| So our friend, the immutable Gatemouth over at Room 8, apparently takes issue with the lack of progressive support for David Weprin's campaign for Congress. In fact he specifically noted the lack of a post here at TAP. I'm flattered as a TAP community member that he took the lack of interest here as a sign of the larger progressive community. But I think Gatemouth is wrong about the lack of interest by the progressive community about David Weprin.
I don't speak for everyone in the New York netroots or the NYC progressive community, but I'll say that I like David Weprin. I think he's a decent guy who knows his policy and has been a relatively good force for progressive legislation in his time in politics. And unlike some other folks, I don't mind that he's part of a political dynasty, considering that the Weprin family is a fairly mild dynasty (and I'd give a lot to get a Saul Weprin as Speaker compared to Shelly Silver at this point).
But don't expect me to get excited about a guy handpicked by Crowley, with advice and consent from Vito, to fill a seat for one year until we chop up the district into little bitty pieces to protect everyone else. That's not a race that commands much of my time, especially when the guy picked was picked because he has enough control of the politics to land right back into the Assembly after a short stint in Congress (a point first articulated by none other than Gatemouth).
Now I get it. If Bob Turner beat Weprin, that would be a terrible media victory for the GOP. That's a fair point. But Bob Turner is a guy who got 39% against a flamboyant liberal coming off of a media frenzy over his support for single payer health care in the year of all year for Republicans. I really can't see any path to victory for Bob Turner against a a guy like Weprin on primary day, 2011. And if Weprin, a professional politician, can't handle Bob Turner without the support of us cheetos eating progressive blogger types in NY-9, then we probably have a much bigger problem than progressive apathy.
There's a lot of work to be done. Progressives in Brooklyn have a chance to send shockwaves in the Jesus Gonzalez race. Judges and District Leaders are being elected in Manhattan. All of us are starting to gear up for 2012 (and even 2013). I want David Weprin to win the seat, but asking me to care or to spend an ounce of my time supporting him is a big ask. If things are looking really precarious in August, then I'll probably do it. If necessary. Otherwise, sorry Gatemouth, but we've got bigger fish to fry than Bob Turner. |
