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A few weeks back, a well-known area Republican remarked she was glad she wasn't seeking re-election this year because it was going to be a big year for the Democrats.
Frankly, we're not so sure.
At this writing, polls show both the Presidential and Senate races locked in statistical dead heats. Vice President Al Gore actually made Gov. George Bush look Presidential during three televised debates that earned the lowest Nielsen ratings in American political history.
The feeling that one is as bad as the other is widespread among the electorate. Each candidate comes across as an automaton programmed from birth to one day seek the nation's highest office. Both are the sons of prominent politicians, come from wealthy families, attended Ivy League schools and have incredibly inflated perceptions of their own personal accomplishments.
Both have used illegal drugs, yet neither has the courage to speak out on a national drug policy that has imprisoned millions of Americans and is responsible for a clandestine war now being fought in Colombia.
Each man gives the impression he would say anything to get elected, having no firm belief system in place to begin with.
In a different year, the candidacies of Ralph Nader or Pat Buchanan would be an obvious refuge for disaffected voters on the left or right who couldn't bring themselves to vote for Gore or Bush. But in a race that may be decided by the electoral votes of a single state, a vote for Nader amounts to a vote for Bush and vote for Buchanan is a vote for Gore.
It's too late to waste time pondering how we let this sad state of affairs come to pass. The time for a decision fast approaches.
The next president will be in a position to appoint as many as three Supreme Court Justices, who will serve to interpret the Constitution throughout the first half of the 21st century. The Supreme Court legacy of recent Republican administrations, including Bush's father's, includes Clarence Thomas, Anthony Scalia and the failed nomination of Robert Bork, none of whom believe that the Fourth Amendment protects a woman's right to choose whether she wants to be pregnant.
There is no reason to believe Bush the Younger would appoint judges whose views are any more progressive.
The environment is another area where the candidates differ. Under Bush's watch, Texas remains one of the most polluted states in the country. Gore's record on the environment is unequivocal. Bush has stated he would allow his friends in Big Oil to go into the protected Alaskan wilderness to search for profits while Gore would fight to preserve the region in its natural splendor.
Both candidates are in favor of tax cuts, the difference being who the beneficiaries of those cuts would be. For the past 20 years in America, the rich have grown increasingly richer while the poor and middle class have lost ground. Bush's argument that the wealthy would benefit most under his plan because they pay the most in taxes rings hollow. There are millions of people who need help in this country, many of them right here in Western New York. The wealthy are not among them.
We're endorsing Gore, not because we think he's the greatest candidate we've ever seen, but because the alternative seems even less palatable.
U.S. Senate
In comparison with the Presidential race, the contest for New York's Senate seat is a no-brainer. Our enthusiastic endorsement goes to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
A local newspaper columnist recently sniffed that Mrs. Clinton hadn't seen fit to visit with him in the ivory tower he calls an office. He should get out more. Mrs. Clinton has spent plenty of time in Western New York, and in Niagara Falls, over the past two years.
During several informal meetings with no fewer than four Reporter staffers, we've found her to be focused, affable and eager to learn about the unique set of problems confronting folks living in our part of the country.
She's an international figure, a status befitting a senator from what we think is the greatest state in the Union.
By comparison, Rick Lazio comes across as the ultimate lightweight. We have a hard time understanding how the voters in Little Neck, or whatever Long Island burg he's from, voted him into Congress in the first place. His association with the Newt Gingrich-Henry Hyde crowd, something he doesn't like to discuss, also is troubling in a candidate who would now have us believe he's a moderate.
With Chuck Schumer in just his second year, New York will have the least seniority of any state in the U.S. Senate following the election. Electing a superstar like Hillary Clinton would go far to offset what could otherwise be a significant disadvantage.
U.S. Congress
Another easy choice. Not even a choice really, as the Republicans seem completely disinterested in mounting a serious challenge to Rep. John LaFalce.
The candidacy of Brett Sommer is as doomed as that of Ralph Nader, and it's not just because of the power of the incumbency. For more than 20 years now, LaFalce has remained sensitive to his constituents' concerns and fought tirelessly for the interests of Western New York. Most recently, he has questioned a deal that would turn Niagara Falls International Airport over to a foreign company, Cintra, taking considerable heat from any number of local politicians in the process.
It was a bold stand on the eve of an election, and LaFalce made it plain he's not afraid to swim against the tide if he believes something isn't right.
In a recent interview, Sommer said his campaign was modeled after that of former Presidential contender John McCain. While there was much to admire about McCain, we all know how that candidacy ended up.
State Senate
This was the toughest call of all during the primary. Now it's among the easiest. Byron Brown has all the tools necessary to become a formidable presence in Albany -- passion, dedication, education and a firm grasp of the issues facing our community.
During our editorial board interview, Brown showed himself to be well-versed and opinionated on everything from Indian gaming to the mandatory prison sentences meted out to non-violent offenders under the state's draconian Rockefeller drug laws.
While we didn't always agree 100 percent, we found his reasoning to be invariably sound and well-articulated. He's an impressive individual whom we believe will have a long and distinguished career in politics, if he so chooses.
And, although he's running unopposed, we also endorse state Sen. George Maziarz. He's a genuine powerhouse in Albany who never forgets his constituents back home.
State Assembly
Rob Daly's an affable guy whose father's reputation and large war chest narrowly got him elected to the State Assembly two years ago. Now, at the end of his first term, we can't think of a single reason to send him back. In a rematch for the 138th District seat, his opponent, Francine DelMonte, has repeatedly been the victim of dirty political tricks, starting with a Republican-led effort to have her thrown off the Democratic ballot.
The use of such tactics -- just last week the Daly campaign sent out a deceptive flyer alleging DelMonte to be against property tax relief -- generally means a candidate believes he can't win on the issues. In this case, such an assumption would be correct.
Real tax relief, better jobs and improved health care, DelMonte's core issues, are what the race should be about. A Democrat, she would be in a far better position than Daly in the Democratic-controlled Assembly to make things happen for the area.
Our enthusiastic endorsement goes to Francine DelMonte.
State Supreme Court Judge
This important race has received virtually no media attention, but early concerns that Niagara County would be underrepresented appear to have been unfounded.
We're endorsing a slate headed up by Niagara County Family Court Judge Paul Crapsi. A blue-collar guy who worked his way through law school as a maintenance man, Crapsi has shown himself to be a no-nonsense jurist who remains in touch with his working-class roots.
Prominent Niagara Falls attorney Ralph Boniello also would have earned our endorsement, save for his candidacy on the Right to Life Party ticket. Given the murder just two years ago of an area obstetrician -- allegedly at the hands of a virulent anti-abortion activist -- and the numerous arrests of other such activists in demonstrations that have become all too common in the region, we can't fathom why judicial candidates would pander to this lunatic fringe party.
Another fine choice is Lockport native and Erie County Court Judge Sheila DiTullio. Her qualifications and experience made her a unanimous choice of the judicial selection committee.
Rounding out the ticket, Buffalo City Court Judge Jeanette Ogden, also a unanimous committee selection, is no stranger to Niagara County, having campaigned here since last year, when she narrowly lost to Judge Amy Fricano.
She deserves a shot now.
County Court Judge
We don't know if he has a snowball's chance in hell, but we're endorsing the Green Party candidate, Andy Ligammari.
The surprising results of the primary election, in which Democrats throughout the county and even in Niagara Falls overwhelmingly voted for Judge Sarah Sperazza, a Republican, took a lot of the wind out of Ligammari's sails, but he refused to give up.
We like that.
Ligammari's experience in law enforcement, both as a policeman and a prosecutor, his work as an advisor in the Niagara Falls City Court and his career as a criminal defense attorney uniquely qualify him for the position.