Working Families and Republicans
You would think John Degnan, a Republican challenging state Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Patterson, is the only Republican to ever receive the endorsement of the Working Families Party. But he isn’t.
If you missed it, the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee sent out a press release last week faulting Degnan for the WF endorsement. (If you can’t open the press release, right click on it and choose “Open in new window.”)
“The Working Families Party is to the far left of Barbara Streisand – they make San Francisco liberal Nancy Pelosi look like Newt Gingrich,” RACC spokesman Joshua Fitzpatrick said in the release.
However, if you go to the Working Families Web site and look through its list of 2008 endorsements, there are at least seven incumbent Republican Assembly lawmakers there, mostly from Long Island. The list includes Fred W. Thiele Jr., Joseph Saladino, Bob Barra and Dede Scozzafava.
No telling if Fitzpatrick’s statements aimed at Degnan also apply to those Assembly Republicans.
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nevertheless the working families party brings votes
on election day…another minor party that gets
way too much leverage and attention….its time
to stop cross endorsments…they weaken the major parties
they create opportunity for political extortion of
jobs…and as you can see from the other republican
candidates who have accepted their endorsemnent it
is not about policy
To Joshua Fitzpatrick at RACC – That’s B-A-R-B-R-A not Barbara – Streisand. You’ll need to know this come November, when this sorry excuse for a political party is dumped out on their collective behinds.
The Working Family line may seem like a joke to some, but the hard working men and women do value this line and they do vote on this line with a substanial amount of votes.
John Degnan is a good man who will do a great job as our Assemblyman.
All of the minor parties should be gone….all they do
is extract promises, jobs and other things in exchange
for their lines…
Will the Working Families Party be able to find out how Greg Ball got out of the military YEARS before his committment was up? Or how Greg Ball wound up with a PRPTOCOL OFFICER job, right out of the Air Force Academy, or why the decision was made to put 2nd LT. Ball in charge of nothing or no one, or how, how HOW did a 2nd LT. right out of the Air Force Academy not get deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan with everyone else in the Air Force?
If the Working Family Party can get these answers, then I’ll vote on that line. One thing’s for sure…..you won’t get an honest answer out of Greg Ball about any of these things.
Pretty darn sad when you think about it.
Robert Buckley should be given a medal for his efforts to expose FRAUD in Putnam County. Hopefully, the voters on the Working Family line will take their responsibilities more seriously than did their counterparts in the Westchester GOP.
No Mike, there is a way to tel if Fitzpatrick’s statements aimed at Degnan also apply to those Assembly Republicans… you need to pick up the phone and call Mr. Fitzpatrick or his boss Mr. Tedisco.
They can’t have it both ways. Because of clowns like Josh Fitzpatrick, RACC is becoming more disorganized with each election cycle. They just can’t get anything right.
Instead of focusing on this Primary battle and defending Greg Ball, they should spend more time targeting weak Dems and trying to increase the number of seats they hold…
I can’t argue with you RACC is of course so very very
astute when it comes to winning….My point has to do
with cross endorsments in the state..I have held
this point of view for years..and regardless of who
is getting the endorsement republican or democrat
the whole thing smells..but then I have seen it up
close and personal I am aware of the trades that have
been made over the years..and I think that the ability
of a minor party to extort or to call the shots
damages the Republican party because the Republican
party has come to rely on the conservative and ind
parties for help…working families is a joke but
here they have endorsed before a primary which
is absurd..a primary is only on the republican
line.so the fact of the working families endorsement
means what…that if degnan beats ball he will have
another line in the general?
Having just reviewed Josh’s press release as well as
the other republicans taking the line…it is a huge
error for RACC to issue that kind of indictment of
the working families party which if in the hands
of the democrats opposing those wf endorsed republicans
can take portions of it out to make them appear
more centrist than they are…
I just can’t understand for the life of me why the Assembly Republicans have decided to break a decades long tradition of not involving themselves in Primary battles to support Greg Ball. They certainly didn’t get involved when Ball was running against Will Stephens (who was the Minority Leader Pro-Tem). This is a serious error on the part of the leadership at RACC and responsibility ultimately will settle with Leader Jim Tedisco. The focus shouldn’t be on defending Ball until after September because John Degnan could very well be the Republican candidate.
The Working Families Party is not much different than a Socialist Party. Or Communist Party, for that matter.
mike edelman usually has good judgement when it comes to elected officials which is why it’s so perplexing that he would support or defend greg ball. he has to see that this guy is no good for the gop as he is far to extreme and just further pushes the feelings in ny that all republicans must be bush republicans. this is why we can’t win. we’ve got our heads up our arses and we’re getting behind guys like greg ball, john spencer and kiernan lalor…
When Ball was running for Assembly, he was after endorsements. He pleaded for the DEMOCRATIC endorsement back then. So that tells us Mr. Ball believes in any endorsement he can get. So, why??????? would they now critize cross party endorsements, etc., for person running against ball? If Ball had all these other endorsements, probably nothing would have been said from the RACC.
Maybe I do not understand how this works but one thing I do understand, Ball will not have my vote no matter what line he was, is or will be on.
I am not defending greg ball..i am condemning the system
which permits cross endorsements..I reserve on
greg…who is to say the least..off the reservation
Greg Ball begged for the Democrat endorsement in 2006. If the only thing standing between losing and winning was an endorsement from the Communist Party of America, Greg Ball would take that endorsement in a heartbeat. Let that sink in real good.
I wonder if Greg Ball is now going to take credit for Joe Bruno not seeking re-election. I can see the press release now:
“I exerted maximum pressure on the Party bosses in Albany, and my efforts are starting to pay off. Thanks to me, Joe Bruno has decided that there isn’t room enough for the two of us in Albany, so he’s leaving. My relentless pressure gave Bruno no choice. I am a man of my word”.
—-Greg Ball
P.S. Plenty of Republicans in Westchester have taken the Working Families Line….in New Rochelle, home of GOP County and City Chair Doug Colety – Legislator Jim Maisano, Councilman Al Tarantino, and former Councilman Mike Boyle all ran with WF endorsements, too. And there are more out there.
The RACC noise is trying to cover up their dismal failure over the past few years. More failure is ahead.
Mike Edelman is an ass hole. Its time this moran, along with all the idiots that he has supported and worked for, such as Amicone, Janet Difiore, Ball, Panio, Nick Spano, Mike Spano,Al Piro, and all the other losers crawl under a rock some where real far away and just croke. We need a breath of fresh air, some new faces, honesty and integrity, the traits that our elected officials lack.
Greg Ball, Mr. GOP, begged for the Democratic endorsement in 2006.
To all you BALL-BAGS out there: how do you feel about that?
Kaye sorry you think I am an “asshole”..I think the people
I have supported have been great public servants..you miss
name them of course to serve your own agenda either that or
you are totally uninformed…Amicone and DiFiore are both
honest public servants trying to do a good job..I worked
for greg ball and called for the resignation of Rosemarie
Panio..I never worked for Nick Spano or Mike Spano but
they are both friends…you don’t seem to liek anyone and
in another blog you want the county executive to be
indicted…you have some evidence of criminality ..call
the feds…But although you call all those named above
losers..they actually have won virtually every election
so the voters don’t seem to agreee with you do they..
everyone out of step but Kaye?
correction to the above..I did NOT work for greg ball
so you are wrong again ms smarrty pants…do not
confused by support of all republcians running for
office as part of my job as political commentator
with working for them..