulties from a distance.
Mr. Harrison's ability to mobilize people and resources in the community was not shown by last year's campaign. Last year's campaign, people tell me, was almost entirely grassroots because the SI & Brooklyn political establishment stayed away from it, because unions did not pick that race as one to encourage their members to work in and because the campaign was -- perhaps partly as a result of the other factors -- not able to raise local money in the range needed. Many SIers work for NYC: UFT, DC 37, Fire, Police & Sanitation, TWU, or the Amalgamated Transit Union. These unions, and the Working Families Party, have made serious past efforts to turn politics around on the Island. Their participation would be especially valuable; where are they?
The campaign against Vito Fossella could and should be an easy focus for those of us outside the district in NYC. Thousands of us can easily get there. We should be able to raise local money to fund such a race. (So far as I know, no one has reached out in my neighborhood on behalf of Harrison). Progressive voters in the southern part of SI have been identified by very complete door-to-door canvasses But, I continue to be worried about the apparent absence from the race of progressive groups which could make a difference (and local political figures). David, you've said that it's early in the campaign -- but my sense is that in this extra long cycle, the time to gather support is running out.
In the 2006 election cycle, many of us picked other campaigns in which to get involved (For example, Many picked the John Hall campaign) because it didn't look as though the Harrison race had gelled. I hope the 2008 cycle works out better for him. Do you have a reason to think it will?
Ummm...
Submitted by mole333 on 13 August 2007 - 7:24am.
Please do a little more homework. Harrison was recruited by the Staten Island Democrats in 2006. UFT endorsed him. SEIU endorsed him. NY Times endorsed him. He has this to build on. Harrison left 2006 with money to spare while Fossella was left in debt.
As to Brooklyn Dems staying away, maybe the Democrats in Brooklyn need to consider a different leader since Vito Lopez has NEVER been concerned about defeating Republicans. The Brooklyn Dems are pretty damned useless when it comes to that. That isn't Harrison's fault.
The DCCC steered away because this race had been considered "safe" for Fossella based on old, Daschle-style thinking. So were many other races that we won in 2006 BECAUSE the grassroots paid attention. Harrison not only out did expectations, he also out did Barbaro...with far less money. If only Democrats stopped telling eachother a race can't be won, maybe we will win more of them. The number one criticisms of Harrison's run last time was a.) he entered too late and b.) the DCCC ignored him until the very last minute. And yet he STILL did better than Barbaro. This year he already has supporters ready to go, he has started earlier and the DCCC is already interested.
Thanks for the suggestion that I do my homework, I'll pass the
Submitted by Daniel Millstone on 13 August 2007 - 8:26am.
thought along to my children, who always greet such advice with the warm regard it deserves. I'm not telling you that the 13th cannot be won. I'm asking you about whether any of the ducks are in order.
So far as I could tell in the 2006 cycle UFT did not mobilize its members to work in the Harrison campaign. Did SEIU (are you, by the way talking, about 32BJ or 1199 or which?) put effort in? I didn't see it, but perhaps I was too far away. Did you see 1199 members ringing door bells in SI? (I saw both 1199 & NYSTU put effort into the Hall campaign.)
I do not care about DCCC (which, by the way helped John Hall only a little, very late) participation, but I do care about us on the ground. You err, I think, to equate long-time labor organizer and State Senator Diane Savino (where was she in 2006 and where is she now?) and other SI & Brooklyn Democrats with your personal bete-noir Vito Lopez (who, in my book, has been a stand up guy on housing issues). Was Bill Murphy active in Harrison's 2006 Campaign? Murphy was Democratic SI DA for a moderate amount of time.
None of this is about fault. Blame for Harrison, you or me is not the agenda. These are perfectly ordinary questions. They are important for all of us who are trying to focus our efforts for 2008.
I am a big fan of Steve
and also met him at a New Democratic Majority meeting - in Manhattan - in July of '06. He is an impressive fellow and notwithstanding my earlier comments about his anemic fundraising in '06 (indeed, it was his rather late entry into the race that hamstrung his fundraising efforts and hurt his chances for victory) and rather poor posting in June, I remain extremely optimistic that activists can harness the ever expanding power of the netroots to make the DCCC take notice and put Steve on its top-tier list of money recipients for '08. I truly believe he is the best chance we have of sending that empty suit (a.k.a. - Vito Fossella) back to the Men's Warehouse.