Since it’s not an opinion piece, Bob McCarthy doesn’t come right out and say so in today’s article about the Independence Party, but the evidence is clear that electorial fusion as a system in New York State is anachronistic, ripe for abuse, and should be abolished as part of the state’s overall reform agenda.
Once upon a time, it allowed for limited-issue parties to put forth and protect a particular agenda (Right to Life Party, Working Families Party). Lately, however, it does little more than line people’s pockets, contribute to a certain arrogance and borderline culture of corruption in state politics, and cynically guarantees plum patronage positions for properly connected cronies.
I don’t care to read about Ralph Mohr’s or Bob Davis’ lamentations that the IP is now more aligned with the Democrats than with the Republicans. That’s hardly an outrage. The outrage is more about how Tony Orsini parlays his IP chairmanship into yet another expense-reimbursement vehicle as an OTB commissioner, or how his wife is on the public payroll working for Paul Tokasz. I’m sure there are hundreds of stories just like that where a minor party endorsement “quid” results in (or from) a patronage job “pro quo”.
Abolish electoral fusion in New York and many people will have to find jobs in the dreaded private sector based on merit.
The Buffalo Record 
In fairness to Orsini, he actually did work in horse racing, which probably makes him a lot more qualified than other OTB commissioners.
I spoke with Mr. McCarthy this morning. He was very disappointed that the editorial staff at the Buff News removed a large portion of his article and refuses to allow him to print about the corruption that Orsini continues to dwell in. It’s a shame or should I say sham that the IP has become so small a party while it grows by leaps and bounds.
Most of the Independence Party is made up of folks who believe they have registered as Independents – I.E. Not in any party.
Mr Orsini, Mr Beckwith (FJB), and Mr Corrigan have been fighting for years to control this band of people, most of whom are 20-somethings who didn’t read the voter registration form to the end where it says “I do not wish to enroll in a party” and instead stop where it says Independence Party, thinking it was the same thing.
Honestly, There are maybe 500 people in Erie County in the Independence party who are there on purpose, and 450 of them are Independence Party Committeemen. If they want to fight, let them fight.
The idea that these votes make a difference is ridiculous. People will vote for who they want to vote for. The IP line attracts people who want to feel like they’re supporting their candidates with “Independence”, but still want to vote for their favorite incumbent. Honestly, who cares.
You see the main problem isn’t just the fact that people like Orsini are doing these things, it’s the fact that the media isn’t interested in the whole truth. They want to publish articles that are tame and unoffensive to protect their jobs instead of going after the whole whole story and putting people on the spot. A perfect example is this article by McCarthy. He has been given all the documentation to really make Orsini, Higgins, Lenihan and several others explain their actions. Some of which are blatantly illegal. But instead of a scathing article forcing a response we get a white washed half done article that lets people save face. This is exactly what we can expect from now on. And by the way, McCarthy has no problem quoting me, Corrigan or anyone else but when we quote him we get nasty phone calls in return. Such is the future with the Buffalo News. No wonder they have approached many of the blogs to try and come aboard their online site. I for one will not bow down to the pressure of these clowns that call them selves our leaders and I will continue to expose them for what is really happening in Erie County.
Seems like the media had no problem going after Illuzzi on the front page, and he defends Orsini, so why won’t they go after Orsini? SO are they not interested in the whole truth for everything or just for Orsini?
Whether or not the Buffalo News did a whitewash on this specific issue is not the central issue to me. The Buffalo News and MOST media are in the whitewash business, every issue, every day. Fear of lawsuits, fear of rocking the corporate boardrooms…fear of hurting their bottom line causes our media to self censor their output and keep the general population only half-informed on most issues. Enter the blogs, to fill in the enormous gaps.
My favorite example of a obvious but censored truth that the media will not report is this:
President Bush lied us into the Iraq war by doctoring intelligence and misleading Americans. He wanted to prove his manhood to his father. Mr. Bush is a dry drunk – a man who quite drinking when he was 40, but remained an alcoholic, with all the patent characteristics – persistant lying, denial, delusional thinking, simplistic il-logic, paranoia and a host of complexes. (People who are drunk for half their lives are called alcoholics) He lied us into a war and now hundreds of thousands of innocents are dead with untold wounded, not to mention 25,000 American dead and wounded.
I asked Mr. McCarthy why he wouldn’t call Mr. Bush a dry drunk, in print.
He suggested that we give the man a break, that we not beat up on a guy who got on the wagon. He didnt mention the quarter million dead.
It seems that everybody is afraid to speak out. Radio, TV, print, everybody.
The ‘angry’ commentators are the voices I seek out, but they are fewer and fewer. Most of the strident voices have been silenced or have given up in resignation.
I read that Buffalo Rising will filter-out these ‘angry’ bloggers. Naturally.
Mainstream and milktoast.
I haven’t seen this in the paper yet, but minor parties are often created or taken over and controlled by GOP or Dem functionaries just to create extra lines on the ballot.