For the past year, all we've been hearing is that New York
Democrats are poised to win all the important state races this
November: that Hillary Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, and whoever runs
for attorney general, whether Andrew Cuomo or Mark Green, are
surefire winners. Meanwhile, the Republican Party can't seem to
figure out who its candidates will be. It's time for Governor
Pataki to show real leadership by ignoring poll data and throwing
his support behind good candidates who represent the core
principles that win elections nationwide.
At a function last week, I ran into Edward Cox, who at the time
said he would be willing to run against Senator Clinton if the
governor supported his candidacy. He did not, and Mr. Cox has
formally dropped out of the race. This is a great pity because
Mr. Cox had the necessary national and international credentials,
and he would have waged an honorable campaign based on facts, not
innuendo. At the moment, the former mayor of Yonkers, John
Spencer, has mounting endorsements and support for his candidacy,
but the fact remains that Senator Clinton has a $23 million
campaign chest.
Is this a hopeless problem for Republicans? Not necessarily.
Senator Clinton does not have a strong record of accomplishments
for New York. She's in the party that is out of power nationwide
and delivers little for us besides press attention. In addition,
recent poll numbers show that firm support for her presidential
aspirations is extremely slim - only 16%.With the governor's
support, a credible GOP campaign might even unseat Senator
Clinton and dampen her ambitions for higher office. Imagine how
that would improve the dismal legacy that, so far, Pataki is
leaving us.
Mr. Spitzer is also vulnerable. Any credible gubernatorial
candidate - like William Weld, John Faso, or Patrick Manning -
could make mincemeat of his overblown record as attorney general.
Besides attacking Wall Street and crisis pregnancy centers, what
has Spitzer really done for the little guy who votes? New York
has a very weak anti-stalking law that should have been beefed up
years ago. How many times have we read sadly of women being
killed by former lovers who've repeatedly violated impotent
orders of protection?
Why hasn't our chief prosecutor used his considerable influence
to urge stronger laws against crimes that affect all of us, like
identity theft? By the way, whatever happened to Senator
Schumer's two campaign workers who allegedly gained illegal
access to the credit report of Michael Steele, the lieutenant
governor of Maryland, who's running for the U.S. Senate? Mr.
Steele happens to be black, Catholic, and Republican. Does this
mean people can steal his identity and get off with a slap on the
wrist, as long as they're working for a Democrat? Even though
this case was not in Mr. Spitzer's jurisdiction, it would have
been refreshing to hear him state what he's done to ensure that
New Yorkers are protected against the crime of identity theft.
Andrew Cuomo will probably be the Democratic nominee for attorney
general. While Jeanine Pirro currently is the leading GOP
candidate, she may face a primary challenge from Daniel Donovan
Jr., the district attorney of Staten Island. In his short time in
office, Mr. Donovan has racked up an impressive conviction rate.
I spoke to Mr. Donovan this week, and he insists he has not yet
made a firm commitment to run for attorney general. Nor would he
compare records with Mr. Spitzer, his former colleague in the
Manhattan district attorney's office.
"As a prosecutor and someone who hasn't spent his whole
career in politics, I am coming to this with a new perspective,
fresh ideas, and optimism that we can do better," Mr.
Donovan told me. "I'm very concerned by what I see as
rampant fraud and abuse in our state's $44.5 billion Medicaid
system. ... By curbing fraud in the health sector, imagine how
much we could divert to infrastructure, education, or even tax
cuts for working families and to bring more jobs into New
York."
If Governor Pataki doesn't do all he can to support viable
Republican candidates in his home state, his own presidential bid
will be a huge joke.