Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Democrat Demolition

The primary for the Democrat nomination in the 43rd Senate District, Uncle Joe’s seat, is getting nasty.

A challenge to the petitions filed by Saratoga Democrat Joanne Yepsen was filed with the State Board of Elections. Something about Yepsen not having enough signatures, which she tries to portray as not such a big deal; she probably won’t be running as the law and order candidate or portraying herself as a number-cruncher.

Yepsen is steamed that such an obvious error got pointed out by her fellow Democrat opponents. Question is, whodunit? Sharp-tongued Rensselaer County attorney and new Democrat Brian Premo says it wasn’t him. Mike Russo, a Saratoga resident and former staffer for Congresswoman Gillibrand, says it wasn’t him, and points the finger back at Premo. To which Premo calls Russo a “liar” and says Russo is behind it all. Premo is lacking in diplomacy, but he is Terrible Tom Wade’s candidate, after all.

We could probably tell you who filed the petition challenge, but in the dozen or so newspaper articles on the issue we have seen, none of the reporters named who was behind the challenge. Whatever happened to good political reporting? We’ll get our crack staff on it and hopefully have a name tomorrow, which is the same day a ruling is expected on the petitions.

So there you have it, Democrats, your field for the 43rd Senatorial District primary: A lady who can’t meet the petition requirements, another guy who can’t take even a mild verbal shot and a third guy who may or may not be telling the truth about a petition challenge.

The verbal back and forth between Democrats on the petition challenge underscores some of the nastier back-channel talk going around in the race. For weeks, Democrats were chest-thumping that undefeated Working Families champ Chris Consuello’s petitions were a goner. The deadline for challenges came and went and Consuello’s petitions are still alive and well and the kid from Troy will give Working Families members a real choice on Primary Day.

http://www.poststar.com/articles/2008/08/03/news/local/13789804.txt

http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19884052&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=602469&rfi=6

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=708535