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Anthony Weiner
Turner Spokesman: Weiner’s A ‘Mensche’
Sep 30th - 12:39 pm
Bill O’Reilly, the GOP consultant who served as spokesman for Rep. Bob Turner’s surprisingly successful campaign in NY-9, blogged in praise of Turner’s predecessor, ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, calling the former congressman a “mensche” for keeping secret a meeting with his replacement that took place at a Kew Gardens diner earlier this week.
While it was Weiner’s “Twitter indiscretions” that cost him his Brooklyn/Queens seat, he was the picture of discretion when it came to the meeting, according to O’Reilly.
The get-together, called so Weiner could update Turner on the projects he had been working on for his former constituents, was held in “strict confidence,” O’Reilly noted, but could very easily have been leaked with a single well-placed anonymous phone call.
“He traveled out to his former district from Manhattan, where he now lives, because he cared enough to do it,” O’Reilly wrote. “There could be no other reason for his action, and it showed character.”
“I have a laundry list of philosophical disagreements with Mr. Weiner, but I am struck by his graciousness in meeting with Mr. Turner – a man from the opposite political party who ran against him in 2010 – to help Congressman Turner better hit the ground running.”
Call Mr. Weiner what you want, but I call him a mensche today for what was supposed to be a quiet, unnoticed gesture. So now it’s leaked. Whoops!
In my eyes, this shows class on two sides here. Yes, Weiner took the time to help the man who now holds the seat he was forced to give up in disgrace, keeping the meeting on the down-low even though it would have helped improve his image.
But O’Reilly, a loyal Republican, gets points, too, for giving credit to a guy the GOP really had no use for – until he provided them with a chance to show up President Obama and his fellow Democrats.
NOTE: In case you’re unfamiliar with this Yiddish term, a “mensche” is “a person of integrity and honor.”
Another NY-9 Theory
Sep 13th - 5:00 pm
I’m just going to put this one out there without judgement and let you decide.
Teamsters Local 237 President Greg Floyd joined me for a CapTon interview that will air this evening (8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.). The main topic of discussion was the potential investment by pension funds into infrastructure projects – something the unions are pushing. But, of course, I had to ask him about NY-9 special election and whether it’s a referendum on President Obama.
“When we have a financial crisis, people look to make a change,” Floyd replied. “Sometimes the change is for the worse. We don’t know. But people are angry, and this is just another district that is angry.”
“We had Anthony Weiner there, and he was very popular in his district. How do we know this is not a vote against the Democrats for throwing Anthony Weiner under the bus? We’ve got to look at that also.”
“In Anthony Weiner’s district, Anthony Weiner was very popular, and people wanted him to remain the congressman there. It was the rest of the country that decided that they didn’t want him to be a congressman.”
As you’ll recall, several polls conducted before Weiner resigned – but after his bombshell press conference at which he revealed (ahem) the bulk of his on-line transgressions – found a majority of New Yorkers felt Weiner could keep his House seat, but would have to kiss his mayoral aspirations goodbye.
Dems Use Zadroga Comment Against Turner (Updated)
Aug 24th - 4:03 pm
The Democrats are gleefully pouncing on GOP NY-9 candidate Bob Turner’s ill-timed comment to the DN editorial board that the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act is “too broad” and shouldn’t cover volunteers.
Turner was no doubt trying to come off as fiscally responsible, but you’ve got to wonder what he was thinking – particularly since the Sept. 13 special election comes just two days after the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Two of the Zadroga bill’s authors, Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler, issued the following statement through Assemblyman David Weprin’s campaign:
“Bob Turner’s blatant disregard for the sacrifices made by volunteers in the aftermath of 9/11 is outrageous and offensive.”
“These brave men and women put themselves at risk to help their fellow New Yorkers and the very least we can do is to support them in their efforts to combat the injuries and illnesses sustained during their rescue efforts. Bob Turner has proven once and for all that he has no business representing New Yorkers in Congress.”
As you’ll recall, the former occupant of this seat, ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, memorably ripped apart his GOP colleagues on the House floor when they voted against the Zadroga bill after attaching controverisal amendments to it that the Democrats opposed.
Weiner then sparred on national TV with Rep. Pete King, a Long Island Republican who also happened to be a Zadroga sponsor.
King endorsed Turner not long ago…wonder what he thinks of the candidate’s comments on this act?
Turner Resurrects Ground Zero Mosque
Jul 28th - 2:48 pm
As Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is poised to endorse Assemblyman David Weprin today in hopes of blunting the whole Israel issue in the NY-9 race, Weprin’s Republican opponent, Bob Turner, is resurrecting a controversial topic about which we haven’t heard much of late: The so-called Ground Zero mosque.
In a press release (sent by GOP communications guru Bill O’Reilly, who apparently has signed on to Turner’s campaign), the Queens businessman asks: “Do David Weprin and Joe Lieberman still disagree on the World Trade Center mosque?”
On Aug. 10, 2010, Lieberman said during an “Imus in the Morning” interview that he was “troubled” by plans to construct a Muslim community center and mosque near Ground Zero, adding:
“I don’t know enough to say that it ought to be prohibited. But frankly I’ve heard enough about it and read enough about it that I wish somebody in New York would just put the brakes on for a while and take a look at this.”
In a debate with his then-Assembly opponent, Bob Friedrich, on Sept. 2, 2010, Weprin said he supported the “right of the mosque to build on that site,” although he expressed hope that a “compromise” could be worked out – as proposed by then-Gov. David Paterson – that would be acceptable to the 9/11 families who opposed the project.
“David Weprin supported construction of a mosque just steps from the World Trade Center site, while Senator Lieberman vocally opposed it,” O’Reilly said.
“We are curious to know what each of their positions are today. Is it appropriate for a mosque to be built in the shadow of the World Trade Center? It is a legitimate question and the public has a right to know their respective answers.”
This is not the first time Turner has made the mosque into a campaign issue.
When he challenged then-Rep. Anthony Weiner in 2010, Turner hosted an anti-mosque rally/demostration at the Forest Park Band Shell.
The mosque was a sticky wicket for Weiner, who was unusually reserved about the topic – perhaps due to the fact that his wife, Huma Abedin, is Muslim. (Weiner, like Weprin and Lieberman, is Jewish, although the Assemblyman and Senator are, I believe, considerably more observant than the former congressman).
At the time, Weiner argued that weighing in on the project would be a violation of the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.
But he also wrote in praise of his one-time rival, Mayor Bloomberg, for his outspoken defense of the mosque – formally known as the Park51 project. Bloomberg, as you’ll recall, very publicly invoked the freedom of religion argument in saying the mosque should be built.
The mosque was employed as a wedge issue in the 2010 governor’s race, with the Conservative Party and Rick Lazio running ads that employed 9/11 imagery. Carl Paladino also seized on the issue during the GOP primary, which he ended up winning, ousting the party’s convention-selected candidate, Lazio, from the ballot.
Silver For Weprin
Jul 12th - 4:02 pm
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver this afternoon issued a statement in support of Assemblyman David Weprin’s special election bid to replace ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, saying the Queens Democrat can be counted on to be a “strong voice for Israel in Congress.”
“I have known David Weprin, and his family, for years,” said Silver, who replaced Weprin’s father, Saul, in the speaker’s seat after the elder Weprin’s death in 1994.
“We have worked together on many issues important to New Yorkers in general, and the Jewish community in particular. David Weprin has always believed in the safety and security of the State of Israel.”
Silver, as you’ll recall, is an Orthodox Jew. Weprin is an observant Jew who routinely describes himself as “shomer Shabbos.”
But Weprin has come under fire for being, for lack of a better way of putting it, not Jewish enough.
The Orthodox newspaper Hamodia ran a scathing opinion piece that accused the assemblyman of paying for the Democratic nod in NY-9 with “his very soul,” noting in particular his “yes” vote on same-sex marriage.
Indy Party Backs Weprin in NY-9
Jul 10th - 10:18 am
From NY1 Political Director Bob Hardt:
Sources tell NY1 that the Independence Party is backing Democrat David Weprin in his special election bid to succeed Anthony Weiner in Congress.
Weprin, a Queens Assemblyman, was picked by the Democrats last week to run in a September special election for the remainder of Weiner’s Congressional term.
The Republican and Conservative parties have tapped Bob Turner, who got about 40 percent of the vote when he ran against Weiner last year.
Weiner got nearly three thousand votes on the Independence Party line last year.
Weprin To Be Dem Candidate In NY-9 (Updated)
Jul 7th - 11:00 am
A Democratic source has confirmed that Assemblyman David Weprin is going to be the Democrats’ candidate in the Sept. 13 special election in NY-9 for the seat left vacant following ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter scandal-inspired resignation.
Weprin is going to be meeting with Democrats in the district tonight and the paperwork certifying him as the candidate will be filed tomorrow.
The source tells CapTon that Weprin was picked because he is the “most loyal” of all the would-be contenders to the Queens Democratic Party – which basically picks the candidate for the special election because close to 7 percent of the district’s weighted vote is in Queens.
The source also says no agreement was made between Weprin and party leaders that he won’t run in 2012.
There has been speculation that this district would be carved up and merged with surrounding seats as part of redistricting, with NY set to lose two congressional seats as a result of its slow growth relative to other states. That means Weprin might have to primary another incumbent Democrat in a district where voters aren’t familiar with him.
Weprin may have his sights set on a different office though. If he is elected to Congress, it could increase his profile ahead of a potential run for NYC comptroller in 2013 – that is, of course, if the current comptroller, John Liu, decides to run for mayor.
Weprin ran for NYC Comptroller back in 2009, as did former NYC Councilwoman Melinda Katz, who was also up to run for the Weiner seat.
If Weprin is elected to Congress, it will be an end of an era of sorts in the Assembly. There has been a Weprin in the Assembly for 40 years starting with former Speaker Saul Weprin. Then his son Mark Weprin, and now David Weprin.
The Weprin brothers essentially swapped seats after David Weprin’s 2009 loss in the citywide elections, with Mark Weprin taking his sibling’s old NYC Council seat.
Despite the fact that David Weprin only recently arrived in Albany, his decision to accept what is widely viewed as a shot at a short-time gig in D.C. is not surprisingly. He took a big pay cut and inherited a massive commute when he switched seats with his brother. Plus, he came down in seniority. (He used to be Finance Committee chairman, back in his Council days).
Assuming he wins on Sept. 13 – and that’s not a foregone conclusion, given the Weiner scandal and the district’s enrollment – David Weprin will be able to raise his profile and make key contacts in Washington in advance of another potential NYC run.
Plus, he won’t have to drive to Albany anymore – Bonus!
After losing their presumed frontrunner, NYC Councilman Eric Ulrich, the GOP appears poised to back Bob Turner, a Queens businessman who lost to Weiner in 2010, but received about 40 percent of the vote.
UPDATE: According to Azi Paybarah, the Republicans might be headed for a split with the Conservatives, who are backing Turner, by potentially backing Juan Reyes, a Manhattan attorney with ties to former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani, it should be noted, urged Ulrich to run.
His election would also create another vacancy in the Assembly. Though, special elections for the 5 seats that are currently vacant are going to be held on the same day as the Congressional special election, September 13th.
Two Down, Five To Go (Updated)
Jul 6th - 1:34 pm
Michael Simanowitz, the longtime chief of staff to retired Queens Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, wasted no time in formally announcing his special election bid for her seat in the 27th AD after receiving the nod from his fellow Democrats earlier today.
The Queens Dems tapped Simanowitz, whose press release appears below; and Phillip Goldfeder, an aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer and former aide to Mayor Bloomberg, to run for the 23rd AD seat vacated by former Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, who departed to take the Queens County clerk job.
Simanowitz was the frontrunner for his former boss’ seat, but Goldfeder’s selection was not a foregone conclusion, I’m told. When I spoke to Pheffer back in April, she indicated she would likely support her chief of staff, JoAnn Shapiro, to replace her. At the time, I was also told that a GOP district leader, Jane Deacy, was also interested in the job.
A reader familiar with the GOP vote in Queens indicates that NYC Councilman Eric Ulrich’s surprise decision (announced on NY1 last night) not to run for former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s seat in NY-9 is helpful to Goldfeder, because Ulrich would likely have drawn a lot of right-leaning voters in the 23rd AD.
“Ulrich was playing kingmaker in that area before the Weiner stuff hit the fan. If Ulrich was preoccupied with (the) congressional seat, he wouldn’t have time to put the effort in for (Goldfeder’s) opponent. Now that he’s not running – and probably won’t care who does – he can focus on beating Phil. Ulrich wants his own fiefdom out there.”
The Queens Democrats have not yet made a decision about who will run for Weiner’s seat in the Sept. 13 special election. Brooklyn Democratic Chairman Vito Lopez and Queens Democratic Chairman Joe Crowley were expected to talk today about their preferred candidate.
The Special Election Timetable
Jul 5th - 1:44 pm
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo called special elections (much to the chagrin of the good government advocates and the New York Times) to run concurrent with the Sept. 13 primary to fill six vacant Assembly seats and the House seat formerly held by ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, he set in motion a process with specific deadlines that are now fast approaching.
The last day for parties to file certificates of nomination for their candidates of choice is Monday, July 11 at midnight.
The final day for general objections to be filed is Thursday, July 1, and for specific objections, Wednesday, July 20.
The last day to file a certificate of acceptance or declination of a nomination is July 13, which also happens to be the day independent candidates must file their signatures – at least 3,500 legal names, which means three times that should be collected, just to be safe.
The last day to authorize a nomination is July 15, which is also the last day to fill a vacancy caused by a declination of a nomination. The last day to authorize a substitution is July 19.
The decision about which Democrat will run for Weiner’s seat rests mainly with Queens Democratic Chairman/Rep. Joe Crowley, who controls about 70 percent of NY-9. The other 30 percent falls into Brooklyn, which is the territory of Democratic Chairman/Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
The general consensus is that NY-9 will likely cease to exist in 2012 if party leaders have their way, although it’s still up in the air who will be in charge of redistricting. It will be harder to accomplish that goal if the governor makes good on his pledge to veto any line-drawing plan that is created under the current, politically-controlled process.
Queens Democratic sources say the current frontrunners are Assemblymen Rory Lancman and David Weprin. NYC Councilman Mark Weprin is largely out of the running.
Former Rep. Liz Holtzman, who represented NY-9 (albeit with different lines) from 1973 to 1981, has her champions, too, but insiders say it would be doubly difficult for party leaders to eliminate the district if it were held not only by a Jew – something community leaders should be sure to fight – but a Jewish woman.
On the GOP side, we’re expecting to hear something soon from NYC Councilman Eric Ulrich, who is the frontrunner for his party’s nod and is being pushed by ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Businessman Bob Turner, who got 40 percent of the vote in his failed challenge to Weiner, is also in the running.
Bishop Casts Himself As The Un-Weiner
Jun 30th - 11:15 am
A reader forwarded a last-minute fundraising appeal (a lot of those are going out today as the midnight second quarter deadline looms) from NY-1 Rep. Tim Bishop, in which the Long Island Democrat makes a not-so-subtle reference to his disgraced former colleage, former Rep. Anthony Weiner.
Bishop, who held onto his seat last year only by a few hundred votes, told supporters he’s trying to raise $10,000 before the deadline, money he’ll need to run a “smart, aggressive” re-election campaign in 2012 – most likely a re-match against his 2010 foe, Randy Altschuler.
The congressman said donors will be stepping up to “to support a different kind of leadership,” adding:
“I’m not the flashiest guy in the world. I’m not the guy screaming on cable TV or the guy who gives incendiary floor speeches that you forward the Youtube link to your friends. But when it comes to hard work and delivering for the community, I’m willing to match up with anybody.”
“I’m the guy who wakes up early to meet with constituents in the western part of our district. I’m the guy who gets home late because I was doing a Town Hall meeting in the evening to accommodate working people.”
“I’m the guy who will take a meeting with anyone I represent, whether they agree with me or not, and have a respectful discussion of the issues, and hope that each of us came away learning something.”
“In a society often defined by 140 character tweets and 15-second sound bites, I understand that there are flashier politicians to support. That is why it means so much to me to have your support.”
OK, so it’s possible Bishop is alluding to someone else, since he doesn’t come right out and say: “Oh, and I don’t sext with women I’ve met on Twitter.” But it’s a pretty safe bet it’s Weiner who inspired this email.
As was widely reported during Weinergate, the embattled congressman found few defenders among his colleagues, in large part because he had few friends in the delegation. The Democrats desperately wanted Weiner to just go away, which he at first refused to do, letting his scandal drag on for days and reportedly causing the minority’s money stream to all but dry up.
Altschuler is also raising campaign cash for his 2012 bid. Unlike last year, it appears the GOP and Conservative leaders are lining up behind him. One of his two 2010 primary opponents, George Demos, has also signaled an interest in running again, however, so it’s still possible there will be another GOP primary, which would be good news for Bishop.
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