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The New York Republican Party is desperate for excuses and is floundering about like a fish out of water. Prior to Foley-gate, the NYGOP was already in disarray and lacking in any credible candidate for the top-tier races, and they have had to settle on John Faso, John Spencer, Jeanine Pirro, and Christopher Callaghan for the state-wide offices. This is not the most inspiring slate of candidates for New York Republicans.
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In addition, we have many Republican incumbents facing strong Democratic challengers in our various US House races, and that list has been growing with the addition of Rep. Reynolds. It is no surprise that the state party has decided to follow the National Republican Committee's and the mainstream media's story-line with regards to their embarrassing candidates. From the
Kingston Daily Freeman:
Local Republicans came out in support of embattled attorney general candidate Jeanine Pirro during a fund-raiser for the Ulster County GOP Thursday evening.
[snip]
The federal government is currently investigating Pirro to determine whether she broke the law by plotting to eavesdrop on her husband, who she believed was having an affair. Pirro, and others attending Thursday's event, said the news was politically timed to hurt her chances in the November election.
Ms. Pirro has been having her own little scandal about the possible illegal use of wiretapping on the ones that she loves. And of course, it is the "liberal media's" fault that she is being investigated. According to State Senator John Bonacic, who is facing a strong challenge from Ulster County Legislator Susan Zimet, placed the blame where blame is due:
State Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, said Pirro's latest troubles are a product of a liberal media that doesn't give Republicans "a fair shake." He said the media is on a campaign to "demonize" Republicans in an attempt to discourage GOP voter turnout in November.
Granted, our state comptroller is having a Driving Miss Hevesi problem, which I am in no way dismissing. But what does bother me is Sen. Bonacic's attempt equate this with Foleygate:
He cited as an example the recent media coverage of Mark Foley, a Florida Republican congressman who resigned last week amid allegations he sent sexually explicit e-mails to a teenage male. He said Democrat Alan Hevesi, who is running for re-election as state comptroller, has not faced the same media scrutiny despite having admitted to misusing state funds to pay for a chauffeur for his wife.
A state comptroller misusing funds for a driver for his disabled wife is on par with illegal wire-tapping and a sordid scandal involving underage pages, a congressman and a cover-up? I think not. One is just your run-of-the-mill abuse. The other, not so much. Even my esteemed opponent ventured his own opinion of the situation:
State Assemblyman Clifford Crouch, R-Guilford, said Republicans need to remain hopeful and motivated despite negative media coverage. Even though some races are going to be a struggle, he said, it is still worthwhile to continue the fight.
So now we have the liberal media on behalf of the Democratic Party encouraging negative media coverage only against the poor GOP. Perhaps the reason is that the NY GOP is so completing out of touch and simply grasping at straws.
Pirro said she couldn't prove that Cuomo, a Democrat, had a hand in leaking the wiretaps, but said he was capitalizing on it to avoid debating her on the issues.
Perhaps I could ask Mr. Cuomo to debate paranoid Pirro, if she can get my opponent to debate me. He recently changed his mind and postponed our only debate, after we had the League of Women Voters to moderate and the Norwich Evening Sun to sponsor it. Now that is called bipartisanship.