Parker here. So, that debate was a surprise! Libertarian candidate Michael McDermott really scored some points with me. But Kurt, you ask, isnt the Libertarian party just a front for whacko TEA Partiers? Well, I thought so, but this guy really seemed to have a no-nonsense do what you want as long as youre not bothering other people attitude. So, to rate the debate by 1st place through 4th place: 1st: Andrew Cuomo (D) - despite some of the problems I have with him, he is a VERY effective politician. He reminds me of Lyndon Johnson. Hes able to get people to agree with him one way or the other. Sometimes, its probably through bullying, but shit, you just dont have effective politicians like that anymore. Hes also worked wonders for Upstate NYs economy. I HATE the SAFE act and Common Core, but Id be lying if I didnt say hes done a damn good job overall. 2nd: Michael McDermott (L) - as I said above, I typically dismiss Libertarians as offshoots of the TEA Party. This guy, though, really seemed to just want to reduce the role of government in our lives, but not to the point that we turn into Somalia. The guys got charisma, too. He put on a really good, and unexpected, showing. 3rd: Howie Hawkins (G) - I probably agree with this Green Party rep and Syracuse natives ideologies the most out of all of the candidates, but this guy has zero charisma. He has a great vision for the future of NY, but I dont see him having the tools to get it done. Distant 4th: Rob Astorino (R) - Sadly, Astorino will likely come in a distant second to Cuomo in the general election. He doesnt deserve that. In fact, I really didnt get anything out of him in the debate tonight. All he did was try to attack Cuomo, and had every attack come back on him tenfold. The guy has nothing to offer, and Im really confused as to why the Republicans couldnt offer a better candidate.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 01:25:39 +0000