From Take Back the 24th: Bruce Tytler Conspiracy?

This morning, someone calling himself of herself "Tytlerwatcher" left the following message at the Take Back the 24th Blog:

"You should check out the speculation about Bruce Tytler at the Syracuse.com Cortland County Forum. It appears he is destined to run for Congress, gather donations, drop out of the race and give the money to the Cortland County Democratic Committee that can't raise money under Bill Wood.

Tytler was the one term Mayor of Cortland who spent his entire term tied up by a battle with the Water Board and accomplished nothing."

Rumor has it that Bruce Tytler is currently considering a campaign for the Democratic nomination to oppose Republican incumbent Representative Sherwood Boehlert in this year's election. Rumor, apparently, also has a bit else to say about Bruce Tytler.

I have seen this kind of idea discussed elsewhere on the web, perhaps by the same person, perhaps by someone different. At the discussion boards at Syracuse.com, for example, I found the following comments:

"Rumors abound that Mr. Tytler running for congress is nothing more then a ruse to raise money for the politcal party locally. The rumor is that Mr. Wood and his reputation have reached the tipping point where anything with his name on it can't garner any real support. Political gamesmanship and his Pyric Democratic Committee aside, he can't get the real party faithful to give him the time of day muchless a monotary donation. The ruse is to have Mr. Tytler "run" for this congressional seat but only go through the motions, so as not to spend all the donations he has taken in. Before the primary takes place it is rumored that he will bow out of the race, finally realizing what any politcal student already knows, a Democrat can't win this seat. With the money he has left in his coffers, he can by law, legally donate that money back to the local Democratic Party i.e. one Mr. William Wood. The joke will be on all of those who thought that Bruce was a candidate of substance and principle and once again, Mr. Wood like a theif in the night thwart all people of any decency. Remember, this is just a rumor however, heard while dinning at a local eatery in the first block of Main St. at the begining of the one-way section."

Is there any evidence for some kind of conspiracy by Bruce Tytler to defraud campaign donors? I haven't seen any. What there is evidence for is a coordinated, but underhanded, attack in the style of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

This looks to me like a desperate maneuver by a supporter of one of the other Democratic candidates who is afraid that a Bruce Tytler candidacy would take away valuable attention. The attacks are clearly coming from a resident of Cortland who has a grudge against Democratic Committee chair Bill Wood.

To this attacker, I say: Whatever your agenda, this is not the way to promote it. If Bruce Tytler is not fit to represent the 24th District Democrats in the general congressional election this year, we will find that out when he starts campaigning. If Bill Wood is not to your liking, then gather up a group of Democrats who will support you, and make a run for his position.

Democracy works best in the open, not under the veil of whisper campaigns.

From Take Back New York's 24th