Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Ken Camera Goes Away, Mike Sylvia Comes In

Progressive Republican Ken Camera is gone, but another outsider candidate has come in to take his place. Meet Mike Sylvia, the Libertarian Party's candidate for the House of Representatives in New York's 24th congressional district.

Typically, I would say that a Libertarian candidate would siphon off votes from the Republicans. In the case of Mike Sylvia, that may not be the case. Mike Sylvia is anti-war and against the attacks by the Republican government on Americans' civil liberties.

Yes, yes... For those in the northeastern fringe of our district who care, Mike Sylvia is against the NYRI.

If Mike Sylvia can actually manage to get on the ballot, independent voters may remain independent this time around, making it harder for Michael Arcuri to gain any of the territory he needs for victory.

The candidates might note how the minor parties keep running their candidates from the left - that suggests where the oppportunity this year.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your tongue-in-cheek comments about NYRI are really inappropriate. My parent’s house is going to be taken by eminent domain. Now maybe to someone in Trumansburg, that's not a concern. But you don't see people from Oneida County referring to the floods in the southern tier as not a big deal. Respect the issues at hand, regardless of how little they effect you personally.

24thIndependent said...

If it really matters to you so much, how come you won't use your real name here?

The issues at hand on this blog are issues that matter to the congressional election. The NYRI issue may matter a lot to you, but it's not a congressional issue that will swing the race, and more than it would be if my mother had cancer.

Tragic does not equal relevant.

Anonymous said...

NYRI is the quintessential Progressive type issue! I thought Progressives were supposed to care about others. Here there are others all the way thru upstate ny whose homes will be taken against their will, whose species will be endangered, whose health and the health of their children could be detrimentally affected, and I simply cannot see how this issue wouldn't infuriate a true Progressive. Are we only Progressive when it affects ourselves only? Then we are NOT progressives. We are instead hypocrites.

Anonymous said...

Actually, typically, eminent domain is a libertarian issue, not a progressive issue. But whatever it is, it is moot as far as this campaign goes. Both candidates oppose NYRI. End of story. Look for issues where they're actually in opposition--abortion, civil rights, Iraq, stem cell research, minimum wage--that's how voters will decide which lever to pull.

24thIndependent said...

Look, as I've said before elsewhere, most of the voters in the district really don't know or care about the NYRI project. People in the area where both Meier and Arcuri are based seem to care about it a great deal, but then, every candidate says they're against it.

So, what's the issue, if everyone's against it? How is the issue relevant to this campaign?

It's not relevant. It's not something that is going to bring voters to one candidate away from another.

Bring it up on a blog where it's a relevant topic, but don't expect me to get off-topic by ranting about the issue here.

There are plenty of progressive issues that matter, but they're not in the subject matter of the U.S. House of Representatives and this campaign for Congress.

This NYRI debate is a distraction from more important issues that can motivate voters in this election. Arcuri is making a big mistake in trying to make so much out of it. He and Meier both seem unable to transcend local politics to grasp the larger picture that matters.

Anonymous said...

Will you nutballs drop the whole NYRI thing? THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND YOU! Talk to somebody that cares, because the rest of us are too busy trying to win an election.

Anonymous said...

"because the rest of us are too busy trying to win an election."

...and a fine job you are doing of it, shooting at your own. You are definitely helping to win an election. Unfortunately for you, you are helping Ray Meier. Keep up the good work! We appreciate it!

Anonymous said...

I just marvel at the idea that you can win an election in a conservative dietrict by championing "progressive" positions.You and many of the commentators are supporting electoral suicide.By the way, where is the talk of political contributions today? Do we favor big business or felons?

24thIndependent said...

A Democrat CANNOT win by rejecting progressive positions, because many many Democrats in this district regard progressive positions as essential, and a Democrat can't win here without the Democratic vote.

The right wing Republican positions are much less popular here than the progressive positions - as is true in the rest of the country. YOU said it's a conservative district. I didn't.

What the candidate needs to do is to appeal to progressives, and then add on enough others to win. Progressive positions are not mutually exclusive to what appeals to others, when phrased correctly.

Anonymous said...

conservative district? That is a laugh.

2/3 of your Republicans are Rockefeller Republicans which means old fashioned progressive Republicans. 1/2 to 2/3 of your Democrats are moderate to liberal.

The issue is to move enough of those Republicans off pulling the Republican lever by default while keeping most of your Democrats pulling their default lever.

There's nothing conservative about upstate at all. We get taxed to death by Republicans and Democrats alike. Pork is an expected staple. Bush is disliked.

If we had a conservative candidate, he'd be against most of what Ray Meier has done as a State Senator.

Anonymous said...

When you mention felons, do you mean Abramoff? No? Bzzzzzzz. Ho hum. Incidentally, some big businesses are felons only they are well connected. Start with the very dead more or less "Kenny Boy".

Anonymous said...

I did't realize that Jack Abramoff or Ken Lay donated to Ray Meier.I also didn't realize that so many Demcrat progressives have won elections in upstate.A moderate Democrat who has an effective economic plank and who would adopt the Spitzer stance on taxes can win.A progressive which is just a spin word because you all are afraid of the word liberal,does not stand a chance.

24thIndependent said...

I'm not afraid of the word "liberal", friend. I've proudly described myself as liberal on this very blog.

Damn, doesn't it just sting a bit when the facts get in the way of your rhetoric?

Speaking of rhetoric, if you're slamming us liberals and progressives for being afraid of saying who we are, then how come you're writing anonymously?

Why are you afraid to use your real name, friend?

I trust people who tell me who they are. I guess that's just liberal of me.

Given what this right wing government is doing to America, why the hell aren't you a liberal?

Anonymous said...

2:58--Maybe not Abramoff personally (I guess he's kinda busy), but for sure some of the PACs he established donated $ to RM. I guess it all depends how far one wants to carry this "guilt by association" thing.

Anonymous said...

Liberal Democrats have won many upstate elections. The mayors of Ithaca, Cortland and Oneonta have all been liberals lately. Cortland had a 4 term liberal democrat for mayor.

The Congressman from Binghamton is a liberal as is the congresswoman from Rochester.

ESun67 said...

Perhaps the term 'leftist' is more appropriate than 'progressive'.

The hegemony of the red & blue often leave out fundamentally different positions like 'libertarian'.

Libertarians support abortion rights, gay rights and are antiwar. They also reject eminent domain and corporate welfare, at the same time supporting open immigration and markets.

The two party prism distorts the scope of political idealogy and general human philosophy.