Winners and Losers of 2000 Part 2
Steve Adubato, Ph.D.

A couple of weeks ago I announced some prominent winners and losers for 2000. Here is the rest of that list.

'Luckiest Politician of 2000' is a tie between Governor Christie Whitman and George W. Bush. Whitman, who has served a very undistinguished second term so far and has accumulated a mountain of debt that her successor will have to deal with, gets to go to Washington as the head of the EPA. Christie will be leaving town enjoying the Bush Administration just as the proverbial 'doo-doo' hits the fan down in Trenton. As for George W.--think about it. He loses the popular vote in the country and is going to be President. When the votes are actually counted by the media and independent organizations down in Florida, we are likely to find out that Al Gore actually got the most votes in the Sunshine State, yet George W. Bush is still going to be President. I don't know about you, but I call that pretty lucky.

'Unluckiest Politician of 2000' goes to who else but Al Gore, for the same reasons as described above. Gore also got the award for the 'Most Annoying Politician of 2000.' Was he irritating or what? I found it very hard to watch, much less relate to, Gore during the televised presidential debates. He came off as condescending, immature, and a know it all. Those aren't qualities we particularly like in our President. It's funny, in Gore's "concession" speech he came off as sincere, magnanimous and human. The problem for him was that it was way too little, way too late.

'Craziest Election Result in 2000?' Out in Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan, who was running for US Senate, actually died so late in the campaign that his name stayed on the ballot. His wife vowed to take his seat if he won. Guess what? He won and she is going to be a US Senator. That's a first.

'Most Candid Political Figure' in the nation is awarded to former Philadelphia Mayor and Democratic National Committee Chairman, Ed Rendell. Rendell had a habit of speaking his mind regardless of who was offended. During the presidential election, Rendell said he thought Gore was really weak in the debates and later was the first major Democrat to say that Gore should end the recount effort in Florida.

'Most Surprising Election Result of 2000' was Hillary Clinton's landslide in the New York Senate race. I never saw it coming. I thought she might win, but that it would be extremely close against Congressman Rick Lazio. I was convinced that Hillary had lots of enemies and came off as insincere and just not the kind of candidate New Yorkers could relate to. I was dead wrong. She killed Lazio in a landslide.

Speaking of Lazio, he gets the award for the 'Candidate Who Spent the Most Money in 2000--While Still Losing.' Thirty million plus and he still got crushed. I think the moral here is that you have to give people a reason to vote for you as opposed to simply saying rotten things about your opponent (Hillary Clinton).

'Politician on the Move' goes to Assemblyman Joe Roberts from South Jersey who is gaining influence every day in the Statehouse. He has taken over as Assembly minority leader and is in position to become Speaker if the Democrats take control in 2001.

'Most Obnoxious Casino Owner?' Who else but Donald Trump. This year Trump gets the award for taking out a series of ads trashing Indian tribes who planned to open up a casino in the Catskills. Without any evidence, Trump featured a picture of cocaine lines and drug needles and other alleged abuses by the Mohawk Indian Nation. He then asked in the ad "Are these the new neighbors we want?" The government fined Trump $250,000 and ordered him to pay for a series of ads in which he apologized for his slurs against his Native American competitors. Is Donald Trump sleazy or what?

'The Public Servant with the Hardest Job' goes to State Police Superintendent Carson Dunbar. He'll never totally end racial profiling and many of his rank and file resent him for even trying. Plus, he is the first black head of the State Police and many in the black political establishment don't think he is moving fast enough to fix things. Would you want his job? I wouldn't.

'The Most Methodical Politician of 2000' is awarded to Senate President and soon to be acting Governor, Don DiFrancesco. He's not charismatic or dynamic. But for the past 20 years he has built solid relationships in Trenton and his word is his bond among other legislators. That's why he has been Senate President for years and why, when Christie Whitman goes to Washington, DiFrancesco becomes acting Governor. Sometimes hard work does pay off.

Steve Adubato, Ph.D. is a commentator, lecturer and former state legislator. Dr. Adubato is also an Emmy Award-winning television anchor and syndicated columnist.
He can be reached by fax (973) 509-1659 or e-mail him at sadubato@aol.com.

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