Inside Washington: Bush Should Be In N.Y. State Of Mind For '04

NY Post ^ | Oct. 31 | DEBORAH ORIN

[jern]

October 31, 2002 -- IF THIS election is any guide, President Bush's team ought to start planning for an all-out New York push in his 2004 re-election bid, starting with a Big Apple Republican convention - but Bush's political team still doesn't seem totally comfortable with the state. Still, consider: Bush is super-popular in New York since Sept. 11, 2001, and Democrats are a mess in Bill and Hillary Clinton's adopted state. Carl McCall is a goner against Gov. Pataki and might even finish a humiliating third.

[Alberta's Child]

New York voters will have forgotten about 9/11 by 2004, at least insofar as it might influence their vote.

Bush would do well to steer clear of New York -- the state is about as liberal as they come (and gets more liberal by the week), and it would be easier for the Republican Party to score victories in Michigan and/or Pennsylvania and/or a combination of other swing states (Iowa, Wisconsin, etc.).

And forget about Pataki, too. He'd be a better fit as a Democratic running mate than a Republican one.

[Marysecretary]

Central New York is more conservative, except around the college towns. Lots of good farmers here and I'm betting most of them are conservatives. I could be wrong, but I saw a LOT more Lazio signs than I did Hilliary signs around the area.

[Alberta's Child]

You're right about that. The only problem is that the population in the conservative areas is very small.

If I remember correctly, New York has 67 counties. In the 1994 election, Pataki beat Cuomo by a razor-thin margin even though Pataki won something like 62 of the 67 counties.

[Pontiac]

Carl McCall is a goner against Gov. Pataki and might even finish a humiliating third.

That would be just too cool. It might be worth walking in the heart of darkness (New York City) for the chance to see the Dimocrat anointed one laid low and soiled with the stain of coming in third.

[jmaroneps37]

Articles like this are what you get when New York based political writers,(who have plenty of time on their hands since there is now no governors race), get in front of a keyboard.
New York's rats will be back to the fold by 2004.

[Alberta's Child]

LOL. I think you're right about that.

[Nonfaction]

This map proves your point.

But the cities here are just too Democratic, so I agree with Alberta's Child that it would be safer for Bush to forget about NY (and CA) and concentrate on winning PA and a couple of upper midwest states. If he can do that, he'll win even if he loses FL.

[Marysecretary]

Thanks, Nonfaction. I agree, cities are Republicanally-challenged. Too many poor in cities, too, I think, and they like getting the dole. I could be wrong but that's just my own opinion. They've bought into the lie the democrats always espouse.