Common Sense: A changing field

I caught the Mets game instead of the Republican presidential debate live last week. It was game two and, as we all know, not a very good night for New York. After the game, I did catch much of the debate as it was replayed as well as quite a bit of commentary.

Marco Rubio was an obvious winner and Jeb Bush the obvious loser. Bush’s exchange with Rubio in particular seemed to be a desperate act. Ted Cruz also had some strong moments and seems to be growing in support.

Beyond that, the fact that Trump was not able to hold center stage and Ben Carson had another relatively lackluster performance made them losers because they went in leading the pack and did not come out as strong. Carly Fiorina continues to add intelligent commentary to the debates, but appears to be in a holding pattern with the Republican primary electorate.

The other eight or nine candidates have very little support, are going nowhere and should probably drop out. It simply is not happening for them. They do have some good ideas and are worth a listen, but from a practical perspective they are now sponging up valuable time and resources.

The field needs to be reduced and the focus must be on the few candidates that are clearly of interest to most Republican and conservative voters. This will help us more efficiently and more quickly determine who the strongest candidate will be to lead the country and defeat Hillary Clinton in next year’s election.

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Conservative TV and radio personality Monica Crowley was the recipient of the New York State Conservative Party’s Ronald Reagan Service Award at a reception held recently at the New York Athletic Club.

Monica had worked for President Nixon in the early 1990s and had met Ronald Reagan on a number of occasions. She spoke of the differences in leadership and how those differences have affected the respect and status of the United States in the world. She also spoke about the nuts and bolts of winning elections. And she took questions during which she praised presidential candidate Carly Fiorina for her intelligent, thoughtful campaign.

The State Conservative Party event was attended by a number of state officials including Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, State Senator Marty Golden (whom I serve as chief of staff) and Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis. Westchester County Executive and former gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino and mayoral candidate Joe Lhota were also among the many dignitaries.

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The Brooklyn Conservative Party will be holding its annual dinner at the Pearl Room (new location) on the evening of Wednesday, November 18, beginning at 7 p.m. National Review’s Investigative Reporter Jullian Melchoir, who has just returned from Iraq where she had been looking at the Iraqi and US response to ISIS, will be the guest speaker. Some will remember Jullian for her investigations and reporting into Al Sharpton’s tax problems.

Mike Connors, the founder of Bay Ridge’s Connors and Sullivan law firm and a longtime Conservative Party activist, will receive an award in memory of Jim Gay.

Tickets are $85 per person. Information and tickets is available by calling 718 921-2158 or by going the the BrooklynConservativeParty.com.