I nearly forgot today is primary election day. Here’s my quick and dirty research (which will obviously give away my political party). Feel free to add more research in the comments (or for fellow staffers in this post). My research (which is extremely lacking, I know) consists of going to the issues page for each candidate’s web site. It’s amazing how silent these candidates are on the 5 non-negotiables.
| party | election | candidate | Abortion | Euthenasia | Embryonic Stem Cell Research | Human Cloning | Same-Sex Marriage |
| R | gov | Rick A. Lazio | NOT GOOD | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| R | gov | Carl Paladino | GOOD | ?? | ?? | ?? | GOOD |
| R | l. gov | Gregory Edwards | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| R | l. gov | Thomas Ognibene | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| R | S1 | David Malpass | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| R | S1 | Joseph DioGuardi | GOOD | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| R | S1 | Bruce Blakeman | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| R | S2 | Gary Berntsen | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| R | S2 | Jay Townsend | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? | ?? |
So the candidates are just….vague about their positions? Would that be a fair characterization? It looks like Carl Paladino is the only one to be definitive about anything.
Regarding Lazio: I would say he is, at best, “pro-choice” with some reservations (he opposed partial-birth abortion. You can see more info at:
http://www.ontheissues.org/NY/Rick_Lazio.htm
looks like the elections were influenced by the cleansing fire effect as our approved candidates won.
I saw a few minutes of an interview with Carl Paladino on CNN. The interviewer was quite dismissive of Mr. Paladino and kept pounding on his pro-life position. He asked, “So, you’re saying (in a very condescending tone)that a woman who has been raped should be forced to have the baby?” Mr. Paladino’s response “the baby is not at fault. The baby can be adopted by someone.” The interviewer persisted, “And what about victims of incest?” Mr. Paladino again said, “the baby can be adopted.” He made it quite clear that he is pro-life in all cases, even the tough ones. Two women in Dunkin Donuts (this is where I saw the interview) yelled out, “he’s an idiot!” My friends and I applauded him.
great story, Nerina – thanks for sharing.