Well, that's not entirely true - John Hall ran an unblemished campaign with tons of volunteers, so it would be a crime to take anything away from them. On that same note, every little thing matters when you win 51-49% however, so it was with great happiness when I read the
NY Daily News article yesterday, and the
Times Herald article today, about one man in Lewisboro, NY who played a huge part in taking down Runaround Sue Kelly.
I don't need to rehash what everyone here knows - Republicans have long demonized gays and have repeatedly tried to make their lives a living hell and their relationships illegal. That made this story all the more promising that those who are underrepresented in Congress (not just gays) can and will have a say in our electoral process until they get the respect they deserve.
Adam Rose is a wealthy constituent of Sue Kelly's district, son of a famous builder, and is gay. According to the articles, he was incensed when Kelly and others voted in favor of a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Rose began voicing plans to actively work against her, and believe it or not, Sue Kelly personally visited Rose's house to try to quell his anger.
Perhaps the most revealing thing in the articles is the reason why she voted in favor of the amendment. She says that she did not want to lose the support of Kiryas Joel - a conservative Hisidic community - and Catholic onion farmers, both reliable Republican votes in Orange County, NY. In other words, she openly admitted that her vote was purely political in nature. In what turned out to be the biggest irony of the race, Kiryas Joel gave its 3,000 bloc vote to John Hall and tipped the election in his favor. Oops.
What did Rose do? Something neither Hillary Clinton nor Elliot Spitzer did - put their money where their mouths were. Obviously, Rose could not contribute more than a few thousands dollars to Hall's campaign directly, so he sought out Majority Action - a 527 that worked to elect Democrats. In what is perhaps my favorite paragraph of the Daily News article, Rose called Majority Action and told them:
"I'm this guy in New York you've never heard of and I want to do anything I can to beat Sue Kelly," he recalled saying. "I'm sending you $500,000. I need your address."
What was Jay Townsend's response (Kelly's consultant and spokesperson) to his donation to Majority Action?
"They were basically calling her a coddler of pedophiles," her campaign consultant, Jay Townsend, said bitterly. "It was legal, but it was filthy politics, and nobody up there knew where it was coming from or what the purpose behind it was."
Hey Jay, does this meet your definition of legal and filthy? Maybe Pat Buchanon's next presidential campaign will take you back on...now that you're largely unemployed and all.
We owe Mr. Rose a thanks - not just for giving us a good man in John Hall, but for standing up for those who can't stand up and for speaking out for those who can't. Thanks Adam Rose.