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Liz Benjamin
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Posts by Liz Benjamin
Schumer Cheers For Gillibrand
May 14th - 1:53 pm
During a stop in Syracuse today, Sen. Chuck Schumer praised junior Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and confidently predicted her re-election in November, regardless of which of her three would-be Republican opponents wins the June 26 primary.
In response to a question posed by YNN’s Bill Carey, Schumer said:
“Well, I think the more the merrier. I don’t think any of the three could stack up to Senator Gillibrand. I think over the last several years she’s worked hard, succeeded, gotten to know the voters, so I think she’s going to do real well no matter which of the three is the nominee.”
“…Any party, whether nationally or in New York, that moves too far to the extreme loses. When Democrats move too far to left, they lose. When Republicans move too far right, they lose. And it may be happening to them now.”
Schumer’s comments come on the heels of a Siena poll released this morning that found Gillibrand continues to lead her three GOP opponents – Rep. Bob Turner, Wendy Long and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos – by more than 30 percentage points.
The same poll found two thirds of Republicans remain undecided about which of the three they will support in the primary.
Morse Makes Hay Of Espada Verdict (Updated)
May 14th - 1:12 pm
Albany County Legislature Chairman Shawn Morse seized on the conviction of former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. on four counts of felony theft (so far) from his taxpayer-funded Soundview Health Clinic to tee off on his Democratic primary opponent, Sen. Neil Breslin, for voting to accept Espada back into the conference following the 2009 coup.
“I am glad to see today’s guilty verdicts for disgraced ex-Senator Pedro Espada,” Morse said. “This is yet another step in cleaning up our state Government and giving New Yorkers the Legislature they deserve. ”
“While I hope this is the final end of Pedro Espada’s role in government, we still need to take ahard look at how this situation arose, and the bad choices that were made that allowed him to lie, cheat and steal from the taxpayers for as long as he did.”
“My opponent, who was one of those who supported Mr. Espada in exchange for keeping his position in the Majority, now admits that he ‘shares in the guilt’ and the ‘shame’ for his past support. Mr. Breslin may admit his guilt now, but it would have been far better if he never supported Mr. Espada for Majority Leader in the first place. ”
“The damage that Neil Breslin’s support of Mr. Espada did to the state, to his reputation, and to the reputation of Democrats as a whole is still being felt. The next time Mr. Breslin is offered the chance to support a criminal in exchange for more power, I hope he thinks better of it.”
Breslin has repeatedly made clear his less-than-friendly feelings about Espada – at one point (after the coup was settled and the Democrats had returned to the majority, thanks to the retun – with strings attached – of Espada and his co-conspirator, former Sen. Hiram Monserrate, to the fold) even saying that his colleague was a “crook” who belonged “in jail.”
The senator even used that statement in a campaign ad back in 2010 – the year he successfully fended off a primary challenge from Luke Martland.
But it’s also true that Breslin ultimately did not object when his fellow Democrats voted to allow Monserrate and Espada to return to the conference, restoring him to his post as Insurance Committee chairman. Last January, Breslin was tapped by Democratic Leader John Sampson to serve as deputy minority leader, a position that carries a $20,500 stipend (lulu).
NOTE: A reader reminds me that Morse has a Senate Democrat connection of his own. He hired the consulting firm Red Horse Strategies to run his campaign. The firm’s founders left the public payroll in 2008, but have retained ties – and contracts – to the conference on and off since then.
UPDATE: Breslin’s response:
“I believe we as elected officials need to hold ourselves to a higher ethical standard. The people entrust us to do what is right and we have a duty to represent them in the most honest and ethical way possible. No one with a criminal record should ever be elected to office.”
“I called for former Senator Espada’s ouster long before his conviction today. I am proud to say that I have been one the most outspoken voices of reform in the New York State Senate. I will continue to be that voice of reform because the people of Albany and Rensselaer Counties, and all of New York State deserve no less.”
Espada Guilty On (At Least) Four Counts Of Theft (Updatedx3)
May 14th - 12:13 pm
At last, a decision from the long-deadlocked jury mulling the fate of former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.
NY1 political reporter Grace Rauh is in the courtroom and reports the Bronx Democrat has been found guilty on felony four counts of theft.
This story is developing very quickly. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: This is a partial verdict. The jury is continuing to deliberate.
UPDATE2: The jury passed a note to the judge indicating they are now deadlocked, explaining: “We cannot reach a unanimous decision on any of the remaining counts.” That would include all the counts against Espada’s son, Pedro G. Espada.
UPDATE3: According to Rauh, the judge accepted a hung jury on the remaining counts.
Here And Now, Poll Position Edition
May 14th - 7:00 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in Albany with no public schedule.
Hundreds of senior citizens from across the state are expected at the LOB’s well for their lobby day.
There’s a hearing on the Fidler-Storobin Senate race ballot count at 10 a.m. in the Brooklyn office of the Board of Elections.
At 1 p.m., Sen Mike Ranzenhofer will discuss legislation he is sponsoring that would close a loophole that gave a WNY man who killed his wife the sole rights to her remains. (Room 332 of the Capitol).
President Obama is back in New York. This time, he’s in Manhattan to deliver the commencement address at Barnard College.
He’ll also tape an appearance on “The View” (this reportedly was supposed to be the setting for his big gay marriage announcement), and attend two campaign events/fundraisers.
Good news greets Obama in New York: He continues to enjoy a comfortable (although slightly diminished) two-digit lead over Mitt Romney here, according to today’s Siena poll.
The poll also found more than three quarters of voters support raising the state’s hourly minimum wage to $8.50 and some two thirds back the Senate GOP’s package of $200 million worth of bueinss tax cuts. Smell a deal in the offing?
Also: While Cuomo’s favorable/unfavorably rating is down slightly – from 72-22 to 68-24 – and his job approval has slipped from 63-36 to 56-43. They’re still very high.
Great news for the Legislature: Both houses have hit their record high favorability ratings, with a plurality of New Yorkers viewing the Senate in a positive light (46-43). The Assembly is at 42-44.
However, watch out Republicans: By a 56-38 percent margin voters say they would like to see Democrats win control of the Senate. The key bloc: Independents, who say 48-43 that control of the chamber should change hands.
And now, headlines…
The governor has signaled he’s willing to sign off on a pay raise for legislators, but not when his own re-election is approaching. So, it’s “now or never,” according to an administration source.
Cuomo has a thing for task forces and commissions, even though he pledged when he ran in 2010 to reduce their number.
Despite the governor’s claims to the contrary, it was Cuomo’s office that urged Obama to change the location of last week’s visit from GlobalFoundries to the Nanotech complex.
The Weekend That Was
May 13th - 5:24 pm
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Semi-First Lady Sandra Lee were in the Hamptons this weekend.
Speaking at the UNC Chapel Hill commencement, Mayor Bloomberg decried the gay marriage ban passed in the state last week.
Mitt Romney discussed the “preeminence of family” and reiterated his opposition to gay marriage while delivering the commencement speech at an evangelical Christian university in Virginia Saturday.
In the broad resegregation of the nation’s schools that has transpired over recent decades, New York City’s public-school system looms as one of the most segregated, despite the diversity of its population.
A “scheduling issue” kept Sen. Bill Perkins from an event where he was expected to endorse Rep. Charlie Rangel.
Rangel backtracked (via a spokeswoman) from his comment Friday that he doesn’t “give a damn” whether President Obama endorses him in the June 26 primary.
(For the record, that was hardly the first time he’s said such a thing).
Says the NY Post: “(I)f Charlie Rangel is interested in preserving a shred of the scant dignity remaining to him, he should just pack it in.”
Former Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, now Cuomo’s go-to guy in Western New York, has had to subvert some of his past positions in order to serve the governor in his new job.
Mohawk Valley officials don’t entirely agree with how the Cuomo administration allocated millions of dollars said to be earmarked to help communities recover from the closure of correctional facilities.
John Heilemann writes: “From the moment last June that Andrew Cuomo signed the bill legalizing gay marriage in New York, Barack Obama knew the ludicrous pretense that his views on the issue were ‘evolving’ was living on borrowed time.”
Gay Marriage Opponent Ties McDonald To Obama
May 11th - 7:12 am
ICYMI: During the CapTon interview last night, the Rev. Jason McGuire gave a hint of what’s to come for Sen. Roy McDonald, seeking to tie the Republican lawmaker to Democratic President Obama on the subject of same-sex marriage.
McGuire chastised McDonald for attending the president’s speech at the NanoTech complex earlier this week, which came just hours before his revelation that he has finished evolving on the topic of gay marriage and now supports letting same-sex couples legally wed.
“Looking in the Capital Region, it was clear that Senator McDonald wanted to rush over to the side of President Obama when he spoke in that area while other Republicans stayed away,” McGuire said.
“I think it gives an indication of where Senator McDonald is lining up – alongside President Obama rather than the traditional Republican Party.”
McDonald was one of the few Republicans present at that event Tuesday.
The rest of his colleagues – including Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who allowed the gay marriage bill to come to the floor and was feted by the Log Cabin Republicans at a fundraiser this week – were in Albany, but stayed down at the Capitol for an auto insurance fraud press conference.
McDonald has lost support from the Conservative Party and some local GOP committees due to his “yes” vote on gay marriage. He’s facing a primary challenge from Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione.
Gay marriage opponents like McGuire and NOM have made it clear they will work to oust the four “yes” voting Republicans this fall.
That task got a little easier this week after Sen. Jim Alesi announced he won’t seek re-election due to his loss of local support due to both his gay marriage vote and his ill-timed (and hastily withdrawn) lawsuit against two constituents who didn’t press charges against him when he trespassed on their property.
McGuire said Obama’s gay marriage announcement will help galvanize the conservative grassroots for Mitt Romney – a group that the former Massachusetts governor has had trouble winning over – and also for GOP primary challengers targeting moderate fellow Republicans here in New York.
Here And Now
May 11th - 6:55 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in New York City with no public schedule.
President Obama touted, was praised for , his gay marriage change of heart at a star-studded fundraiser hosted by George Clooney that raised an estimated $15 million.
That total is believed to be the biggest one-night election haul in history.
VP Joe Biden apologized to the president for hastening his announcement that he had finished his evolution on gay marriage and now personally supports it.
Mitt Romney opposes gay marriage because he thinks it’s better for kids to be raised by a mother and a father, but thinks gay adoption is “fine.”
The family of a gay man who was reportedly bullied by Romney and his friends during their boarding school days issued a statement challenging his portrayal and decrying that “he would be used to further a political agenda.”
Former New Paltz Mayor Jason West, who drew national acclaim for performing gay marriages while in office, says Obama came too late to this issue and needs to push for federal legislation.
Former US Sen. Alfonse D’Amato’s firm lobbies for Taiwan’s government and organized a $22,132 trip there – complete with first class flights and accommodations – for Rep. Bill Owens and his wife in an apparent violation of post-Abramoff scandal House rules.
The governor is scheduled to meet semiconductor industry leaders from around the world in Saratoga Springs on May 24.
The editor of the Irish Voice newspaper believes NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s election in the 2013 mayor’s race would be “good for Ireland,” adding: “She is the kind of old- fashioned Irish politician who delivers.”
Advocates worry veteran Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes, who has been re-elected six times with support from ultra-Orthodox rabbis, isn’t vigorously prosecuting allegations of child abuse in the community.
Extras
May 10th - 5:03 pm
Jason Horowitz says it took two weeks for him to report his story on Mitt Romney’s prep school bullying of a fellow student who was gay. He also insists the story wasn’t planted by the opposition.
A Cranbrook classmate of Romney’s says the presidential contender was “kind of a jerk” in high school.
The DNC is highlighting the “vicious” quote in Horowitz’s story.
Rudy Giuliani said Obama’s decision to come out on gay marriage undercuts the flip-clop argument Democrats like to use against Romney.
Ellen DeGeneres on Obama’s gay marriage news: “It takes a brave man to take a stand like this – especially in an election year. So I say, Mr. President thank you very, very, very much.”
Unmarried teen mom Bristol Palin criticized the president for listening to his daughters on important matters of social policy. “(W)e know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home,” she writes.
House Speaker John Boehner doesn’t want to talk about gay marriage. He’d prefer to focus on the economy.
Mayor Bloomberg hopes Romney evolves on gay marriage, too. But he’s still not ready to endorse anyone.
Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. believes his old amigo, Pedro Espada Jr., will win even for losing if he’s convicted.
NYC Councilman Councilman James Sanders Jr. plans to announce his primary challenge to Sen. Shirley Huntley on Friday night during a community event.
The cost of the new Tappan Zee Bridge is a “wildcard” that will dictate financing, Cuomo said.
Sen. David Carlucci says he won’t be “bullied” into backing a tax increase for Rockland County, even after it was downgraded by Moody’s.
Iowa Democrats chose Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008, but they want her to run in 2016. Cuomo leads the Democratic field (with 47 percent undecided) if neither Clinton nor VP Joe Biden run.
Sen. George Maziarz faces a primary challenge this fall from Niagara Falls attorney Johnny G. Destino. There’s speculation this is payback for the senator’s involvement in Erie County GOP politics.
Conservative radio show host Bill Nojay is running for Assemblyman Sean Hanna’s seat now that Hanna is running for Alesi’s seat.
AP time warp, or wishful thinking: Gov. Mario Cuomo?
Long-shot NYC mayoral candidate Tom Allon is looking for a Latino running mate, and has met with a number of electeds, including former Bronx BP Adolfo Carrion and Sen. Jose Peralta – both of whom have their eyes on other offices.
RIP Louis Tomson, former aide to Governors Rockefeller and Pataki and first president of LMDC.
Living Liberally is honoring AG Eric Schneiderman at its annual celebration in NYC tonight, co-hosted by 1199 SEIU.
Former NY GOP Executive Director Allison Coccia was named a regional political director for the 2012 campaign by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.
Most of NYC’s House delegation backed a failed measure to rebuke the NYPD’s intelligence-gathering efforts focused on Muslim groups.
Pat Kiernan really wants that new gig with Kelly Ripa. REALLY.
US Chamber Of Commerce, NY Bizz Council Debut House Ads
May 10th - 1:14 pm
The US Chamber of Commerce and the state Business Council have unleashed a barrage of ads – both positive and negative – in hopes of influencing competitive House races across New York.
Politics on the Hudson first reported this blitz, which is not officially coordinated with any campaign (because that would be illegal, of course). Now the ads are up on the Chamber’s website.
Two of them appear below.
One opposes Rep. Kathy Hochul, a Western New York freshman who is arguably the most vulnerable member of the Democratic New York members, thanks to redistricting. The spot slams Hochul for her support of so-called “Obamacare.”
The other ad praises Republican Rep. Nan Hayworth, who has five Democrats vying for the right to challenge her in the November general election, for her unwillingness to “punish” small businesses with tax increases.
Other New York members who are either targeted or boosted by the ads include: Democratic Reps. Bill Owens and Louise Slaughter (negative) and Republican Reps. Chris Gibson and Ann Marie Buerkle (positive – corrected, thanks).
There’s also a pro-Randy Altschuler spot. (He’s the Republican businessman making a second attempt at ousting Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop on Long Island.
Interestingly, the ads make no mention of the Business Council’s involvement, though the organization and its president, Heather Briccetti, get top billing in the press release announcing the new campaign.
“New York needs jobs, and now is the time for Washington to focus on policies that will help create them,” Briccetti said.
The release also informs us that this advertising launch is the Chamber’s third campaign in the 2012 cycle and is part of the organization’s largest voter education and grassroots mobilization effort in its 100 year history, aimed at highlighting candidates’ positions on issues critical to the American recovery.
I expect to see a lot more where this came from, thanks to the exponential growth of super PACs in this campaign cycle. So, stay tuned.
Senate Dems Leave Incumbents To Fight It Out Alone
May 10th - 8:42 am
ICYMI: Sen. Liz Krueger told me on CapTon last night that the cash-strapped DSCC is unlikely to assist conference members who are facing primary challenges from fellow Democrats, saying the democratic process needs to be allowed to play out.
That’s a stark difference from the well-funded Senate GOP, whose leader, Sen. Dean Skelos, has pledged to assist majority members like Sens. Roy McDonald and Mark Grisanti, for example, who are facing tough challenges from fellow Republicans.
Of course, with close to $5 million on hand in their regular campaign committee and housekeeping account, the Republicans can afford to be generous with their colleagues.
The Democrats, who continue to insist they have a shot at winning back the majority this fall despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s approval of a gerrymandered redistricting map that benefits the GOP, remain more than $1 million in debt from the 2010 elections in which they lost control of the chamber.
Krueger used to have a hand in fundraising for the DSCC, but now is focused on raising money for her own PAC – No Bad Apples – which supports reform-minded Democrats.
She backed Sen. Gustavo Rivera’s successful 2010 primary challenge to ex-Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr., for example.
Rivera now faces a primary challenge of his own, but Krueger didn’t mention (nor did I ask her) if she’ll be helping Rivera, should he need it.
My discussion with Krueger came on the heels of a CapTon appearance by Albany County Legislature Chairman Shawn Morse, who has launched a primary against Sen. Neil Breslin.
Morse again would not commit to supporting Senate Minority Leader John Sampson for majority leader if he’s elected and the Democrats re-take control of the chamber.
But Morse also stressed that he’s a Democrat and won’t back a Republican in a leadership fight.
“My understanding is that the Democratic Campaign Committee is not getting involved with primaries,” Krueger said. “Obviously, you would need to officially ask Mike Gianaris, the chair of DSCC.”
“I think that Neil Breslin is an extraordinary senator, and I am proud to serve with him. He’s had primaries before, and he has remained in the Senate. And I think he is going to work very hard to make sure that he holds his seat.”
“But as to whether the Senate campaign committee gets involved, my guy and knowledge tell me no, which doesn’t mean that individual senators and elected officials might not choose to help Neil if they see that he is in need of assistance.”
A number of Democrats – including Gianaris himself – have very healthy campaign committee balances, and could send cash Breslin’s way if necessary. As of mid-January, Breslin had $107,853 on hand.
I asked Krueger why she thinks we’re seeing so many intra-party battles on both sides of the aisle at the national and state levels this year. She responded: “Well, I think it’s called democracy.”
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