Massacring the Truth (NY Post Bashes Rep. Hinchey for Accusing US of Massacre in Iraq)

The New York Post ^

[Behind Liberal Lines]

http://www.house.gov/hinchey/tompkins.htm

[george wythe]

He told constituents that America is "engaging in what will come to be seen as a massacre in Iraq," under "the 'Bush Doctrine' of pre-emption, which allows the United States to attack any other country any time . . . for whatever reason the president feels is justified."

He sounds like a BBC "expert" on Middle Eastern policies.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Here's a link to a district map:

http://latfor.state.ny.us/maps/propcong/fc022.pdf

[AuH2ORepublican]

As I posted in another thread (as Governsleast can vouch for), Hinchey is a traitor, pure and simple, and we need to take him out in November of 2004. His stupid, un-American comments have given an opening for a Republican challenger with fire in the belly. He sits in a district that's not all that Democratic by New York standards (in spite of the fact that the Ithaca portion of the district is hopelessly liberal), so it's definitely doable. Bush got 42% of the vote in 2000 (a higher percentage than in Republican Jack Quinn's district and slightly lower than in 3 other NY districts won by the GOP in either 2000 or 2002), but Bush should get around 50% in 2004 because of the importance of traditionally Republican issues such as national security.

[Fixit]

Amazing district!

[GiveEmDubya]

Oh God, I came within about 2 miles of being in his district! ::Shudder::

[Grut]

Forgive... forgive....

[governsleastgovernsbest]

No harm. Believe me, we only wish you were right!

[drjimmy]

Yeah. It would be so much better if we were in Amo Houghton's district. Or Sherwood Boehlert's. I hope I don't need to flag this for you with a sarcasm alert.

[drjimmy]

By the way, any of you folks here in the City of Evil going to see Scott Ritter at Cornell tonight?

[Patriotic Bostonian]

If HILLPAC gave this guy 5 grand he is definetly of the communist persuasion!

[n.y.muggs]

bump

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Yeah. It would be so much better if we were in Amo Houghton's district. Or Sherwood Boehlert's."

---

You're right, Houghton and Boehlert aren't that much better than Hinchey, but at least in their districts you'd have a chance of knocking them off in the primary and electing a real conservative in the Fall (Bush carried both districts in 2000). Boehlert barely survived a primary challenge in 2002, and Houghton is around 80 years old and likely to retire soon (he was thinking of retiring after 2000, but decided to stick around so that they wouldn't break up his Southern-Tier district). Whoever gets the Republican nomination in those districts would be the prohibitive favorite in the general election. While a Republican can beat Hinchey, he wouldn't be the frontrunner, and probably can't be a Golwater Republican . . . .

[mewzilla]

Scottie (Pervs for Peace) Ritter is going to be in Ithaca tonight!? I'd suggest that they lock up their daughters, but they'd have to give a darn first. Sigh.

[js1138]

'Bush Doctrine' of pre-emption, which allows the United States to attack any other country any time . . . for whatever reason the president feels is justified."

That's pretty much true, provided he can get all but a couple of congressmen to authorize the action, just before an election.

[drjimmy]

Boehlert barely survived a primary challenge in 2002, and Houghton is around 80 years old and likely to retire soon (he was thinking of retiring after 2000, but decided to stick around so that they wouldn't break up his Southern-Tier district). Whoever gets the Republican nomination in those districts would be the prohibitive favorite in the general election.
Except if Boehlert lost the primary and either switched to Dem or ran as an independent. In that case I think he would still have a good chance of winning the general election.

[AuH2ORepublican]

I don't think things are *that* bad in Boehlert's district. Because of the timing of the primaries, I believe that if Boehlert lost in the 2004 Republican primaries he would have to wait until 2006 to run as a Democrat, at which time he would no longer have the advantages of incumbency. Since the Dem and GOP primaries are held the same day, and Boehlert's district would certainly hold a Democratic primary, it would be too late for Boehlert to run as a Democrat in 2004 if he tried to jump in after losing the Republican primary (the Dem nominee would have already been selected). While I know a few years ago someone lost against an incumbent NY Democrat (I think it was Meeks) in the Dem primaries, and then ran in the general as a Republican and Conservative Party nominee, I believe that the GOP and CP didn't hold primaries in that district and that's why the guy was able to get on the ballot as a Republican and Conservative. I'm not sure Boelert would be able to file to run as an independent after being defeated in the primary, and after the death of the Liberal Party there may not be another ballot line for which Boehlert could run simultaneously with the GOP primary, but even if he managed to get on the ballot as something other than a Republican or a Democrat I don't think that he'd win. He's not *that* locally popular, especially after the latest redistricting gave him so many new constituents.

Worst case scenario if a conservative beats Boehlert in the 2004 GOP primary: Boehlert runs as an independent, splits the Republican vote and throws the election to the Democrat candidate. But such Democrat would be easy pickings for the GOP nominee in 2006, since the district is so Republican. Bottom line is, we'd have a real Republican in the House beginning in either 2004 or 2006 if a conservative beats Boehlert in the primary, but will be stuck with the second or third most liberal Republican in the House if Boehlert goes unchallenged. I say we go for Sherry's jugular and let the chips fall where they may.