NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER: Crowley Eats Crow
Sure, political hack David Weprin (D) lost NYC’s Ninth Congressional District to retired businessman Bob Turner (R) because of (in no particular order) his not living in the district he was supposedly going to “represent”; voters wanting to spank President Barack Hussein Obama for his hostility towards Israel and the dismal state of the economy; the venerable Mayor Ed Koch throwing his support behind Turner; Weprin seeming as articulate and knowledgeable about the issues his “constituents” were concerned about as Caroline Kennedy; and fallout from the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal.
But Queens Democratic Party chairman Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY 7), who godfathered Weprin’s candidacy is left holding the bag for the epic fail, The New York Times reports:
Mr. Weprin had a locally familiar last name: his father was a well-known Assembly speaker, and his brother is a member of the City Council.
[Weprin] was chosen in part because of his willingness to represent a district that was viewed as likely to be eliminated during the redistricting process next year … [and] would not then challenge the neighboring incumbents, Representative Gary L. Ackerman and Mr. Crowley himself.
Mr. Weprin, other Democrats said, was chosen in part because he would not then challenge the neighboring incumbents, Representative Gary L. Ackerman and Mr. Crowley himself. …
Fair or not, Mr. Weprin’s defeat has cast an unfavorable light on Mr. Crowley and his borough party organization, and raised questions as to whether his once-ascendant star in Washington will be diminished, or whether his influence in future local battles will wane.
“There’s no question that the nomination process made Weprin look like a machine-handpicked candidate, and that’s always unhelpful,” said David Wasserman, the House editor of The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter. “The loss does Crowley no favors in the Democratic caucus.”
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