As I do not believe that one party rule is good for any state, I offer the following advice for NY Republicans (key points highlighted):

GENERAL

—Don’t believe for one second that this is a “Center-Right Country.” It isn’t ideological at all. We are pragmatic. Do what works.

—Historically, Upstate NY is (mostly) a Red State, as (mostly) are the Northern and Southern Suburbs and the Outer Boroughs. The elections of 2006 and 2008 showed some changes to the pattern, which you need to reverse if you hope to succeed.

—The individual appointed to HRC’s seat will face an election in 2010. Chuck Schemer will be up for re-election in 2010 and all House seats will be up for election.  The Governor, Comptroller and the NYS AG are up for re-election, as well.

—Now is almost too late to start getting ready for 2010.

—All NY Republicans, running for state or federal offices, should run on a common platform, just as Gingrich ran his people in the 1994 Congressional Elections. Call it something like “NY XXI (New York Twenty One).”

—You don’t have a bench, so be creative. Michael Garcia, former US Attorney (“USA”) for the Southern District of NY (“SDNY”) under George W. Bush, for NYS AG?  How about running COL Geoff Slack, NYARNG, who successfully commanded the “Fighting 69th” in Iraq in 2004-5, as “Wild Bill” Donovan did in World War I, for some key office?  Where does Dana Perino live? What Party does Dana Delaney belong to?

—Find able, telegenic relatable people from public life, the media, the professions and industry. Find qualified women, African American, Asian American and Latino candidates (as Democrats found qualified war veterans in 2006) … and … find them early. Don’t fight, as with Pataki and Pirro, over who runs for what.

—Give them a platform that appeals: lower taxes; less government red tape; a less hostile business environment; and business and industrial development.

—Look at what works in Georgia, Tennessee … and Ireland … about being business friendly. Talk to Steve Lonegan in NJ. “Not Invented Here” is for schmucks.

—Candidates for Congress and the US Senate from New York should work closely with the Gubernatorial Candidate, the AG candidate and the Comptroller candidate. All should be on common survey as to what New York’s interests in Washington are.

–You need to run against the Spitzer and Cuomo AG’s Office: they harassed, threatened and unjustly fined businesses across the State for dubious reasons. Pissed off businesses are also where the contribution money is! This may also be where the candidates are!

—Use web-sites, Fox News, The NY POST and talk radio (local [e.g., Steve Malzberg on WOR in the NYC area] and national [e.g., Rush, Sean, Laura, et al.]) to get your story out—starting as soon as possible. The Lalor Campaign in the NY 19th Congressional District taught me that: a) main stream media (“MSM”) bias exists; and b) so does new media sluggishness and inability to react to opportunity.

SOME SPECIFICS

—Due to his tax increases, Gov. Patterson will probably lose his bid for election.  Raising taxes is the right thing to do, but you need to crucify him for doing it.

—Run on SLASHING TAXES AND SLASHING THE STATE WORK FORCE!!!!!!

—Run on doing something about property taxes. I don’t think that free, universal public K-12 education funded by property taxes is viable anymore and the real estate price collapse is going to bring this to a crisis point. Think about Howard Jarvis’ Proposition 13 Tax Revolt in California back in 1978: this can lead you out of the wilderness.

—Tax relief is not enough. You need to change education. Run against the Teacher’s Union; they oppose you anyway and they are generally detested by most home owners.

—How about only making public education free up to the age 16? Beyond that tuition could be paid, forcing the public (call them “Government”) schools to compete with the private and parochial schools on a common footing for students in those grades?

—How about doing away with 7th and 8th Grade, where the work is a duplication of what is learned in High School, and getting people out of the system at 16?

—How about doing away with George Pataki’s screwy idea that everyone should go for a Regent’s Diploma?

—You will have the mandate for real change on anything to do with taxation, especially with regards to property taxes.

—NY has too much inane law and regulation at all levels.

—Why does the State care if a doctor wears a badge in a hospital? (NY Educ. Law § 6530 [37]). Why is there a State Law governing the “[m]anufacture and sale” of used hats? (NY Gen. Bus. Law § 392-a). (Come to think of it, how do you “[m]anufacture” a used hat, anyway?)

—Also, consider the fact that there are several shelves worth of the NY Code of Rules and Regulations (“NYCRR”) explaining (and, frequently duplicating) these laws, for example, with 8 NYCRR § 29.1 et seq. restating sections 6530 and 6509 of the Education Law without adding anything of any importance whatsoever.

—We need to simplify NYS Law and Regulation at all levels and make it far more business friendly.  Go out on the state capital steps and read some of the more inane laws and show how voluminous the NYCRR and the Consolidated and Unconsolidated Laws are, in order to gain attention.

—Why is there such a thing as The New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law (other than guidance it contains [for some inexplicable reason] on how long the State needs to retain documents and reports like ultrasound tapes).

—Streamlining 10 NYCRR, the Insurance Law and the PHL is vital to national market-based health care reform. Why is NY a corporate practice state?

—If NY goes to the Feds for a bailout, the NY Republican Co-Del must insist that NY adopt market-based reforms including: a 25% reduction in state spending; a 25% reduction in state work force; privatization of parks, museums and other things more effectively run in the private sector; business-friendly reform of the Consolidated Laws and the NYCRR; and the end of ridiculous, outdated state programs.  You won’t win but you will gain a higher profile and gain attention for your ideas.

—If the Obama Administration is popular and successful, run against his Party’s left wing, which is likely to hamstring his efforts.