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Friday, April 28, 2006

NY-20: Sweeney Blutarsky

Posted by DavidNYC

I was ready to let this one be a one-day story, but this picture cracked me up too much:

Thanks to reader AW!

P.S. To those who question the wisdom of harping on a story like this, let me just say that I very much wish that the tradmed were interested in talking about serious policy matters. But they aren't, and all the wishing in the world won't change that. However, they will lap up stupid stories that supposedly reflect on a person's "character" or "honesty" or "genuineness," etc. (Just think about all the crap they hurled at Al Gore, none of it substantive.) We have to take what we can get, and what Sweeney gave us was a chance to force him to endure least one embarrassing news cycle where he had to go off-message - and over 100 articles on the story, thanks to the AP picking it up.

Posted at 08:58 PM in 2006 Elections - House, New York | Technorati

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Comments

Personally I wouldn't care if my congressman or his competition got caught doing anything like this it wouldn't effect my vote, but as a Democrat, gotta love it.

Posted by: stebu at April 28, 2006 10:23 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

This picture is priceless. I also loved your frat party dialogue on the Kos thread yesterday. LOL!

As I said before, I am not sure what impact it will have on the election but it is fun to watch Sweeney squirm and have to answer to it.

Between this, Eric Massa's poll numbers and the coherent messages from Pelosi and Emmanuel this week, I am starting to feel very bullish about the 2006 elections.

Additionally, I had Joe Scarborough on by mistake Wed night and he was discussing how he thought that Dems were going to win this year just like the Repubs did in 1994. I couldn't figure out if he was trying to rally the base or what but I love hearing the fear in the right wingers voices.

Posted by: John Mills at April 28, 2006 11:41 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

You publicize with the media you have, not the media you wish you had.

That, you have to build in the blogosphere.

Posted by: boadicea at April 29, 2006 03:15 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

I'm torn on throwing mud. Do we really have to sink to there level? If we don't stop attacking people for actions that don't truly matter (as I think this didn't) how will it stop?

I love having fun at their expense and I guess most businessmen wouldn't be stupid enough to get caught with photos like this so congressmen shouldn't either but I say lets have a little fun and forget about it.

As I heard Eric Massa say, people are sick of dirty politics. Let someone else do it.

Posted by: Green Eggs at April 29, 2006 04:27 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment

While this story may seem to be about stooping low into the mud and the dirt, let's remember who took us there: Rep. Sweeney himself. We are not peering into his bedroom window like peeping toms or viewing his bathroom habits through some rauncy and illegal webcam. From most reports, he crashed a college fraternity party serving alcohol while he himself appeared to be in a drunken state (the pictures don't help his image on that point). At least one report I read suggested that he was offered some type of drug paraphenalia which he refused to use; however, he also didn't immediately leave at that point, much less report illegal drug activity to any authorities. And his demeanor has been described as both garrulous and obnoxious. If this had been a private party among him and his friends, I would have qualms about violating reasonable expectations of privacy. But that wasn't the case. In fact, by all reports, he traded on his public role as a congressman to his advantage at this party. He was introduced as a sitting congressman, acknowledged that he was, debated and discussed with partygoers as a congressman. If he chooses to engage with total strangers by openly assuming his role as a public official, then we have to the right to judge him by commonly held standards that public officials are expected to uphold. That is both fair and valid.

Meanwhile, on a lighter note, the stories and pics (including Blutarsky Sweeney!) make me laugh and laugh.

Posted by: phonatic at April 30, 2006 05:42 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment