NY-29: The Best Rebuttal of the D&C’s Kuhl Endorsement. Evah.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more succinct and devastating takedown of their endorsement. From the City Paper:
ELECTION 2008: The D&C’s Kuhl endorsement is irrational
The Democrat and Chronicle’s endorsement of Randy Kuhl for the 29th Congressional district has all the marks of a coerced confession. Since our letter to that paper may not be printed there, here is a brief list of the statements made in the editorial, with our interpretation:
- Eric Massa “fails to connect with his constituents.” Yet polls show Mr. Massa significantly leading in the polls and that his approval rating 19 points higher than the incumbent.
- Randy Kuhl has no Washington clout. Yet he can be expected to deliver on local interests? Irrational.
- Randy Kuhl has “grown in office.” The only evidence offered is that Mr. Kuhl is “less defensive.” A gross rationalization.
- Randy Kuhl has “improved with time. That trend must continue.” Hysterical optimism.
- “Kuhl can do it. He must do it.” A desperate cry for the impossible.
We recall when many newspapers like the D&C offered opinion out of integrity and journalistic rigor, but an independent fourth estate is a romantic notion, replaced by cynical agents of corporate interests.
My theory is that the D&C reviewed all their Congressional endorsements and said, “Well, crap. All the better candidates around here are Dems. If we endorse all Dems, the right-wing police will say we’re ‘the liberal media’. Well, hey, we endorsed Massa last time, he had his turn already. Plus we still are trying to make it up to Kuhl after that whole ‘he’s packing‘ comment that he got mad at us about. Ugh. How do we cobble together a reasonable-sounding endorsement of Kuhl?”
The answer was, of course, that they couldn’t, as evidenced by the LTE writer above.
Related posts:
- Kuhl being a bit melodramatic? Kuhl getting a Primary opponent or using that as an excuse not to debate Massa
- The Monroe County endorsement loop is closed - Brighton Endorses Massa
- Kuhl lies about Canandaigua mayor endorsement on website - updated
- Apparently Kuhl is not ready to debate Eric Massa
- From Eric Massa to Congressman John R. “Randy” Kuhl
I think their Kuhl endorsement has to be taken in context. Fundamentally, it was consistent with their basic “endorse the incumbents” tendency. It also came simultaneous with the paper’s rather unusual, though relatively risk-free, non-endorsement of incumbents in State leg races. One could see the congressional endorsements as balancing out this adventurous move. Not that I agree with the endorsements, or disagree with the City LTE’s analysis of the Kuhl endorsement’s illogic, which was spot-on.
I believe it’s worse. I believe that they were trying to CONTROL the outcome of the elections, by endorsing RSR Kuhl, and their failure to endorse candidates for office in state positions.
At first I thought it was cowardice, but then it hit me that they are trying to control the outcome. Best to be careful what you wish for in such circumstance.
Their actions have negatively impacted this community. As a business - and that’s what they are - they have failed in their responsibility for exactly what they are in business for - to report the news. Not to slant the facts or impose their will through subliminal process.
Fortunately in the case of Massa/RSR Kuhl, the will of the people and the efforts of Massa were stronger than the message sent. Perhaps the message sent was such a slap, that the backlash effected the outcome? We’ll never know.
They’re afraid to jump in the pool and do real investigative research, and yet they don’t throw a preserver to the community that’s drowning as a result of the actions of some of the elected officials they chose to “ignore”.
To me that means they are part of the problem. I canceled my subscription more than 2 years ago, and I’m glad I did. I don’t read their blogs online because they are more hate than info as evidenced in the Public Defender debacle, where they stood by and did NOTHING. They have outworn their welcome in my eyes, and this is just further evidence of that fact.
Do we need them? Ask Eric Massa. I strongly suggest that a business that acts negatively within a community to such ends is no longer solicited. I encourage everyone to cancel their subscriptions, and strongly encourage their friends to do the same.
Until this paper “grows up” with the technology and information available to them, and actually grows a set of investigative balls, ignore them.
The will of the people will only be stronger as an end result.
And yes Jim Lawrence, that means you too.
The contrast with the Corning Leader is remarkable. Their thoughtful endorsement of Massa written from an openly conservative perspective was the perfect antidote to the D&C’s “centrist” nonsense about Kuhl.
Their writings about the state races were even worse. They talk about “reform” constantly but make no specific recommendations, and they fail to endorse the one candidate who most fully embraced the Brennan Report — Rick Dollinger.
The whole set of endorsements was an embarrassment.
To be clear, the “their” and “whole set” refer to the D&C, not to any other papers. Sorry for the confused writing there.
[...] was this LTE on the D&C’s lack of endorsement of Eric Massa and this take on why Kuhl lost - But most importantly the voter endorsed candidate [...]