Rumors and innuendos are swirling about the politics surrounding President Obama’s visit to the small Upstate New York town of Troy. New York constituents want to know the real reason for the visit: Is it merely politicking and election rigging at its finest? Despite all that exists on the President’s plate – healthcare, missile defense spending, Afghanistan – the recent actions of the White House demonstrate that, unlike his claims during his campaign, unprecedented political election engineering remains at the forefront of his Administration’s “To-Do” list.
This past Sunday, the headline in the New York Times read: “Paterson Says He Will Run, Rejecting Call from Obama.” According to senior administration officials and a New York Democratic operative with direct knowledge of the situation, President Obama requested that Governor Paterson withdraw from the New York governor’s race, fearing that he cannot recover from his dismal political standing. As Chris Cillizza outlines in the Washington Post, “White House political director Patrick Gaspard met with Governor David Paterson last Monday to express concern on behalf of the administration about Paterson’s extremely weak standing in recent polls, according to several sources familiar with the sitdown.” Yet despite the political strong-arming from the White House, Governor Paterson has bristled to this pressure; he defiantly stated that he is still running for Governor at a parade this past weekend in Harlem, NY.
As the issue of race continues to play a role in the national political debate, RNC Chairman Michael Steele raised the important point on CBS’ Face The Nation:
Steele: “I found that to be stunning that the White House would send word to one of only two black governors in the country not to run for re-election. And it just raised a curious point for me. I think Paterson – Governor Paterson’s numbers are about the same as Governor Corzine’s numbers, yet the President was with Governor Corzine, and I don’t know if there’s been a request made of Governor Corzine to step down in New Jersey. So I just find it to be stunning and also rather bold.”
As a native New Yorker, as much as I was appalled about President Obama’s political pressure, I realize that it is just one of a long list of actions that the Administration has taken to directly intervene in New York state elections to an unprecedented and extraordinary degree. President Obama cleared the field for Paterson’s handpicked U.S. Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, when he asked her potential primary challenger, Congressman Steve Israel, not to run. Lastly, President Obama named John McHugh, one of three remaining Republican’s in New York’s congressional delegation, to serve as Secretary of the Army causing a special election.
While this political jockeying is ironic coming from an Administration that loftily claims to be “above politics,” it could possibly mean an opening for Republicans in 2010. As the President’s approval rating plummets, and his Administration continues to elbow out possible political contenders in the Democratic Party, Republicans in New York have a responsibility to organize and target these vulnerable Democratic candidates in upcoming elections. Mr. President, stick to your job at hand – you’ve got a lot on your plate, and no time for electioneering.
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Melanie Stefanik is a business executive residing in Upstate New York.
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“an Administration that loftily claims to be ‘above politics.’”
When did it do that?
It is widely accepted among the Left and the Right that “being above politics” or “post-partisan politics” was a hallmark of Obama’s Presidential campaign. Once again, his actions don’t match his rhetoric.