As expected, Gov. Phil Bryant (R-MS) was re-elected: Mayor James Kenney (D-Philadelphia, PA) was officially elected: and possible Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA) won the Jungle Primary with 39% of the vote. I should point out that the Jungle Primary had actually took place on October 24; I mistakenly thought it was Election Day itself. None the less, it looks like Bel Edwards will win the runoff on November 21, albeit the race is now tightening a bit. What will happen to Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) afterwards remains to be seen. I do think Sen. Vitter will remain in the Senate.
Although not a surprise, Gov. Matt Bevin was elected the Republican Governor of Kentucky. Thus, Kentucky state politics is now mostly led by Republicans in a rather conservative state.
What I do want to focus on are the local elections that took place where I live in the Town of Oyster Bay, New York. A fair deal of the incumbents running for a re-election bid were indeed re-elected. It was not all bad; in Suffolk County, Steve Bellone, a Democrat, was re-elected County Executive. however, Oyster Bay Republican Council members were all re-elected, and Republican operative Angie Carpenter managed to get elected Town of Islip Supervisor. Yet, I had mentioned two important elections that were to take place last Tuesday, and did occur.
First and foremost, Madeline Singas, a Democrat, was fully elected Nassau County District Attorney against her Republican opponent, Kate Murray. It was not even a close race; Singas won with some 54% of the vote! It was obviously clear to a majority of voters that Kate Murray was uniquely unqualified to be District Attorney; and I could go on and name countless reasons why Ms. Murray had no reason to run. Indeed, I am absolutely most ashamed at the endorsements from the leadership of Nassau University Medical Center, along with the policemen's unions in the region, that were full fledged in supporting Ms. Murray. I can somewhat understand Rudy Giuliani's endorsement, as a statement of decreased relevance.
Fortunately, the voting public, and much of the New York papers, saw right through this flim-flam and voted for Ms. Singas. This is a very pleasing vote.
Now, onto the Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor election. It appears that Republican John Venditto, who also happens to be a medical doctor, was defeated for re-election by Democrat John Mangelli. I say appears to be due to the fact that both Venditto and Mangelli received 50% of the vote, and Mr. Mangelli held a 68 vote lead. This race, though, is likely to be protracted beyond reproach and might not be decided on until well after Thanksgiving. That would be enough time for Mr. Venditto to bring forth absentee ballots showing a lead in votes for the incumbent. However, I have been hearing that the absentee ballots came from within the town, thus Mr. Mangelli could also have his votes increase. I am not surprised this came to be a close race; a changing of leadership usually does not involve a more clear-cut outcome.
In short, it appears that in some instances, voters in Nassau County, even in a record of low voter turnout, are welcoming a change in their leadership offices by electing Democrats to replace long standing and complacent Republicans. For much of the rest of the country, not much has changed in the elections last Tuesday. I would be rather shocked and stunned if the Louisiana Gubernatorial Runoff is won by Sen. Vitter, although I am not expecting that to happen. I will have a lot more to say on the Town of Oyster Bay situations soon enough.
In a related note, I am watching Sunday Night Football, and it is the Cowboys vs. the Eagles. Cowboys Defensive player Greg Hardy is playing; a fairly alright player though like most athletes not a decent man. I am seeing NBC Sports people condemn Mr. Hardy's abuse of a white female last year under a psychotic episode. And yet, with one month to go until the NFL's day of reckoning (the release of the Will Smith-Sir Ridley Scott movie Concussion), NBC Sports is whitewashing the situation. So has much of the NFL and its media people. Dollars before people, bros before women, violence before reason, patriotism before intellectualism, and ratings before innovation.
But that's none of my business.
I do wonder what Jim Henson would think of this image popping up.
Talk to you all sooner rather than later,
Robert
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