What Is New York's Governor Smoking?

What Is New York's Governor Smoking?

Snowflakes in Hell mentions that New York Governor Paterson has appointed an NRA-endorsed, strongly pro-gun conservative Democrat member of the House to fill Senator Clinton's remaining two year term. And this January 22, 2009 Newsday article tells us how upset Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the queen on gun control in the House, is about it:

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy said Thursday Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand's gun control views make her unacceptable for the U.S. Senate and threatened a primary challenge in 2010 if Gov. David A. Paterson selects the Hudson Democrat to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton.

McCarthy, who became a prominent gun-control advocate after her husband died and her son was injured in the 1993 massacre at the Long Island Rail Road's Merillon Avenue station that killed six people and injured 19 others, said she is "furious" about reports that Paterson today may select Gillibrand, who last year earned an "A" grade from the National Rifle Association.

"I've spent 15 years trying to prevent gun violence in this country, and if he does pick her and if no one goes and primaries her, I will primary her," McCarthy said. "I will do that. I'm not going to give up on this. I'm not going to let New York State get represented by someone who gets a 100 percent rating from the NRA."

Even better: Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) already dislikes her, according to this January 6, 2009 CBS News report. Now, at this point, you are asking yourself, "Huh? Why would a very, very liberal Democratic governor pick one of those Democrats who could probably be a Republican just as easily--maybe more easily--than fitting in with the Democrats?" Remember that in 2006, a lot of how the Democrats gained control of the House was by running often very conservative Democrats against Republicans that were either not very conservative, or had serious personal problems. (Like sending sexually suggestive messages to teenage boy pages, as a certain gay Republican Florida Congressman did.) Gillibrand was one of those conservative Democrats--and this account tells how she did it:

Gillibrand scored one of the big upsets of the 2006 elections when she defeated incumbent GOP Rep. John Sweeney for New York's 20th District seat. The critical moment in the campaign came shortly before Election Day, when a leaked police report showed Sweeney's wife had called 911 in what appeared to be a domestic violence incident.

Now, for a Democrat, this wouldn't be a big deal--unless you barbecued your spouse afterwards, and lost the vegetarian vote--but for a Republican, this is not okay.

I have a theory that Governor Paterson picked Gillibrand because he knows (as almost everyone with a half a brain knows) that in 2010, the economy will not be better than it is now. Indeed, the economy is likely to be worse--maybe much worse, for reasons I will be explicating in a later entry. There is a chance that Republicans will be in a position to unseat Democrats in a number of Congressional districts. (Of course, if the Republican Party decides that it really wants to win, something that I do not assume, after watching their behavior the last two election cycles.)

The only weaker position than an appointed U.S. Senator running for re-election is someone who has not held the seat at all. If the tide is cresting Republican, in a state like New York, where there are actually quite a few Republicans, who is more likely to defeat a Republican challenger? A very liberal Democrat? Or a very conservative Democrat? Of course, we could hope that if the tide turns in 2010, Gillibrand might change parties--and that could be very entertaining indeed!

UPDATE: Additional reports suggest that Gillibrand is a pro-gun liberal--not a conservative Democrat. It might still assist the Democrats to hold the seat against a Republican challenger.