Pants on Fire

It really would be more efficient to note instances where the Democrat and Chronicle doesn't lie to the public, but the whopper on Wednesday's editorial page stands out even by the feeble standards of our newspaper in the form of a comic book.   (Or is it our comic book in the form of a newspaper?)

Editorializing in favor of back-room selection of the new Rochester Mayor, by way of the Special Election option that effectively cuts voters out of the loop, the editorial said:

" . . . no one's right to vote will be violated even though Democratic Party leaders will choose that party's candidate.   That's because other candidates can , and no doubt will, pass petitions to get on the ballot."

A classic example of the D&C seeking to deceive by selectively deploying the truth.

In a situation where whoever gets the Democratic line wins the election -- no matter how many other candidates "pass petitions to get on the ballot"   --   selection of the Democratic candidate is the election.

If voters are cut out from that part of it, as they would be in the Special Election scenario, they are cut out of the election.   Period.

And it won't make any difference who passes petitions to get on "The Rent Is 2 Damn High" party line or any other.   The Democrats can nominate a serial killer, and that person wins the election in the City.

Opting for the Special Election, in which party bosses pick the nominee behind closed doors, gives City voters no role other than choosing between a Democratic candidate not voted onto the ballot by them, or a meaningless small-party or Republican choice with no chance of winning whatsoever.   But the D&C editorialists don't bother talking about that part.

Shameless.   But Standard Operating Procedure at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.