The Doheny campaign must cringe just a little when they hear fellow Republican Ken Blankenbush excoriate his opponent for not living and making a living in the district.
Blankenbush is framing that argument against Lewis County native Brian McGrath who had gone on to earn a living elsewhere before deciding to move back to the area and seek office.
Matt Doheny too had been successful elsewhere and returned to the area to live and work. He registered to vote in Watertown in May,2009. In fairness, Doheny has been back here a year longer and has his business office in Watertown. (I went and looked at it and it is what it appears to be)
The key in both cases is "successful."
So what if they had ambition and had the experience of living and working somewhere else ? They both seem committed to the North Country and have strong family ties here.
We live in a mobile society and we all like to be parochial now and then...But the fact these gentlemen prospered elsewhere is not a disqualifier.
They both seem to come from pretty average NNY backgrounds so while successful now, they likely know what life here is like.
Now If I were Mr. Blankenbush, I wouldn't hesitate to use the argument...I am just suggesting for the GOP it may be a tad duplicitous.
33 comments:
Except Doheny's primary opponent, Doug Hoffman, was also a non-resident until last month.
It annoys me somewhat that these people leave upstate and then when it's politically advantageous to them, want to move back. You want to make this a better place? Stick around, and don't bolt to some big city somewhere. If you do bolt, don't come back.
"I am just suggesting for the GOP it may be a tad duplicitous." or the Dems caught with a weak bench casting a wide net to see who might have ties to the North Country. I would like to see our Indy Party put a candidate up here.
Doheny moved back here in or around the end of 2008. He seen the oppurtunity to fleece the public with Wall St. Money.
One would think we in the North Country would welcome home our successful young people. I don't get that argument at all.
Of course Ken will make this lame argument, its all he has.
9:16 am - I agree with you. It is a bit like the chicken and the egg. In order for the district to change and be a place where people can have successful careers in a variety of industries we need to attract successful people from the industries to bring about change. Yet when that happens, people criticize them for not having experienced their success here. We can't expect people to be successful here in certain industries without having the commerce to support it - it is just impossible. We should be applauding these people who want to come back and make a difference in this area. It is like getting annoyed that a Hollywood actor had to leave his small town and go to California to launch his career in film. Until we have a platform for Hollywood actors, wall street bankers, etc. these people will have to leave to become successful. we should just be grateful when they want to come back and put the money they earned to work in our community. Works for me.
We got two guys who made their living somewhere else running this time. Doheny and that Dem from Lowville, the NYC lawyer. Is it McGrath? If anyone has a problem with one they have to hate the other one equally. Unless you're like an anti wind guy and have two seperate standards on stuff. That's always possible.
You can not knock either one of them for going some place else to make some coin they would have starved if they hadn't......
In my opinion, at least these guys have ties to the area. Can someone please explain to me what ties Hillary Clinton ever had to the state of NY? In that case she wanted a high profile state and a high profile job. In the case of DOheny and McGrath it is the opposite. As much as I would like to think that we are the center of the universe, we just aren't. If Doheny were looking for fame and power, he would have been better off running for office in the NYC area. Instead, he chose to come home to an admittedly somewhat inconsequential district. And, only to get criticized by some for ever leaving. These guys are paving a more difficult and less glamorous path for themselves simply because they are committed to area. I appreciate it and applaud them for it.
7:16 Don't go to the doctor then, since there is no medical college here in Jefferson County. And don't go to Lowe's,they don't buy local products. Or Mickey D's either.
Do we want someone in the state legislature that discourages and ridicules young people that WANT to return to our area????For years, people have bemoaned the fact that their children have to leave the area to seek employment. If Blankenbush's first message is if you leave here, don't come back here ya' hear???Can't wait for his next issue of importance.
i have absolutely no issue with natives who return after having ACHIEVED in other locations . The narrow mindedness of some place bound locals is stultifyingly ignorant at time and severely limits the region . Our children especially those with potential had to leave to leverage careers other than CO's cops or teac hers ,
We neede our Best and Brightest to return with fresh ideas and track records that substantiate that THEY CAN GET THINGS DONE otherwise we face the bleak future that we have been experiencing for several decades under lesss than "sterling " leadership
12:35 - stop it - you're making perfect sense in an area that thrives on nonsense.
This is a silly argument. The important one is that one nominee would add to Shelly Silver's strangle hold on power in New York State...the other won't.
I'll vote for Ken Blankenbush because I know he'll vote his district not be led around by the nose like Addie Russell and the rest of Silver's slaves.
Bill Owens and Doug Hoffman had successful careers in NNY. You don't need to leave the area to be successful.
3:25, but again, why wouldn't we want our successful young people to feel welcome in their homes? I think it says a lot about them to want to be back here helping out.
"helping out" please. Guys like Doheny, McGrath only come back here to "save us" in the elected bodies of this state to pad their pensions, retirement plans and enhance their ego's.
Anything beyond that you're either nieve or part of one of these guys campaigns.
this argument is a perfect example of how the North Country gets mired in unproductive issues. If a candidate has some skills to offer that will benefit this area, why in heaven's name worry about where the expertise came from? Do you want someone representing you who has no outside contacts, no network, no experience driving on main roads? Some of you still have that 50s point of view that has kept the NC from moving into the 21st century.
They seem like genuine guys to me. Do you seriously think these two would leave their high paying jobs to work government jobs for the people are really doing this for the money? Who is the naive one 4:50?
Silver,Silver,Silver, you guys sound like the Lone Ranger- do you really think a Republican in the same position would act with any less of an iron fist?
Of course not. He/She would only be hating on the same people as you.
5:31 - I had the same thought. I am quite sure DOheny could pad his pension and/or his wallet a lot thicker if he stayed on wall street. And as another poster said, representing the 23rd district in NYS is not the most glamorous or prestigious of positions. I am sure there is a lot more prestige that goes along with a 7 figure salary in NYC. That was a stupid argument 4:50.
I notice no one argued that these guys aren't padding their ego's...that's probably more these guys ambition than anything else.
Either way, I don't think it makes a lick of difference where these guys came from, but I think it matters what their true aims are...we'll have some insight shortly on that as they give more interview. McGrath didn't help himself by saying he looked foward to working with the Assembly Majority...Silver isn't popular Brian...first lesson.
Brian never said he looked forward to workimng with Silver. In fact, he clearly stated that he things Albany is broken and dysfunctional. That doesn't sound like a Silver lackey to me.
9:12 - one poster correctly stated that if Doheny wanted to pad his ego he would have run for a higher profile and more prestigious position in the NYC area. Coming back to the 23rd district is far from glamorous.
Someone just stated that Doheny came back from NYC and gave up a seven figure salary.. I somehow doubt he made over one million yearly but I,ll accept it.. To most of us a person who did this and moved back here to run for congressional job would have mental issues. If he dosnt have mental issues, I believe his motives are self serving for him and his friends on Wall St who the government bailed out once with our money.. NaaaaH.. He has to be evaluated
11:39am - A lot of successful businessmen leave high paying jobs to enter politics. Bloomberg. Corzine. Whether they do it out of a selfless sense of civic duty or just ego is a question, but I wouldn't call him mental for it. Some people just don't need that much money to be happy.
If he dosnt need that much money to be happy he should donate it to a worthy cause.. Hoffman campaign, better yet Owen campaign.. They re much more worthy causes. You talk like a man with a paper ass----. Ego is the word buy dont try and convince us that it is without profit and a very substantial profit whether it be during or after their tenure....
4:59 - are you even speaking English? you make no sense.
I see nothing wrong at all, that some of our youg people want to come back and contribute to our North Country political scene. Mr. Bbush's statement only shows how narrow minded and power intent, that he is. What about the soldiers ,who retire here and have made great contributions to our area? (and may not have ever lived here before). We need people who have the desire to come back and help out, and re-establish thier roots here. Bbush's mouth is what helps propel windmills.
5:12pm - I think he was drunk...it was almost 5 o'clock afterall.
512 and 724. I may not make sense to you but I know I would never vote for a carpetbagger.. Hoffman and Doheny are clones in this respect. Ive always had a problem with DeDe veiws thus making Doheny my choice could never be. Anyone that would contribute that much money to her campaign has to share her veiws and I,m sure its how he would vote ... I know deny deny deny but look at the facts.
Rick although I agree with you on the wind issues and disagree with Mr.B, he was a soldier I believe he served this country and then made his living here....
Thanks Juston, but that wasn't my point. Mr Bbush is making the comments in regards to roots. How does Mr Bbush point the finger at another, but not back at himself?
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