Posted on 12/01/2009 10:15:08 AM PST by LdSentinal
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi conceded electoral defeat to his Republican challenger Legis. Edward Mangano Tuesday afternoon in a televised news conference from the ceremonial chamber of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola. Some political observers called it a stunning setback for an articulate, aggressive politician who has had ambitions for higher office.
The two-term Democratic incumbent was trailing Mangano of Bethpage, by 377 votes Tuesday in unofficial results.
It was a narrow margin that proved a gaping chasm.
He said he had called Mangano earlier to congratulate him.
Mangano did not immediately return telephone calls for comment on the concession.
"I'm very proud off this government and what has been accomplished these last eight years," Suozzi said in his news conference. He stressed his administration had created "a metamorphosis" in Nassau County government, transforming it from one considered "the worst-run government in the nation" to one of the best.
He talk about bond ratings rescued from near-junk-bond status to ones considered the most stable in 15 years - a status affirmed this week in assessments by Moody's, Fitch and Standard & Poor's.
In another development, Democratic incumbent Comptroller Howard Weitzman also conceded defeat Tuesday to Republican challenger George Maragos. In a written statement Weitzman said: "I would like to congratulate George Maragos on his election as Nassau County Comptroller. Although the results of the election are not what I hoped for, it has been an honor to serve the people of Nassau County for 8 years and I am proud of what I have accomplished as Comptroller."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
As far as defeating McCarthy is concerned, it is doable, if there is low turnout on the Dem side. While the district has seen some demographic changes since the 1990s, let alone the 80s (especially in Valley Stream and Elmont in the SW part of the district, which are now essentially an extension of SE Queens demographically), the biggest voting bloc are still white "Catholics", who can swing toward the GOP depending on how the political winds blow. There is also a growing Asian (especially Korean) christian population in the NW part of the district, but the GOP has done little to make inroads among this affluent group (who also have high rates of voter turnout).
It was run by high tax, often corrupt RINOs for most of its history. As the national party moved to the right, Nassau moved to the left in the 1990s, with registered Dems now outnumbering registered Repulicans since 1996.
Do you agree with my point: The GOP can win in the Northeast but do not expect the Politicians to be strict Conservatives.
Most Republicans in the northeast have been "socially progressive" for at least as long as I can remember. Basically, the main areas that the GOP on Long Island distinguished themselves from the Dems when I was young were opposition to bussing and low income housing (big issues in the 1970s and 1980s), a stronger stance on law and order, and (in rhetoric, though often NOT in practice) lower spending. They were indistinguishable from the Democrats on other core issues (gun control, taxation, unions, support for public schools, etc.) and were not free market libertarians.
My main issue with NY Republicans in the past is their inability to hold down spending and property taxes, and their tendency towards patronage and coziness with the public employee unions once in power. I would never expect them to act like Texas Republicans, but I do expect better fiscal responsibility and more backbone when dealing with organized labor. The squishiness of the NY GOP is a key reason why the state is a fiscal basket case.
Irrespective of whether we can retake the NY-04 in 2010, we need to take back the state senate (and, hopefully, the govermorship as well) so that the black-majority NY-06 is extended from Queens into black areas in Nassau (at least to take in black parts of Hempstead village) and the NY-04 becomes a more Republican district.
Maybe we should run a Korean-American from the private sector against McCarthy ?
How about a *Catholic* Korean-American from the private sector?
thanks, bfl
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