Good points made by National Republican Senatorial Committee Political Director, Randy Bumps, on Kirsten Gillibrand's short coat tails.
~~John Cronin~~
April 02, 2009
Randy Bumps, NRSC Political Director
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s special election to choose the next congressman from New York’s 20th Congressional District, an important storyline that appears to have been overlooked by many is the failure of newly-appointed Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the prior occupant of the seat, to help deliver a firm victory for the Democrat Party.
Gillibrand handily carried her district in her re-election bid less than 5 months ago, overwhelmingly defeating her challenger by a margin of 62-38 percent, despite facing a GOP opponent who spent $6 million trying to unseat her.
In the weeks leading up to the special election, Senator Gillibrand actively campaigned for her would-be successor, Scott Murphy, appearing at a series of events and campaign rallies, as well as recording district-wide robocalls. The Murphy campaign even ran a television advertisement that featured Gillibrand looking straight into the camera and urging voters to support Murphy.
On the day of the election, Gillibrand missed key budget votes in the Senate to appear at a last-minute rally with Murphy, where she boldly declared, “We’re going to win.”
With the outcome of the election still in limbo, Gillibrand’s inability to carry her own district for her Democrat colleagues is largely being overlooked.Nonetheless, the question must be asked: have Gillibrand’s series of recent flip-flops – including her highly-publicized shift on Second Amendment rights that carry significant weight in the rural, conservative-leaning district – impacted her political clout and damaged her credibility with her constituents, particularly as she prepares for next year’s election amid rumors of a Democrat primary?
In 2006, Gillibrand ran and won as a “moderate” Democrat, allowing her to win over voters in the upstate district that typically leaned and was represented in Congress by a Republican. Now, facing the prospect of a statewide re-election bid next year in a very blue state, Gillibrand has taken great pains to tack leftward, shedding her centrist image in an attempt to avoid a potentially bloody primary challenge from one of her more liberal colleagues.
Already, Gillibrand has reversed course on government spending, voting in the Senate for this year’s trillion dollar “stimulus” bill after voting against last fall’s financial bailout bill as a “Blue Dog Democrat” in the House. She has also softened her stance on illegal immigration, toning down her rhetoric against sanctuary cities, such as New York City, that do not enforce immigration laws.
Then there are guns. Her marked shift on Second Amendment rights have been well-documented, as she was known in the House as an ardent supporter of gun rights, and now claims to see “eye to eye” with Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NY), one of the country’s most vociferous advocates for strict gun control laws.
If voters in upstate New York have already decided that they’re not going to willingly take Sen. Gillibrand’s advice on who should represent them in Congress, will they trust her sufficiently to represent them on the important issues facing the Senate?
Perhaps not, since it already appears New York voters have concluded that her support for the massive stimulus bill means she’s adopted the ways of Washington by taking positions that spend too much, tax too much and borrow too much.In only a very short time in the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand has dramatically shifted her position on several key issues facing her constituents.
If Tuesday’s results are any indicator, these changes have impacted her credibility, and could pose major problems as she prepares to face voters in just one year’s time.
No comments:
Post a Comment