Seven Things

1. If Chris Collins or Dr. Barry Weinstein try to get between Iraq war vet David Bellavia and the Republican nomination for the NY-26 seat currently occupied by Kathy Hochul (or whatever it gets redistricted into), expect Bellavia to go absolutely nuts on them both, but especially Collins. Bellavia stepped aside to let Chris Lee take the seat in 2008, and was repaid with Collins and Paladino strong-arming him to give the seat to Collins neighbor Jane Corwin, who went on to lose convincingly.

2. There’s one thing we’ve learned about the drawn-out process to pick a successor to Mark Poloncarz as Erie County Comptroller – it’s the kind of job that no one wants, and is wanted by too many people, simultaneously.

3. It’s rumored that Erie County Legislator Lynn Marinelli, City Councilman Joe Golombek, and Attorney Mark Panepinto are all interested in taking on Mark Grisanti in SD-60. My feeling is that Grisanti has built up enough good will across the political spectrum by proving in his first term that he’s an independent and thoughtful legislator, that he’ll likely be a shoo-in for re-election.

4. Speaking of SD-60, Mickey Kearns’ clumsy foray into the A-148 race to replace Mark Schroeder is reminiscent of Antoine Thompson’s political fumfering. While Democratic candidate Chris Fahey has all the weight, support, and money of the Higgins team behind him, Kearns is rumored to find himself going door-to-door and answering uncomfortable questions from likely voters about why he’d take the Republican nomination after spending many weeks asking for Democrats’ support. Sometimes, political feuds are silly, especially when they force people to strike crazy deals just for a shot at power.

5. When Carl Paladino starts slinging mud at Higgins through his support of Kearns and whomever runs against Higgins for Congress, will he also have every one of his many corporate entities max out to these candidates? Will the self-proclaimed champion of clean politicking and tea party reforms in New York State continue his longstanding practice of obfuscating his financial support of certain candidates? Will Paladino start his own PAC?

6. David DiPietro is running for office again – this time for the newly reconstituted Assembly district that is currently occupied by Genesee County Republican Dan Burling. As might be expected, DiPietro will come at Burling from the tea party right, for instance, demanding that welfare recipients be subjected to Soviet-style invasions of privacy. There’s little love lost between DiPietro and the Republican establishment. Recall that Paladino famously stabbed DiPietro in the back in 2010 to back ECRC favorite Jim Domagalski for Volker’s SD-59 seat.

7. The entire Republican primary process is a depressing farce to see who can out-hate traditional Republican bogeymen like Muslims, Democrats, Obama, Clowns, people in clown makeup, Muezzins, Minarets, headgear, abortions, science, the weather, the notion of a generous and benevolent God, gay people, straight people who aren’t bothered by gay people, modern economic theory, contemporary society, video games, rap music, any non-country/western music, Mexicans, any Hispanics except Cubans, the prickles on roses, clean water proponents, clean air proponents, scientists, people who believe in evolution, bilingual people, Afghani cab drivers, the poor, blacks whom they perceive to be “uppity”, the First Lady, health, safety regulations, people who advocate for renewable energy, the 99%, Occupy activists, people who help the poor, people who help people who help the poor, anyone who isn’t disgusted by the poor, Catholics, Planned Parenthood, China, Asian people with accents, anyone with a foreign accent, public schools, teachers, college professors, Canada, Albanian doormen, people who ride bicycles, unions, people who work for a paycheck, people who get sick, people who need medical attention, swearing, cartoons, movies, salacious TV shows, and the fact that there are too many “Law and Orders”. I think it’s safe to say that President Obama is going to win re-election against these dummies.

4 comments

  • You can add Clint Eastwood (and by extension the recovery of the American auto industry) to #7.

  • Another addition to your already substantial profile under #7 Alan: “those who’re challenged by complexity and uncomfortable with ambiguity.”

  • Quick minor correction on item 6. Dan Burling lived in Corfu, Genesee County, for years and years. But he moved to Warsaw in Wyoming County about 5 or 6 years ago so that he would be set up to succeed Dale Volker. Hmmm, that worked out well. He’s an embarrassment all around. Not only is he completely ineffectual, he tried to take out Minority Leader Nesbitt in 2005 after more savvy colleagues liquored him up and set him loose on the floor. His main grievance appeared to be that Nesbitt’s female COS was “mean.” Anyway, it was the subject of one of the most scathing news articles I’ve ever seen: http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F12FF3B5A0C778DDDAD0894DD404482&scp=1&sq=burling%20nesbitt%20minority&st=cse

    Burling definitely has a target on his back. He has lost something like 14 towns in Livingston County, 4 towns in Genesee, and 16 in Allegany under this new map. All he kept was Wyoming; more than half the district is now in Erie. I can’t imagine the GOP establishment wanted him taken out by DiPietro, though, someone they like even less. Once the lines are definite, expect a more acceptable Republican primary challenger to Burling to announce.

  • 3. You may well be right about Grisanti’s chances for re-election. But with the dollars the Democrats’ Senatorial Campaign Committee are no doubt waving around, I’d be very surprised if someone doesn’t step forward to take him on.

    7. Wow, that’s an impressive list! Could make a righteous Rodgers & Hammerstein tune. I bet they don’t like whiskers on kittens or brown paper packages tied up in string, either. And delving a bit deeper, I think you’d find many Republicans, when it comes right down to it, aren’t even particularly fond of apple pie. And don’t get them started about mom.

    What a piece of work is the 2012 Republican Party. Looks like the “frontrunner” will lose 3 state contests today — to Rick Santorum.

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