Posted on 03/27/2006 11:01:43 AM PST by SmithL
NEW YORK -- It didn't take long before the wheels started coming off Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland's campaign to unseat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Things got off to a promising start in early March, with favorable publicity and several national TV interviews for the wealthy, 54-year-old McFarland, a Reagan-era Pentagon official who spent the last 20 years raising a family and has never held elective office.
But then McFarland was hit with embarrassing disclosures about her voting history, including her registering in two places and missing several elections. Records suggest she did not even vote in 1984, when Reagan, her boss and political hero, was seeking re-election, though she believes she didn't miss that one.
Then The New York Times reported that she had inflated her resume by overstating her rank in the Pentagon and by claiming to have written Reagan's "Star Wars" speech.
There was also the disclosure of an internal memo in which McFarland appeared to distance herself from evangelicals and called herself liberal on social issues like abortion.
And recently, she told a campaign audience jokingly, she later insisted that Clinton had sent helicopters to spy on her. But the story was splashed across the tabloids.
Democrats are snickering, and former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, a fellow Republican, has declared McFarland's candidacy "a joke."
"Build up, tear down. Build up, tear down. There's no one who can survive this political process intact," McFarland said during an interview in her Park Avenue apartment.
"What it means is that real people don't run for public office anymore," she added. "Manufactured people run for public office."
The winner of the Sept. 12 GOP primary will face the former first lady in November. Clinton is heavily favored to win and is considered a likely 2008 presidential candidate.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Why did she do these things? The one thing I don't think that they should be able to know is whether she voted or not. I think that is a low blow. I mean what business is it of people one way or the other. I want to know if Hilary voted in EVERY election since college. Also, what is her deal with be pro abortion. We don't need republicans like that. New York Republican party might as well stop spending money and just give up and congratulate Hillary. I know that normally is not smart, but these crazy candidates that they are chosing is rediculous.
What is wrong with these incompetent Republicans? I'm getting tired of their incompetence. They know that the Democratic sleaze machine is going to try to get anything they can in order to discredit the Hildabeast's opponent.
They need to do a much better job vetting their candidates.
Lib-dem garbage can get away with those bones in the closet; GOPers and Conservatives can't.
Everyone's got *something* the proverbial weird uncle living in the basement that the lib-dem fith can dredge up and use against them. Their willing whores in the OTM (old tired media) will keep it alive until embarrassment forces retreat.
Sigh.
Brain dead zombies, dead for 20 years, still wandering around looking for a hole to fall in.
That is the state of the NY GOP.
Even rudy doesn't have a chance there and he knows it.
Manufactured by the elites that own them - at least 500 of our CONgress-critters.
Why doesn't the NY Republican Party get behind John Spencer? At least he sounds like a competent candidate who's willing to go one on one with the Beast.
Does the party own him? If not, he goes nowhere.
JOHN SPENCER!!!!
is the answer.
Hillary did not vote in any New York elections - she was never a resident.
She only moved there to get elected there.
Meanwhile, republicans eat their own and tremble in a ditch over someone's voting record. How about directing a "little" attention to what a slimeball Hilatry is? Oh tut tut, we don't want to engage in any of that.
Meanwhile, Hilary has had private detectives murder your cat, and the press is writing about the wheels coming off your campaign and how Jesus would vote against you. If you don't want to be road kill, stop lying in the middle of the road. Get up and fight.
Well, Pirro withdrew, if KT withdraws, don't fret, I'm sure the NY GOP can find a third liberal woman to put up against Hillary.
No argument from me.
I haver seen a picture of McFarland and am amazed at the likeness to Olympia Snow.
Anybody who actually thinks she can win this should have their head examined.
How 'bout Mama Sheehan or Helen Thomas ? ;-D
NY has a GOP candidate - A FINE one in John Spencer - I'm glad this woman is not adding up - John is the candidate who will take Hillary on about her record and fight her with what he will do! Go JOHN SPENCER!
As soon as the NYS GOP stops throwing dead bodies in John Spencer's way he can start to fight the beast. There are people in the NYS GOP who don't want any candidate to run against the beast. They feel this way because they have the stupid notion that Pataki can be president or at least VP. If the beast runs against a dead body or better yet ( from their point of view) unopposed, Pataki can raise more money in NYS. What a jerk!
We're not talking about needing a candidate with a perfect past.
We're talking about needing a candidate who won't lie, pad her resume or make dumb statements on the campaign trail.
You wouldn't think that it would be so hard to find someone who fits that bill.
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