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Archive for August, 2010
DioGuardi Hits The Airwaves
Aug 31st - 7:39 pm
With just two weeks left before the Sept. 14 primary, former Westchester Rep. Joe DioGuardi has joined his GOP US Senate primary opponent, David Malpass, on the airwaves with his first campaign ad of the season.
This leaves the third contender (and lowest self-funder) hoping to take on Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Bruce Blakeman, the odd man out in the TV race.
The spot, which wil start running statewide over broadcast and cable TV tomorrow, is pretty straightforward, although it bypasses the whole bio spot thing to go straight for the anti-Washington message – not a bad idea, considering how voters are feeling so negative about incumbents and government these days.
The script, which appears below, makes no mention of the fact that DioGuardi was actually once part of that whole inside-the-Beltway scene, focusing instead on his experience as a certified public accountant.
“I’m Joe DioGuardi. In Congress, they use this card to vote. But they’ve turned it into the most expensive credit card in the world…with no limit. And you get the bill. It’s a ticking time bomb that cripples the economy, stops job creation and will make us poor. I’m a certified public accountant running for the U.S. Senate to get spending under control. And to stop this madness that’s costing us jobs and the American Dream. I’m Joe DioGuardi and I approve this message.”
Extras
Aug 31st - 5:41 pm
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring the collection of taxes sold on Indian reservations to non-Indians, which was scheduled to start tommorrow.
It appears the governor misspoke about State Troopers getting shot in Indian country during the Carey years.
The Office of Congressional Ethics has asked the Hosue ethics committee to investigate three House members – including Queens Rep. Joe Crowley – in relation to fundraising events with financial services firms that coincided with the debate over Wall Street reform.
Assemblywoman Ginny Fields would like a robocall recorded by AG Andrew Cuomo.
Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, who led the charge for a microstamping bill along with Sen. Eric Schneiderman, endorsed Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice for AG.
Eleanor’s Legacy is not happy with Assemblyman Adam Claton Powell IV.
Chemung County GOP Chairman Michael Krusen endorsed Carl Paladino for governor. (No link).
The NFIB made its first endorsement of the season for GOP Senate candidate Mary Beth Murphy, who is running in a primary against Assemblyman Greg Ball.
Sen. Neil Breslin called Gov. David Paterson an “absolute, total failure” as a governor.
Paterson signed 66 bills into law and vetoed 26.
Caroline Giuliani got one day of community service for her shoplifting spree.
Paterson named a health care reform advisory committee.
The NYC firefighter unions endorsed Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
Investigating the financing for the Park51 project would “set a terrible precedent,” according to Mayor Bloomberg.
Bloomberg thinks Community Board 1 Chair Jule Menin’s idea of turning the mosque into an interfaith center is a good one, but only if the developers want to.
The mayor said he didn’t discuss 2012 with the president when the two of them golfed (not well) and reiterated that he intends to serve out all 1,218 remaining days in his third term.
Here’s the governor talking about how the “acrimony” surrounding the Park51 project has started to remind him of “Bonfire of the Vanities”.
Preordained Endorsement?
Aug 31st - 5:16 pm
Apparently, the NY Post was very clear about who it DIDN’T want to back in the upcoming Democratic AG primary.
Neither Sen. Eric Schneiderman, who took the hardest beating in the tab’s OpEd backing Sean Coffey this morning; nor Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (a close second), nor Eric Dinallo (didn’t escape unscathed, either) were invited to interview with editorial board members, according to sources with all three campaigns.
Here’s what the Post said about Schneiderman and Brodsky:
“Bottom line: The fact that Schneiderman and Brodsky prospered in the state Legislature simply disqualifies them for higher office.”
So, I guess it stands to reason that they didn’t get invited in to chat.
Brodsky’s campaign manager Jon Lipshutz said the Westchester assemblyman, whom the Post dismissed as “an Albany fixture” and “reflexive gadfly” and hit for being too close to “poster child for Albany dysfunction” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, would have gone to speak to the paper “if we were invited.”
“I’m sure Richard would have had a response if they had at least talked to us,” said Lipshutz. “But we’re not really broken up that we didn’t get it.”
Dems Debate In 58th Senate District
Aug 31st - 4:12 pm
The four Democratic candidates for State Senate in the 58th district, representing South Buffalo and neighboring towns, held a debate today that will air on our YNN Buffalo station tonight at 7pm.
The two favorites in the race are considered to be incumbent Senator Bill Stachowski and Erie County legislator Tim Kennedy. Right off the bat the two took shots at each other on the issue of SUNY empowerment.
Sen. Stachowski has claimed that there is a framework of a deal in place for the bill. But Kennedy called it a “phantom framework” and suggested that no one knows what is happening with the bill, including University of Buffalo President John Simpson, who announced he is retiring yesterday.
Sen. Stachowski shot back by saying the deal is being negotiated right now. He went on to say the plan will contain several things previously reported including an agreement on tuition increases with a TAP match. He also said that President Simpson was well aware of the current framework.
Paterson Takes A Pass On AG Endorsement (Updated)
Aug 31st - 4:03 pm
Gov. David Paterson today declined to pick a favorite from among the five Democrats vying to replace Andrew Cuomo as attorney general, saying it would be inappropriate for him to do so “as the leader of the party.”
“Well I would think as the leader of the party, that I’m asking all Democrats to support the winner of these primaries,” the governor explained. “So, for me to endorse one and then ask, try to bring people together after the primary…”
“We’ll bring all of our attorney general candidates together after the primary and get them to support the winner in the general election…So, I don’t think that it’s prudent when you’re the leader of the party to be picking and choosing.”
Leaving aside the fact that Cuomo has more or less taken over the party, installing his erstwhile running mate-turned-opponent Charlie King as executive director and relying often on both King and Chairman Jay Jacobs as surrogate attack dogs, it’s interesting to see Paterson taking his cues from his old political foe this one.
Cuomo, as I reported in my DN column yesterday, has yet to endorse a successor with just two weeks to go until the Sept. 14 primary.
His onetime favorite, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice, has clearly fallen out of favor, and it seems possible – although improbable, given his concern that Staten Island DA Dan Donovan might win the general – that he could do nothing until someone wins the primary.
UPDATE: My response to the commentor regarding where I’m getting the information regarding Cuomo and the bloom off the rose with Rice is after the jump.
Who, Me? An Assemblyman?
Aug 31st - 3:33 pm
Apparently, Albany has become so toxic in this election season that veteran lawmakers who havebeen in office since January 1997 are choosing to overlook that part of their resume in campaign mailers.
A reader, (who is quite clearly close to Espaillat’s opponent, District leader Mark Levine), forwarded this mailer for Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, who is running for the Manhattan Senate seat Eric Schneiderman is vacating to seek statewide office (AG).
The piece makes Espaillat sound like some sort of housing advocate. Nowhere does it mention that he has done time at the state Capitol.
UPDATE: Espaillat spokesman Sam Hobish sent a response, which appears in full after the jump.
Cox In Enemy Territory (Updated)
Aug 31st - 2:34 pm
State GOP Chairman Ed Cox got an earful in Western NY last week (AKA Paladino Country), where he traveled in hopes of building a donor base to help build a GOTV program to rival the effort already being set up by the RNC.
Cox, who is now backing the “credible” party designee, Rick Lazio for governor, scheduled a sit-down with Assemblyman Jack Quinn, who is viewed as a rising GOP star and one of the party’s best hopes at re-taking a Senate seat this fall (he’ll be facing off against whoever wins the 58th SD Democratic primary…(fixed)).
Imagine the chairman’s surprise when his breakfast meeting at Pano’s, a Buffalo diner eatery on Elmwood Avenue, was crashed by Quinn’s consultant, Brendan Quinn, and Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy (a Carl Paladino supporter), who said he had not received a heads-up from Cox about his impending visit.
“He told people he was out here to build a donor base for the state party and wanted to find 20 people in Buffalo to give $10,000 apiece,” Langworthy told me.
“We have a lot of our own interests out here separate from what’s going on in state committee….it’s not like we have the deep pockets of New York City. I didn’t find out about the meeting until several of my donors called me to say he had asked them for money.”
“…He’s downplaying the ability of the RNC to fund the Victory program,” Langworthy continued. “I think that’s nonsense. He says he needs to do his own program because the RNC is going to be underfunded so they’re not going to be able to support the things they started.”
Mosque-Related Violence Not Unique To NYC
Aug 31st - 2:16 pm
Our YNN station in Rochester reports:
Five teens were arrested and charged after a confrontation outside of an Orleans County mosque Monday night as worshippers were leaving Ramadan services. No one was hurt.
One of the teens is also charged with firing a shotgun near the mosque last Friday.
Orleans County Sheriff says this is a situation that has escalated the last few days at the World Sufi Foundation Mosque on Fuller Road in Waterport. Two vehicles full of teenagers have allegedly been driving by and yelling at mosque members who were leaving services.
Authorities say the latest incident took place Monday night, with people driving by the mosque, beeping car horns and yelling obscenities during a religious service.
Investigators charged the following individuals with disruption of religious services.
Mark Vendetti, 17; Tim Weader, 17; Dylan Phillips, 18; Jeff Donahue, 18; and Anthony Ogden, 18.
Stach Makes National ‘Dirty Dozen’ List
Aug 31st - 1:28 pm
Sorry to pile on Sen. Bill Stachowski today, but more and more traditional Democratic allies are turning on the Buffalo lawmaker by the moment, it seems.
On the heels of the New York League of Conservation Voters’ launch of its “Sack Stach” campaign, in which it put the senator atop its list of people to beat in the upcoming primary, the organization’s national arm – the Legaue of Conservation Voters – has included Stachowski in its first-ever “Dirty Dozen” program.
“From Congress to the state house there has never been a more urgent time to defeat politicians who stand with corporate polluters and block progress on sound environmental policies,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski.
“With the U.S. Senate’s recent failure to act on comprehensive energy and climate legislation, we need strong environmental leaders at the state level to move the ball forward on new energy policies that will put America on the path to a clean energy future.”
The LCV solicited input from its state partners to choose from among hundreds of candidates running for governor and/or state legislative offices.
Cynthia Nixon, ‘The Nation’ For Schneiderman
Aug 31st - 1:18 pm
Democratic AG hopeful Sen. Eric Schneiderman keeps stacking up endorsements, particularly from lefties and women – two voting blocs that are key to the Manhattan Democrat’s primary day strategy.
“Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, who is no stranger to Albany (she has lobbied for AQE and on same-sex marriage), is headlining a “Women for Schneiderman” event on Monday, Sept. 13 (the night before the primary). There are actually a lot of interesting names on the invite that appears below – from Liz Abzug to Susan Patricof to, of course, Catherine Schneiderman, the candidate’s daughter.
Also, The Nation magazine has endorsed Schneiderman for AG in a lengthy and very laudatory piece penned by editor Katrina vanden Heuvel, who praised the senator’s “commitment to transformational politics and progressive values.” She also addressed the criticism that Schneiderman is too much of Albany to be able to reform it (a concern that is coming straight out of the Cuomo camp), writing:
“(A)t a time when corruption stalks Albany, Schneiderman offers a long history of fighting for a cleaner, more transparent state government.”
“In fact, he wrote and sponsored the most sweeping ethics reform legislation to pass the legislature in a generation. And despite opposition from his party’s leadership, he also led the effort to remove a State Senator convicted of a domestic violence crime – the first state legislator to get the boot in 90 years.”
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