GOP upset win in NY portends challenge for Obama

[onehandle]

Source: AP

NEW YORK (AP) — It sounded improbable on the surface that a New York City congressional district where Democrats have a 3-1 registration edge and have held office for nearly a century could even come close to electing a Republican to the U.S. House.

But voter frustration over the sour economy and President Barack Obama's policies made the improbable a reality, as a Republican political novice, Bob Turner, scored an upset victory in a special election Tuesday over David Weprin, a Democratic assemblyman from a prominent local political family. The surprising results in the Brooklyn and Queens-area district portend a perilous national environment for Obama as he prepares to seek re-election next year.

Turner said as much when he stepped before cameras to claim victory Tuesday night. "This message will resound for a full year. It will resound into 2012," said Turner, a retired broadcasting executive. "I only hope our voices are heard, and we can start putting things right again."

Also Tuesday, Republican Mark Amodei won a landslide victory in a U.S. House special election in Nevada, an important presidential swing state.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-upset-win-ny-portends-challenge-obama-062401733.html

---

Weiner just gave them great encouragement going into 2012.

[RBInMaine]

1. AP = Fox News In Print

[rainy]

2. Something is terribly wrong. Either the republicans are cheating

or we have completely lost the information war. Money is power and the media have been destroyed by it.

[Historic NY]

10. Welcome to reality, this is what happens when we beat each other up.

The deck was stacked from the very beginning.

[TygrBright]

29. Yup. n/t

[Champion Jack]

30. +1,000

[Blue_Tires]

20. +1

[GOTV]

28. What's wrong is Obama is walking us into the fan blades again ....

... by not drawing a clear distinction between Dems who would be willing to pass most of Obama's agenda and Reps who want to block most of Obama's agenda. With his frequent claims that there's plenty of blame to go around he gives people no reason to prefer Dems.

Every time he speaks this way more votes trickle away from Dems.

[One_Life_To_Give]

32. What was in Hebrew Press?

This is a community that has a strong identification with a place many of us know little about. And most of us do not read daily events that happen in Haifa as if it were our own backyard.

[ellenfl]

61. i agree.

or there really ARE more conservatives in this country than i moderates and liberals. what do we do?

ellen fl

[BulletproofLandshark]

3. I hope everyone here that wanted Weiner to step down is satisfied. n/t

[Harmony Blue]

48. Well said

I don't think many people realize the consequences for their choices until it is too late.

[sunwyn]

4. What the hell is wrong with people? How anyone can vote for the

Party of thieves and liars is beyond me. These people want to take away everything we have and give it to those who have more than they will ever know what to do with it. I am so disappointed.

[No Elephants]

51. The kicker for me is that a district with many Jews elected a man who lives in a

"restricted" community. Unreal.

[Zambero]

60. Half of the electorate is basically clueless

Given the results for the particular district, there's your proof. Republicans have a gold mine in low information voters who can be manipulated into voting against their own interests.

[vercetti2021]

5. Wow

read the yahoo comments. Truly some sad, deranged fools.

[GoCubsGo]

14. No thank you.

They're a bunch of paid trolls. Yahoo's comments section has been a stinking cesspool for years. I wish the sane people would just stop commenting there, and let the sociopaths drown in their own filth.

[vercetti2021]

15. Ah

That explains a lot. No wonder so many fake accounts look obvious on there. Can't these people get a real job?

[elocs]

39. I think the comments on USA Today tend to be the same.

Overwhelming right-wing trolls.

[jerseyjack]

6. They didn't vote for the Repub. They stayed home in disappointment over Obama.

[kelly1mm]

9. Preview of Nov. 2012??? The Senate looks more and more scary

for 2012.

[sweetapogee]

27. I could not

I could not agree with you more kelly1mm.

[Ganja Ninja]

11. Yup.

Weiner's impropriety had little to do with this. People are just getting sick of the Democratic party's duplicity.

[Donnachaidh]

13. When Ed Koch says *Mr. President, LISTEN TO US" -- they should pay attention

Just heard that news blip this morning. The WH damned well better listen.

[GOTV]

31. And we should expect more of that if Obama doesn't stop playing the chump ...

... with the namby pamby *both sides are at fault* stuff and his weak sauce way of calling out republicans: "there are SOME in congress who say we shouldn't raise taxes on anyone" - it's as if he's afraid to mention the party.

[windowpilot]

7. BBV?

n/t

[socialshockwave]

8. Not to mention that Bob Turner

linked the Dems to the Ground Zero Mosque, which more then 85% of New Yorkers are against.

[RoccoR5955]

16. First of all, it's NOT a mosque...

second of all, it's four blocks away from "ground zero."
They keep telling people that it is, and they keep believing. Clearly a smear campaign, whereby the religious Jews did not like the fact that the Democratic candidate was not opposed to an Islamic Community Center in the neighborhood adjacent to ground zero. They were played like a cheap fiddle by a teabagger.

[AlbertCat]

25. They were played like a cheap fiddle by a teabagger.

That's what happens every time any religion is added to the mix.

[No Elephants]

52. He didn't link Bloomberg to it?

Really? Over 85% of New Yorkers?

[ejbr]

12. It appears to me to be as much a referendum on the district's

opposition to gay marriage, which Weprin approved and opposition to a mosque near ground zero -- which is a sensitive, albeit misplaced -- issue with New Yorkers, which Welprin approved. The national implications are tenuous.

[blackspade]

17. Unbelievable. NYC has gone mental in this case.

Well this is what happens when you force a good democrat out and then have a big name democrat support a Rethug.

pitiful.

[cppuddy]

18. If Americans are Dumb Enough.

If Americans are dumb enough to vote these people back into congress and the presidency. They deserve everything they get. High unemployment, low wages, no rights at work, no unemployment insurance, no health care coverage that you can afford. People have their heads up their butts. It is a short attention-span society. They are more interested in voting for american idol, and having their heads in the iphones all day. You can kiss SS and Medicare goodbye for people of my generation (I'm 41). Even with a 401K; and even with putting all I make into it; I would never be able to save enough to retire. Even if I did save enough; banks and corporations would find away to take it from me.
All the rich want are serfs, and when you are to old; DIE. They have a model in mind for us. China. They did it little by little, and they have succeeded in their efforts. There will still be some Sen. and congress Dem's in office, but they will have no power. The right will get everything they want.
They say terrorists are our greatest threat; but the threat were big corporations and people ignored it. I say 'were' because they have already won. The United States of America is brain dead, but the heart just doesn't know it yet.
Just my two cents.

[LiberalFighter]

19. Beth Fouhy, the AP writer is obviously a FOX supporter.

[totodeinhere]

42. What's your point? Whether the reporter is a Fox supporter or not, we still lost a district

we should have won.

[LiberalFighter]

45. Why should that campaign have won?

Everyone seems to believe that it is the Democrat's fault or Obama's fault that election was lost.

If that district should had gone Democrat then it was the campaign's fault for losing it. That means the candidate and his staff.

[totodeinhere]

47. I for one did not blame Obama. But my point was that the reporter's alleged allegiance to Fox News

is irrelevant. Fox News didn't cause us to lose that election. It might well have been the fault of the campaign staff but what I was responding to was the implication that Fox News had something to do with it.

[LiberalFighter]

64. My implication is the slant of the article.

[No Elephants]

53. AP News loves them some Republicans.

[Steerpike]

21. The population is reaching the tipping point of desperation..

They will vote for who they percieve to be a populist. Obama is the antithesis of populist...he is and is percieved to be a corporatist...I predict he will lose and our next president will be Some Nut who succesfully positions himself as a populist...The repigs have more than a few of these type of candidates (even potential candidates)...

I remember sitting in a bar called the rockin teepee just outside of Santa Fe when Bush #1 was elected. My sense of disbelief filled the room...I could not believe a former CIA chief was actually elected President. I anticipate another world altering election coming up. Sarah Palin could very well be our next president. Desperation is a terrible thing...and we are on the verge of that tipping point...looking at the edge as we approach...with no helping hand to save us...The people vote in Desperation, Knowing Obama is not the Answer.

[totodeinhere]

43. I think you have hit on something. Desperate people can do irrational things.

People are flailing around not knowing what to do or what to think. It's a very dangerous environment and one that could easily spawn a demagogue on the national stage.

[No Elephants]

54. +1

[Kablooie]

22. I expect a Republican sweep in the next election. Including presidency..

Swing voters don't research and vote for the best man.
If they are dissatisfied they vote for the other guy.
Period.
Even if the other guy is a raving lunatic.

I predict we will see near total Republican control of the government starting 2013 unless Obama can do something heroic and miraculous soon.

If not, he's toast and we, including America itself, will be toast soon after.

[Kablooie]

23. Dumped Dupe.

[Mr Gerrity]

24. This can't be right

I suspect deibold machines. There is no other answer for a district so heavily Democratic. The repukes find a way to steal it every time.

[One_Life_To_Give]

35. Democratic Conservative Orthodox Jewish district

To call it just another Democratic district is to bury ones head in the sand. Polls have long indicated problems brewing with this demographic that went for Obama in 2008. Blaming voting machines at this time makes no sense.

[Mr Gerrity]

37. Not buying it.

I'm sorry I don't buy the results. Hopefully they will impound the ballots and Weprin will call for a recount. Weprin is an Orthodox Jew, so your assertion that it was because of the Jewish vote makes no sense.

[Zambero]

62. He broke rank with fellow Orthodox Jews on three important issues:

Gay marriage, Palestinian sovereignty, and the Islamic cultural center. Great "wedge" issues for Republicans to exploit. I believe that Weprin was right on these issues, but he was certainly wrong in the eyes of the Orthodox Jewish community. Again, with a volatile electorate, social issues trump economic self-interest. I'm not convinced that the results of this race can be projected onto a larger national scale, given that this congressional district has a somewhat "atypical" demographic (and associated local issues) that do not readily equate with the nation as a whole. Question is -- will Turner's constituents grow weary of having a right-wing idealogue representing them in Congress? Hopefully, with help from a better Democratic candidate in 2012 than the one who just went down, the the answer will be yes.

[No Elephants]

57. Please see Replies 32, 41 and 50.

Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.

[Javaman]

26. While Weiner screwed up, he did nothing illegal and it was the failure of the Dem Party

not supporting him that was the fuck up.

[Harmony Blue]

49. I completely agree

Faux outrage seems to be the norm now.

[Arctic Dave]

33. Thanks shitbag Washington so called Democrats.

You fucked us again you spinelesspieces of shit.

[Renew Deal]

34. Why is a Democratic win meaningless, but a republican win gloom and doom?

And I'm not just talking about this race.

[Steerpike]

36. if you ignore the context

it really is meaningless

[totodeinhere]

44. I don't see people here saying that. When we scored an upset win in NY's 26th district

a lot of people including me discussed what a significant win that was. The fact remains that we should have not lost that election last night.

[Renew Deal]

46. I'm talking about the media.

Not DU.

[No Elephants]

55. Not even media. I remember reading articles about how historic and significant that race was

and how it was all about Ryan's plan, esp. Medicare. Of course, that was before Obama looked as though he was willing to cut Medicare.

[tidy_bowl]

38. Clearly Voter Fraud By Repugs

You don't lose a district that is 3-1 Democrat to a Repug. You just don't. There has to be massive voter fraud by the Repugs and Weprin had better immediately file a challenge. This type of elction stealing by the Repugs must stop now.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[elocs]

40. Obviously. I use this excuse every time a Dem loses when they should have won.

It's a lot easier than looking for what is likely the true reason.

[Spider Jerusalem]

41. Sure you do

Obama has come out strongly in favour of Israel and Palestine negotiating a two-state solution, using the 1967 borders as a starting point for negotiation. Anthony Weiner and most of the people in that district have a position on the Israel/Palestine issue that would place them on the extreme right wing of the Likud party in Israel--Weiner himself was on record as saying: the River Jordan is the eastern border of Israel, which is isn't; that the IDF are not occupying the West Bank, which they are; and that Israel's blockade of Gaza is legal and recognised under international law, which it isn't. All of which is in line with the residents of his former district. The present administration's decision to pursue a sane foreign policy in Israel was going to hurt any Democratic candidate, unfortunately.

New York Times blog on the election says this:

But his coalition bears some resemblance to Rudolph W. Giuliani’s mosaic, and perhaps points to potential headaches for Democrats. The National Jewish Democratic Council quickly put out a statement saying the result had nothing to do with Israel.

That might sound convincing if you sit on J Street or Madison Avenue, but far less so if you walked down Cross Bay Boulevard to Mr. Turner’s headquarters at the Roma View catering hall. There you could watch a crowd that mixed old Irish and Italians with many Orthodox and Hasidic Jews applaud as former Mayor Edward I. Koch and Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a power broker within the Brooklyn-Queens Orthodox population, talked about Israel, Israel and Israel, and President Obama’s alleged disregard for the same.

“This whole race really turned in the last two weeks, as we turned our attention to it,” said David Benedict, an Orthodox Jew from Kew Gardens, who with his son drove to the Turner party in Howard Beach. “Israel seems very isolated now, and we are concerned.”

They also wanted to talk about their growing political power, which again has been evident to anyone with eyes and a map of Forest Hills, Rockaway, Kew Gardens, Ocean Avenue and so on. The demographics of Jewish New York have changed, and the meter now runs deeply conservative.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/election-reflects-new-dynamic-in-brooklyn-and-queens

[No Elephants]

56. Don't think so. Please see Replies 32, 41 and 50,

[Ter]

65. Not a chance

If it were fraud, the puke would be trailing or polling even in all the polls before the election. he wasn't. He was winning by 10 points. Also, with fraud, you don't win by 7 points. So all in all, it has to be close to steal, or it becomes obvious.

Reality check: The wrong guy sometimes wins, and it's not always fraud.

[No Elephants]

50. Weiner gave no encouragement to the GOP. He was quite willing and eager to keep his elected office,

just as Bill Clinton kept his and Vitter kept his.

Democrats, however, kept at Weiner until he resigned. And Weiner certainly had less than nothing to do with the Democratic loss in Nevada.



On the other hand, it is not true that Turner's victory portends trouble for Obama. Turner's victory had very much to do with the fact that people whose opinions are greatly respected in that district, especially among Orthodox Jewish voters, endorsed Turner, some of them crossing Party lines to endorse Turner.

Obama may or may not have problems in 2012. Still really too soon to tell, IMO.

However, I don't believe Turner's victory has anything to do with Obama's chances, one way or the other.

I don't know enough about the Republican victory in Nevada to comment on that.

[andym]

58. Progressive majority strikes again?

So where is our vaunted progressive majority?

Foe example,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x440480

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1103366

[Zambero]

59. Special elections do not always indicate a partisan trend

Keep in mind that Democrats recently won 2 special congressional elections in upstate New York, both of them in traditional Republican strongholds. If I recall correctly, one of them flipped back to the GOP in the last mid-term. Point is, there is volatility and unpredictability in the electorate that, on the local level often overrides what might be seen as a national trend. Local issues relating to large demographic groups and the strength (or weakness of a given candidate) will almost always come into play. In this instance, Weprin scored no points with Orthodox Jews with his support of gay marriage, a sovereign Palestinian state, and for construction of the Islamic cultural center in lower Manhattan. He may have been right on those issues, but it still cost him votes and more than likely the election. As for the NV special election, that seat has been solidly in Republican hands for decades. No "trend" there, regardless of how conservatives wish to spin it.

[mvd]

63. Oh, so now the M$M makes it a referendum

Nice. :eyes:

I think the weak candidate and Weiner himself lost this one - not Obama.