MR WEEKLY RANT: Independence Party Makes Bi-Partisan Endorsements
Trying something new here. A weekly rant on pretty much anything. Feel free to submit suggestions. This was in the Democrat & Chronicle yesterday. I bolded a couple of the more notable endorsements. After this comes the rant.
The Independence Party of Monroe County has endorsed the following candidates:
Cheryl Dinolfo, Republican incumbent, county clerk.
Frank Geraci Jr. Democratic incumbent, County Court judge
Gail Donofrio, Republican incumbent, Family Court judge
Joan Kohout, Democratic incumbent, Family Court judge.
J. Scott Odorisi, Democratic incumbent, East Rochester town justice.
James Alesi, Republican incumbent, state Senate, 55th District.
Joseph Robach, Republican incumbent, state Senate, 56th District.
Joseph Morelle, Democratic incumbent, Assembly, 132nd District.
Bill Reilich, Republican incumbent, Assembly, 134th District.
David Bonacchi, Republican challenger, Assembly, 135th District.
Jack Moore, Republican incumbent, Henrietta Town Board.
Andrew Moore, Republican incumbent, Penfield Town Board.
To the credit of the local Independence Party, they actually endorse candidates on both sides of the aisle. This holds true to their mantra of supporting candidates who support Independence Party values, the most important of which is initiative and referendum, letting the public decide on major issues facing their community.
Now, I’ll admit that I’d rather see ALL republican candidates get their endorsement. Personally, I don’t think many Democrats support letting the people decide on issues. If they did, we’d have seen them pushing to get issues like Gay/Lesbian/Bi-Sexual & Transgender marriage on the ballot for the public to vote on long, long ago.
My main point, however, is that they acknowledge that candidates on both sides work hard and deserve their support. Heck, even the big bad Conservative Party endorses both Republicans and Democrats. Assemblyman Joe Morelle’s staffer, Vince Esposito received their endorsement for County Legislator last year.
However, one of the smaller parties, the Working Families Party, appears to have sworn off of endorsing anyone but Democrats. Their New York City boss has seemingly put the order out and their own questionnaire (of which we’ve obtained a copy) asked candidates NOT to accept the endorsements of the Conservative or Independence Party. Why? What gives?
Here’s the deal. The Working Families Party used to be run by Labor Unions and those concerned about issues affecting working men and women. However, we believe that the blue collar worker types have been chased out of the party and now it’s controlled by liberal/progressive radicals. The real union people, as usual, probably did all of the work. But if they’re gone and the party is poised to fold, what is the WFP to do? So they’ve apparently struck a deal with the Democrat Party to allow themselves to be absorbed in with the Dems. The goodwill quid pro quo must be to only endorse Democrat candidates. This is solely based on my assumptions, at this point.
The Working Families Party’s biggest claim to fame in New York State is helping Dick Beebe get elected to the Monroe County Legislature. You remember Dick Beebe. He’s the guy who refused to submit his financial filing reports on time. The WFP gave him money, but Dick didn’t turn in his reports showing this until Monroerising called him on it (MR - working to keep democrats honest, one lawbreaker at a time!).
We’re not sure yet if it was the Working Families Party that initiated the smear campaign against Beebe’s opponent, incumbent Ray DiRaddo, about Ray supposedly not living in the district. Beebe may have just had his local supporters do that on their own, although he’s really not that smart. You’ll recall that even though Beebe’s supporters already knew this, they essentially forced DiRaddo to discuss his separation from his wife. Real classy Dick & Company.
So what we may very well have is the Working Familes Party being taken over by the Democrat Party with orders to never endorse Republican Candidates, regardless of their support for the old WFP issues.
Hopefully, the REAL working men and women who started the WFP will take it back and allow it to be used for what it was intended, as the party for working folks, not the liberal/progressive acivists.
Well, that’s the story and that’s my rant. Thanks and have a good weekend!
3 Responses to “MR WEEKLY RANT: Independence Party Makes Bi-Partisan Endorsements”
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I like the Rant, let me jump in.
I was still a democrat when the big Dick Beebe victory happened. People I knew, were aware he lived in the district and just kept blogging lies about him anyways! They didn’t care, they wanted Dick B, that’s why I am TheExDemocrat.
I still have friends working with the WFP. Some of them wear Che Guevara, T-Shirts.
I look forward to next weeks rant.
IP: I look at the Independence Party a bit differently.
I see 8 R endorsements and 4 D. Of the D endorsements, 2 are for unchallenged Judge positions, and if Morelle has a challenger, I haven’t heard of it. As far as the ER town justice goes, I suspect this is unchallenged as well.
So it seems to me that the Independence Party only picks Republicans for contested contests, then fills out the line with uncontested Ds just to look equitable.
I agree with you on the WFP comments. They should pick the candidates that espouse the party values independent of what other lines that candidate is one.
I see your point villager. I was looking at it more from an “over the years” perspective.
It may be that thev’re endorsed more of one side over the other, but at least they do cross party lines. I doubt Assemblyman David Gantt or Susan John support the policies of the Independence Party and that is why they very well do not receive the IP’s endorsement.
That, and the fact that Congressional and Supreme Court judgeships haven’t been endorsed yet.
Working Families Party have sold their soul to the devil. I don’t think they really grasp the ramifications of what they’re doing yet. If the radicals are driving the Ford now, they’ll just keep driving and driving, pushing it as far as it can go without checking the oil or doing the routine maintenance.
When the engine finally seizes, thell’re discarb the union built Ford and move on to the subaru. I’m just using the car thing as an analogy. I’m not getting into a debate about what % of which car is built here in the U.S.
When third parties allow themselves to be totally absorbed by one of the major two, they become irrelevant and are lost in the shuffle.