One of the ways you can tell whether a New York City politician is really committed to running for higher office is by his or her willingness to campaign upstate. Those of us who live in the metropolitan area and are particularly shallow tend to regard upstate as a combination of half-empty strip malls and attractive but hard-to-reach scenery.
Hillary Clinton, who has not lived here long enough to absorb local prejudices, really likes it up there. "Last week I was in Binghamton and Rochester and Corning and Albany, and I'm back in Albany today. I'll be back in Buffalo tomorrow," she said brightly this week. (For those of you who read the Harry Potter books, Mrs. Clinton as a candidate is Hermione Granger. She wants to sign up for all the courses, and if there's a scheduling conflict, she'll replicate.)
There's no actual proof Mr. Giuliani is a downstate snob who hates driving three hours to have dinner at a place where the steak comes wrapped in cheese. But it is an absolute fact that his associates have found it almost impossible to drag him up north.
(Fri Apr 14, 2000 - 11:22:31 am)