GOP meets here to regroup
The politics of 2009, arriving last week in both Washington and Albany, only underscores the obvious — the Republican Party finds itself at low ebb.
Nationally, it just lost the White House while its numbers shrank dramatically in Congress.
Here in New York, the GOP forfeited control of the Senate after some 70 years. The Democrats enjoy a veto-proof majority in the Assembly, while Republicans hold no statewide office. And, just to rub it in, their New York numbers in the House of Representatives have shriveled to three.
Their situation roughly parallels the Super Bowl hopes of the Buffalo Bills — bleaker than bleak.
But give the Repubs credit. State Chairman Joe Mondello has established a new “commission” populated by top GOP names to study the future of the party and help it chart a new course. And in recognition of what they call successes in overwhelmingly Democratic Erie County, the group will hold its first meeting Thursday in Buffalo.
“The focus on Buffalo is well deserved,” said Matt Walter, executive director of the state party. “They’ve provided lessons on how to win in a very blue area.”
The GOP panel will be headed by Andrew Eristoff, the former state taxation and finance commissioner who was also Manhattan Republican chairman. It includes respected Republican graybeards like former state Chairman Bill Powers and former Assemblyman Tony Casale.
But it also sports new names like Nick Langworthy, a Buffalo guy now on the staff of Rep. Chris Lee, and various heads of Young Republican groups.
They’ve included urban Repubs, rural Repubs, corporate Repubs and gay Repubs. No office holders; no elected officials. Just a commitment to find answers.
“Much of our work will focus on the nuts and bolts of building a vital and competitive state party, such as candidate recruitment and support, registration, fund raising, technology, organization and administration,” Eristoff said.
That’s the same thinking that Powers used back in the early ’90s that eventually produced the 12-year reign of George Pataki as governor. Powers aimed to rebuild from the bottom up; elect mayors and especially county executives as a way of establishing strong local organizations.
He succeeded big time. But the irony of it all is that while the party prospered under Pataki, it almost disintegrated upon his departure.
Mondello is no rookie. He headed the once-powerful Nassau County organization before some of the new commission members were born.
Still, he takes flak from many party regulars who view him as ineffective, as a double-dipper (drawing salaries from both the Nassau County and state parties) and as a homebody who ventures beyond Long Island or Albany headquarters only when dragged out by his ears.
But the chairman is a savvy political critter. He recognizes that for all its troubles, the Republican Party remains more than viable in New York. Sheer demographics prevent any influence in the Assembly these days and maybe the Senate, too, but the party under the right conditions can still pick off executive positions even in big Democratic areas.
Just ask County Executive Chris Collins, or GOP colleagues Maggie Brooks in Monroe County or Joanie Mahoney in Onondaga County.
There is much talk in Republican lairs these days that a new chairman will guide the state GOP in the near future; that Mondello serves only as a caretaker for some new and dynamic leader.
Maybe so. But his eyes are very much on the future. And if his commission achieves its aims, he could very well stick around — and leave an important legacy, too.
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