Clinton Rival Tries to Make Most of Liberal Anger
By PATRICK HEALY
As Ned Lamont basks in his Democratic primary victory in Connecticut, another antiwar underdog is trying to assume the same role of political giant-killer in next month’s elections in New York, though against much bigger prey: Hillary Rodham Clinton.
But while Mr. Lamont united liberals and used $4 million of his own money to win his primary, Jonathan Tasini is struggling on a shoestring campaign to rise above his 12 percent standing in the polls, even as he hawks a message of left-wing anger over Iraq to an electorate that is more liberal than Connecticut’s.
Mr. Tasini has qualified for the Sept. 12 primary ballot against Mrs. Clinton, and his positions on the Iraq war, the death penalty and gay marriage are in step with the progressive groups and liberal bloggers that contributed volunteers, money and buzz to Mr. Lamont. Yet some of these partisans say they are deeply reluctant, and in some cases scared, to criticize or abandon Mrs. Clinton, who supported the invasion of Iraq.
They cite her power in the Democratic Party and her careful positioning that has made her, if not antiwar, then a sharp critic of the administration’s handling of Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and the economy.
A former union leader, tireless and impolitic, Mr. Tasini has stirred some enthusiasm among voters — even young women, who are the Clinton core — and he is increasingly well received by liberal audiences, based on interviews with voters and time spent watching him work crowds.
One reason for the enthusiasm is Mr. Lamont’s upset win over Senator Joseph I. Lieberman; some people wonder if some of that success could be replicated in New York. But Mr. Tasini has raised only $200,000 to Mrs. Clinton’s $44 million, and she has undercut his best shot at visibility by refusing to debate him.
“I’m the eternal optimist, and I have two reasons to be optimistic: 65 percent of people don’t know me, and 62 percent solidly oppose the war,” Mr. Tasini said in an interview, referring to recent polls. “But Hillary is being incredibly antidemocratic by not debating me even though I am on the ballot.”
Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Senator Clinton, said his camp would “see how the campaign plays out” before making a final decision on a debate. But Mr. Wolfson pointedly added that the New York race would not be a replay of the Connecticut primary two weeks ago.
“The bottom line is that Hillary Clinton is no Joe Lieberman and Jonathan Tasini is no Ned Lamont, and no amount of increasingly over-the-top attacks from Mr. Tasini will change that reality,” he said.
Mr. Wolfson was referring to a series of remarks by Mr. Tasini over the last several months: He has blamed Mrs. Clinton personally for the deaths of 2,500 American service members and others in Iraq, for instance, as well as “tens of thousands of Iraqis.”
Mr. Tasini, who, at 49, has never run for public office before, is a complicated political animal. He has even been sharply critical of Mr. Lamont, arguing that he is insufficiently antiwar and would never have won without spending $4 million of his own money.
Mr. Lamont, like Mrs. Clinton, has also strongly supported Israel in the ongoing conflict with Lebanon, while Mr. Tasini — who has many family members in Israel — has chastised Israel for its bombing and invasion of Lebanon.
Mr. Tasini can come across as smart, credible, self-effacing, bombastic, self-aggrandizing and haughty, sometimes all in one conversation. Asked about his huge deficit in public opinion polls, Mr. Tasini can spin like a veteran politician: “If 100 percent of the population knew me, would I get all 62 percent of the antiwar vote? Well, maybe not all.”
Some members of the National Writers Union, which Mr. Tasini led from 1990 to 2003, have openly described him as an opportunist, and his response is couched in characteristic hyperbole.
“I don’t think I walk on water, but I am not the devil incarnate,” he said. ...
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