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2010
Donovan And Schneiderman Spar Over Monserrate (Updated)
Oct 19th - 3:13 pm
Donovan Campaign Senior Advisor Menashe Shapiro has fired back at the Schneiderman campaign for taking credit for removing Hiram Monserrate from the state Senate.
In a lengthy, and detailed press release, they try to make the case that Schneiderman knew Monserrate was being investigated for this crime.
“…he was in fact deeply aware of the investigations and allegations of Hiram Monserrate’s use of LIBRE as his own personal piggy bank – well before his self-righteous, faux-indignant, and self-serving statement of today,” Shapiro said.
The release goes into a long explanation with multiple published reports, suggesting that Schneiderman knew Monserrate was corrupt and did nothing about it. Though, it doesn’t really say what he could have done about it, except to claim Schneiderman could have voted against Monserrate’s leadership post.
This also confuses me a little. I guess you could take this claim to mean Monserrate’s chairmanship of the Senate Consumer Protection committee was a leadership post. Monserrate was stripped of that position.
UPDATE: Schneiderman campaign spokesman James Freedland just released this response to the attack from Donovan.
“We realize it must be embarrassing for the Donovan campaign that Dan Donovan, by his own admission, has never prosecuted a single corrupt official, while Eric Schneiderman chaired the committee that expelled Hiram Monserrate, a member of his own party, from the senate. “But embarrassment is really no excuse to release 800-word essays that make no sense and ‘confuse’ even the one reporter who posted it.”
The complete press release is after the jump.
More >
Foley Blasts NFIB, NFIB Fires Back (Updated)
Oct 19th - 2:43 pm
Democratic Senator Brian Foley has gone on the attack against one of the groups endorsing his Republican opponent Lee Zeldin.
NFIB, the small business advocacy group, back Zeldin earlier this week. Foley, took issue, and attacked the group at a candidates forum, where he accused NFIB of promoting the outsourcing of jobs, and blasted Zeldin for accepting the endorsement.
NFIB acquired a video of that attack, and released it along with a statement from State Director Mike Elmendorf.
“It was difficult to conceive that anything could be worse than Senator Brian Foley’s ZERO percent voting record on small business issues over the past two years,” Elmendorf said. “However, at a candidate forum last night, Senator Foley launched a stunning and completely baseless attack on NFIB/NY–which represents more than 10,000 small and independent businesses in every corner of our state, not large multi-national corporations–bizarrely accusing our organization of promoting the outsourcing of jobs.”
“Senator Foley has shown a startling disconnect with the reality of small business and our economy, which should probably be no surprise coming from the individual with the worst record on small business issues in the entire legislature.”
UPDATE: Foley campaign pointed me to this link on the NFIB website, which they say the Senator was referring too. It is entitled the Pluses and Minuses of Outsourcing.
Reading through it, it definitely outlines the positives of outsourcing work. But I wouldn’t say it goes as far as saying it promotes shipping jobs overseas. It also clearly states that outsourcing does lead to shipping jobs overseas.
“It’s no secret to anyone working in American business today that many jobs have been lost as a result of shifting activity to largely foreign areas where labor costs are lower than in this country.”
NFIB says this page is just one of many resources they provide small businesses and stands by their statement that they do not support outsourcing.
The NFIB is a non-partisan group, but they have endorsed only Republican candidates for State Senate this year. Though, they did back several Senate Democrats back in 2008.
Schneiderman Quick To Weigh In On Monserrate
Oct 19th - 11:19 am
News of Monserrate’s apparent surrender to federal officials has given Democratic Attorney General Candidate Eric Schneiderman a chance to once again remind the public that he was the one who led the committee that recommended the Queens Senator’s removal from office.
“If the charges prove to be true, this is just the latest example of why cracking down on public corruption will continue to be a top priority when I’m Attorney General,” Schneiderman said in a statement.
He goes on to say, “While kicking Mr. Monserrate out of the senate has removed him from our state government, we cannot rest until all of the bad apples are rooted out of the system, and as Attorney General I will vigorously fight crime and corruption wherever it occurs.”
Schneiderman often points to the investigation into Monserrate as a sign of his independence when he is asked if he would be able to investigate his colleagues, many who have given to his campaign.
Wilson Touts Endorsements In New Ad
Oct 19th - 11:02 am
In case you missed reports that Republican Comptroller Candidate Harry Wilson was endorsed by the New York Times, Daily News, and NY Post – the campaign has a new ad reminding voters.
The 15-second spot will be running in the New York City media market shortly.
A recent poll by Quinnipiac showed that 90 percent of voters didn’t know enough about Wilson to form an opinion of him. So, a late ad blitz might help define him. That same poll had Wilson trailing DiNapoli 49 – 31 percent.
NRCC On The Attack
Oct 18th - 10:18 am
The NRCC has launched a couple of new TV ads targeting upstate Democrats. One blasts Rep. Michael Arcuri of “double talk”, again. The other hits Rep. Scott Murphy for voting for higher taxes, and shipping jobs overseas.
This is the second time they have accused Arcuri of “double talk. The first spot hit him for voting for the stimulus bill, and then telling a paper he wasn’t sure if he should have voted for the plan. This one continues along the same line.
The ad hits Murphy’s old company for creating jobs in India, something that he was attacked over in his first campaign for Congress in 2009.
It also suggests he voted for job killing energy taxes, which is a reference to the American Clean Energy and Security Act or climate control bill that passed in the House, but has yet to be taken up in the Senate.
NARAL Goes After Donovan On Choice (Updated)
Oct 14th - 11:38 am
NARAL Pro-Choice NY held a press conference call this morning to attack Republican Attorney General candidate Dan Donovan, calling him an “anti-choice activist.”
NARAL’s president, Kelli Conlin, accused Donovan of securing grant money for the Crisis Pregnancy Center of New York while serving as State Island deputy borough president.
Conlin says CPC “uses deception and scare tactics to dissuade women from considering their full range of reproductive health care options.”
“We are disappointed that Dan Donovan has not been upfront with the women of our state. While insisting that he would protect reproductive rights, he has remained silent about his alliance with the very organizations that make it their purpose to prevent women from accessing reproductive health care,” said Conlin.
“To be clear: our concern is not only that Dan Donovan helped secure grants for the Crisis Pregnancy Center but that he has actively misled New Yorkers about his neutrality on this issue,” she added.
NRCC To Make Buerkle A ‘Young Gun’
Oct 12th - 10:28 am
More bad news for Congressional Democrats in upstate New York. The NRCC is about to make Ann Marie Buerkle a Young Gun, part of their top tier of candidates running for office this year.
“Ann Marie Buerkle has demonstrated that she’s the type of independent leader Central New York needs,” a GOP source told SoP. “Unlike Dan Maffei who has voted party-line on more spending, higher taxes and big government, Buerkle will fight for job creation and fiscal responsibility.”
The news comes one day after President Clinton’s appearance with Congressman Dan Maffei in Syracuse, which is a sign Democrats are also concerned that this race has tightened.
Maffei has been trying to link Buerkle to Sarah Palin, who endorsed her earlier this year. Buerkle, in turn, has been hitting Maffei for his ties to Rep. Charles Rangel., Maffei was a staffer for the Harlem Democrat, and Rangel has raised money for Maffei in the past.
Koch To Endorse Phillips in NY-22
Oct 12th - 9:57 am
Here is another sign that veteran Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey might be in trouble. Former New York City Mayor, and Democrat, Ed Koch will be endorsing Hinchey’s Republican opponent George Phillips tomorrow.
The Phillips campaign just put a press advisory announcing two events, one in Kingston and one in Newburgh. The release goes on to say the primary reason for the endorsement is foreign policy concerns, which I would assume would mean that Koch takes issue with Hinchey’s votes on issues relating to Israel, which are detailed in this article by the conservative blog HotAir.com.
This all comes just one day after President Clinton stumped for Hinchey in Binghamton. A recent report by the NY Post suggested that Republicans have internal polling showing Hinchey within single digits, and below the magic 50% mark.
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NRCC Slams Arcuri
Oct 11th - 11:44 am
The National Republican Congressional Committee has dumped some more money into their bid to unseat Michael Arcuri in NY-24. They have just released a new ad, accusing Arcuri of “double talk”, and slamming him for voting for the stimulus plan and then telling a newspaper he isn’t sure if he should have voted for the bill.
The ad comes as we learn that President Bill Clinton is going to be stumping for the Congressman in coming weeks.
Back in 2008, this race was surprisingly close. Arcuri defeated Republican Richard Hanna by just a few thousand votes, which shocked many because the race wasn’t considered to be in play, and the NRCC dumped little to no money into it. This time around, Hanna is getting a lot more support from Washington.
MacKay Cleared by Staten Island DA (Updatedx2)
Oct 8th - 1:57 pm
State Independence Party leaders are receiving word today that Staten Island DA Dan Donovan has cleared party chairman Frank MacKay in a probe connected to a $10,000 business loan then-NYC Council hopeful John Tobacco made to the former firm of MacKay’s wife.
The message, which is being distributed by Indy Party secretary Bill Bogardt, says Donovan “sent a letter to Frank and his wife completely clearing them of the unfounded allegation made to the NY Post by Frank Morano.”
Morano, a long-time Indy Party activist from Staten Island, has since resigned as his state committee and executive committee posts saying the party had “become just as bad, if not worse than the two major parties.”
Donovan is running for attorney general on the Republican line and took his name out of contention for the Indy line after launching an investigation into the MacKay matter.
Democratic AG hopeful Eric Schneiderman has since been endorsed by the Indy Party.
Liz spoke briefly to MacKay, who confirmed he had been contacted by Donovan, but declined to comment further.
Donovan’s office confirms there will be no criminal charges filed against the MacKay’s. A spokesman for the DA says he will provide us with the letters sent to the couple later this afternoon.
He also pointed out that the scope of the now-closed investigation only extends to the Tabacco loan allegation – which is likely a reference the Manhattan DA’s ongoing probe that resulted in the indictment of GOP operative John Haggerty.
UPDATE1: The letter sent to MacKay by the DA’s office appears below, and (UPDATE2) there are more letters here, compliments of Donovan spokesman William Smith.
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