Seriously, How Do We Run As an Opposition?

[nassaulaw]

In the past, the GOP could always rely upon armies of municipal workers for volunteer labor to perform the ministerial, but crucial chores of NY Politics (ie petitions, getting out the vote, delivering literature, working the supermarkets, etc) The GOP could also rely upon donors from the municipal vendor community. Experience in recent years has shown that it is very difficult to regain former strongholds, such as North Hempstead, when they are lost.

Query: Any suggestions on how to conduct our business as an opposition party? Unlike the Dems, we do not have the UFT or similar large scale "nonpolitical" entity to draw our strength from. I really want to throw that out to the floor.
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ASIAN COOKING (http://www.cooking-chef.com/asian/)

[Todd]

We build a grass-roots organization, based upon one very important commonality: keep New York City and its problems out of Nassau County. This will begin to resonate again when Bloomberg cuts work their way through and the city starts to tumble crime-wise. It's already starting. Democrats out here will have a hard time setting a vision when the GOP can go hard on crime and other law & order issues. And Nassaulaw, don't go counting out the GOP organization yet. You must not live in the Town of Hempstead, b/c things aren't like they were in the 1960s organization-wise, but they are still there. Petitions can be counted upon, volunteers are there for supermarkets and trainstations and door-to-door, and committee people still pound the pavement on saturation day. Granted, not like they used to (or should), but they do. For their recent successes (which after last election begin to noticably dim) the Dems have little to NO organization at all.
(1) On your special interest groups, don't expect Gary Delarabba to support Suozzi & Dems anytime in the next 20 years after they stabbed him & his guys in the back, and (2) unions in Nassau & Suffolk Counties still support GOP candidates, and campaign for them much like other locals & nationals campaign for Dems elsewhere.

How's that for throwing it out on the floor?

[nassaulaw]

I like what you are saying... lets refine my inquiry. How do we take it to the Dems in the strongholds? I want to win in North Hempstead .... I want to take back the county legislature.... How to you organize grass roots efforts in neighborhoods that are not considered "strong" Republican areas? It's easy to be a Republican activist in Levittown North and Massapequa South. How do we do it in Roslyn and Plainview.
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Wendie 99 (http://www.lovelywendie99.com/)

[Build through the draft]

Boy - you are the most pessimistic member of the tribe I know, but I do like your farm system idea.

If you drop to 7 or 8 seats, I'll buy lunch ( a really good one). If you drop to 6 seats, I'll buy dinner ( a really really good one).

If you jump to 10 or 11 seats, you buy dinner.

9 is a draw. Ok?

[nassaulaw]

I think that it is very hard, if not impossible to handicap 2003 at this time, although this will be an extremely important election for both parties. Suozzi will have a very strong interest in at least maintaining the Democratic majority. Despite an impressive win in 2001 at the County Executive level, the Democrats did not add a single seat to their 1999 majority. This promises to be an important and defining race for Suozzi, and even more so for Jay Jacobs. It should represent the Democrats' best efforts in a low turn out local election, the true test of an organization's strength, and the ability of the Democratic Committee to work with the County Executive's organization.

But lets see how re-districting and the Tax Assessment/Charlie O'Shea situation plays out we predit a losing effort. I sincerely hope that the leadership reaches out and does not continue a "business as usual" mentality. I agree that a good place to look for new leadership is at the village level, both the mayoral and trustee level. I would like to see some folks introduced who are more entrenched in business, industry, civic and community affairs running for political office.

I personally believe that the GOP will sustain marginal gains in the legislature in 2003, particularly if the GOP can avoid the Ghost of Tom Gulotta, and especially if they run against the spectre of large, liberal government. The people of Nassau County voted for Suozzi because they felt he would be a strong public manager, not because they love being lectured by politicians about how to behave at little league games and in taverns. But in order to capitalize on those issues, you need articulate candidates to make the case, not somebody's retarded cousin or childhood friend.

A marginal win, on the otherhand, could be the political equivolence of an NBA team finishing 8th and not substantially improving their weak organization because "they made the play offs."
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[In the know and Nassaulaw]

I share your concern, but I believe that the Democrats can be counted on to repeatedly shoot themselves in their collective feet. The wild card is the assessor race, particularly if O'Shea doesn't head for greener pastures, and the Democrats are able to run against Tom Gulotta in the person of Charlie O'Shea. But the Democrats are more vulnerable on reassessment than most people realize, and not because they merely raised taxes. The real estate tax assessment system is in even worse shape in NYC than it is here. And quite afew of the Democratic "tax cert dream team" came from NYC government. I wouldn't exactly call a system where 16 out of 39 of your tax assessors were indicted for bribery and racketeering to be a model of good government, particularly when the illegal activities continued for a period of roughly twenty years, cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and involved some of NY's most prized landmarked buildings. Eliminate Charlie O'Shea and Tom Gulotta from the equation and this race becomes a loser for the Democrats The election becomes a referendum on the new administration, and not on Gulotta. Either O'Shea leaves, or the STAR program conveniently takes care of enough seniors to put O'Shea over the top. I am crackingwise about the STAR program by the way.

[shooting one's foot]

Dems:
You can consistently count on the Dems falling all over themselves. There's no (not yet) tradition of winning and party loyalty. Regional factionalism is a big problem. But individual Dems will put up great fights and win. Watch out when and if they ever get their collective acts together. ToNH is an example of a Dem org that is on its way to dominating their town for some time.

O'Shea:
Big drag on the party which is too bad for Charlie. If the GOP runs an up-and-comer, it's a horse race. If not...

Farm team:
Great idea. Jay Jacobs mentioned the same for the Dems on TV12 election night. The GOP used to have one in the '70's and '80's. What happened?

Competition in gov't is good for the taxpayer. It makes us all sharper. Here's hoping both sides run the very best candidates so that the constituents are the real winners.

[Dems Foot Shot]

And bleeding