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Happy Disco Birthday Clarence Norman
Aug 26th - 3:08 pm
Compliments of a reader: The invitation to the upcoming disco-themed birthday for disgraced former Brooklyn Democratic Chairman Clarence Norman’s 60th birthday party.
Instructions regarding attire: “Pick your afro, dust off your bellbottoms, hip huggers, platform shoes & get down and boogie.”
The event, which features a complimentary buffet and cash bar, is being held at the Two Steps Down Restaurant in (where else?) Brooklyn on Sept. 9.
Norman, as you may recall, went to prison in June 2007 on a sentence of three to nine years for campaign corruption and extortion convictions. He left an upstate prison in December 2008 and was sent to a work release program in Manhattan. He was denied parole in March 2010., but was apparently granted his freedom a year later – in other words, this past March.
More Trouble For Obama In NY: PEF Takes A Pass On Early Endorsement
Aug 24th - 3:17 pm
The PEF Executive Board refused earlier this month to adopt the union’s statewide political action committee recommendation for an early endorsement of President Obama that is being pushed hard by its “parent” organizations, SEIU and, to a lesser extent, AFT, according to a PEF source.
The vote was not a roll call, but my source said it appeared to be about two-to-one, based on a show of hands, not to give the union’s nod to the Democratic president. The vote did not rule out a future endorsement.
It’s highly unlikely that PEF would endorse any of Obama’s announced or unannounced GOP opponents – not even former Gov. George Pataki, whom the union backed over the-state Comptroller H. Carl McCall in 2002 (over the objections of some of its members).
The idea, my source said, barring the surprise entrance of some wildly popular independent candidate PEF might consider, is to try to pressure the president to return back to his pro-labor roots.
But this is yet another sign of the left’s unhappiness with Obama, and it’s particularly interesting that this is happening in New York – a heavily Democratic and strong union state.
A recent Siena poll found the president’s approval rating has tanked in New York, although voters still prefer him to any of his GOP challengers. That poll did not include Pataki, although it did include former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who came the closest of any of the Republicans to pressuring the president. (6 points).
PEF voted “overwhelmingly” (in its own words) to endorse Obama in June 2008, noting he had run in Illinois with the support of both the AFT and SEIU and was a “strong supporter” of labor.
“We are confident Barack Obama will be a strong advocate for the hard-working men and women of this country,” PEF President Ken Brynien said at the time.
NOTE: To be clear, PEF’s own statements refer to AFT and SEIU as its “international affiliates.”
Maffei Seeks Rematch vs. ‘Extreme,’ ‘Dangerous’ Buerkle
Aug 24th - 8:22 am
Former Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei will reportedly file paperwork in D.C. today to officially kick off a grudge match against the Republican who narrowly defeated him just nine months ago, Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle.
In an email sent out in the wee hours of the morning, Maffei slammed Buerkle as a Tea Party handmaiden.
He said Buerkle’s “no” vote against the debt deal (the only one cast by a NY GOP House member) demonstrated “dangerous priorities” and “nearly plunged the nation into economic catastrophe.”
“Sometimes, people are so frustrated that they are tempted to throw up their hands in disgust and walk away,” Maffei continued. “I understand this feeling.”
“But I know that there is a bright future in front of us as long as we don’t give up on Central New York, America, or ourselves. Working together, we can do better! ”
“That is why I am running for Congress in 2012. Our campaign will offer the people of Central New York a better future than the divisive politics of Ann Marie Buerkle.”
Onondaga County GOP Chairman Tom Dadey scoffed at Maffei’s effort to cast himself as a moderate, saying he is a “liberal.” (He did, after all, once work for Rep. Charlie Rangel, the NY delegation dean, who’s about as left as they get, other than Rep. Jerry Nadler).
Dadey pledged to turn Maffei into a “three-time loser” this fall and expressed confidence that Buerkle, who only won by a few hundred votes last fall, will cruise to re-election.
Buerkle, who is on a trip with fellow House members in Israel at the moment, actually has been on the ropes in recent months.
Her early fundraising numbers were downright anemic – her office said she was concentrating on getting situated in her new job, and her money pace has picked up since then.
She’s also viewed by the Democrats as weak, a top target in 2012 – assuming NY-25 doesn’t get drawn out of existence in the next round of redistricting as legislators in Albany try to figure out how to downsize the delegation by two seats.
Meanwhile, Maffei’s road is not entirely clear. He could face a primary challenge. Syracuse lawyer Brianne Murphy, has already filed her candidacy paperwork with the FEC and raised more than $25,000 through the end of June.
Murphy told the Post-Standard she’ll make a decision about whether to run by next month, insisting her choice won’t be influenced by Maffei’s presence in the race.
There also appears to be some Maffei fatigue among CNY Dems, who wouldn’t mind seeing someone else take a crack at NY-25 for a change.
The former congressman, who took a new job with the lobbying firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips not long ago, also admits he needs to change his approach, telling the Post-Standard:
“I know people, jokingly or not, say Dan Maffei is too smart or too cerebral. I do have to work on communicating with people better.”
The full text of Maffei’s announcement email appears after the jump.
NRCC Ties Owens To Obama
Aug 22nd - 4:01 pm
…Whether he likes it or not.
The NRCC are seeking to tie NY-23 Rep. Bill Owens to President Obama, insisting the Democratic congressman is little more than a “yes” man for the commander-in-chief, who has seen his approval rating tank in New York – particularly in more conservative-leaning upstate.
Upon reading The Watertown Times report that Owens wouldn’t declare support for Obama’s 2012 re-election bid or to even say whether he believes the president will be successful next fall, NRCC spokesman Tory Mazzola released this statement:
“Rep. Bill Owens is not only trying to run from his loyal party-line record of tax hikes and more spending, but he’s also proving yet again that he’s willing to say anything to get elected. ”
“He may think that this pandering will help save him in 2012, but the reality is that voters already know that the Obama/Owens agenda has piled up enormous debt while putting few people back to work.”
Owens is on the NRCC’s 2012 congressional hit list in NY (and remember: we still don’t know what his already challenging and long-GOP held district will look like), and one of his failed Republican challengers, Matt Doheny, has already announced he’s running again and hired away the WT’s Jude Seymour to work on his campaign.
Dohney hasn’t raised any campaign cash yet, but the Democats aren’t taking any chances. They’re already on the attack.
Owens wouldn’t have his seat if it weren’t for Obama’s decision to tap John McHugh to serve as US Army Secretary, and the subsequent intra-party GOP squabble between then-Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava and Doug Hoffman. He has managed to retain his seat since the 2009 special election, even weathering the GOP’s attempt last year to link him to another unpopular Democrat: Former House Speaker (turned Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi.
Obama’s unfavorables outweigh his favorable in upstate, 54-43, according to the most recent Siena poll. So at this point, it’s wise for Owens, who has cast himself as a moderate, to distance himself from the president as much as possible as he heads into the 2012 cycle.
Gonzalez Reaches For Reform Mantle In 54th AD
Aug 22nd - 2:36 pm
My downstate colleagues have been doing a pretty thorough job covering what might be the most interesting of the six Assembly special elections to be held Sept. 13: The three-way Democratic battle for the Brooklyn seat vacated by Darryl Towns, who is now Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s housing czar.
For in-depth coverage, try here, here or here.
What makes this race noteworthy is the presence of Make the Road NY organizer-turned-candidate Jesus Gonzalez, who is running against the Brooklyn Democratic machine with the support of the labor-backed Working Families Party.
Gonzalez is trying to catch hold of the reform mania that swept into Albany with Gov. Andrew Cuomo last fall by releasing the white paper that appears below. It’s pretty standard good government stuff: Public campaign financing, non-partisan special elections (specifically, a bill being pushed by Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries), and independent redistricting.
Gonzalez is running against NYC Councilman Erik Dilan’s chief of staff, Rafael Espinal, and Darryl Towns’ sister, Deidra Towns. If he manages to pull off a victory on primary day, I believe he’ll be the first WFP-only backed candidate to win outright.
Many candidates have been cross-endorsed, but I don’t think – and someone should correct me on this one if I’m wrong – the party has managed to elect anyone at the state level without the added assistance of a major party, although there is precedent for that at the NYC level with Councilwoman Tish James.
Maragos: GOP 2012 Field Is ‘Balanced And Middle Of The Road’
Aug 18th - 4:53 pm
Republican Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos and his 2012 target, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both attended the Delaware County Fair today, but they (sadly) did not cross paths.
Gillibrand is pitching her “Made in America” grant proposal, which is part of a larger proposal she says will help stimulate the NY economy and grow jobs. Maragos, not surprisingly, thinks giving away more federal cash at a time when the government needs to cut spending is a misguided idea.
I asked the comptroller in an interview that will air on CapTon this evening for his assessment of the current 2012 GOP field, particularly in light of the fact that having someone conservative atop the ticket will not likely help his case (assuming he gets onto the ballot to challenge Gillibrand next fall) in Democrat-dominated NY. His response:
“I’m not sure you can make that accusation. I think a number of the candidates, I think the press in some instances, tends to highlight some of the more conservative positions that they take.”
“But on the whole, a number of the – certainly the leading candidates – are balanced and middle-of-the-road. That, I think will be very appealing to New Yorkers…I prefer not to, you know, comment individually. But I think collectively as a team, as a group, I think they’re a very capable group that will make an excellent alternative to what we have right now.”
The “I prefer not to comment individually” line came in response to my inquiry about Rep. Michele Bachman. Earlier in the interview, I noted that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said he doesn’t believe in global warming (and also, as it turns out, thinks evolution is a “theory” with some “gaps in it”).
Maragos doesn’t seem too sold on the global warming data, either, although he didn’t come right out and say it’s all a big hoax.
NY Dems Want Obama To Rethink S-Comm Mandate
Aug 16th - 3:37 pm
Led by Sen. Gustavo Rivera, 20 NYC Democrats have written a letter to President Obama, calling on him to reconsider his decision that mandates state participation in the federal Secure Communities program – regardless of what their governors want.
Back in June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo temporarily suspended NY’s participation in what has come to be known as “S-Comm,” which compels local law enforcement officers to share information about new arrests with federal immigration authorities.
The goal is to deport illegal immigrants with criminal records. But S-Comm critics like Rivera say the program has disproportionately impacted immigrants who have committed either no offenses or relatively minor crimes, but are deported anyway.
Two other governors – Deval Patrick, of Massachusetts; and Patrick Quinn, of Illinois – also quit S-Comm. The Obama administration, however, quietly decided to scrap the S-Comm contracts signed by the states, basically rescinding their ability to opt out of the program.
During a CapTon interview last week, Rivera, who worked on Obama’s 2008 campaign, largely declined to slam the president for this decision, other than to say he was “disappointed” by it. He also side-stepped questions about what impact this might have on Obama’s standing with Latinos – an important voting bloc heading into the 2012 election.
Rivera did say that everything is on the table in terms of fighting the S-Comm decision – including a lawsuit, which is a route at least one organization in Obama’s hometown of Chicago has already taken, filing a class action suit against the Department of Homeland Security.
The list of signees on the letter than appears below isn’t terrible surprising, although it’s worth noting that all four of the most-mentioned Democratic 2013 NYC mayoral contenders – Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Comptroller John Liu, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Manhattan BP Scott Stringer – are on there.
Still no word from the Cuomo administration about S-Comm, although, to be fair, I don’t believe the governor has been asked about it yet, either.
DSCC Claims Success On The Links
Aug 16th - 2:16 pm
Despite yesterday’s deluge, the Senate Democrats managed to attract a sizable showing to their 16th annual summer golf fundraiser in Kingston (the state’s first Capitol, for all you history buffs out there), bringing in some $250,000 to help pay down their still considerable 2010 campaign debt.
DSCC Chairman Mike Gianaris deemed the event “wildly succesful,” saying some 30 foursomes, and about 100 golfers all told, participated in the event at Wiltwyck Golf Club.
The ticket price was $5,000 per foursome, with various other levels for everyone from sponsors to those who wanted to merely attend but not play.
Gianaris readily admitted the Dems did better with this event during the brief two years they were in the majority, but insisted the $250K haul was more than they had raised during some of their minority years.
“We’s coming off a very impressive filing period, and demonstrating that the momentum is continuing into the fall,” the Queens Democrat told me during a brief telephone interview this afternoon.
(Refresher: The Senate Dems raised more than $1 million between Jan. 15 and July 15, but remain about $2.3 million in debt).
A lobbyist who attended the golf outing said he was a bit surprised about the size of the crowd, “given that they’re back in the minority,” but reasoned: “Their friends are their friends, and will support them no matter what.”
This is the event, as you may recall, where then-Senate Majority Leader-in-waiting Malcolm Smith got into a bit of hot water by comparing the 2008 Democrats (on the cusp of outing the GOP, albeit temporarily, as it turned out) to an IPO and urged lobbyists to get in early “because then it doesn’t cost as much.”
The outraged Senate GOP called for investigation into alleged quid-pro-quo, but that never went anywhere.
Nothing even remotely resembling that unfortunate incident ocurred yesterday, according to this lobbyist. Senate Minority Leader John Sampson spoke, thanking supporters for being “friends” and telling them he hopes to see them when – and if – the Democrats manage to take back the majority in 2012.
There was no mention of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to his lobbyist. Among the members on hand: Hassell-Thompson, Breslin, Stewart-Cousins, Parker, Smith, Stavisky and Kennedy, who traveled all the way from Buffalo to attend.
The Senate Dems aren’t alone in their summer fundraising efforts. Last week, the Senate GOP held their annual event at the Saratoga Racetrack.
The Schumer Factor
Aug 16th - 1:38 pm
Two Democratic special election hopefuls – congressional candidate David Weprin and Assembly contender Phil Goldfeder – are touting their endorsements by Sen. Chuck Schumer today, hoping the powerful senior senator’s name recognition and popularity helps carry them to victory on Sept. 13.
In his statement in support of Weprin, Schumer hewed to what has become the campaign’s standard line of attack (without naming names, in this case) against his GOP opponent, Bob Turner, saying Weprin is “the only candidate” who will stand up for the middle class and protect entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security against “extreme right-wing Republican policies.”
Schumer is likely to make an in-person appearance on Weprin’s behalf as the election draws closer. He discussed his support of Weprin today with YNN’s Bill Carey during a stop in Syracuse. (We’ll be bringing you that video in a moment).
The senator did appear for Goldfeder at a press conference in Lindenwood yesterday. This makes sense, since Goldfeder was, until this campaign began, the senator’s director of intergovernmental affairs.
“I’ve seen Phil in action. He’s a hard worker, a fighter and he has a deep passion for public service,” Schumer said.
“Phil will take that energy to the state Assembly and he won’t rest until he tackles the number one issue on everyone’s mind – which is jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Goldfeder is running for the seat vacated by former Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, who gave up her seat to become Queens County clerk.
Weprin, who essentially traded his old NYC Council seat for the Assembly seat that belonged to his brother, Mark, after losing a 2009 NYC comptroller bid, is running for the seat of disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner.
A recent Siena poll found Schumer, who held a version of NY-9 prior to the last round of redistricting, has a high favorability rating in the district (over 60 percent), and his endorsement is likely to hold some weight there.
Trouble is, the same goes for former NYC Mayor Ed Koch, who is backing Turner. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has not yet formally endorsed Weprin, but has said he’ll do whatever he can to be helpful, is also very popular in NY-9.
Theoretically, Schumer also might help move Jewish voters. Both Goldfeder and Weprin, who, according to Siena, was leading among Jews, are observant.
Turner has not ceded the Jewish vote, however. He spent last weekend campaigning in the Catskills in hopes of swaying Orthodox Jews vacationing upstate.
Siena: Obama Hangs By A Thread In True-Blue NY
Aug 16th - 9:30 am
Today’s Siena poll brings more bad news for President Obama, who is leading all potential GOP challengers despite the fact that his job approval rating is the worst it has ever been.
Almost two thirds of NYers think the president is doing a poor or fair job, and they’re evenly divided when asked about a head-to-head match-up between Obama and “someone else.”
However, the closest any Republican comes to ousting Obama in the Empire State is former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani by six points – and he’s still mulling whether to get into the race.
Otherwise, Obama leads five other GOP contenders by between 18 (Mitt Romney) and 39 points (Sarah Palin).
Siena pitted Obama Romney, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, and – although she hasn’t announced yet, Palin, but inexplicably left out declared candidates like Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty (who dropped out over the weekend), Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich.
All these would-be and declared candidates, along with former NY Gov. George Pataki, who continues to flirt with a potential White House run, were included when Siena asked NYers to rate them on favorability and Republicans to choose a favorite 2012 contender.
“While the President is not as strong as he might like in New York, for the moment, the Empire State is not showing any inclination to change its traditional blue hue to red,” Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said.
NY Republicans seem underwhelmed by their field at the moment, with nearly one-qaurter picking hometown favorite Giuliani as the preferred candidate. (He has said he won’t likely make a decision for two more months, further diminishing the likelihood he’ll get in at all).
Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew “Angel” Cuomo continues to enjoy a high approval rating, although it has dropped slightly from 71-21 last month to 69-22. His job performance rating is unchanged, standing at 58-40.
Empire State voters are split on whether NY is headed in the right direction (44 percent say yes, 47 percent say no), while they are very pessimistic when it comes to the country in general, with only 20 percent saying it’s on the right track.
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