Anyone have any thought on our next Senator?
Some folks have suggested that Gov. Paterson should appoint a woman, so we had both a male and female representative. So Ms. Kennedy, Ms. Lowey and Rep. Gillibrand have been suggested.
Some folks have suggested that New York should have a national figure, not just someone known in New York, so Ms. Kennedy stands out, but of course there are a lot of nationally known New Yorkers, Mr. Bloomberg could be one, AG Cuomo could be the choice.
Of course many have tried to determine what is best for New York, and want someone who will really represent the interests of New Yorkers, someone who really fights for us. New York generally gets a pretty bad return on our investment for our federal tax dollars, so someone in the mold of Sen. Schumer, a real New Yorker, might be a good choice. This avenue leads us to a number of non-obvious choices, including local hero Rep. Hinchey.
Of course many Democrats would like to make sure the person appointed has a good chance of being elected. And Paterson supporters want to make sure he picks someone who helps his chance at being elected governor. The problems in Illinois makes the likelihood of Paterson appointing himself almost nil, but who knows?
And still others would like to see political problems in New York be solved by the appointment. So soon to be NYS Senate Democratic leader Sen. Smith might help smooth things over in that chamber, but it isn't clear that Upstaters would be too pleased by this choice.
And finally, some want an appointment of a real thinker, in the mold of the late Sen. Moynihan. We in New York are blessed with a good number of intellectual giants.
What do you think? Comment away!
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3 comments:
I vote for Maurice Hinchey. About four years ago I asked Maurice if he would ever want to be the US Senator from New York. His eyes lit up and he explained that one US Senator has more influence than the whole House of Representatives.
Maurice has the courage of his convictions. He was against the war in Iraq when the popular sentiment was to go to war. He voted against the $700 billion bailout and once again was in the minority. Can anyone tell me how that money is being allocated? He has been a champion of the environment and a cautionary voice about the dangerous precedent of concentrating media outlets in the hands of a few moguls. He has been a strong advocate for universal healthcare and job creation through repair of our infrastructure. Maurice would be a clear voice for progressive issues within the Senate.
What stands in Maurice's way is not his credentials but rather the inordinate amount of money necessary to run an effective campaign for the US Senate in New York State. Maurice would have to run a grassroots campaign based on the model Barack Obama used to win the presidency.
I totally agree with Mike - my vote would be for Maurice Hinchey for all of the reasons that Mike cites - plus Maurice has talent for envisaging what's coming and what needs to be done to plan for growth and avert disaster. And a final reason would be that he has earned it more than any of the other candidates proposed.
We also want to register our support for Hinchey on the points expressed above as well as for his farsighted support of encucation funding and schools, his wide experience with environmental issues, and his work on economic development trhrough new, clean technology.
While we do like the idea of a woman senator, the main women candidates do not appear to have the wealth of experience that Maurice can bring to bear on issues of the office. Also, he would be a good counterweight to Shumer's cosy relationship with the financial heavyweights of Wall Street--see the recent NYT's article on the subject.
Joanne & Charlie Lantz
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