Today's mail bag had two pieces from the Ritchie campaign. One was her usual pro Patty boilerplate...The other was a post card with a smiling picture of Sen. Aubertine with the headline that his voting record on business issues is nothing to smile about.
In the Senate 32 seats is the bare majority the Dems have against the 30 Republicans. To get things passed all 32 Dems most vote aye.
The dilemma Sen Aubertine faces is that 25 of the 32 Democratic seats are from the City of New York, Four fifths of the caucus comes from one municipality,and on a host of issues that constituency prevails.
As a swing vote, there are some issues someone like Darrel Aubertine or Sen. David Valesky can leverage. Power for Jobs, a prison kept open, nixing the soda tax or wine in grocery stores. They can also stray and defeat liberal bills like the Farm Labor Bill.
But in the end, to get things for their district, they ultimately have to support the overall majority bills.
Now thats how governing works no matter who is in charge...You end up voting for things you don't like to get something you do.
But in this environment, the handful of upstate Dems can easily be cast as captives of the NYC crowd.
In this year of angry upstate voters, the personally popular Cape Vincent Senator carries an exceptionally large albatross, thus relieving his opponent of the need to discuss issues beyond the platitudes that fit nicely in a palm card.
All the usual things you do to get reelected, like bringing home pork don't seem to be working this year.
GOP leaders admit, Senator Aubertine could merely change his registration and they would love him, given his stand on issues....But he has a "D" after his name and he seems perilously close to losing because of it.
21 comments:
I will say it one more time voting for Aubertine is voting for a NYC way of life. 25 of 32 are from NYC we need the Senate back in the hands of the GOP.
Farm bills never make it to a vote, prisons would not have to be saved, and dorms would not be closed only in NNY.
NYC has an agenda and it is not close to ours.
JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! and a State Senator that brings the support from Albany, NY that our district needs in these tough economic times; means I'm voting for NYS Sen. Aubertine on Nov. 2nd
Middle-Class Mike
New York City and Long Island should become one separate state which in turn would truly benefit the north country. Enough of the conflict with the upstate/downstate. Let the downstate take care of their own constituents and see how well they do. I know the upstate leaders would take care of the families and provide the necessary services. Think about it and follow the money. Do we really need each other to exist?
To show you how pathetic the GOP has gotten over the last few years they have to run Pat Ritchie for Senate. She barely understands her own job let alone how to function in the NYS Senate. Mark my word and I,ll remind you from time to time if shes elected, nothing changes except whatever Skelos and his crowd dictate. Patti wont debate because she knows her answers will be the same as Aubertine or she wont know how to answer. With Addie Russell and Blankenbush shoe ins the only real reace is the Senate..
Middle Class Mike sounds a lot like Darrel's lacking lackey's from the liberal Democrat Senate.
Government doesn't create jobs and we are seeing through your spin Middle Class Mike, Darrel staffers...et al.
Government can make it easy for true middle class folks to take a risk and create a job...Darrel's party in their control of the Senate has made it harder than ever to do business in NYS. That must change...not to mention they've stolen everything, but the kitchen sink...corruption all over the place in NYC.
Bye, bye Darrel...it's Patty's time and screw the debates - they are only useful to the Union thugs Darrel will bring out who will attempt to bully and intimidate Patty's supporters. Stick to your game plan Patty, you're doing great.
BIGGEST AND BEST reason to vote repubican in NY Senate race......
balance of power>>>REDISTRICTING
Actually only 23 are from NYC. There are 5 upstates Dems, 2 from Westchester, and 2 from Long Island. In addition, 2 of the NYC Dems represent part of Westchester. But, yeah same idea.
I think overall, Aubertine has done a good job.
The GOP Senate would be totally useless unless the Governor was GOP and thats not going to happen. It seems like everyone yelling loved the years of Pataki and Wright... What would Ritchie acomplished that Darrell didnt. Please without the Bullshit tell me what could she have acomplished.
Mr. Mayor's essay is one long excuse for Darrel but honestly I don't care what the excuse is.
If it is as simple as Darrel changing parties then it is on him...let him change parties and vote more of his free will. But just because the party leaders would love him doesn't mean the voters would to. Hell they loved RINO Dede too(of course Darrel is not as liberal as Dede so that doesn't mean anything as far as the voters go, but still).
So what are these votes that Darrel had to cast that he did not really want to if he were not forced to via trade?
Tell us how you would really vote Darrel and then I will let you know if it is safe for you to switch parties. Well, actually it looks like you don't have much to lose so you might as well switch.
Aubertine is a good senator who's fought to cap property taxes and has created jobs. He deserves to be reelected.
He voted to cap property taxes but not cap spending...that makes a lot of sense. Let the Indians pay for the extra spending I guess with the new tax they will pay on their smokes.
Oh wait...that didn't work out, just like they knew it wouldn't
Up here in SLC its a known fact that Nancy Martin the now head ofthe GOP and Janet Kelly have both offered to support him if he would change his registration. Unlike DeDe who changed in midstream he wont. Bill Nelson was Martins first choice but Ritchie wouldnt support him as she felt she was owed. Nelson wouldnt support Ritchie when she ran against Aubertine before when in fact he supported Gray. Nelson quietly bowed knowing he would be the better canidate by his experience in government.
As it stands now Nelson will be hardpressed to win if he decides to run for mayor again and rumor has it he is ready to turn the city over to Michael Powers if he can be Shollette.
don;t think Aubertine would change parties after all of the millions republicans have spent attacking him.
Hey Moby nice comment from someone who doesn't understand politics.
Mark my words your predictions
ARE ALL WRONG!!
4:47 How can u say he's done a good job when he voted for issues in which he had a definite financial conflict and monetary gains to be made from those votes.
It's all about DARREL only!
Wake up and see the corruption 4:47
Anon 8:47 must be Mr. Nelsons close friend or an enemy. Mr. Nelson was at the GOP rally endorsing Mrs. Ritchie and asking to help on her campaign.
I see Senator Aubertine sent some goons up from Albany to put signs around Sholette's Restaurant to harass and shout when the rally started. He must have all kinds of money to hire 4-5 individuals to travel to Ogdensburg to disrupt the GOP headquarters and rally.
One of Aubertine's goons removed a Robert Flavin sign. When Mr. Flavin confronted him he put it back.
This was a very Senatorial Act. or it could be something Senator Aubertine learned from his corrupt NYC Democrats. "INTIMIDATE THE OPPOSITION!"
http://oburg-therivercity.blogspot.com/
Robert Flavin confronted him.. What a joke. You have to live in Oberg to understand my statement.
5:21pm,
With all due respect I disagree with you that a Republican Senate is worthless without a GOP governor. When the Republicans had a majority in the Senate, they were able to block hundreds of horrible bills passed on an annual basis by the Assembly. The Assembly passes a multitude of stinkers, many of which are flat out unconstitutional, year after year. A GOP controlled Senate is the safety valve that insures that most of those atrocities never make it out of committee to be voted on. Not a perfect safety valve, mind you, but at least it's something.
12:51,
Let's not forget, in 2008, when the GOP still controled the Senate, the Assembly was clamoring for an income tax hike. The GOP said no, and that was it. Until, of course, the Dems took control. Then we had an income tax hike.
The only way we will ever recover here in NYS AND in the nation is if we stop spending money we do not have. I do not see the political powers of NYC ever changing their ways. They are entrenched by a voter base that wants free stuff. And there never will be competitive races in those areas. You cannot run Elephants in NYC. Now the mindset of free stuff has spread to upstate. Many people want the government to provide more and more to more and more. Our legislature has shown not intent to make hard decisions and help our the workers, the people who pay the bills. The only way to turn any of this around is to teach our youth that free stuff isn't free. But they are heavily influenced by the biggest head in the sand special interest of all, our golden teacher union. Even if you could teach the kids, it would take too long to make a difference. So we are left with trying to find political leaders who will make difficult choices. They need to say no once in a while. You will never see that with Thugs like Sheldon Silver. He is perfectly willing to spend this state into oblivion. We need to find people, of either party, who can bring home fewer of these grants that we don't need. We can't continue to measure effectiveness by how much of our money they use to buy our votes. If we could get rid of Sheldon Silver, it would be the greatest day for this state in a generation.
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