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Why NY-9’s Special Election Should Make Both Parties Nervous
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| Parent(s) |
Race
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| Contributor | COSDem |
| Last Edited | COSDem Sep 14, 2011 06:49pm |
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| Category | Analysis |
| Media | Weekly News Magazine - New Republic, The |
| News Date | Thursday, September 15, 2011 12:45:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | In the midst of increasing excitement around the 2012 presidential race, the special election in New York’s ninth congressional district to elect a replacement for Representative Anthony Weiner (the dick-pic guy) quickly became cast as a referendum on President Obama’s policies. The surprising victory for GOP candidate Bob Turner, a former cable television executive who defeated Democratic State Assemblyman David Weprin by 6 points last night, only reinforces that perception. The last time the district went for a Republican was in 1920, and during the campaign, Turner had worked hard to make the election about President Obama and his failed economic policies.
After my experience yesterday walking the streets of the district and talking to a few voters, however, I would argue that every single one of the candidates for president, Democrat or Republican, has cause to worry about how to deal with the concerns the New York voters expressed. Their fears about overspending, jobs, and the economy are coupled with equally strong feelings about sparing entitlements like Medicare and Social Security from cuts. All the Republican candidates will have to navigate between these two contradictory positions, and without resorting to total dishonesty, it’s going to be a tough needle to thread. If we are going to use this special election as a marker for the country’s mood leading up to 2012, it’s important that we ask: Was this election really about President Obama, or was it about mounting anxieties regarding the problems we face as a nation, no matter who is elected president next year? |
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