Posted on 09/01/2004 10:53:11 AM PDT by rmlew
Some of the most interesting and energetic Republicans in New York won't be in Madison Square Garden this week. They're young party outsiders who have been running spirited campaigns in politically hostile districts for the last few years, only to be thwarted at every turn - primarily by leaders of their own party.
The dispute appears to be based on ideology. The young, self-styled urban Republicans call themselves conservative in the tradition of Ronald Reagan: devoted to low taxes, less government, school vouchers and a no-nonsense approach to crime and national security.
The chieftains of the New York GOP often give lip service to the same positions but have either stood in the way of the young activists or denied them crucial help when it counted.
Party leaders seem to think success in New York depends on presenting Republicans as genteel, inoffensively moderate and even liberal at times, a formula that worked for decades, particularly on Manhattan's East Side, but recently led to a string of electoral losses.
You don't have to share the ideology of the GOP mavericks to feel empathy for them. Nobody should be happy about the way machine politics chases young, creative people out of public service at a time when city and state government are starved for talent.
Michael Benjamin, for instance, a 34-year-old investment banker who has raised money for Gov. Pataki and other Republicans, spent 14 months on a lonely trek through all 62 counties in the state, meeting local GOP leaders to line up support to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Although Benjamin initially met with success - he claims to have raised nearly $1 million from 25,000 contributors - the effort ended when state chairman Sandy Treadwell selected a different candidate, Assemblyman Howard Mills, and abruptly ordered county chairmen to dump Benjamin. They did, and he dropped out.
"We built support among local Republicans, but every time we made any progress, we were undermined by state party leaders," says Benjamin. "They give no consideration to anybody but their handpicked candidates, and they did everything they could to stop me."
"We've been running candidates to re-brand the party, but without the party getting in the fight with us, it's a message that is doomed to failure," says Robert Hornak, the chairman of a New York Young Republican Club. In addition to recruiting and supporting candidates, the club sponsors lectures, parties, social events and debates against young Democrats.
Hornak, a political consultant, managed last year's City Council candidacies of Jennifer Arangio, Josh Yablon and Jay Golub, who challenged, respectively, Gifford Miller, Gale Brewer and Margarita Lopez. All lost, but they used the opportunity to challenge Democratic orthodoxy - without help or encouragement from the state GOP.
Hornak's reward for his GOP activism is a literal lockout by the party: He was unable to secure any kind of credentials for this week's convention and watched last night's proceedings with his club at an Irish bar in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
The young turks say the closed-shop attitude of the state party is not only cruel but self-defeating. "Party registration in this state is rolling against us. We've got no advantage. We've got to start fighting in New York City," Hornak says. "Why should any Republican stay a Republican if the party doesn't reach out and doesn't stand for something?"
Tonight, the Democratic National Committee is holding a Masquerade Ball to lampoon the way its Republican counterparts are presenting a moderate face to voters this week. The Dems shouldn't be surprised if the shunned urban mavericks, unable to attend their own party function, show up at the ball, looking for a new home.
E-mail: elouis @edit.nydailynews.com
GM vs. Toyota. Yesterday they talked about big media and blog/Free Republic. Today they talk about the YR vs the Old (europe) GOP. The youth will be served much sooner. There will be another Reagan Revolution and the old GOP will be swept out.
So some guy doesn't get selected in NY and its a sign that all young Republicans are disenchanted? Leap? So what about Erika Harold? She doesn't look old and white but she's got a lot of support behind her and spoke at the convention.
As said before, the democratic party will die and the Repubicans will split.
"devoted to ... less government,"
Putting them squarely at odds with the Bush Administration.
Youth is nice, but it needs the tempering and maturity that comes with a few extra years. These are resources that need to be developed, not shot from a canon.
The columnist is talking about New York only. And he has a point.
Who can deny that the NY republicans have had a good thing going for themselves for the past few decades. So what if they're in 2nd place - they take care of themselves and they don't want to lose a good thing.
It's all corruption - anyone who thinks otherwise is crazy...
"Party leaders seem to think success in New York depends on presenting Republicans as genteel, inoffensively moderate and even liberal at times"
Unfortunately, this statement appears to be dead on target.
2 posted on 09/01/2004 10:57:06 AM PDT by NJ_gent
Right you are NJ_gent.
Allow me to add, also being perfectly content to be thw whipping boys of both the democrat party and the mainstream media.
The issue is much more of a state party that wants to cherry pick pliant candidates and officials. They are quite willing to sabotage conservatives and even reform-minded moderates.
Seems like WFB formed a conservative party - in fact, I think that was what it was named? some time ago, in New York, in response to this very attitude on the part of the GOP...
BTTT
The dispute appears to be based on ideology. The young, self-styled urban Republicans call themselves conservative in the tradition of Ronald Reagan: devoted to low taxes, less government, school vouchers and a no-nonsense approach to crime and national security.
The chieftains of the New York GOP often give lip service to the same positions but have either stood in the way of the young activists or denied them crucial help when it counted.
Amen to that. Spot on analysis, but it happens in California too.
Welcome to politics. Nothing new here. My Father was a member the California State Central Committee, appointed by Congressman Ketchum. When Ketchum died unexpectedly, his former primary rival,Bill Thomas, was appointed to the congressional seat and immediately kicked my Father out of the Central Committee and put his own people in. Bill Thomas hand picked Kevin McCarthy for the State Assembly and is grooming him to eventually take over Thomas' seat in Congress. Heaven help any Repuplican who challenges Kevin McCarthy.
Perhaps. But when he engages in wishful thinking and starts implying that these guys just may jump to the 'rats, that is just not going to happen.
I personally know the disgruntled Republicans in this article, and there is just no way in hell that they're going to turn left.
The major problem is that they are hardcore conservatives (on just about every issue), and *that* is why they are often shunned by the party machine. I'd sooner expect the party machine people to become disgruntled and head for the Jackass Party before these guys would!
At least we field candidates in New York, more than I can say for certain other cities.
I personally know the disgruntled Republicans in this article, and there is just no way in hell that they're going to turn left.
Thanks for writing that! That's good to hear.
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