Our Moynihan Legacy

A letter from Rudy Giuliani, Republican candidate for the New York Senate seat, was received by me on April 7. He asked for my support. In the very beginning of the letter, instead of discussing his record or his vision of the future course of the Senate, he wrote: “Dear Friend, if you don't want to see Hillary Clinton in the Senate, I need your immediate support Don't you think its time you and I put an end to the Clinton episode in American politics?”

It is, thus, very clear that the Republicans intend using negative attacks upon Hillary and her husband Bill as their prime strategy in convincing Democrats to abandon her candidacy and Support Republican candidates. The Republicans know full well how important this Senate race is. Governor George Pataki is doing everything possible to elect Rudy Giuliani, despite the fact that Giuliani supported Democratic Governor Mario Cuomo (against Pataki) in 1994. Pataki shows that personalities aside, his party must prevail.

We Democrats must unite behind our standard bearer, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to Insure that the strong liberal record established by Daniel Patrick Moynihan these past 24 years continues for the next six years.

Make no mistake, the Republicans are determined to win New York and make their party more conservative than it has been since 1932. My answer to Mayor Giuliani is: I do want Hillary Clinton to be a senator from New York and I do not want to end the positive record established by the Clinton/Gore administration since 1993. This is in marked contrast to the 12 Reagan/Bush years.