The 2009 special election for the 20th congressional district of New
York was held to fill the vacancy created when Congresswoman Kirsten
Gillibrand was appointed US senator from New York, replacing Hillary
Clinton, who had been appointed Secretary of State in the Obama
administration. The two major-party candidates were Democrat Scott
Murphy (pictured), a private businessman, and Republican Jim Tedisco,
the minority leader of the New York State Assembly. Early polls favored
Tedisco, but by February the race was considered a toss-up. The
Republican Party considered the election to be a referendum on Obama's
economic policy and injected significant funding into Tedisco's
campaign. Major issues included Obama's stimulus plan, which Murphy
supported while Tedisco eventually opposed. One early vote count had the
candidates tied at 77,225 votes each. Absentee ballots decided the
election; ballots were accepted until April 13. While Tedisco had been
ahead in early counts, by April 23 Murphy had a 401-vote advantage and
Tedisco conceded. Democratic electoral successes in November 2008 and
Murphy's clear support of the stimulus package were credited for his
success.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_20th_congressional_district_special_election,_2009>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1431:
Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in
Rouen, France, after being convicted of heresy in a politically
motivated trial.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc>
1854:
The Kansas–Nebraska Act became law, establishing the U.S.
territories of Nebraska and Kansas, repealing the 1820 Missouri
Compromise, and allowing settlers in those territories to determine if
they would permit slavery within their boundaries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%E2%80%93Nebraska_Act>
1913:
The Treaty of London was signed to deal with territorial
adjustments arising out of the conclusion of the First Balkan War,
declaring, among other things, an independent Albania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_(1913)>
1963:
Buddhist crisis: A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination
was held outside South Vietnam's National Assembly, the first open
demonstration against President Ngo Dinh Diem.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_crisis>
1989:
Goddess of Democracy (replica pictured), a ten-metre (33 ft)
high statue made mostly of polystyrene foam and papier-mâché, was
erected by student protestors in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess_of_Democracy>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
have Van Gogh's ear for music:
(humorous) To be tone-deaf.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/have_Van_Gogh%27s_ear_for_music>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
What all other men are is of the greatest importance to me.
However independent I may imagine myself to be, however far removed I
may appear from mundane considerations by my social status, I am
enslaved to the misery of the meanest member of society.
--Mikhail Bakunin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin>