Posted on 09/05/2002 5:03:36 PM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
Cayuga County would benefit from having one of its own represent it in Congress. A member from this county could bring to Washington the concerns of a region melding Finger Lakes charm with agricultural backbone. The representative could argue for this county on matters of land-use, water quality, a flagging economy and a lingering land-claim lawsuit.
Unfortunately, Dr. David Walrath isn't the person for the job.
In the midst of a campaign that plays to the lowest-common denominator, Walrath asks voters in Tuesday's Republican primary to exercise gut instincts, meaning his own gut instincts, about racial matters. He runs not just against incumbent Sherwood Boehlert but against the entire Cayuga Nation for its "un-American" land-claim, ignoring that access to the courts is an American right. He tries to strike a note with audiences by saying the slave-reparations issue is akin to blacks asking for "the East Coast." He talks about being a fiscal conservative but says he will reap more federal money than Boehlert did for projects back home. He has failed to make a persuasive argument to replace a 20-year incumbent whose standing could help Cayuga County.
The Citizen is taking the unusual step of endorsing a candidate in a party primary. Usually, the newspaper doesn't comment on a party's internal elections, which can be little more than beauty contests for ballot positions. But the primary for New York's 24th Congressional district creates an exception. The primary itself has the potential to provide the final outcome. Should Boehlert lose, he has no other toehold on the November ballot, and Walrath would then face only little-known, minor-party challengers, one of whom has all but endorsed him.
Walrath complains that Boehlert doesn't vote like a conservative or a Republican, What's the matter with that? Boehlert has created a respected reputation for himself as a centrist, a moderate voice in a Republican Congress in fear of the right wing. Walrath says Boehlert might as well be a Democrat because he votes with the other side so much. Even with his record, however, President Bush endorsed him, as have a number of environmental groups and the Medical Society of New York, Dr. Walrath's people.
While it would be nice for Cayuga County to send one of its own to Washington, Boehlert's home turf sure looks a lot like this area - dairy farming, ailing cities, its own land-claim lawsuit filed by the Oneidas. It's not a stretch to assume he'll visit the greater-Auburn area frequently, as Rep. James Walsh did when this county sat in his district, not just when running for re-election,
The Citizen does not agree with all of Boehlert's positions. He speaks of the economic benefits the Turning Stone Casino gave Oneida County, when it also brought individual horror stories of spiraling gambling addictions. His vote against a ban on partial-birth abortions exceeds the stance taken by many politicians who consider themselves pro-choice. In preparing for re-election, he asked the Conservative Party to endorse no one. Though he's far from conservative, he was willing to rob voters of a choice to win a better shot at two more years in office.
Alas, David Walrath knows the taste of shoe leather, which we won't remind him about here. And while he's right that the trappings of office create an uphill slog for any challenger, he is not the right challenger at this time. Boehlert has served his district well for 20 years, he enjoys leadership positions in the House and could bring good things to Cayuga County. We endorse him for re-election.
A HELL OF A LOT IN A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY!!!!
Geez...
In other words, the liberal media is endorsing a liberal RINO and admitting that they are doing so because he IS a RINO.
Reason enough to support Walrath, IMHO.
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Can someone in the know explain this arcane reference?
As an aside, leaving aside the substance of the editorial, I am shocked by the poor writing. Is this typical of the Auburn Citizen?
Not me. The only thing I can think of is the fact that Walrath once made that comment about how he was willing to eat an asbestos sandwich in order to prove that health concerns about it are overblown.
As an aside, leaving aside the substance of the editorial, I am shocked by the poor writing. Is this typical of the Auburn Citizen?Fraid so. I glance at online every day.
As noted previously, the Citizen editorial page is full of poor writing and, as touched upon on another thread, unintentional (and in poor taste) pseudo puns doled out in its "Hits and Misses" column. Today's paper has the following items:
MISS: To the untimely death of Margaret "Betsy" Patsos of Tyre who was killed at age 76 Wednesday when her car collided with a garbage truck.
and
HIT: To news of arrests in the brutal killing of Roland "Bud" Scoville, an unassuming businessman in Aurelius. Scoville was beaten with a baseball bat...
It's astounding to think that people who make their living with words would not realize how tasteless the use of the terms "hit" and "miss" are in these situations.
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