After losing his first campaign for the Cambridge City Council in 1935, Tip O’Neill coined his famous phrase “All politics is local,” articulating the need for issues to be brought directly to the constituency. Despite his first, and only electoral loss, O’Neill went on to become the second longest serving House Speaker ever.
While our attention will undoubtedly be focused on the national scene in six days, our voices will be the loudest here at home. After all, just last year, the Schenectady mayoral election came down to less than one percentage point. With 120 Union students newly registered to vote right here in Schenectady, history shows that we could make the difference in these down-ballot races.
But when you step into the voting booth on Nov. 6, who will be on your ballot? With over a dozen names across the sheet, it can be a little intimidating. Knowing your choice is crucial.
The United States Senate
The highest office up for grabs in New York in 2012 is the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand. A former member of the House of Representatives, Gillibrand was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton’s seat in 2009. Gillibrand has dumped nine million dollars into a campaign that isn’t seen as particularly competitive. However, her opponent is no pushover. Wendy Long is a litigation attorney specializing in the Supreme Court. She served as a clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas and later played important roles in the confirmation hearings of John Roberts and Samuel Alito. It’s the first woman versus woman Senate contest in New York; history is being made.
The House of Representatives
Paul Tonko is around Union College a lot; after all, it’s a place he knows pretty well, having represented it for three decades. Before being elected to Congress in 2008, he served for 25 years in the State Assembly. In 2012 Tonko will seek his second term in Congress, running against local businessman Bob Dietrich. Dietrich, a Republican, has an extensive career in regional business and was named the CFO of the Year by the Capital Region Business Review in 2011. Congressman Tonko is a tireless defender of the Obama administration and has voted with his party in Congress almost 95 percent of the time. Dietrich has focused on a small-government message.
The New York State Senate
Incumbent State Senator Hugh Farley, a Republican, has served in Albany since 1977. Entrenched and still popular, his 2010 race against Schenectady County Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage was expected to be competitive. Farley won by almost 30,000 votes. This year he’ll face off against Democrat Madelyn Thorne, a community volunteer with an active career in senior care. Although she entered the race late, kicking off her campaign in July, we should be happy she decided to run. Almost half of the State Senate races across New York will be uncontested in 2012. Agree or disagree with Thorne’s positions, she has given voters a choice.
The New York State Assembly
In 2010, Republican Jennifer Whalen took 49 percent of the vote against John Reilly, forcing the election to go to absentee ballots. Although Reilly won, when Whalen announced she would run again he chose to retire. This local race is by far the most intense this year. Phil Steck, an Albany county legislator, beat the party favorite in the Democratic primary in September and has focused on a grassroots, bipartisan message. Whalen has repeatedly criticized Steck for being soft on Sheldon Silver during the revelation of a sexual harassment suit cover-up.
Steck has not called for Silver’s resignation. This race will be nasty down to the last day.It’s the lowest elected office on the ballot, but it’s perhaps the most important. In 2011, Vince Riggi broke the one-party control of the City Council, taking a seat through the Alliance Party, founded in 2010 for that very purpose. This year, Union’s own Rich Patierne will square off against Councilwoman Marion Porterfield. She was appointed in April to the seat vacated by Gary McCarthy when he became Mayor. The State Supreme Court will not allow Patierne to appear on the Alliance line because he has three other endorsements, but he’s the strong favorite for bipartisan action.
Be informed, know your candidates and as Bob Schieffer’s mom said, “Go out and vote. It makes you feel big and strong.”
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Nick,
I have been waiting patiently for your brilliant thoughts on how all the moderate Republicans lost this round? Seems amazing that even your old boss Nan lost, and she was the queen of moderates. How on earth could she have blown her lead and lost to one of the biggest statists to have ever run for public office? Too many photo ops with Paul Ryan and those crazy conservatives I bet? How it could be that a guy with so many negatives (Obama) could have either inspired so many more Democrats to show up at the polls? Or more likely, how the spineless Republicans in Congress would not take an active stand on anything in 2011 and 2012, which caused people to say “they don’t care”, “there is no difference”, “all these guys want to do is cut taxes, otherwise they are the same”. The 911 call went out in 2010 and when Congress got to the scene on Jan 1, 2011 they were already beaten, clubbed into submission by our own side. Then out came the biggest cowards in politics who boldly ran and hid from the President. I cant say it loud enough; COWARDS! They couldn’t even find consensus on Ryan’s 2011 budget with four house members and three useless senators voting against. Why can they not pass the Equal Opportunity Act under Republican leadership!!! Talk about stupid! It is pathetic!
I figured by now you would have had some inspirational piece of brilliance telling us how the conservatives blew it and that the undeniable truths and premises of life, liberty, and property rights are not to be mentioned, or worse have to be thrown out if we are to get anywhere as a party. Come on, tell us that we have to adopt the Democrat principles, open the borders wide; allow everyone who wants to come into the country as quick as possible and don’t forget to sign them up for welfare upon arrival. Come on, tell us that we need to run to the left but not sprint. Correct? No? Help us see the light!
Oh well, maybe next time or maybe there wont be a next time? Thank you to all the gutless Republicans who cannot stand on what is right! Who cannot make the argument that limited government is the way to go, and cannot make the argument against the incredible growth of the entitlement state. Life, liberty and property rights are to fall so that we may have our side in power and yet look what happens.
Take care comrade!
Keith.