Quinnipiac Poll begs the question : Do Democrats hate New York City ?
New York City likely Democratic primary voters give mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer 33 percent, short of the 40 percent he needs to avoid a Democratic primary runoff, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
The other Democratic contenders are in a horse race for second place, and a chance to be in the runoff, with 17 percent each for Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields and 16 percent for U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.
Even among these likely Democratic voters, 16 percent remain undecided and 51 percent say they still might change their mind before the September 13 primary.
And 44 percent of these likely Democratic voters say they will vote for Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg if the candidate they support does not win the primary.
Unfriggingbelievable.
I am just flabbergasted by this. I really am. If there is anything that reflects the problems of the Democratic Party, from a local to national level, is this race. There is no unity, no desire for a Democratic Party win. What we have are four factions vying to undercut each other, and not interested at all to bring back New York City to the Democratic Party.
More telling is the complete absence of intervention from the DNC. Nary a peep.
Which begs the question : Do Democrats hate New York City? Or are they completely clueless about the city's political environment?
In a recent study released by The Bay Area Center for Voting Research, New York City ranked 21 in their list of most liberal and most conservative cities in the United States.
Let me state that one more time : New York City ranks 21 among most liberal cities. New York City trails in liberal voting patterns after Newark (#7) and Washington DC's (#4). Here's the top 10 :
- Detroit, Michigan
- Gary, Indiana
- Berkeley, California
- Washington, D.C.
- Oakland, California
- Inglewood, California
- Newark, New Jersey
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- San Francisco, California
- Flint, Michigan
Which begs the question : What is the DNC doing to ensure New York City stays liberal and votes Democratic? Where is Hillary? Where is Bill? And where in the world is Howard Dean? Why haven't these people made it a priority to get out the Democratic vote in New York City and New York State?
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New York City | Anthony Wiener | Democratic Party | Fernando Ferrer | Gifford Miller | Michael Bloomberg | Virginia Fields
Well, look at the candidates
Submitted by Bouldin on 23 August 2005 - 1:45pm.
The reasons for that apathy are, one the candidates themselves, and two, the ossified nature of the local Democratic Party. Out of the four, Ferrer is a hack joke - so what if he's Latino, is that enough to qualify him to run the place? - Fields has all the makings of a great sunday school teacher and an awful mayor, Miller would be great if he grew some convictions and a soul, and Weiner, well, he's the best of the lot, even if that is faint praise indeed. As it is, Weiner's the only one who has actually come out and said that perhaps there's a reason why we lost the last three elections.
As to the party itself, do we start with the Brooklyn Dems, whose chief has been indicted for corruption, or the Bronx machine? Inspiring, no?
We as Democrats need to articulate a compelling vision that explains what we want for the city. Presently, all you hear is the same old bullcrap about "improving education" - gee, that's controversial - and all the other tired talking points that the voters have now rejected three times in a row.
The definition of lunacy is to keep on doing the same thing while expecting a different result. By that standard, NY Dems need to collectively check in at Randall's. Sorry, but it's true.
Where do good Candidates come from?
Submitted by Daniel Millstone on 24 August 2005 - 8:56am.
Read the careful review of the quinnipiac poll by wayne barrett in the village voice: http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0534,barrett,67104,5.html.
All the candidates in the democratic party primary for mayor have strengths. None in my view are so weak as to make me take a hike if he/she wins. That said, none have had a serious committment to grass roots organizing as an element in their campaign. Win, lose or draw, the political efforts of these four will disappear following the primary and election.
I, as it happens, have been a fan of the democracy for nyc's efforts on behalf of Norman Seigel. He's a progressive candidate. The dfnyc effort on his behalf also appears to be building longer term local organization. Will that help foster further progressive candidates in the future?
Completely agree
Submitted by mole333 on 24 August 2005 - 8:31pm.
Democrats, in NYC and nationwide, spend as much time as possible picking apart politicians and want to be spoon-fed their enthusiasm. But good candidates come from us! If we don't find the candidates we like and work hard for them, they get nowhere. And candidates grow and learn like the rest of us. I have noticed that Gifford Miller's style is less robotic and Ferrer's less abrasive. They are starting to learn from criticism.
I find that the left loves to complain, but it is hard to get them working. Some folks work their butts off (DFNYC and NDM in particular). But truth is the average leftist talks much, does little to help even the best of candidates, like Chris Owens or Paul Wooten or Norm Siegel, then complains some more, saying "I told you so."
What will foster good candidates? We have to work much, much harder for those candidates who really are good. The failure of Paul Wooten's bid for Brooklyn DA is a real loss to progressives as well s Brooklyn in general. He just didn't get enough backing from us! Yet he is exactly what we claim we want--progressive, activist (he helped write the legislation that CREATED the Public Advocate's position and he and Norm Siegel support eachother), honest, smart...and nice! But progressives failed to come out in droves to help him. So he had to drop out leaving the old-school incumbent, the corrupt machine candidate and the spoiled rich kid funding his own bid to be a "progressive." That is OUR failure as much as it is Paul's.
Where do good candidates come from? From us and our efforts.
We believe the data
The Q. poll tells us something very important about hard-core democratic primary voters. We need to listen. These voters do not consider installing a Democrat in City Hall as crucial.
Why Not? My guess: after 11 1/2 years of Rudy and Mike, the sky has not fallen, but crime rates have. Many people do not consider Bloomberg to be the devil incarnate; but a feasible, practical choice.
There is very little left leadership in the Democratic party. Sentators Schumer and Clinton, for example, have been ardent proponents of the war in Iraq. To whom, in this crew, should anti-war, leftish democrats turn in NY City and State?