WE ARE ALL WINNERS: STRATEGY IDEAS & DISCUSSION

We are overwhelmed by the support and encouragement to promote Dede as a viable Democratic contender for the New York 23rd. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and ideas to help.

One of the main things people have been asking is how we see the race unfolding and what arguments we can make to Dede Scozzafava to show her the reasoning in switching parties for the race when she could just as well run as a Republican and have a shot at the race. We know it is not an easy thing to do, but we know it is the right move for her and here is why. 

Consider this Democrats, with Dede Scozzafava WE ARE ALL WINNERS.

We are all winners on multiple levels with Dede Scozzafava running as a Democrat because:

1) We maintain the majority in the New York State Senate, allowing us to have key political control over the redistricting process in 2010 and majority control of the State Senate. This is crucial to get our judges and our agenda through the state legislature, and 2) we have a very, very real chance at winning the New York 23rd district and accomplishing tangible things for our region with Scozzafava, a Democratic Congress and Obama's Administration.

Now we have a few contentions that we would like to share on that point, and which we will be pushing out to our personal networks and through grassroots activity online in the coming days.  

First and foremost, Dede Scozzafava has an incredible record in the New York State Assembly that lines up with the National Democratic Party Platform.  That has already been outlined in our initial rollout, but there is more to her record that we will follow up on in the coming days.  From equal protection under the law for same-sex couples, to economic development and community service, health care, and empathy for seniors and the middle class, etc.  

Second, if Scozzfava were a Democrat in the US Congress she could do more for our district in working with the Obama Administration.  One of her key responses in asking why she is interested in the position is so that she could work on national security and foreign policy issues, which she is not able to address on the state level.  The Democratic Party welcomes and would benefit greatly from Scozzafava's voice on these matters. She could actually get things accomplished for the district and be able to work with the large majorities in Congress and in the Administration.

Third, running as a Republican is a risky proposition.  The field is large and the district is expansive. Scozzafava would likely have to compete for the GOP nomination with the likes of her well-known colleagues including: Assemblyman Will Barclay, Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, Senator Elizabeth Little, Senator Joseph Griffo, and a handful of other influential names in the mix. That is some stiff competition considering Assemblyman Barclay was endorsed by Congressman John McHugh just last year for the special State Senate election.  Barclay also has the added advantage of having built a campaign team just months ago that he could quickly mobilize for this upcoming run.  

Finally, we would like to point out that a key left blog in the district has already picked up on the idea and it gained some favorable traction, proving again that Scozzafava would be welcomed in our party as a new female voice. You can find that article at Jefferson Leaning Left - http://jeffersonleaningleft.blogspot.com/2009/06/will-republican-dede-scozzafava-become.html.

This could have incredible implications since Darrell Aubertine could keep his NYS Senate seat (thus securing Democratic control of the State Senate for redistricting purposes).  Our goal over the next several days and weeks is to build stronger alliances with both Republicans, Independents, and Democrats in order to gain a stronger consensus on this initiative. Please e-mail us at draftdede@gmail.com or follow our updates on our new twitter page @draftdedeny.  If you see Dede Scozzafava please ask her to consider this important decision.  The Democratic Party would welcome her and our coalition would see to it that she is elected as our next representative.