The NY 22 and Goodfelllas - You Serious?

We are a long way away from the NY 22nd Congressional vote, however the first glimpse of Tenney's strategy was an ugly one. So far, the strategy of her campaign is simple. She wants to try to use the national strategy of Donald Trump to divide the NY 22 based on demographics that she feels play into her hands. Otherwise known as, "the Trump Effect."

The problem with the Trump effect is that it divides the electorate by hate. This will not play well in our district due to the Democrats choosing a viable candidate early that represents a wider representation of values. When Anthony Brindisi announced he was running, it was clear from her response how she would run her campaign. Label him as a Progressive, align him with Pelosi and Cuomo and then attack him for being a liberal. Nothing of substance, just try to use fear to divide the NY 22nd.

Tenney has a problem however. Her candidate has a stellar voting record. He can be a centrist, and a fiscal conservative. He also has a high rating from the NRA. He comes from  the Mohawk Valley which is witnessing a resurgence economically, and he is popular among many politicians that are centrist republicans.

Tenney decided to play the ethnicity card to try to discredit Brindisi. Why she did this so early in the campaign makes no sense at all. This kind of logic is something we usually see right before the election to tilt the vote toward the candidate that wants to win using scare tactics. She has shown her hand, which gives Brindisi an advantage. Her mistake gives his campaign insight into her strategy. It also gives the public and secret groups information to combat Tenney's strategy.

One has to wonder how Republican leaders from Italian American roots must feel seeing the race card being played against their heritage. No matter what your party status is, a stereotype like the one Tenney tried to use against Brindisi must bother them, as it is a part of their ancestry. They also have to answer to their Italian American voters.

Anyone supporting Brindisi needs to watch Tenney for mistakes like this one, and education an uninformed electorate they have a choice between a message of hate versus and message of moving the NY 22 forward in a positive direction.