Joe Conason, Managing Editor of the New York Observer, led today’s edition of the paper with a story about Judge Ed Korman’s decision to overturn several stringent rules governing who may appear on the ballot for New York’s Primary. Conason reports that New York almost did not have a Republican Primary, due to unreasonable ballot access control by local party leaders such as Alfonse D’amato and George Pataki. Without this new law, Conason ventures, New York’s presidential nomination would have automatically been handed over to Bob Dole. New York Congressman Major Owens predicts that, thanks to his endorsements by the Christian Coalition and Newt Gingrich, Dole will still win the New York Primary. Owens hopes Pat Buchanon will remain in the race though, if only because his highly vocal, extremist views have forced Democrats to address issues related to the working class and the poor that have thus far been ignored.