What's the difference between the John Edwards scandal and
that of Rep. Vito Fossella of Staten Island? The one that pops to
mind first is that the mainstream press knew of Mr. Edwards's
mistress for over a year but left the pursuit of the story to the
tabloid the National Enquirer. In Mr. Fossella's case, the
devastating impact on his career was immediate. His 13th
congressional district seat is up for grabs in November, leaving
many Staten Island Republicans undecided on whom to vote for.
After Mr. Fossella's fall from grace, many Staten Islanders were
extremely disappointed in his behavior and his admission that he
had fathered a child with a mistress. In the past few weeks,
however, I've been hearing and reading a more conciliatory tone
from voters who wish that Vito Fossella would change his mind
about not seeking re-election. That may have to do with the fact
that John Edwards is now perceived as more deceitful and
manipulative, using his ill wife while campaigning for the
presidency last year. "At least Vito owned up pretty
quickly," one resident told me.
It's unlikely that Mr. Fossella will re-enter the race for his
district. I keep getting requests from readers who suggest that I
should be that candidate, and I view that as a sign of
desperation that they would even consider such an option. Not
only am I unqualified, I hate politics and what it takes to win
the attention of voters. I especially loathe the fact that
members of the House of Representatives spend half their two-year
terms campaigning for re-election.
The Richmond County Republican Party has backed a former
assemblyman, Robert Straniere, as their candidate. Originally
they had selected Frank Powers, whose sudden death forced the
race wide open. Mr. Straniere's Republican rival, Dr. Jamshad
Wyne, has mounted a vigorous campaign in the Republican primary,
which is scheduled for September 9. I have no idea whom to
support, as I know both these gentlemen, and both are eminently
qualified. I plan to schedule interviews with both shortly.
The questions we should all be asking ourselves are, What do we
want from the federal government, and who's the best man to
achieve that goal? When you look at the careers of longstanding
incumbents, they are judged by how much pork they bring to their
constituents, not whether they are actually doing a good job
representing them. Voters are constantly complaining about
wasteful government spending but will vote for whoever promises
them the most.
So far what I hear from both Republican candidates is about
legislation to cut spending, and that's a good thing.
Dr. Wyne is tackling the issue of Medicaid fraud and wants to
propose legislation that will make a state's eligibility for
federal Medicaid matching funds dependent on its progress in
reducing fraud. Under his proposal, Congress would direct the
Department of Health and Human Services to set benchmarks for
reducing fraud. Dr. Wyne told the Staten Island Advance:
"Tens of millions of dollars are being wasted that could be
used for those that truly need assistance, with enough left over
to give back to the taxpayers. If that isn't enough incentive for
the states to act, then maybe a potential loss of federal funding
is."
Mr. Straniere, who recently picked up the endorsement of former
New York State minority leader John Faso, has taken on the worthy
issue of the wounded veteran. If he's elected, Mr. Straniere, who
is a Vietnam-era veteran, pledges to hire at least one-third of
his congressional staff from the ranks of America's wounded
military veterans or members of their immediate families. The
initiative is open to all wounded military veteran families
regardless of where or when they served."
My City Council member, Michael McMahon, whom I have already
profiled, is facing a Democratic rival, Stephen Harrison, in the
primary, and there is also an Independence Party candidate,
Carmine Morano. Personally I want all candidates to address the
issue of voter fraud.
The 13th district is one of New York City's most conservative and
has traditionally gone Republican. There's a good chance that the
Republicans will not be able to hold this district and that
Staten Island will join the rest of New York City as a Democratic
stronghold unless the Republicans mount a strong united front
after next month's primary.
While there may be a few differences between John Edwards and
Vito Fossella, one thing they do share is an unfortunate
connection with females who knew that the men they were with were
married with children. Pardon me if I don't feel much sympathy
for their plight, only their children.