Bob Turner
Kind of amazing—it's almost like Bob Turner wants to lose. The Republican candidate in the Sept. 13 special election in New York's 9th Congressional District seems incapable of moderating his teabagger-infused beliefs, and
here's the latest:
The GOP hopeful running for ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner's seat says the $4.3 billion Zadroga 9/11 health law is too broad - and shouldn't cover volunteers sickened at Ground Zero.
Republican Bob Turner told the Daily News Editorial Board the measure President Obama signed into law last year "had a lot of things that could have been a lot better."
"I probably couldn’t go home if I didn’t support the Zadroga bill. I have firemen in my family, but is that bill beyond criticism? No," he said."
And what is his criticism, exactly?
"I think it is a little too broad,” Turner said. "My call would be to protect police, fire, emergency workers, construction workers, etc."
"If someone said, 'I volunteered' or walked through there, it's just not the type," added Turner, who faces Democrat David Weprin in the Sept. 13 special election.
The Zadroga bill is a touchstone of exceptional importance in New York politics. The cultural significance of the law—which supporters fought for years to pass in the face of Republican intransigence—is huge in a town where the heroism and sacrifice of all those who rushed to help at Ground Zero, whether in uniform or as volunteers, is a vital part of living memory. Of course, it's not just memory, either, which is why we needed this legislation in the first place: Countless rescue workers still live with the effects of the toxins they were exposed to after the towers came down.
Turner quickly realized what a damn-fool mistake he made, issuing a nonsensical statement claiming, in essence, that he doesn't believe what he said. His feeble attempts to evade nonwithstanding, Turner ought to take some serious lumps for this. Troublingly, though, there doesn't seem to be any response from Turner's Democratic opponent, David Weprin. This blunder should not go unpunished.
11:19 AM PT: The Weprin campaign finally responds. Courtesy Colin Campbell's The Brooklyn Politics:
“I’m absolutely appalled by the fact that anyone would oppose assistance for the brave volunteers who sacrificed their own health—and in, some cases, lives—to help victims and clean up Ground Zero. Mr. Turner’s criticism of the 9/11 Zadroga Health Bill is an embarrassment to New York, and Bob Turner should be ashamed of himself. That tragic day and in the weeks following, these exceptional volunteers ignored their own lives, their own health, and their own livelihoods to help us, to restore our city. I would hope that any American, let alone someone who wants to represent New York City in Congress, would appreciate their contribution.”
