Did Molinaro and the Conservative Party force Donovan out?

It looks like Borough President Jame Molinaro and the Conservative Party as exuding their influence over the Republican nominees. An overpassed quote from yesterday suddenly becomes very telling after the sudden and extremely unexpected withdraw by Donovan.

via the Advance

But sparks flew when Borough President James P. Molinaro, who has feuded with Donovan, was asked yesterday how he'd feel if Donovan ran. Molinaro's Conservative Party could play a key role in the race.

"It's not my choice," he told reporters following an event at City Hall.

When reporters persisted, Molinaro said, "You're fishing, and I'm not taking the hook."

But Molinaro added that he is "definitely not sitting this out."

Today without much explanation Donovan the clear favorite of the national Republican Congressional leaders withdrew his name. Then consider this, while no one publicly called for Fossella's resignation and many eventually came to his defense when it looked like he was staying, Molinaro said;

At the end of the day, he doesn't run.

The day after that statement Fossella showed up at a Conservative Party dinner unannounced and then three days later declared he was not seeking re-election.

Fossella losing the Conservatine party ballot line, part II

On July 2 [Fossella losing the Conservative party ballot], I pondered in a piece the potential for Vito Fossella the potential that the Conservative Party may throw their endorsement to someone other than Fossella in 2008 and the ramifications that will have on his candidacy. Essentially the lose of the ballot line for Fossella could tip this seat to the Democratic nominee.

Should this feud go any further we might be watching a rather intriguing split in the Republican party on the island and the potential to withhold the Conservative ballot line from Rep. Fossella who votes a lot more 'Bush Republican' than he does true Conservative, or worse do we see the ballot line thrown to a Democrat in exchange for not forgetting Staten Island for the glitz of DC.

In 2004 Fossella garnered 8,400 votes on the Conservative line, or 1.9% of his total, a task that will most likely be improved upon should he get the nod. I am not going to put any money on a Democrat pulling the Conservative line, but a split ticket with a Conservative going up against Fossella could make things real interesting, all the while giving the Republican candidate for President both ballot lines if desired.

In the recent news roundup was an intriguing bit of information that extrapolated on this notion. Tom Wrobleski not so subtly hints at the same potential outcome that the Conservative Party could really throw a wrench in things or better put force candidates to pay attention to constituen interests;

On Conservate BP Molinaro's presence at a Democratic party event;

"People can read into it whatever they want," Molinaro said. "No one is assured of an endorsement from me. No one. I will do what I feel is in the interest of the Conservative Party." [via Tom Wrobleksi at the SI Advance]

Certainly this may just be a bi-partisan (rare I know) approach to addressing the needs of the borough, but his demeanor and mere suggestion that he is not in Fossella's back pocket have to raise quite a few eyebrows. Clearly Tom is intrigued.

Fossella losing the Conservative ballot line?

I have been sitting on some old articles by Tom Wrobleski, trying to make sense of some comments and see what came out of them. In a June 18 article, "The intrigue behind BP's community board moves", he writes about Borough President James Molinaro's recent changing of community board members via his power to appoint and retain members at his discretion;

In a bid to bring in new faces, Molinaro has removed 11 members from Staten Island's trio of community boards, including eight members of the South Shore's Board 3.

One reason, insiders said: Some deposed Board 3 members, including chairman John Antoniello, Public Service Committee head William D'Ambrosio and Environmental Committee chair Gregory Markow, are Republican Party supporters of South Shore GOP lawmakers, notably state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island).

The article goes on to outline the feud between Lanza and Molinaro. Lanza as we know comes out of the South Shore Republican machine which officially or not acts on the graces of Rep. Vito Fossella. When Molinaro intervened in the State Senate primary for Sen. Marchi's seat, he allowed Robert Helbock take the Conservative Party nomination potentially splitting the party when it got to the polls. Needless to say the two are not as close as Fossella and President Bush. The intriguing part of all of this though, is the Fossella connection. Lanza is a Fossella supporter, which puts Fossella and Molinaro in a less than amicable relationship.

The implications could be far-reaching. One observer pointed out that no members were removed from Board 1, which covers the North Shore area represented by Democratic Councilman Michael McMahon.

McMahon and Lanza are both mentioned as possible candidates for higher office, and Molinaro has great influence over who receives the coveted Conservative endorsement in campaigns.

McMahon aside, although a point we should remember to revisit, consider that statement with 2008 implications. Should this feud go any further we might be watching a rather intriguing split in the Republican party on the island and the potential to withhold the Conservative ballot line from Rep. Fossella who votes a lot more 'Bush Republican' than he does true Conservative, or worse do we see the ballot line thrown to a Democrat in exchange for not forgetting Staten Island for the glitz of DC.

In 2004 Fossella garnered 8,400 votes on the Conservative line, or 1.9% of his total, a task that will most likely be improved upon should he get the nod. I am not going to put any money on a Democrat pulling the Conservative line, but a split ticket with a Conservative going up against Fossella could make things real interesting, all the while giving the Republican candidate for President both ballot lines if desired.

There is an identity crisis going on in the district with Republicans. The Fossella Republicans are not your parents or grand parents Conservatives, despite the implication when they share ballot lines. One is a party of limited and smaller government, the other is Rep. Fossella voting that the Government should intervene in family issues like the Terri Schiavo case. One is for free market economics, the other has Fossella giving millions of dollars in tax breaks to billion dollar oil industries. I enjoy pulling up a bleacher seat and watching the two parties wrest for control of the 'Republican' tag and hope some more Conservatives start seeing the error of Fossella.

see also:
WFP, Con, and Ind Party Strengths
WFP, Con, and Ind Party Strengths, Part II

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