The Ballad of Hillary & Rupert

That politics make strange bedfellows is one of the most overused phrases in all of the English language. But never was it more appropriate to use than last week. Both liberals and conservatives had their panties in a bunch after it was announced that Rupert Murdoch, the right-wing media mogul and owner of both the Fox News Network and the New York Post, will play host to a fundraiser for Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, who is the physical embodiment of liberalism run wild according to conservatives. Liberals were aghast at the thought of it. Bloggers on the popular lefty website DailyKos.com could not condemn Clinton fast enough, saying the former first lady had "made the ultimate deal with the devil" and was "willing to wine and dine with the ultimate enemy."

"How can a politician of any moral character shoulder up to Dark Lords such as Murdoch and expect to come away from such a meeting un-infected?" asked one overly dramatic blogger on DailyKos. The right wing was equally unamused, judging from a look at prominent conservative website FreeRepublic.com, where individuals asked how Murdoch could support such a "congress bitch" and even threatened a boycott of the Fox News Network. Conspiracy theorists are going crazy trying to figure out why the unholy elements of the Left and Right have joined together in such an unseemly pact. Maybe Hillary is really a Republican in disguise? Maybe Murdoch is only broadcasting to conservatives as a business plan, and is nothing but a closet liberal? Maybe the two have engaged in some sort of blood pact, in conjunction with Satan, the Freemasons and the Illuminati cabal to finally begin to bring about the New World Order? Or, just maybe, this is nothing more than good old-fashioned political expediency. 

For her part, Clinton has remained coy about the fundraiser, stating only that Murdoch is a constituent who believes in her work and thinks she has done a good job. But it surely cannot hurt to have such a major media mogul on her side, especially with presidential ambitions. 

But Murdoch has been much more open about his motives, and observers need only look at his comments, made on his own television network right after news of the fundraiser was made public, to see what the publisher really thinks about the chances of the New York GOP this year.

"I think she has been a good senator," Murdoch told host Neil Cavuto. "She, ah, you know, we don't agree on a lot of things, of course, but um, she's going to get re-elected. Here, there's no opposition. There's no Republican party in New York State any longer, it would seem. And, ah, I think she's doing very well for us, and I'm talking for New York state." 

During his 12 years in office, Governor George Pataki (and many other elected Republicans on lower levels) did absolutely nothing to build the Republican Party in New York State, preferring instead to treat the once mighty GOP as their own personal patronage well. 

Since Pataki came into office, Latinos have become a serious political force  throughout the United States. In other states, like Texas, Latin Americans have split their vote between both major parties, thanks to serious outreach from both Democrats and Republicans. Here in New York, the only outreach came from Democrats. Republican power brokers, especially in the city, treated the Latino influx as a potential threat, fearing that if they registered as Republicans, they might want power in the party, to run for party leadership positions and even run for office. More interested in keeping their own place intact, Republican leaders were happy to see Latinos vote Democrat. And this year, those chickens are coming home to roost.

Latinos are just one example, but the same can be said for other ethnic and interest groups. Murdoch sees the shift, and is not one to take a chance against a sure thing. In 2002, the New York Post endorsed Eliot Spitzer over Republican Dora Irizarry for attorney general, despite having been a vocal critic of Spitzer's use of the AG office during his previous term. Did Murdoch all of a sudden become a liberal? Hardly. Murdoch is a smart businessman, and was not willing to risk his reputation on Irizarry, who was eventually trounced by Spitzer.

Why should this year be any different? Clinton is crushing her challengers in every poll, and if the race were to suddenly get close, she could raise millions of dollars with the drop of a hat. Murdoch cannot envision either John Spencer or KT McFarland taking the seat in November, so why should anybody else? Using the Clinton logic, the lack of a GOP, as Murdoch put it, might effect other endorsements this time around. Spitzer is also cruising to victory in November, as is State Comptroller Alan Hevesi. For the first time in a long time, The New York Post might be poised for a Democratic sweep.