The special election for Anthony Weiner's old seat

By Richard K. Barry




I don't know that many people are paying a lot of attention to the special election that will take place on September 13th for New York's 9th congressional district, but things are tighter there than they should be. 



This is the seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner for conduct unbecoming a congressman. You remember.



To provide some context, Weiner held the seat from January of 1999 until his resignation in June of this year. He won seven terms, never receiving less than 59 percent of the vote. The seat was previously held by Democrat Chuck Shumer, who went on to run successfully for the U.S. Senate.



In a Siena poll conducted Aug. 3-8, Democratic candidate David Weprin is leading Republican Bob Turner by a 48 to 42 percent margin. With a 4.4 percent margin of error, that makes things close.



One interesting note here is that Joe Lieberman has endorsed Weprin, a move meant to counter former New York City Mayor Ed Koch's endorsement of Turner. In general, the media has been trying to characterize the special election in this heavily Jewish Brooklyn and Queens district as a referendum on President Obama's Israel policies, which Koch has characterized as not sufficiently pro-Israel.



In giving his endorsement in late July, Lieberman, a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship, said:

While David Weprin can be counted on to fight for the safety and security of the State of Israel, we can also rely on him to protect the seniors and working families in Brooklyn and Queens.

Steve Greenberg, a pollster for Sienna, said what pollster always seem to say, which is that voter turnout will be key.

Which campaign will do a better job of identifying their voters and getting them to the polls [will be important] because, as we know, special elections tend to have low voter turnout. Probably fewer than 20 percent of the registered voters in the 9th congressional district will actually go to the polls and vote.

Turner is a retired media executive who ran unsuccessfully against Weiner in the general election last year.



Assemblyman Weprin is a former New York City councilman who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination to be comptroller in 2009.



Just what the Democrats need right now: A close race in an historically Democratic district.



Thanks, Anthony.



(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

Who's Ed Koch?

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Because he's a right-wing extremist on Israel, and therefore opposes President Obama's moderate views on Israel and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch wants a Republican to replace Anthony Weiner in New York's 9th Congressional District, a heavily Jewish district in Brooklyn and Queens. A Republican win, he thinks, would "be another political shot heard around the nation" and make Obama more centrist (i.e., more pro-Israel in a way he approves). No matter that the Democratic candidate, David Weprin is an Orthodox Jew with conservative views on Israel. For Koch, it's all about sending a message to the White House.

All of which is complete nonsense. Koch won't be happy unless Obama, or any president, embraces Likudnik extremism. Sensible moderation isn't enough. But, then, this election should be (and will be) about more than just Israel (and Obama's Israel policy), even in a heavily Jewish district. Other issues are just as much on the minds of voters, if not much more so, and it's silly to think that the vote should be a referendum of sorts on Obama's views on Israel without any regard for the views of the candidates themselves or of the various other concerns of voters. Koch would seem to have a one-track mind. The voters in NY-9 surely have other priorities.

Regardless, I must ask this: Does anyone actually care what Ed Koch thinks about anything? He's a certifiable fool.