I’m wondering what, if anything, will top this from last year’s election season:

Hi, this is Bill O’Loughlin calling.

What I’m about to say to you I’d like to say in person, but I never have a chance to do so, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to the Park Country Club to do it, so therefore I choose not to, and since I don’t see you anywhere else, I thought I’d leave a voice mail to try and let you know what I have on my mind. Read the rest of this entry »

Then we should adopt the British parliamentary model. In local elections yesterday, the Tories took 44% of the national vote, the Liberal Democrats took 25%, and Labour managed only 24%.

Obviously, local elections are not necessarily a perfect indication of what may have happened in a nationwide general election, but the parliamentary system permits the Lib Dems a platform to compete and become viable.

In other news, it looks like London’s “Red Ken” Livingstone may indeed be replaced by Tory Boris Johnson. But a couple of things from that article stood out. First:

And Livingstone’s campaign received a boost when Simon Hughes, the former Lib Dem mayoral candidate and party president, hinted that his party’s supporters should use their second-preference votes to back Livingstone, after giving their first preferences to Brian Paddick.

Imagine if Florida’s Nader voters had been given a “second choice” option in 2000.

And Livingstone added this:

“If I win, one of the first things I am going to do is pick up the phone to Boris and Brian [Paddick] and Siân [Berry, the Green party candidate] and offer them a role in the new administration,” he said, as he met voters at a shopping centre in Stratford.

“I think Boris really wants to be mayor and he probably will run again in four years, so if he loses this time, I think he would really benefit from more experience and I’d be happy to offer him something.”

Change is in the air everywhere. And question time? In this country? It would be a remarkable breath of fresh air.

In the Democratic race for NY-26, the candidates pitched the party committees for their endorsement, and each one separately decided to endorse Jon Powers, regardless of the likelihood that he would have a primary fight against Alice Kryzan or that wacky, nutty Jack Davis. Although I would much, much prefer that these sorts of endorsements take place only after the primary, at least it’s a competitive system.

The Republican party bosses from the 7 counties held a sit-down to decide whom to endorse so as to avoid a primary, and they had the added bonus of choosing between two millionaires who won’t be bothering the party for money. That’s convenient, and somewhat less competitive.

They picked Christopher J. Lee.

Who is Christopher J. Lee, you ask?

“I am a local businessman with over 20 years of experience who has seen first-hand what is required to create jobs and provide real solutions to the issues Western New Yorkers face on a daily basis,” he told about 50 supporters.

More specifically,

Lee, who worked for International Motion Control Corp. before his family sold the business last year, has told Republican officials he will pledge $1 million of his own money to the effort.

Privately-held International Motion Control, which was headquartered in Buffalo, was sold to ITT, headquartered in White Plains, New York. The sale price was $395 million. International Motion Control had 360 employees in the Buffalo area at the time of the sale. ITT’s “motion control” division is based in New Jersey.

Why is it that Jon Powers takes hits for being a “political novice” but Christopher J. Lee is lauded for not being a “career politician”. Can’t have it both ways, kids.

On March 29th, the people of Zimbabwe voted for change; for a future. They voted to reject the old, brutal socialist and replace him with people who would look out for the people’s best interests. To climb out of inflation of over $100,000, and reclaim Zimbabwe’s historic position as the breadbasket of Africa.

Not unsurprisingly, Mugabe is back up to his old tricks.

In a democracy, the winners win and the losers lose.

This Bob McCarthy article steamed me up. There’s a laundry list of eager swots looking to convince party bigshots that they can buy their way into Reynolds’ open seat. So-and-so will pledge $3 million in personal funds; so-and-so will pledge $1 million in personal funds, etc.

So are only the ridiculously wealthy worthy?

It’s evident that I’m a supporter of Jon Powers in this race. Jon isn’t rich, and he hasn’t been able to pledge hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money towards his own race. Instead, he’s spent uncountable time, precious shoe leather, and when he meets prospective voters, the connection he makes is worth more than a five-figure loan to one’s own campaign account.

Republican sources say his inability to so far attract big Democratic donors shows his fundraising has a long way to go. But Powers says he’s satisfied with the fact that 65 percent of his donations are $50 or less.

Powers’ “inability to so far attract big Democratic donors” is partly due to the fact that the biggest counties in the district haven’t endorsed anyone yet. The Republicans have loads of names, few of whom can be bothered to run. The Democrats, by contrast, have too many candidates talking about running.

Today, some other website leaked the results of only part of a poll showing Jon Powers to be largely unknown in the district. That’s not really surprising, is it?

If one took a poll measuring the public perception of Michael Powers (who has declined to run) or Anthony Baynes (who has declined to run) or Jordan Levy (who was out before he was ever in), or David Bellavia (heard of him? He’s a Republican running in NY-26), the results would no doubt be rather similar. Ever heard of Stephen Hawley? If you’re in Genesee County, maybe. Not very familiar here.

Naturally, Jack Davis has name recognition coming out the wazoo. He’s run for congress twice, spent a lot of money on ads galore, and almost won last time out. Jon Powers has been doing the retail politicking that gets him one-on-one with voters. He invariably connects with them, but it’s far, far too early to spend megabucks on profile-raising TV ads right now.

In his stump speech, Powers says that, in the service, some lead by rank, and others lead by example. Using it against Reynolds, he states that, for too long, the representative from New York’s 26th has led by rank. Jon pleads to lead by example.

I have a feeling there are a lot of people who are going to be pulling rank on Jon in the following weeks. Rank based on money, and rank based on longevity in public service.

He’s in. He says he polled the district, and people are clamoring for him to enter the already well-populated Democratic field running for NY-26.

Davis said a poll he conducted among residents of the 26th District swayed his decision. He polled residents on their thoughts about jobs, the economy, trade, the war in Iraq and Davis’ name recognition.

Unfortunately, they didn’t add that most of those polled thought the caller was talking about Jack Davis, the Mad Magazine illustrator.

*rimshot*

The Powers campaign reacts:

STATEMENT BY THE POWERS CAMPAIGN ON JACK DAVIS ENTERING THE RACE FOR CONGRESS IN NY-26

Jack Davis already failed twice to win this seat. Western New Yorkers are looking for something different. They’re looking for a candidate who is actually listening to people from Buffalo to Rochester. They’re looking for a candidate who wants to protect Social Security, not cut benefits. That candidate is Jon Powers.

Jack wants to know if he should go “all in” or “fold”. Please let him know here, and give me a heads-up in comments when you’ve done so.

The Niagara Falls Reporter breaks the news that State Senator George Maziarz will not be running for the seat now occupied by scandal magnet Tom Reynolds.

After a weekend mulling what he called a “historic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” state Sen. George Maziarz told the Niagara Falls Reporter on Monday that he will not seek the Republican nomination for the seat representing New York’s 26th Congressional District. Reynolds held the seat for almost 10 years before announcing on March 20 that he will not seek a sixth term.

By choosing to stay put, the six-term Republican state senator made it more likely that a prominent Democrat, Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul, will join a field that already includes three announced or highly probable candidates from her party alone.

Maziarz, who stood a few feet from Reynolds during last week’s news conference, said his decision had nothing to do with leaving his post in the Republican-controlled state Senate, or with the prospect of serving as a freshman member of what figures to be a shrinking GOP minority in Washington, D.C.

Instead, Maziarz said it was a family choice, made after long discussion with his wife, Beverly.

“Beverly and I were up all night Saturday and into Sunday talking about it,” Maziarz said. “Her heart’s not in it, and if her heart’s not in it, mine’s not in it, either.”

While Reynolds acknowledged the shifting political climate in announcing he would leave the House at the end of the year, Maziarz said another comment by the congressman had a greater impact on his own choice.

“When Tom, at his press conference, said he hardly knew his grandchildren, that brought home how difficult that lifestyle is,” Maziarz said.

Discuss.

1: The rural counties of the 26th district - Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming - are hitherto referred to as “GLOW”.

2: The Democratic committees of those counties have endorsed Jon Powers.

3: Jack Davis, who has yet to formally announce his candidacy, has tried to cajole the GLOW committees into changing their minds and endorsing his candidacy.

4: In so doing, Davis has affirmatively insulted Jon Powers (pretty face with no real job) and disregarded Alice Kryzan by omission.

5: The GLOW chairs issued this statement last night:

This is a press release from the 4 Democratic chairs of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Counties regarding the NY 26th Congressional race. Jack Davis seems to feel the rural counties can be cajoled into rescinding their endorsements of Jon Powers, and the chairs wanted to make it clear that there are no intentions to do so.

6: Now that Tom Reynolds is out, there has been talk of Kathy Hochul possibly running for the seat on the Democratic side. I like Hochul, but wonder why she’d run for an open seat, but was never mentioned until that moment?

7: It’s sort of nice to have a congressional race locally that’s going to get a lot of attention paid to it nationwide. Keeps things interesting, and it’s a way for the region to get national news that doesn’t involve snow, wings, or rust.

Possibly the most important election in the world right now is happening in Zimbabwe - a country that has gone from being Africa’s breadbasket to being Africa’s basket case. All thanks to the mismanagement and megalomania of one man, who at 84 has exceeded his country’s current life expectancy almost threefold.

Some voters had fun with their paper ballots, via English Russia.

I’ve been thinking more lately about the ‘08 Presidential race. Yes, I’ve looked on in horror as, e.g., Mike Huckabee’s star ascends in direct proportion to his attacks on Mitt Romney’s religion. I’ve been satisfied by Giuliani’s fall after it was learned that he fudged the books, Enron-like, to hide the fact that New York City was paying for a security detail to accompany him during trysts with his lover-now-wife in the Hamptons. And what about the Ron Paul Revolution? He can’t crack double digits, but he’s the nominee!!!!! Bank on it!!!!!!

On the Democratic side, I’ve been quietly supporting New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, but he’s not going anywhere. He’s run something of a clumsy campaign. It’s between Obama and Clinton. Richardson is running for Secretary of State at this point - a post for which he is eminently qualified. So, as between Obama and Clinton, I’m leaning very much towards Obama.

We need a sea-change in Washington. Among the Democrats, he’s the one who can pull it off based on his intelligence, his experience, and his penchant for openness and transparency. I get the impression that he’ll do what he can to dramatically alter the way Washington does business, and he’ll do it without pissing off everyone in his way. Then consider his major competition.

Hillary Clinton.

How much baggage do those two words come with? How polarizing is she? Remember the 1994 conservative backlash and how that helped deepen the divide between Democrats and Republicans? I don’t have any particular problem with her at all, but when I think of whom I want in the White House to follow up a Bush, I don’t think I want her. This country is in need of emergency repair - a uniter, not a divider. Hillary is a lot of things, but a uniter, she’s not.

Put simply, I don’t think Hillary Clinton is whom this country needs to lead it deeper into the 21st Century.

Read this passage from the Boston Globe’s endorsement of Barack Obama:

Obama’s critics, and even many who want to support him, worry about his relative lack of experience. It is true that other Democratic contenders have more conventional resumes and have spent more time in Washington. But that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government’s constraints. Obama is more animated by its possibilities.

In our view, the choice on the Democratic side is between Obama and Hillary Clinton. Clinton has run a diligent, serious campaign, and her command of the issues is deep and reassuring. But her approach is needlessly defensive, a backward glance at the bruising political battles of the 1990s. Obama’s candidacy looks forward.

Obama’s memoir, “Dreams From My Father,” is divided into three main sections. The first is a reflection on his youthful search for identity. The second recounts his days in Chicago, which include the first stirrings of a religious life. The third is a roots pilgrimage to Kenya, to better understand his often absent father. It is hard to read this book without longing for a president with this level of introspection, honesty, and maturity - and Obama published it when he was only 33.

We’ve had a Bush or a Clinton in one of the top two spots since 1981. Twenty-six years. I was twelve years old. It’s enough already.

Whom are you supporting and why?

There may be a thousand reasons not to vote Mitt Romney for President.

But if one of them is “he’s a Mormon“, that’s ridiculous. I honestly couldn’t care less what some candidate’s religion is. Leave the Mormon thing alone. Hell, if the people of Massachusetts were ok with it…

As an aside, the whole special underwear thing is kind of fascinating.