JEANINE PIRRO Conservatives eye rival.
Posted on 11/07/2005 5:10:04 AM PST by Liz
JEANINE PIRRO Conservatives eye rival.
Jeanine Pirro's little-known opponent for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate is close to winning crucial backing from the small but influential Conservative Party, insiders say.
Such a success by former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer would deny Pirro a vital endorsement in what would already be — if she is the GOP nominee — an uphill battle against incumbent Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. And it would be the latest blow for Pirro, the outgoing Westchester County district attorney whose campaign has been marred by stumbles and fund-raising shortfalls.
Tactically, Spencer, a tough-talking ex-Marine who is far more conservative than Pirro on a range of issues, plans to use Conservative Party backing as leverage to convince many still-uncommitted GOP leaders to back him as the only candidate with a chance to defeat Clinton.
"Spencer clearly has the edge on Jeanine," Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long told The Post. "If our party's convention was held next week, I think Spencer would be the choice." Spencer said, "I feel, at this point, the Conservative endorsement is in the bag."
No Republican since 1974 has won statewide election without Conservative Party support.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
No Republican since 1974 has won statewide election without Conservative Party support.
That is the point, isn't it? What Conservative party candidate has won withiout Republican party support?
Thanks for the link. This Spencer guy sounds like a winner. IMO he should run for NY Governor.
Thanks, this is the first I have seen of him I think...
I have been so busy fighting the corruption here in Erie county I may have missed it.
Obviously. you need both. Are you saying that Spencer cannot garner GOP support? That is why we have primaries.
I don't know. Show me.
There is no Republican zone in Massachusetts. There are a few clusters of suburbs that vote red, but they're few and far between. The rural areas are Democrat, too.
Show you? I don't understand your point. If Spencer successfully challenges Pirro in the GOP primary, he will be the nominee of both the Conservative and GOP parties. If Pirro wins, she will be the GOP nominee. I can't show you anything. It is up to the voters to decide.
I believe Bush won one out of thirteen counties and came real close in two other rural counties. That's really not bad considering they had a home boy running. You also need to consider the fact that that voting districts in Massachusetts have been gerymandered for years and years.
What does it matter, really? Hitlery is going to be the first woman president anyhow. At present, the GOP has NOONE to offer that brings experience & charisma to the post. And after the last 8 years, voters in general will be disenfranchised with the GOP. Unfortunate, but I would lay money on this one.
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What is "the center" anyway?
Do you know that a "centrist" is a term concocted and defined by the Left?
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That's a legitimate question. The answer is the center moves.
As issues of the moment vary (abortion was not even on the radar screen in 1940), the positions that define left, right and center change.
Pre 9/11, terrorism was not on the radar screen. A candidate who based his entire platform on anti-terrorism measures would not have been taken seriously. In Sept of 2000, the dominant issues were economic. The NASDAQ had already lost a lot of its value from the peak.
Advocating a US military presence in Iraq in September of 2000 would have been viewed as bizarre and extreme right wing -- and it would have garnered few or no votes. That wasn't the center then.
So Hillary is trying to establish herself as a Centrist for the issues of note that exist today. In a liberal state like NY, our best strategy from a national perspective is force her to be more liberal than her opponent. Remember, it's not just Democrats at issue here. NY has a lot of liberal Republicans. Her campaign will have to respond to the challenge to commit to a full term and to avoid that issue, she'll pander to all the liberals she can find, of whatever party affiliation.
The optimal strategy is to run someone close to the center and force her leftwards.
Bush didn't win any counties in Massachusetts. I doubt he even came that close in the few counties Kerry won by less than 60%.
If Chuck Schumer or Hillary Clinton ran for President, they'd probably carry New York easily buy lose 20 or more counties upstate. Those regions also vote heavily Republican for Congress and the state legislature.
Massachusetts isn't gerrymandered that heavily. You can't draw a "safe" Republican district in this state if you tried, while New York has several. You could draw a few Congressional districts a Republican might have a 50/50 chance of winning, but even then, we have no bench because we're outnumbered in the state legislature like 5-1 and have no swaths of red territory to draw from. Our legislature is the most heavily Democrat in the country.
It's a sad, sad state.
Those who want to live their lives suckling from the government teat and those who don't.
That's a big part of it. However, when I have to visit the cities, I'm glad they take a socialist approach to trash collection.
Move to Amesbury
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/ma/prescounties/
Abington is reported under Plymouth County. The WP got it wrong as usual.
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