You'd think they'd learn by now, but......!

"Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it."--George Santayana.

Ever since Harry Tutunjian was term-limited out as Mayor of Troy, the Geezers on Parade have tried three times, and failed all three times, to retain control of City Hall. And it's mostly their own fault.

The party's betrayal of endorsed candidate Tom Reale virtually gift-wrapped a second term for Mayor Patrick Madden Tuesday. As of 6 am this morning, however, Rodney Wiltshire had not yet conceded the race. Reale? He only generated 18% of the vote, a week after resuming his campaign, which had been sabotaged by the bullying of Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, Finance Director Richard Crist, and, surprisingly, Jim Gordon, whose 2015 campaign for Mayor was torpedoed by a shadowy smear campaign by an anonymous Democratic operative, but has cast his lot with McLaughlin, which could end up a big career mistake in the long term.

It's almost as though city GOP can't get out of its own way.

Before Gordon's ill fated run, current City Council President Carmella Mantello's 2011 mayoral campaign was deep-sixed by a 11th hour attack ad aimed at Louis Rosamilia, the Democratic candidate, who gave up his seat in the county legislature, which he'd won two years earlier. All that did was galvanize the voters to elect Rosamilia, still at the time a political neophyte, as is Reale. Rosamilia walked away from politics when he decided not to run for re-election in 2015, sickened by the back-stabbing and in-fighting.

"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it."--Super Chicken, 1967.

Reale, who otherwise is an employee of the State Senate GOP, fell into disfavor for some reason, and McLaughlin decided, for whatever reason, to be a bully. He's a career poltician. Reale isn't. That doesn't give McLaughlin the right to dictate who should represent the party in a mayoral or any other local election.

For Mayor Madden, it'll be four more years of Dr. Phil jokes from this desk, in addition to being represented in the Tri-City Valleycats' Mayors' Race.

Reale will either drift back into obscurity, or he'll make another run for a different office, provided McLaughlin, Gordon, & Crist get out of his way.
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Sam Wilson at the Think 3 Institute found this nugget of joy on Tuesday.



It's a cheeky way of trying to convince folks to accept Jesus as their Savior, and go to church, particularly the church that came up with this clever campaign, Arise Church at Colonie Center. I'd be willing to bet that sign will still be up around Thanksgiving in three weeks, after all the election signs have been taken down.