Not about the Pretty Face

Let's talk about something else from today's Times Union editorial "Scared, Mr. Sweeney"

So there was Rep. John Sweeney, talking to the Troy Record about his race for re-election this fall and clearly missing the irony of his own words. ... listen to what he has to say about his likely Democratic opponent, Kirsten Gillibrand. Who's the desperate one?

"You can't take a resume and a pretty face from New York City and say to people this is good for you simply because we can spend a lot of money and raise a lot of money," Mr. Sweeney said.

Only Ms. Gillibrand is originally from Albany, where she learned a lesson or two about politics from her grandmother, Dorothea "Polly" Noonan. She now lives in Hudson, though she has previously lived in New York City.

...this isn't about geography. It's about dignity and maturity and not dismissing a political challenger with a sexist-sounding remark that should be obsolete by more contemporary standards. That sort of talk might be OK at, say, a fraternity party, like the one Mr. Sweeney recently attended. But not in a congressional campaign. ...

Let's just leave the "pretty face" remark aside - I'm sure John Sweeney knows that his opponent is from Albany, just like he knows that he's from Troy.

Sadly, the incumbent will lie to us in order to distort reality. Though Sweeney tries to distance himself from the Bush administration these days, touting misinformation instead of truth is another page right out of the Rove-Bush playbook.

Mr. Sweeney fears that just as it doesn't matter to voters today that he's from Troy, it won't matter in November that Gillibrand is from Albany.

What does matter to us is that she has the right priorities and she has what it takes to deliver.

Unlike her opponent who first claims he's clearing the "cloud of scandal" and the next day is resorting with Lobbyists, and the day after that voting for a toothless "reform" bill.

The American people have had it with politicans who say one thing and do another. We are sick of "leaders" who are in lie about basic facts. What we need is real change right now.