Global Review Endorsements: NY Statewide and Congressional

Global Review has never published official endorsements before, but in this mid-term election, it is worthwhile to do so. A great deal will be determined by whom we choose. This first post is Global Review's selections for the high-profile races relevant to Rochester, NY.

• NY Attorney General: A close, and contentious race between Eric Schneiderman (D/W/I) and Dan Donovan (R/C). Schneiderman has spent his career in Albany, and has voted to reduce sentences for drug offenses and against reinstating capital punishment. Donovan is the District Attorney of Suffolk County, giving him relevant job experience. In a job which has few political implicatons, Donovan's experience is certainly more relevant to the position.
• NY Comptroller: A comptroller is an external auditor. New York would benefit most from an independent, non-partisan, and unelected comptroller. Maybe one appointed by another state? In any case, we do have to vote, and the best alternative to a true independent is someone from the party not in power. Global Review endorses Harry Wilson (R,C,I), a Harvard MBA with big-business experience, who garnered the left-of-center Independence Party's nomination.
• NY Goober. It's the 'goober' race because most of the candidates are goobers. Jimmy McMillan has the best hair; Carl Paladino is the most angry; and Andrew "Mario W." Cuomo has the best-developed sense of entitlement.
  Global Review is a right-of-center blog, but we cannot endorse the foolishness that is Carl Paladino. He has correctly diagnosed the malaise in Albany, but the messenger is louder than the message, and his personal failings and oversize ego make it unlikely that he could improve anything in Albany. More likely, Governor Paladino would drag New Yorkers through another round of scandal and add another ring to the circus.
  Nor can Global Review endorse Andrew Cuomo, who has never found a policy so far to the left that cannot support it. He is from the leftist branch of the Democratic Party and will consistently move New York in the direction of centralized government control.
  The only palatable candidate is Warren Redlich. He highlights eminent domain as a key issue, and fought a Kelo-style abuse of town power in his capacity as Guilderland Town Council Member.
• Senate Races: Global Review is no fan of Chuck Schumer (D), nor, by extension, of his handpicked colleague Kirsten Gillibrand (D), who is defending her seat for the first time. Each of them cast the deciding vote in the mad rush to pass a healthcare law that was called "reform" but in fact failed to address the foundational flaws of our healthcare system and further entrenched the moneyed interest. Their opponents, Republican/Conservative/Taxpayers-nominated Joe DioGuardi and R/C Jay Townsend are reasonable and seasonable alternatives. Vote for them.
• Congressional Races: Greater Rochester is gerrymandered (by the state GOP) among 4 districts - 25, 26, 28, and 29. In district 25, incumbant Dan Maffei (D) faces a challenge from Anne Buerkle, who is nominated by the Independence Party as well as the R/C/T, and endorsed by Rudy Giuliani.
  In district 26, Chris Lee's opponent, Phil Fedele (D) doesn't even have a website. Vote against the incumbant here as a matter of principle - it won't matter, and it's better if representatives can't take their seats for granted.
  District 28 is home to Louise Slaughter (D), one of Pelosi's key lieutenants. She has the Independence nomination, and is the Chair of the Rules Committee, as well as co-chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus and a lavish expropriator, currently trumpeting a cyclotron for the University at Buffalo. How many 28th-District residents will benefit from the cyclotron? All of us will pay for it with higher taxes and lower government benefits in the future. Slaughter's opponent this year is Jill Rowland, a Buffalo dentist who is one of the few candidates to pass Project Vote Smart's Courage Test. This is the time to send Slaughter a message that her district is not benefitting from the hard-left policies she is pushing in Congress.
  District 29 chose Eric Massa (D) two years ago as a centrist reformer. He went to Washington and told fellow Democrats he would do what was best for his district even if the district opposed it - i.e. "I know better than you!" Then he had one too many tickle fights with his staffers in their frat house, and resigned in disgrace. Vying to replace him are Corning Mayor Tom Reed (R,C,I) and CIA officer Matt Zeller (D,W). Reed has been endorsed by the Democrat & Chronicle and has executive experience in business and local government. Zeller is hard to learn about - his website proclaims that he's "not a politician" instead of posting positions on important issues. His endorsements come from labor and veterans groups. If he disagreed with any key portion of Pelosi's leftist agenda, it would likely show up on his site.