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Morgenthau running for re-election in 2009 at age 90, is it time for him to retire?Legendary longtime Manhattan (New York Co.) District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is raising money for yet another re-election in 2009. By election day 2009, Morgenthau will be 90 years old. He is expected to again face pro-death penalty Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder. The question is how old is too old? Is it time for Morgenthau to retire? Is it responsible to have someone ninety years old running the largest D.A's office in the country? When you have an office that is not term limited and you have incumbents whose re-elections are almost automatic, you end up with people who have lifetime jobs. Strom Thurmond was South Carolina's U.S. Senator until he was 100, and got re-elected the last time at 94 even though he was wheelchair bound much of the time and on a respirator. Edward Kennedy and Robert Byrd, similarly, have their jobs for life if they want them. This regardless of whether they ever get in poor health, go blind, senile or get dementia. I think Morgenthau has had a great career and I supported him last time even though he was 86. But he really ought to retire. The older Morgenthau gets, the more people are going to wonder who is really doing the work and making the decisions in his office. There is also the question of how entrenched in power he has to be after all these years, with people who have worked for him down at the D.A's office for decades. I'd think that it is healthy to have change and turnover now and again. The problem is that Leslie Crocker Synder wasn't all that appealing of a candidate last time and I doubt she could win if she runs again. I wonder if someone else would dare to run, and buck the system, against the almighty Morgenthau. He shouldn't expect to have this office until he dies. What is needed is someone well known to run against Morgenthau. On another site, it was mentioned that Norman Siegel might run for Public Advocate again. Maybe he ought to run for D.A. instead. Anyone have any other ideas? But it is probably moot, Morgenthau will be getting re-elected again in ten years when he's a hundred. Incumbents don't lose and he is too powerful.
The real issuse IS how well an 86+ year old can do the job, especially after serving for 35 years. Democracy isn't perfect, and it is up to true friends of democracy to recognize the limitations of the electorate. One of them is the thoughtless re-election of incubants. Like a wheel that travels in a well-hewn rut, incumbancy is slow to react to change, keeps loyal fellow-travelers well entrenched, and fosters cronyism. Morgenthau's office has done a great job for the past generation and a half, but how much of it can we really attribute to him? The fact is that the high standards of hiring and mentoring excellent Assistants has much more to do with success of a law firm than anything directly attributed to the senior partner. This is not a quality that is exclusive to the current DA. He doesn't try cases, he negotiates the public's perception of them. In this, Morgenthau is a master. Can someone else do just as well or even better? Is the presentation of Justice by his office accurate for contemporary New York City?
Snyder was a very attractive candidate who was painted as pro-death penalty, etc by Morgenthau. His office remains a master at manipulating the press as he does know where all the bodies are buried. After 30+ years one would think it's time for someone else. Snyder did a lot of firsts and, it could be argued, did more for the City during the tough times of the 70's and 80's then did Morgenthau. I hope she runs as she will certainly get my vote.
 Democrats can breath a sigh of relief that Eliot Spitzer is now governor. When Mr. Morgenthau dies in office (which he seems to be planning to do), Mr. Spitzer will appoint his successor, and it won't be Leslie Crocker-Schneider (despite their agreement on reinstating the death penalty). I was afraid that he'd die before this year and a Republican Pataki Hack would be appointed to the position of DA in possibly the most liberal county in the country. If his other appointments are any indication, Mr. Spitzer will choose someone with good prosecutorial experience who has not been in political office before (we can rest assured that it won't be a member of the legislature). I would think that a man of such experience would prefer to endorse a worthy successor, help him or her win and gracefully retire, but then again, I've only ever briefly met the man; like I said, he seems to want to die in office. I suppose he might think he's going to live forever. As I see it, other than Mr. Morgenthau, there's only two men in the world with more experience being the Manhattan County D.A., as Fred Thompson is a Republican, Gov. Spitzer should appoint Steven Hill to the position (and he will be only 87 in 2009). Given demgraphic and fiscal trends, and the fact that many of us will end up working until we end up in a nursing home, I tend to have admiration for those of prior generations who continue to produce on my behalf long after most of their peers. Including the whole staff of 60 Minutes.
The question about incumbency, however, is a good one. In a contested campaign, would Mr. Morgenthau, as he is now, be elected to an open seat? If not, then it is only the way things are rigged to keep incumbents in office that keeps him there. But that isn't just a matter of age, as there are far younger people who I can say with certainty ought to be replaced. The question that needs to be asked is, "has Robert Morgenthau gotten too powerful?" This has less to do with his age than the number of years he has been in office, and how deeply entrenched his power and influence has to be by now. The whole argument behind term limits is that if you live in a room for too long, you can get oblivious to what smells in it. Because you have gotten used to the smell. Only fresh eyes, ears, and noses, after a time, can detect the odors. Therefore the only way to clean things up is to get different people in the room. How do you have a strong system of checking power, making sure the room stays clean, when people stay in office forever? Even if Morgenthau has been the greatest DA in the city's history, the case can be made that after three decades, that we would be better off letting somebody else in the room. Somebody with a fresh set of senses.
Politiko I am LOL! Fred Thomspon for Manhattan DA. Somehow it seems right.
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Your comments about a "wheelchair bound" (some might say "I'm only wheelchair bound in the privacy of my own home!) or "blind" elected official are deeply offensive
The real issue should be how well Morgenthau can continue to function in his job, without resorting to ageist or ableist prejudices.