Eliot Spitzer's television ads for the governor's race are now
up and running and they remind me of Mario Cuomo's nominating
speech for Bill Clinton in 1992. My condolences to Shakespeare,
but the ad and Mr. Cuomo's speech are both full of sound and
fury, signifying nothing. Nevertheless, Mr. Spitzer's spot has
already gained praise from advertising critics, as did the
oratory of our former governor. Speechifying has never held much
allure for me. Glibness and telegenic talent may hold many voters
in their sway but I prefer facts, real ideas, and solutions to
problems.
I'll never forget my sister's call from her home in Los Angeles,
where my Democrat sibling was awed by Mr. Cuomo's stirring speech
at the 1992 Democratic Convention. It may indeed have
been a very moving speech but it's also one that anyone could
have given. All you have to do is complain about what's wrong
with the country and promise that your candidate has all the
answers. Just make sure you leave out what the answers are and no
one will notice. Mr. Spitzer's ad claims that he is the voice of
the New Yorker who has to leave the state to find a job; the New
Yorker who is burdened with high property taxes; the New Yorker
who is ignored or feels left out or has been told, "You
can't fight City Hall." Mr. Spitzer will be our voice to do
... drum roll, please ... what?
Mr. Cuomo's speech mentioned unemployment, bankruptcies, economic
stagnation, and other maladies afflicting our nation. I had to
remind my sister that she didn't live in New York, where Mr.
Cuomo had been governor for more than 10 years and hadn't
accomplished much toward solving these same problems. Always the
Democrat ic solution seems to be another government program,
which never, ever works efficiently. Why, then, is this city
still overwhelmingly Democrat?
What I do know is why my family and others in the inner city
ended up being diehard Democrats. Republicans were and are still
MIA in the barrios and ghettos. Growing up on 110th Street, I
recall seeing several Democratic social clubs, where the
community had access to local politicians. Only Senator Jacob
Javits showed any interest in our neighborhood, and he was always
re-elected handily. Republicans need to get in touch with
community leaders and hold town hall meetings to explain where
they stand on the important issues. They would be quite surprised
that on many social and educational issues, we are on the same
wavelength. Unfortunately, Republicans still rely on expensive
television ads and posters, which will never make a dent with
minority communities.
I was recently drafted to s peak at a New York Young Republican
Club about the GOP prospects for 2006, and I had to tell the
group that "slim and next to none" seemed to describe
them. I'm not the only one who's disturbed at what's happened to
the New York Republicans. "Raising the Titanic: Can the
NYGOP be Saved?" is the subject of a forum scheduled for
March 29 at the New York Academy of Sciences, 2 E. 63rd St., from
7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The moderator will be syndicated columnist
Deroy Murdock and panelists will include Herbert London and
Patrick Manning, among others. The event is free and open to the
public.
After my speech, I was asked, "How is it that Staten Island
manages to elect conservatives?" Richmond County is one of
the fastest-growing counties in the entire state and the most
conservative in New York City, and one must look at its
demographics to understand why. As of the last census, the
borough of 463,314 people is 77.6% white, 12.1% Hispanic, 9.7%
African-American, and 5.7% Asian. Nearly 64% of the residents own
their homes, and only 10% are below the poverty level. The crime
rate is the lowest in the city, and while there a few rough
neighborhoods, the Police Department does an excellent job of
maintaining law and order. More than 83% of the residents have
graduated from high school and 23% have graduate degrees or
higher. In other words, we're doing fine, so why on earth would
we believe the gloom and doom messages that we hear from the
Spitzers and the Cuomos of the out-of-office party?
The Democratic message ignores the booming economy, the low
unemployment, and the fact that inflation is under control
because then they would have to give President Bush some credit
for his leadership during some of the most difficult years in our
nation's history. Staten Island gets it, but the rest of the city
would rather listen and vote for candidates who spout rhetoric
instead of solutions.