Upstate battle for Kirsten Gillibrand Congressional seat is too-close-to-call

New York Daily News ^ | Tuesday, March 31st 2009, 10:53 PM | ap wire

[Vigilanteman]

ALBANY — After a short, tense campaign, the two candidates in a New York congressional special election that focused on President Barack Obama's popularity and his economic policy were separated by fewer than 100 votes, and it looked likely the race would be decided by absentee ballots.

With all but one of the 610 voting precincts in the 20th Congressional District reporting, Democrat Scott Murphy led Republican Jim Tedisco by 81 votes out of more than 154,000 cast Tuesday in the race to replace Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand. A problem with a machine in Saratoga Springs delayed the final reporting from one precinct.

[mbraynard]

Wait wait. You were just ridiculing Republicans (and Demos) for doing poorly in school and being idiots. And none of them did more poorly than Palin.

I just wanted to see if you were being intellectually honest. And you aren't.

[WOSG]

“We should have easily won this election. That should be our talking points...Why did we not win this seat easily.”

The DNC poured money into this race making it an ‘Obama v Rush’ election. With only 60,000 Republicans and 160,000 voters, its not as GOP as some pretend.

[WOSG]

After a conversation with my Mother, who still lives there unfortunately, I am even more depressed with the intimidation tactics used to keep conservatives from effectively voicing their opinions. She has been called racist, had her car keyed, shunned from social groups, etc., for not conforming. I did my part, though. Absentee ballot cast a while back, wonder if they'll count it?

That kind of nonsense punctures the balloon that this is a 'conservative' district. Leftie thugs are running rampant there.

[WOSG]

WOW... Evreyone is talking about this “Republican district” ... yet it was won 62% by the Democrat on election day in Nov.

[WOSG]

NOPE.

A district that the Dem won by 62% in Nov and Obama won ... is now a 50/50 election result.

[WOSG]

What registration advantage? Obama won the district and a liberal Democrat Congresscritter won it too, in November!!

[WOSG]

“I don’t know what other towns see, but ours is, oddly, controlled by two factions of the GOP, not two different parties. Town board and supervisor seats are more or less won and lost in the GOP primary here. And I suspect that’s true elsewhere in the district.

So I wonder if there are more RINOs who won’t ever change their affiliation, just because of the entrenchment in local politics... “

Fascinating. Reverse of what goes on in some rural parts of south.

[ZULU]

What you are stating makes sense to me whatsoever.

[mbraynard]

Come again?

[ZULU]

I don’t understand your post.

[mbraynard]

The grammar in your last one led me to believe Palin wrote it herself. Go read it again - all one sentence of it - and tell me again what you are trying to say.

[ZULU]

“The Republican Party has flush away the RINOS or die. Personally at this point I owuild rather see it die and another party - one more reflective of the opinions of the rank and file replace it. One more committed to its philopshical claims. One more pro-American and NOT globalist.”

The Republican Party has to flush away the RINOs or die. Personally at this point I would rather see it die and another party - one more reflective of the opinions pf the the rank and file replace it. A party more committed to its philosophical claims. A party more pro-American and NOT globalist So you wanted me to go back and correct the typos in the original post. Here it is. Slurring Palin because of some typos I made is typical of the criticisms launched by elitist liberal Republicans. I am not a scretary by trade and sometimes my mind works faster than my fingers and I nelgect to accurately proof read what I write. But it does not take away from the veracity of my messages. Palin is far more representative of the average American and the average Republican than your typical RINO. Happy now??

[ZULU]

I think you need professional help.

[mbraynard]

No, the other post. The one sentence one.

But the one I really started with was the one where you denounced W, etc. because they did poorly in school and are idiots.

And I agree that Palin is very much an 'average American' - not even 'average Americans' want an 'average American' in the White House - they want an exceptional American in the White House. Someone with the pedigree and accomplishments of (though not necessarily the ideology or faults of) a Romney or a Gingrich or a Sanford or, on the other side, a Sen./Gov. Mark Warner.

Not a community college flunky PTA activist.

[ZULU]

Then why are Democrat and Liberal activists so anti-Palin? If she is what you imply she is, she is no threat in an election or a primary.

But the vitiriol with which you people attack her is indicative of the very real threat an “average American” like her poses in a general election.

We have had it with “professional” politicians. “Professional” politicians created the mess we are now facing.

And I have far more confidence in the decisions of an average mainstream American than in the liberal elites in either party.

[mbraynard]

I've met lifelong, HARD-CORE Republicans who have told me they think she cost us the election.

If Ann Coulter can (politely) say she needs to go on a sabatical for the 2012 election, are we really all nuts?

Forget professional politicians - I mean professionals PERIOD. And you were the one who started calling people into question for failing a class at GWU.

Here's the #1 problem I have with Palin: I can't have as a president someone who knows LESS than I do about domestic and foreign policy - or someone who can't speak a sentence or three clearly without a newspaper.

We need to ask for MORE in our elected officials. Sanford and Romney aren't professional politicians - but they did make something of themselves academically and in the world.