First Post (British)

New Yorkers rally to the Un-Hillary

By James Morris

The autumn political season starts next week, and the gardens of Woodstock have been sprouting political placards: 'Tasini For Senate'. Who?

At first, I thought he must be running for the New York state senate. After all, Hillary Clinton, stand-in for Beloved Bill, is a shoo-in for re-election to Washington while she plans her 2008 campaign for the White House.
But no, Jonathan Tasini turns out to be the Un-Hillary, the thorn-in-the-side, the pest who is pitting his $200,000 campaign fund against her $44m in the 'primary' election that determines who runs on the Democratic ticket.
Laughable: except that he is getting 12 per cent and rising in the polls, big cheers at public meetings and lots of back-slaps as he campaigns the old-fashioned way in the parks and railway stations.

There is only one issue: Clinton, always dithering on the middle-ground, backed the invasion of Iraq and only turned on Dubya Bush and his hawks when they crashed in the polls. The Un-Hillary supporters despise her for it.
Tasini, 49, who once led the National Union of Writers, came by on his pedal-bike on a 600-mile, 16-town tour. He had been planning to walk. "But my staff thought I'd gone bonkers. I believe in compromise when I have to," he explained.
But he will not compromise on an "illegal and immoral" war, and he is getting votes from New Yorkers who have long been furious at the failure of Clinton and her 'third way' Democrats to oppose a war they always believed would lead to disaster.
It's a warning shot for Hillary.
FIRST POSTED AUGUST 30, 2006