Collateral Suicide

Faced with a rejection at the New York state Republican convention, William Weld has decided to take his toys and go home, instead of challenging the righty candidate in the primary. This is bad news for the Republicans, since it means the theocrats would rather be far right than Governor. It might just be the Jesse Jackson strategy: we're going to lose to Eliot Spitzer this fall anyway on Hillary's coattails, so why not give a pat on the head to the over-the-edgers? Sadly, it is more likely that they just hate Taxachusetts liberals who are soft on married gays having abortions.

What I like best is the ironic unintended footnote to this. In that state of cross endorsements by fringe parties to thereby preserve ballot status for their other nominees, the New York Libertarian Party had also nominated Weld. In a triumph of pandering sans principles, their web site also said "A committee was appointed to select the Lt. Governor candidate, which needs to be combined with Weld's pick for Lt. Governor for the Libertarian votes to count for Weld." Now they will have to scramble to pick someone else, assuming that GOP Assembly Minority Leader John Faso is too much even for them to stomach. Or is that overestimating their integrity? It's tough when the streetwalkers decline your prix fixe.