House Dem: NY-09 Should Be 'Big Alarm' For Obama

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: National Journal

This morning, Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz refused to draw any broader conclusions about the New York special election loss - not even conceding that Jewish dissatisfaction with President Obama's policies toward Israel played a role.

"This president, because of his incredibly strong record on Israel, because of the focus and the dramatic contrast between the extreme Tea Party Republican candidates, who are wrong on every issue that matters to the Jewish community ... he and Democrats up and down the ballot will receive an overwhelming majority of the Jewish vote once again," Wasserman Schultz said on a conference call with reporters this morning.

But that's not what one of her Jewish Democratic colleagues believes. New York Rep. Eliot Engel, who represents a nearby New York City district, said the election result should be a "big alarm" to Democrats over the blow-back regarding Obama's Middle East policy.

"I think the rhetoric at times frightens peoples. Frankly I see it in my own district. People come up to me who have concerns about what's being said vis-a-vis Israel," Engel said. Engel represents a Bronx district that gave Obama 72 percent of the vote in 2008.

Read more: http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2011/09/house-dem-ny09.php

[monmouth]

1. Let the pearl clutching drama begin. How about he wasn't the best

candidate in the first place, and this was by no means a strong Democratic stronghold...

[Platosconscience]

8. NY9 has been held by a democrat for the last 92 years.

[monmouth]

10. So? Times change, people move, Weiner screwed his district and

they put up a lousy candidate..

[No Elephants]

14. Wiener did not screw his district. The people who forced Weiner to resign screwed voters in

Weiner's district.

Weiner had plenty of support in NY 9. http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/new-york/9

[Mr Gerrity]

26. He should have stayed

His wife wanted him to stay on too.

[Freddie Stubbs]

28. Actually, Weiner is pretty unpopular in his district:

Q10 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Anthony Weiner?
Favorable........................................................ 29%
Unfavorable .................................................... 53%
Not sure .......................................................... 18%

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/09/turner-in-position-for-huge-upset-in-ny-9.html#more

[mitchtv]

2. Too bad Debbie will be supporting

South Florida republicans instead of her own party, what a gal!

[Freddie Stubbs]

27. Which South Florida republicans will she be supporting?

[mitchtv]

29. lincoln diaz Balart and Illiana ross lechethin

were her last two "friends". If memory serves

[Freddie Stubbs]

30. Why would she? She has never supported them before

BTW, Lincoln Diaz-Balart is no longer a member of Congress.

[mitchtv]

31. Sorry , it was Mario D-B against Garcia(I confused the brothers)

and illiana cause she is a "friend"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5236403

[Freddie Stubbs]

32. The article clearly states that she was not supporting the Republicans

[mitchtv]

33. yeah just not helping the Dems

some leadership

[Freddie Stubbs]

34. Not every Democrat who is running for office is going to receive support from every single

Democratic office holder. Has Barack campaigned against Allan West? OMG Obama supports Allan West!!!

[Blue Owl]

3. Republicans winning every election 51-49 is nothing to raise a red flag over

Because we all know Republicans don't lie, cheat, or steal; and the photos from the latest tea party events show some major numbers for the GOP.

:sarcasm:

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. A well respected Democratic polling firm predicted a GOP win:

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/09/republican-bob-turner-is-poised-to-pull-a-huge-upset-in-the-race-to-replace-anthony-weiner-as-the-congressman-from-new-yorks.html

[No Elephants]

15. I predict a Democrat could have been in that seat today. Please see Reply 14

IMO, Weiner would have won in 2012, too, if they had left his district alone.

Read yesterday that they are thinking of doing just that--leaving alone, now that Turner won. Go figure.

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. Perhaps, but he would have been screwing things up for the other 192 Democrats in the House

[frazzled]

4. Not according to this New York Times article

Changing demographics in the district and a very creaky old Democratic machine are the cause, and it's apparently not reason to clutch for your pearls:

Election Reflects New Dynamic in Brooklyn and Queens
By MICHAEL POWELL

The Democratic Party in Queens ended Tuesday night exposed as a tottering old dame, her inability to push a loyal — if severely charisma-challenged — son into Congress testament to her infirmities.

Poor David I. Weprin had every reason to think that he could shop for a year’s sublet on Capitol Hill. (A year described the limits of Mr. Weprin’s ambitions, as Democratic bosses had already agreed that the Ninth Congressional District would disappear in redistricting.)

His fellow Democrats had pressured the too-randy Representative Anthony D. Weiner into resigning. His governor, the putative reformer Andrew M. Cuomo, short-circuited democracy and ruled out a party primary for the Weiner seat.

Instead, the governor handed the choice to Representative Joseph Crowley and the Queens Democratic Party machine, which has bequeathed to us such worthies as the now-imprisoned State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi. Mr. Crowley quickly handpicked Mr. Weprin, an unassuming member of the State Assembly.

... Is it any wonder that the Democrats in 2013 will be marking 20 years without a Democratic mayor?

Not that the Democratic Party’s many dysfunctions entirely explain the results. Halting, grinning, grimacing Bob Turner is not a Tea Partyer come to Howard Beach, and his upset victory does not augur a Jim DeMint run for mayor in 2013.

But his coalition bears some resemblance to Rudolph W. Giuliani’s mosaic, and perhaps points to potential headaches for Democrats.

Way more at link: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/election-reflects-new-dynamic-in-brooklyn-and-queens/?hp

[KamaAina]

13. I was wondering how a waste of oxygen like Weprin ended up as our candidate in the first place

now I know.

His governor, the putative reformer Andrew M. Cuomo, short-circuited democracy and ruled out a party primary for the Weiner seat.

Andrew Cuomo took money from the Koch brothers. 'Nuf ced.

[thelordofhell]

5. Here's the "big alarm" Debbie

Don't take pictures of your erect penis

[No Elephants]

17. Nah. Here's the big alarm. Democrats should have done for Weiner

what they did for Clinton (and for the people who had voted for Clinton) under much worse circumstances and what Republicans had done for Vitter (and for the people who had voted for Vitter, also under much worse circumstances.

Please see also, Reply 14.

[DemocratAholic]

6. Wasserman Schultz and the DNC

I am surprised to be hearing any comment from Wasserman Schultz and the DNC. I didn't even think they knew about this special election. The weeks before the election were all spent talking about Obama, which is all the DNC seems to care about.

[No Elephants]

18. Not half as bad as what was done to Coakley in the Coakley v. Brown special election to fill Ted

Kennedy's seat. Seemed very much as though the DNC and the party luminaries wanted her to lose.

[Freddie Stubbs]

35. The DCCC spend over 500,000 on TV during the last week of the election:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/davidcatanese/0911/DCCC_dumps_a_half_million_into_Weprin.html

[socialshockwave]

9. If you support an idea that is way too controversial

such as the Ground Zero Mosque, as well as never really mention Israel or talk about helping them, this is what you get.

[Dennis Donovan]

11. Okay... what's was controversial about a Muslim community center 4 blocks from the WTC site?

Just because a bunch of dishonest and bigoted repiglicans complained about something that was NEVER going to exist (a MOSQUE at GROUND ZERO! Gasp!) doesn't make an idea controversial. They could complain about Mothers - would that automatically make said Moms "controversial"?

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mmonk]

16. Including New York's Muslim community?

[No Elephants]

21. I call bullshit

"many, many others in the Islamic faith share their beliefs in killing the infidel."

Please give us a link to a credible source that tells us how many of the worlds 1.4 billion (give or take) Muslims want to kill non-Muslims simply for being non Muslims.

[No Elephants]

19. It's not the Ground Zero Mosque. That's RW verbiage. And "merely" wrong.

[bklyncowgirl]

24. Party bosses who wanted to win would not have picked a candidate who outraged Orthodox Jews

If you're looking for a boring interim candidate in a low turnout special election at least pick one who doesn't have a voting record guaranteed to outrage the one group of people who are guaranteed to vote and who vote in a block.

He may be one of them, but his vote to legalize gay marriage, support for the so called Ground Zero Mosque and appear lukewarm on Israel they are not going to support you.

[Behind the Aegis]

20. What a bunch of bullshit.

"Israel" wasn't why he lost. It's so nice to see the Jew-baiting so early in the season. :sarcasm:

[No Elephants]

22. It must be true. The lead says DWS refused to concede that Jewish

dissatisfaction with President Obama's policies toward Israel played a role."

A refusal to concede something proves it's true, right?

:sarcasm:

I thought she handled her part of this story very well, from the perspective of Obama in particular and Democrats in general.

Engel, on the other hand, said the election result should be a "big alarm" to Democrats over the blow-back regarding Obama's Middle East policy."


IMO, they should just have left Weiner alone.

[Behind the Aegis]

23. I agree with you!

Engel wasn't even close. This whole thing, IMO, is just a form of Jew-baiting. And if this was such an issue, then what the hell happened in Nevada?! "Crazy Israeli-firster Jews" there too?