NY-26: Time To Talk Issues

Reynolds is up and Davis is down in a new SurveyUSA poll; Reynolds is at 49% and Davis is at 46%. That swing back in Reynolds’ favor, given everything that’s gone down in the last couple of weeks, isn’t necessarily a surprise. After all, Reynolds has taken the October storm as an opportunity to beat a path to every microphone and camera within 50 miles of here. Between his grandstanding and credit-taking and Pataki naming Reynolds the designated contact for FEMA (an appointment that FEMA itself said was bullshit), a bounce for Reynolds makes perfect sense.

The poll, however, comes with a caveat:

One Mitigating Caution: Some portions of the 26th District were without telephone service during the interviewing period for this poll, following a snow storm on 10/12/06. 35% of Likely Voters came from Erie County in the 10/5 survey; 29% of Likely Voters came from Erie County in the 10/19 survey. In both surveys, Davis leads in Erie County by 11 points. SurveyUSA will conduct another poll in the district once power is completely restored.

Davis is trouncing Reynolds on Reynolds’ own home turf; Erie County. The problem is that Erie County makes up a relatively small portion of the 26th District.

Now, the issue turns to the Davis campaign. What do they have up their sleeve to keep the pressure on the Gentleman from Clarence?

Apparently, just ads. That’s it. Print, radio, and TV. That’s it.

To win an election, a candidate needs some face time with prospective constituents. He doesn’t have to go to every barbecue and every lawn fete under the sun, but he needs to get out there and do a little one-on-one every so often. Media buys are great, but when you look a voter in the eye, listen to his concerns, and shake his hand with a promise to try and do the right thing – that’s the way you build support; that’s the way you grow your base.

This is especially true for a controversial ex-Republican Democratic candidate in a predominately Republican district.

The only time you’ll see Jack Davis speaking to prospective voters in any campaign lit is when he’s talking to an employee of his I Squared R in the plant. That’s not enough.

Daily Politics and TPMCafe say Davis might be blowing it.

The Washington Post picks up a thread that our own Buffalo News started last week:

A few years back, Davis was a Republican high roller, writing fat checks to upstate Republicans. When Vice President Cheney rolled into Buffalo, Davis wrote a $2,000 check for Cheney but took out a full-page ad in the Buffalo newspaper decrying the Republican embrace of free trade. Cheney’s crowd was not keen about that.

“This Cheney woman comes running to me in the parking lot and says: ‘You can’t talk to the press!’ ” Davis recalls. His response? “The next day I talked to the Democratic county chairman. . . .” Polls still show that a third of voters in this district don’t know who Davis is. Whatever. He’s wrapped up nominations from the Independence Party and the Working Families Party, giving him three ballot positions on Nov. 7. He’s spending $3 million of his own money on the race. And he’s convinced he’s got it figured out.

Davis opens his door and lets his spokesman come back in. “I don’t see the point,” Davis says by way of goodbye, “in wasting time going around campaigning.”

That’s what Davis told Jerry Zremski last week:

Davis said he feels more comfortable communicating through his ads. “That’s why I’ve spent $1 million on radio and TV and direct advertising,” he said.

As an engineer who has studied efficiency for 40 years, Davis said pressing the flesh just isn’t his style even if that’s what some of his supporters want.

“They think that every time there’s a barbecue I should make it,” he said. “That’s old politics. I’d rather spend my time working or answering e-mails.”

In fact, Zremski noted that neither Davis nor Reynolds were out and about on the campaign trail in recent days. I think that’s a mistake.

Last week, Professor Hardwick indicated that he’s opening his show up this Sunday to host a debate between Reynolds and Davis. It would be the first and only debate this campaign season between these two, and as a voter in the district, it’s something I’d certainly appreciate hearing. There are so many vital issues affecting the 26th District of New York, and right now we’re focusing on how odd Davis is versus how in trouble Reynolds is.

While I confess that it’s fun as hell to focus on that, it’s time to assess the candidates’ positions on issues of importance. I want to hear what the hell Reynolds has done for us lately, and what he intends to do for us in the future. Since he toes the Bush party line, I’d like to hear what he has to say about the awful situation in Iraq and the worsening situation in Afghanistan. What would Reynolds do to strengthen Social Security? What would Reynolds do to strengthen Western New York’s economy, and speak in specifics beyond “tax cuts”. There’s more to life than just tax cuts.

As for Davis, I’d like this recent Cheney supporter to explain just what sort of a Democrat he’d be. Would he bleat on about free trade morning, noon, and night, or would he thoughtfully consider other federal issues, as well? As a business owner, what’s his position on universal health care? How does he feel about New York’s Medicaid burden and federal cuts thereto? What would he do to improve the lives of the people of the 26th District, and speak in specifics beyond “tariffs”. There’s more to life than just tariffs.