Edward Cox Inches Toward Senate Run
Posted on 07/13/2005 2:50:25 PM PDT by Irontank
Claiming Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is ``more concerned about the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire'' than the needs of New Yorkers, Edward Cox took his nascent U.S. Senate campaign another step forward Wednesday, naming an exploratory committee whose members include Henry Kissinger, Theodore Roosevelt IV, and William H. Taft.
Cox conceded his closest adviser, if he does decide to challenge Clinton in 2006, will be his wife, Tricia Nixon Cox, the daughter of former president Richard Nixon.
``Tricia is my best supporter and my best adviser,'' Cox told reporters. ``She's had a lot of experience in campaigns, going back to I think when she was six months old and was held in her father's arms in his first congressional campaign. ...She's going to be a part of this campaign.''
She joined him on a stage announcing the members of the exploratory committee, but did not speak. She was not with him when he met reporters later in an adjoining room at the Women's National Republican Club headquarters in Rockefeller Center.
Although Cox says he has not made up his mind, saying his exploratory committee will help him ultimately decide, the Manhattan lawyer was not bashful about firing some early barbs at the Democratic incumbent.
``She parachuted into New York solely for the reason of running for the Senate and now she's running for the presidency,'' Cox said. ``How can she focus on the problems of New York when she's really thinking of running for the presidency?''
Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Clinton, said, ``While the Republicans sort out their nominating process, Hillary Clinton will continue to stay focused on working for New Yorkers.''
The senator repeatedly has said she is focused on her re-election and demurs on the topic of a presidential run.
On the issues, the Republican said he supports President Bush's concept of privatizing Social Security, calling it ``a bold new idea for the United States.'' He cautioned, however, ``How we get there is the question.''
Cox said he ``comes from a culture of life point of view'' on abortion and stem cell research, but said later he supports the death penalty.
He said despite Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro's possible Senate run, he said, ``I don't expect there will be a primary,'' adding later that he thought Pirro's experience as a prosecutor makes her better suited to run for state attorney general. Pirro has said she will not seek re-election as district attorney and is considering a run for statewide office, but has not said what job might interest her.
Both the Senate and attorney general jobs are open in 2006, as is the governor's seat.
Cox contended New York currently is suffering from a lack of clout in Washington because both its senators _ Clinton and Charles Schumer _ are Democrats, while the Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress.
``History has proven that New York gets the most out of Washington when we have that bipartisan representation,'' said Cox, a Pataki-appointed member of the State University of New York board of trustees and on the state's Commission on Judicial Nomination.
Despite that, Cox continually jabbed at Clinton. He said he has traveled the state as he considers a run and will continue throughout the summer.
``To be sure, this will not be a listening tour,'' he said in a reference to Clinton's trips around the state before her 2000 campaign. ``I am a New Yorker. I was born in New York, I was brought up in New York.''
Clinton, as a young lawyer, worked in Washington on Congress' Nixon impeachment hearings. Nixon resigned as president as a result of the Watergate scandal that led to the impeachment hearings.
The exploratory committee members include Kissinger, once a key adviser to Cox's late father-in-law; Roosevelt, former chairman of the League of Conservation Voters and a managing director at Lehman Brothers; and Taft, a former ambassador to NATO and legal adviser to the State Department. Also on the panel are former White House chief of staff Ken Duberstein and former Navy Secretary John Lehman, who also served on the 9/11 Commission.
Pataki, Trump, Rudy. No one else would have a chance. Pirro would make for a fun catfight, but she would lose.
Probably not. There's a lot of downright visceral reaction to her among the public. Remember that her husband failed both elections to get more than 50% of the vote, and he had charisma, and was running against unpopular and/or uninspiring Republicans both times. She has anti-charisma, and will probably be running against a popular "moderate".
Having lived through her outrageous, if not outright Communist concept, I don't even know what that means.
It means he endorses her views on health care. To put it in some context, she apparently (for public consumption, anyway) has abandoned her wildly unpopular HillaryCare proposal, and has "learned her lesson" since then. That was the general basis of Gingrich's comment.
I'm betting that that is not true among the Democratic party and I'm planning a very, very difficult campaign, especially since that any "moderate" will not get the base so energized as to crawl over broken glass in the next election.
The Dems will vote for anyone but a Republican, period.
They are chafing, and absolutely apoplectic to return to power, and would vote for Stalin himself, if they have the choice between him and anyone that we put forth.
And exactly how does that square with her "We are going to take things from you for the common good" speech? - Has Newt gone crazy?
I'm betting that that is not true among the Democratic party
I'm sure the Democrats will vote for her in droves. But the country is not majority Democrat. I don't think Hillary would do well among swing voters.
...especially since that any "moderate" will not get the base so energized as to crawl over broken glass in the next election.
The "moderate" won't, but Hillary will.
Unlikely. I think he's just playing politics.
I agree. In fact, I'm counting on it.
So do you agree that this could likely be the Republicans' strategy?
Yes, someone needs to do it, but it's unlikely that anyone can.
Smart, clear-thinking and aggressive are not as common in GOP candidates as they should be. But they're not nearly enough. As for the Conservative Party nomination and $60,000 ... that and what army?
"just playing politics."
Let's hope so. Even if it's just politics, it's very stupid politics.
That is 60 MILLION DOLLARS waiting for the challenger to PIAPS.
New York State has a GOP, a Conservative Party and a Right to Life Party. I don't know how many of those Cox would get, but the GOP and Conservative nomination would be his.
Mike Bloomberg, running as Republican again for Mayor has been polling at 65% and just got the endorsement of DC 37, the largest municipal union in the country, 121,000 members, 85% of which are Black and Hispanic.
Politics is changing . Stranger things have happened.
Otherwise we may have to get used to saying "President Clinton" for another 8 years.
I think Pirro, not Cox, has a chance of beating Hillary. I've heard that Pirro has a husband with legal problems, though.
I'd certainly be all for seeing her go down in '06. I don't support the strategy that I was describing at all, if that in fact is the GOP strategy. I was just saying that it likely is.
I'm not involved in NY politics, but if Bloomberg is getting those numbers from groups hostile to traditional Republican values, then I'll wager that Bloomberg is some type of NE RINO.
Or not even that. - What is PIAPS?
So how does he qualify to run on our ticket with those views?
Why would the party even want him? - Just let the Dems win and wash their hands of this nonsense.
After all it seems as if they have desided to become dems in order to win.
Cripes, we wouldn't let Nelson run here as a Pub, or become Dems, just to beat him.
The more I see, the more messed up the NY party seems.
No wonder it goes blue.
"I'm not involved in NY politics, but if Bloomberg is getting those numbers from groups hostile to traditional Republican values, then I'll wager that Bloomberg is some type of NE RINO.
Or not even that. - What is PIAPS?"
Blacks and Hispanics are not hostile to traditional values. Many of these people are Pentacostals and Catholics and are conservative on social issues. They have been taken for granted by Dems.
NYC politics has always been rather Byzantine, and party loyalty shifts. Ed Koch won re-election running on the GOP AND Dem line. We are one of the very few places who have many smaller parties which qualify to be on the ballot.
Bloomberg is a Republican running on the GOP ticket for Mayor. He was a strong supporter of President Bush in 2004 and was successful in getting the GOP Convention for NYC.
PIAPS = Pig In A Pantsuit.
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