13. NYCO - 5 November 2009 Some brief comments on NY-23: in the end, the voters behaved as you would expect of voters in that region (which is not politically homogenous): they were bemused and disgusted at outsiders. I think they enjoyed the attention at first, but by the end, the sweaty groping got to be too much. This is an area that is continually ignored during presidential elections (as the rest of the state is since it's "safe Democratic") and being all het up over ideological questions is not a way of life there. Because the region is ignored during presidential elections, the national parties really do not seem to know the lay of the land up here at all. The far-right will never be an organized force in New York State politics. Ever. There's no social network for them to seize. It's way too complicated for them. The funny thing is that everyone says "there hasn't been a Democrat representing this area since 1850-something" or whatever, but in fact, the political sensibilities of the area haven't changed much since 1850-something... which is not a bad thing necessarily, because the NY Republicans of 1850-something were actually liberals by today's standards. Anyhow, the humiliation this affair brings to the weaselly remnants of the NY GOP (Pataki et al) is most amusing. Better ground for the national rightwing nutjobs would have been NY-29, in rural Western New York (Eric Massa's territory), which is even poorer than NY-23 and more homogenous. But, it didn't happen that way.
Some brief comments on NY-23: in the end, the voters behaved as you would expect of voters in that region (which is not politically homogenous): they were bemused and disgusted at outsiders. I think they enjoyed the attention at first, but by the end, the sweaty groping got to be too much. This is an area that is continually ignored during presidential elections (as the rest of the state is since it's "safe Democratic") and being all het up over ideological questions is not a way of life there. Because the region is ignored during presidential elections, the national parties really do not seem to know the lay of the land up here at all. The far-right will never be an organized force in New York State politics. Ever. There's no social network for them to seize. It's way too complicated for them.
The funny thing is that everyone says "there hasn't been a Democrat representing this area since 1850-something" or whatever, but in fact, the political sensibilities of the area haven't changed much since 1850-something... which is not a bad thing necessarily, because the NY Republicans of 1850-something were actually liberals by today's standards.
Anyhow, the humiliation this affair brings to the weaselly remnants of the NY GOP (Pataki et al) is most amusing.
Better ground for the national rightwing nutjobs would have been NY-29, in rural Western New York (Eric Massa's territory), which is even poorer than NY-23 and more homogenous. But, it didn't happen that way.
So, please, no wind up retrospectives of the Golum - Clinton - Lazio Affair, amusing as that may be. To me.
Possibly related sentiment:
Srsly. Pragmatic constituents visual aid Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
