In a “stunning rebuke” (per NYT) Weld has failed to get the NY GOP nod. The aggressive regressive wing of the Party, determined to accelerate into a brick wall, have chosen Conservative Party favorite and abortion-rights opponent John Faso to lead them. Democratic nominee Eliot Spitzer has $19 million in the bank compared to $1 million for Faso. Weld received enough votes to appear on the ballot.
Please share widely!
david says
Weld, of course, suffered a similar fate here in 1990. Worked out well for him then, though as sco has reminded us on several occasions, the Conservative Party holds considerable sway in NY. This’ll be a fun one to watch.
centristdem says
Very interesting parallels between NY and Boston, where we have an aggressive, progressive wing of the party determined to accelerate into a brick wall. Taking away the party credentials of proven vote getters is a vote burner, gang. Haven’t we lost enough elections to know a losing strategy when we see one?
daves says
I got a letter from the Weld campaign, asking me to contribute. In the letter, Bill pointed out that I could contribute up to $45,000 (or thereabouts) under New York Law. I filed this under “I” for Insane.
peter-porcupine says
..that’s the cost of the mailing covered!
reformerben says
It’s been clear for some time now that Eliot Spitzer is going to roll to victory in this fall’s gubernatorial election in New York. But what fewer people realize is the role that the New York Working Families Party has played in changing the political terrain in the Empire State to make it friendlier for progressives, helping to make that victory so assured.
<
p>
Check out this Spitzer quote from a recent article in The Nation:
<
p>
“What [Working Families} is about is…embracing the ideas and values that will change the lives of citizens across the state; being willing to challenge the status quo; being willing to say, ‘If it’s broken we will fix it.’ You have proven that substance matters in politics.”
<
p>
In fact, Spitzer will be headlining the WFP convention tomorrow, and you can follow all the happenings there live via the WFP Blog (which I’ll be doing from my seat with the rest of the Second Suffolk Democrats out in Worcester!).
<
p>
It’s pretty powerful stuff — and it’s why we’re trying to emulate their model here in Massachusetts by repealing the state ban against cross-endorsement (a.k.a. “fusion”) voting via a ballot inititive this fall. (To learn more, check out the Mass Ballot Freedom Campaign website.) If we’re successful at winning this thing in November, look for a progressive new political party to come onto the scene here in the Bay State, rooted in working-class and of-color communities, that can use an “inside-outside” strategy to pull the Democrats back to seriously addressing the bread-and-butter issues — stagnating wages, the high costs of education and housing, a healthcare system that is still far from universal, just to name a few — that affect all families here in Massachusetts.
<
p>
Then, whether or not we take back the corner office this fall, we’ll have a powerful mechanism — like they do in New York — by which to hold politicians accountable on the issues that really matter.
porcupine says
Could we GET that lucky?
<
p>
You intend to end the practice of every politicain being able to call themselves ‘Democrat’, from Finneran to Rushing, to get elected, and make the address ISSUES?
<
p>
OUTSTANDING! The GOP will have to set up refugee yurts!
fieldscornerguy says
Yurt yurt yurt