Grassroots vs. Dollar-roots and Late-roots in NY-26
What in Sam Hell is going on in the 26th? I mean, really. Let’s have a look:
- Grevious Angel has been going to just about every major event in the Monroe County side of the 26th, and noticed something. Which Dem candidates for the 26th have shown up to all these events? Jon Powers, and…uh…no-one else. This is consistent with his grassroots engagement of local Dem committees and candidates since last freaking summer, before it was cool (and safe) to run as a Dem in the 26th.
- Kryzan and Davis have been MIA. And speaking of Davis, anyone have an update on his complaint to the supreme court that rich people aren’t getting a fair deal? I thought the Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy ™ would undercut that argument a little, but hey, I’m no fancy city lawyer.
I found this, where it talks about the Supreme Court hearing the arguments, but no amount of Googling so far has yielded what they actually ruled on it. - Finally, there’s this weirdness. Late hat-thrower-inner Kathy Konst announced recently that she was jumping into the race. So recently, in fact, that she not only missed competing for local committee endorsements that happened between the 3 original candidates back in March, but also missed the June 1st start of petitioning season. Her solution? Send a confusing letter and petition to every committee member in the 26th, saying, basically, “Hey, I know you don’t know me, but here’s a petition.” I guess the hope being that, without instructions, walking lists, or any previous knowledge of the candidate, folks will just slip the petition in with the rest of them. Problem is, since all the committees have already endorsed Powers, they already have petitions for him. From my own experience getting signatures, if someone signs for two different candidates running for the same office, it, like invalidates the signatures. Not a good move on Konst’s part.
- Here’s a scan of Konst’s letter, scanned by an RT reader in the 26th:
Some thoughts:
- This letter is from Konst, so who’s the “we” in “We approached Kathy to run”?
- The Buff News endorsement was for her Erie County Legislature run. A LEETLE mis-leading for those who may think it’s a 26th CD primary endorsement.
- She says, “I ask that you give people a choice.” Wasn’t some choice-making already done, like in March or something?
- The only way to contact her is…via snail mail?
- I’m sure she’s an awesome county legislator. Why is she trying to play catch-up when she had a chance to make her case in March or previously? Where’s she been all our lives? It just seems ill-advised to start a campaign off this way.
Her Myspace page hasn’t been touched since 2007, checked it myself last night. Powers is a work horse and that’s what we need. His campaign was even at the Greece BBQ last night…
But she’s been friended by the Goo-Goo Dolls, Mighty Taco and “Righteous Babe LA”. What more do you want in a Member of Congress?
I agree that Kathy Konst’s run is quixotic, to say the least.
As for Jack Davis’ suit against the Millionaire’s Amendment, the Supreme Court has not yet issued its decision. It is getting to be close to the end of the term, so look for it to be announced soon. I wrote on this at length in a Kos diary (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/29/113044/057/863/505621). Basically, it looks like Davis’ lawsuit could invalidate all the Clean Money Clean Elections laws that have already been enacted. If I didn’t like him in the first place, I now have a highly principled reason to do everything I can to keep him from getting our nomination in NY 26.
The observations made in the post are spot on. Jon Powers has been to the GLOW region more times in the month of May than have all the other candidates combined for the entire year. Numerous letters-to-the-editor in support of Jon have been published in the regional newspapers, with no sign of any for the others (I’m open to correction on the latter). Konst has, as you said, been reduced to petitioning in the GLOW (Genesee,Livingston,Orleans, Wyoming) counties by mail. It would surprise me if there are any unpaid Davis petitioners anywhere in this area in the next month.
Not only Jon, but his support people and the local volunteers are already on the ground and making progress. The margin of the Republican victory in the last election was won in this area and parts of Monroe, so we’re hoping to make a real difference in correcting that error, this time around. There’s a petition party on Saturday at Main Street Coffee in Batavia, 12 PM. Powers is definitely on the move in the GLOW Region.
Great post.
Rotten: link for the Goo-Goo dolls endorsement? I wonder if that hurts of helps. Any word on a possible posthumous endorsement from Buffalo’s greatest popular musician, Rick James?
Exile, it’s on her Myspace page.
No info on her level of freakiness was offered on her MySpace page, so I don’t know what Rick would have though of her.
“Can’t touch this”???
BTW - The last I knew the ruling on the Millionaires Amendment would be no later than July. So we should know something within the next month on that.
The Kathy Konst candidacy is a big joke. But hey, so is Kryzan’s.
Jon Powers is AWESOME. He has been in Greece more times during his election than Tom Reynolds has been while being in elected office!
Powers is the candidate of the people. He honestly gets it. He listens, is in tune and in touch with all the things that are wrong, and all the ways to make them right.
I’ve said this before - it’s only once in a lifetime a candidate like Powers comes along.
I’m SO glad it’s in the 26th. Between he and Massa, life around these parts is only going to get better.
Konst go home.
If these other candidates were seriously in it for the right reasons, i.e., the work of the district instead of catapulting their careers up the next rung on the political ladder, then they would have gotten in earlier. I’ve followed Powers around for months now and I’ve come away each time thoroughly exhausted while he keeps working all night. Don’t you want someone who works tirelessly like that elected? I sure do.