Last night, there was a major surprise at the Ulster County Republican Convention. Whereas most political pundits were predicting a cross endorsement or no candidate at all for County Comptroller, the Ulster County Republicans instead nominated Jim Quigley for County Comptroller. This sets up the big rematch from 2008. It is big news.
The Kingston Times put forth a story on their web page entitled "Quigley Gets GOP Nod for County Comptroller". However, as of the typing of this article, the Freeman has not put a story on their web site about this shocking turn of events. Instead, the Freeman has run an article putting the GOP in a negative light. Their headline talks about Terry Bernardo not being nominated for re-election and excludes any mention of Quigley. They will mention it later to save face, but their take from this very positive convention is of course a negative one.
Now, one may say that the Chair of the Legislature being denied nomination is news. The problem is that it was already reported. Several days ago, it was reported that Rochester Chairman O'Halloran used his influence to deny Terry Bernardo the nod for reelection. However, the new article from the Freeman leaves the false impression that the entire County GOP Committee has abandoned Bernardo when this is simply not true. Seven members of the Rochester Committee blocked Bernardo due to personal animosity between Terry's husband and Chairman O'Halloran. The remaining members of the County Committee were without power to do anything about it. Yet, the big news of a substantial race for Comptroller is set aside so the Freeman can report exaggerated news about Bernardo not getting the nomination.
To be fair, I told people at the convention that this was going to happen. I knew that the Freeman would lead with the Bernardo angle because it would serve to weaken any potential benefit from the County Convention. I also wish Chairman O'Halloran had used his head instead of simply seeking revenge. He has hurt the top of the ticket which is otherwise very strong. His personal beefs with the Bernardos are his business, but Judge Mizel, Nina Postupack, and Jim Quigley should not have been collateral damage.
Nevertheless, I tip my hat to the Kingston Times for getting the real story out of the convention and sigh with frustration over the Daily Freeman choosing the most negative angle to depict the GOP County Convention. A few years ago, the Freeman would not have done this. However, in the last 2-3 years, the Freeman has taken a decidedly solid jump to the far left of center. In fact, it is not even truly disguised, though it is always denied publicly.
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2 comments:
Are you surprised, Rich? Everyone knows the Freeman has become a left wing rag.
Rich, read the Freeman story, and was surprised that Doxsey, who allegedly covers Ulster County affairs, is so "out of it", that she doesn't even know how the convention is run. It wasnt the county GOP, as she reported that denied Bernardo the nomination. It is only the committe members from her district, and I believe there may be 10 or 12. What a complete Zero this Doxsey is. At the very least, she should understand the process. Is it any wonder that the public doesnt't participate, when they receive this erroneous information and this distortion of the events. Wow, congratulations to the Times for at least getting it right.
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