In Recent Interview, Neophyte Allegretti Demonstrates Political Cluelessness

Michael Allegretti, Political Neophyte

Mr. Slick is at it again, ruining our chances of victory in November.

13th Congressional candidate Michael Allegretti, the Bay Ridge Cabal’s latest sacrificial lamb, has been demonstrating utter political incompetence yet again, this time with Politico.

In a recent article entitled “Allegretti: Fossella a Good Example,” the neophyte with no prior government experience pretends to be a political consultant and offers his misguided perspective on the state of the race, McMahon and voters.

As you may know, I recently wrote a piece detailing why I believe Mr. Allegretti is New York’s latest Dede Scozzafava, emphasizing that his primary opponent, Mike Grimm, is a far more conservative and winnable candidate, in my opinion.

I emphasized his poor reception in the media, his liberal views on global warming and allegedly abortion (which, whether you agree with him or not, makes him a tougher sell in this district). His background as a Washington lobbyist was discussed, as well has his total dearth of public service. I also mentioned some recent gaffes and image issues Mr. Allegretti has.

Then, I come to see a comment from our reformer friends on the opposite side of the aisle–The Bay Ridge Interpol–including a link to a recent Politco story about Allegretti.

The story is not very flattering to the would-be GOP primary victor (read the story here or on Politico’s website, then read my commentary below):

New York Republican Michael Allegretti is expressing kind words for an unlikely figure: Vito Fossella, the beleaguered former congressman who stepped down from his seat in 2008 after a drunk driving arrest and revelations that he had fathered a child out of wedlock.

“I have no opinion on that, to be honest with you,” Allegretti told POLITICO when asked whether he thought Fossella wanted to return to the 13th District seat he held for four terms. “He was a good congressman and a good example for anyone aspiring to office on Staten Island and Brooklyn to look to.”

Allegretti’s remarks came a month after the Staten Island Republican Party – in a move that raised eyebrows from New York to Washington — threw its backing to Fossella, even though the former congressman is not seeking the GOP nomination and the only announced party candidates are Allegretti and Michael Grimm, a businessman and former FBI agent.

The surprise move touched off a wave of speculation in New York political circles that the Staten Island GOP, whose chairman is a Fossella ally, was seeking to weaken Grimm in an effort to boost Fossella. The former FBI official is regarded in some corners as a potentially stronger general election candidate than Allegretti, and some have speculated that his loss could open the door for Fossella to run for the seat in 2012.

When Fossella reiterated after the surprise endorsement that he was not running for the seat, Allegretti got the nod in a re-vote.

When asked in the interview why he believed Fossella initially got the endorsement, Allegretti said, “Staten Island, I guess, has a lot of political enclaves and there are a lot of long-seeded loyalties and Vito Fossella was a good congressman for the district and obviously there were members of the Republican Party still had strong feelings for him.”

Allegretti, for his part, is betting that Rep. Mike McMahon’s alienation from his Democratic base will pull him over the finish line in November. In the interview, he said McMahon’s vote against the health care bill had split the Democratic voters who had helped to power McMahon’s 2008 win in the Staten Island-area district.

“The ideological left has abandoned him. Some will vote for him, most will stay home,” said Allegretti, whose family owns a New York heating company. “All Mike McMahon has tried to do is walk down the middle of the road. He’s never stood for anything besides his own career, his own re-election.”

Allegretti argued that in seeking to position himself to the center, he had diminished his support from Democratic voters – particularly those in South Brooklyn. He was quick to point out that the influential Working Families Party has refused to endorse McMahon and won’t allow the New York Democrat to run on its ballot line in November, as it did in 2008.

“His support might be broad in numbers, but it is weak in reality,” said Allegretti, referencing McMahon’s lopsided victory last election cycle. “You don’t see people with Mike McMahon signs. You don’t see people going door to door.”

McMahon campaign manager Jonathan Yedin pointed out that McMahon had received the endorsements of a host of Democratic groups in the district.

“He has the support of Democrats, Independence Party members and Staten Island Conservatives – not to mention many Republicans who have no interest in backing someone like Michael Allegretti who got the nod from the local GOP after their favored choice, Vito Fossella, bowed out of the race,” said Yedin.

Allegretti acknowledged in the interview that the late Sept. 14 primary – less than two months before the general election – was an obstacle in the campaign. “Absolutely it’s a late primary,” he said. “You can’t hide that.”

But Allegretti was quick to argue that his recent endorsements from the Staten Island and Brooklyn Republican parties had provided his primary effort with a boost. “The support our campaign has picked up over the last three or four weeks has really taken us to a new level,” he said.

The steepest challenge for any Republican in the race could end up being McMahon’s bank account – which now totals a sizable $1.1 million and is expected to grow after a high-profile recent fundraiser headlined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“I’ll raise what I need to win,” said Allegretti, who has $243,000 in the bank, before acknowledging, “I’m never going to out-raise him.”

***

OK…. (deep breath)

Here were my favorite lines (reading some made me laugh uncontrollably):

– Regarding McMahon: “His support might be broad in numbers, but it is weak in reality.”

(Weak against you, Mr. Allegretti? No. Against Mike Grimm? Apparently–so much so that insiders are saying to Politico that Grimm would be a stronger general election opponent)

– Regarding the endorsements of the Staten Island GOP/Bay Ridge Cabal: “The support our campaign has picked up over the last three or four weeks has really taken us to a new level.”

(A new level of infancy and mediocrity maybe. Everyone knows Allegretti is a consolation prize for the party establishment to milk for dollars before they toss his carcass over the bow in November. And wasn’t Mr. Grimm out in force collecting signatures in Brooklyn while you were passing the basket in Manhattan a few weeks ago?)

– About McMahon’s support: “He has the support of Democrats, Independence Party members and Staten Island Conservatives – not to mention many Republicans who have no interest in backing someone like Michael Allegretti who got the nod from the local GOP after their favored choice, Vito Fossella…”

(Exactly what I said: consolation prize)

– Allegretti on his finances as opposed to McMahon’s: “I’m never going to out-raise him.”

(Why acknowledge that? Why feed into a media fixation with Republican failure? Why not emphasize your political independence and dedication to the people rather than your own purse? That didn’t occur to you to do? Oh well.)

– Allegretti on McMahon: “The ideological left has abandoned him. Some will vote for him, most will stay home.”

(That’s a negative?! Michael, in this district, that’s a plus!)

– Allegretti on McMahon: “All Mike McMahon has tried to do is walk down the middle of the road. He’s never stood for anything besides his own career, his own re-election.”

(Really, because I think he’s been careful to vote the way his constituents have wanted him to. Whether he personally believes in the votes he’s cast, that’s a separate question. He might be a total flaming liberal, but what politician doesn’t do what he/she does for his/her own career? You’re somehow different than he is, Mr. Allegretti? Please…)

***

Now that we’ve read that piece, let’s consider some questions.

Michael McMahon is a Democrat, yes. A liberal? In all likelihood. A clever politician? Perhaps. Should he be reelected over a Republican to give the Democrats a bigger majority? Absolutely not.

Mike Grimm is a Republican, yes. A conservative? I believe so. Is he an establishment candidate? Absolutely not. Does he stand a better chance at beating McMahon in a general election? Without a doubt.

Alright. Then, you have Michael Allegretti. He is a Republican, yes. A conseravtive? Apparently not. An establishment candidate: Triple ‘Yes.’ Does he stand a better chance at beating McMahon in a general election? Without a doubt, the answer is ‘no.’

The fact is Michael Allegretti is not ready for primetime, and certainly not in the 13th Congressional District. Would he fair better in a more moderately liberal district? I’m sure.

Instead, the brain trust of the GOP establishment has decreed that we must all fall in line behind a man who typifies what we as libertarians and Republicans would detest: a Washington liberal lobbyist with no political experience and personal baggage.

Am I missing something here?

It’s almost as if the GOP establishment in Brooklyn (and perhaps even Staten Island, but I’m not so sure) wants McMahon to have an easy victory this fall.

Maybe the Staten Island GOP wants to keep the seat warm for Vito in two years.

Maybe the Brooklyn GOP likes the relationship McMahon and Senator Golden have built up over the past two years (more on that in a future piece).

But one thing is pretty clear to me: if the GOP wants a Republican to win in the 13th Congressional race, they’re going about it all the wrong way.

Whether that’s their intention or not is yet to be seen…