 |
|
|
|
The Budget
The major candidates for New York governor have commented on the Legislature-approved state budget. Comments, news links, budget document links and more can be found at the New York Governor's Race Message Board.
By Ed Moltzen · 31 March 2006
They Like Mike
Republican candidates in New York this year may be trying to distance themselves from Gov. George Pataki, but if the latest WNBC/Marist poll is correct they may want to sidle up to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. According to a news release just sent out by Marist: MOST VOTERS CHARACTERIZE MAYOR BLOOMBERG AS COMPETENT AND INDEPENDENT: 82 percent of city voters characterize Mayor Bloomberg as competent, and 75 percent see him as independent. New York City voters divide over whether his style is confrontational. 48 percent believe it is and 52 percent believe it is not. 41 percent view the mayor as detached, and 59 percent do not. Most New Yorkers don't want Bloomberg to run for president, though. On that note, apparently, they're content to leave that race for Pataki. By Ed Moltzen · 31 March 2006
The More You Know
Here are some Public Service Announcements from the cast of The Office. By Ed Moltzen · 31 March 2006
Site Note
Comments, which had been down for some time, are now working. If you don't believe it, just contact one of the legion of blogspammers running around. Or you could, um, leave a comment. By Ed Moltzen · 31 March 2006
DealBreaker: Veil's Off
DealBreaker, Elizabeth Spiers' new finance/biz blog, is open for trading: We're not sure who at CNBC decided that Michael Eisner needed a talk show, but we suspect that it may be the same person who decided Tina Brown and Dennis Miller needed a talk show. It could be worse. Eisner could be blogging. By Ed Moltzen · 30 March 2006
Mineola Idol
The unlikely candidate for governor is set to meet with another unlikely sort today, according to Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi's calendar: 4:00 PM:
By Ed Moltzen · 30 March 2006
Centcom Plays Hardball
U.S. Central Command is using its web site to respond to digs at Iraqi reconstruction by the mainstream media. TSgt Tammie E. Barker posts a report on the CentCom web site by Tom Clarkson of the Gulf Region Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: "According to MSNBC "Hardball" commentator Chris Mathews, reconstruction in Iraq is a non-story." U.S. Service men and women using the web to counter mainstream media: An Army of an Army of Davids? By Ed Moltzen · 30 March 2006
Dave, We Hardly Knew Ye
CBS DENIES RUMORS...LINK BELOW CBS has dumped David Lee Roth as morning drive host on radio stations formerly airing Howard Stern, according to this report. (Via NYRMB.) Rumors might suggest this could open the door for the return of Opie & Anthony to terrestrial radio, in some format or another. So far, nothing is confirmed. MORE: Billboard has more information. MORE: Roth's flagship station in New York, WFNY, appears to have removed him and all mention of him from its web site. MORE: Here's CBS' denial. By Ed Moltzen · 29 March 2006
By The Numbers
Tom Suozzi, the Democratic candidate for governor, raised some eyebrows earlier this week when he accused his rival, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, specifically, of not doing enough to fight Medicaid fraud. Spitzer's camp fought back, telling The New York Times that Suozzi used faulty numbers to back up his criticism. Here's the Suozzi campaign's counterpunch, emailed today to reporters: In a press release yesterday, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer boasted that his Medicaid Fraud Unit recovered $273.5 million in calendar year 2005. What Spitzer neglects to mention is that of that $273.5 million, $171 million, or 63% of the total recoveries claimed, came from a federal lawsuit led by the Department of Justice, not by the New York State Attorney General. Spitzer has relied on his record as AG to help him to a gargantuan lead in the polls, but his opponents appear to be working under the notion that it cuts both ways. Could this be a repeat of John Kerry's campaign for president in 2004, where his "Reporting for duty" reliance on his war record also hurt him during the thick of political battle? By Ed Moltzen · 29 March 2006
Weld's Tax Speech
GOP gubernatorial hopeful William Weld is leading the pack in quips and sound bites against his opponents, and today was no exception during his speech at the National Federation of Independent Businesses Small Business Day 2006 in Albany: Attorney General Spitzer, like Michael Dukakis, my predecessor in Massachusetts, puts his faith in complex government schemes. He wants to play the role of financier and fund companies; he wants to play the role of scientist and conduct research and development; he wants to play the role of innovator and take ownership of patents created in this state. He even wants to play the role of real estate developer and redevelop urban areas.
Weld even referred to Spitzer's running mate, state Senate Minority Leader David Paterson, as "a proven tax hiker." The headline from Weld's remarks will likely come from this: "First, we should eliminate the personal income tax on the first $75,000 of income. This is something that will make New York attractive for small businesses and for skilled workers." However, the speech itself provided no specifics as to how that would fit into state budget planning, and whether it would create revenue or subtract revenue from the state coffers. And, to throw in one last dig at Spitzer, he added, "Despite the gains made over the past decade, there is a great deal of work to do. The job will not be completed if our Upstate work force is derided as Appalachian hillbillies." You can read the full text of his speech here. By Ed Moltzen · 28 March 2006
The Carpetbagger Charge
Republican and Conservative gubernatorial hopeful John Faso in an interview with Alan Chartock on WAMC Radio (audio here): "I've got a 20 year record in this state working on issues that are significant for where the state needs to go...I bring the Conservative line with me, which is a necessary ingredient...Also, I think I have the experience here in NY that sets me apart." (Emphasis added.) New Yorkers don't exactly have a history of rejecting high-profile candidates who move here from elsewhere and then run for office. Even James Buckley, the state Conservative Party's biggest success story to date, was a Connecticut transplant when he won the U.S. Senate race in 1970.
By Ed Moltzen · 28 March 2006
Second Banana
Urban Elephants notes a report in The Record identifying Catherine Bartlett as GOP gubernatorial hopeful William Weld's potential choice for lieutenant governor. UE: She had a successful law firm, but left to be County Attorney for Orange County, NY. She was then made the equivalent of Chief of Staff for Orange County Executive Ed Diana. In the "Small World" Department: Rich Baum, right-hand man for Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Eliot Spitzer, defeated Ed Diana in an Orange County legislator race more than a decade ago.
By Ed Moltzen · 28 March 2006
Gas, Meet Fire
Alec Baldwin was a guest host on Brian Whitman's WABC Radio program this weekend, and Sean Hannity and Mark Levin called in. Read about what happened. By Ed Moltzen · 27 March 2006
Faso's Run
Former Assemblyman John Faso, the frontrunner for the Conservative Party nomination for governor and a contender for the Republican nomination, starts a six-week span this week in which he will lay out key policy proposals. According to an email his campaign has sent to supporters: Over the next six weeks, John will be outlining his vision for New York as the next Governor in a series of speeches throughout the state. The first of these appearances will be at the Annual Small Business Day convention (this) week in Albany. The event is sponsored by the Chamber Alliance of New York State and the National Federation of Independent Business. While Faso has made a few public appearances since he formally announced his run for governor, he has now set out a six-week roadmap to shake up the governor's race and give himself a shot at defeating GOP frontrunner William Weld. He also has, essentially, six weeks to convince former Sen. Al D'Amato to back his candidacy rather than Eliot Spitzer's - an area where the once and would-be kingmaker D'Amato is still rather undecided, according to yesterday's piece in The New York Times. If nothing else, Faso enters this six-week period with the momentum of having The Wall Street Journal singing his praises. You can comment on this item over at the New York Governor's Race Message Board. By Ed Moltzen · 27 March 2006
The Sopranos
"Soprano's Rewind" can be found here. By Ed Moltzen · 27 March 2006
Site Announcements
It's been almost a full month since the Spitzer for Governor campaign ripped down its interactive message board (upon fielding unflattering remarks about Eliot Spitzer's running mate, David Paterson). At the time, Spitzer supporters blew off the trashing of the message board as simply a step toward redesigning the entire campaign web site. Well, it's a month later, and no redesign has taken place In any event, that's not an issue any more...Announcing: The New York Governor's Race Message Board. There are a few reasons for this message board. First of all, comments on Late Final have been either hampered by issues with Movable Type's Blacklist, or blog spammers. And comments are important. Second, this is the first campaign for governor in New York since 1982 without an incumbent running for re-election. There are real, competitive races for the Democratic, Republican and Conservative nominations. In most cases, the New York governor (such as Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Thomas Dewey, Nelson Rockefeller or Mario Cuomo) becomes a de-facto contender for president. (Notable exceptions include Hugh Carey and George Pataki.) There should be a place for people interested in this race to exchange thoughts and ideas, and debate. It's likely that the candidates will spend more than $100 million, combined, campaigning for the right to govern a $110 billion state budget. There's a lot to talk about. And now you can, right here. The second announcement: Late Final introduces Badablog, a new blog devoted to discussion of the hit HBO Series The Sopranos (and other mob stuff.) It's updated, as of this morning, with a look at tonight's third episode of the season. By Ed Moltzen · 26 March 2006
A Quiet (But Good) Week For Suozzi
Sometimes, the best thing to say is nothing. And, last week, while Republicans criticized Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's remarks that compared a broad swath of upstate to Appalachia, Spitzer's Democratic rival said nothing publicly. But while Appal-gate played out, it appears that Tom Suozzi was able to make some quiet gains in the northern part of the state. The former mayor of Auburn, N.Y., Guy Cosentino, wrote an op-ed in the Auburn Citizen yesterday supportive of Suozzi: State Democrats may have hoped the attorney general would not have to expend any of his sizable war chest prior to the November campaign, but he has started to run ads in upstate New York, likely to counter the Suozzi ads. Combined with the news, broken by the Times Union's Elizabeth Benjamin, that upstate billionaire Tom Golisano and wealthy Nassau County resident Ken Langone (of Home Depot) are talking about uniting in an anti-Spitzer effort, it's been a week of quiet good news for Suozzi's campaign. By Ed Moltzen · 26 March 2006
Diet Democrats
Craig Howard is not happy with New York state Republican boss Stephen Minarik (via BuffaloPundit): Come on Steve, back a real Republican and I'll back you. In fact you've missed a big chance. There are plenty of Republicans in upstate (although their number dwindles each year as they move south to increase the number of Republicans in Charlotte.) To be fair, New York hasn't had a fiscally conservative governor since Clinton - George Clinton. By Ed Moltzen · 26 March 2006
A Joke In the U.S. Senate Race
Fred Dicker breaks the news today that GOP Senate hopeful KT McFarland has accused Sen. Hillary Clinton's re-election campaign of just about peering into her bedroom. "She wasn't joking, she was very, very serious, and she also claimed that Clinton's people were taking pictures across the street from her house in Manhattan, taking pictures from an apartment across the street from her bedroom," added the eyewitness, who is not involved in the Senate race. A McFarland spokesman blew it off as a joke. But when eyewitnesses say, "she wasn't joking," that's a sign that either she was serious or desperately needs new speech writers. By Ed Moltzen · 25 March 2006
The Conservative Line
Scott Sala writes that John Faso seems to have locked up the Conservative nomination for governor, but a commenter says not so fast: Faso has a key test coming soon with Upstate Conservatives. If he survives their scrutiny, he at least has the Conservative Party line in November and should relish this powerful third party candidacy. If he chooses to be more aggressive, he has a chance to be another Jim Buckley or Herb London. Buckley won the 1970 U.S. Senate race largely because his opponents in that race, a Democrat and a liberal Republican, split the vote on that side of the political spectrum. In a Weld-Faso-Spitzer/Suozzi three-way race, that's certainly possible - although Faso would likely enjoy much less financial backing (relatively speaking) than Buckley did. And, as the commenter points out, Faso still has to win the Conservative line. By Ed Moltzen · 24 March 2006
What Upstaters Sound Like to Upper West Siders?
Jeff Kramer, in the Syracuse Post Standard: "Some Yankee named Eliot Spitzer. He runnin' for governor or somethin'. He sayin' Upstate New York the same as Appalachia. Read it yerself, ya crotchety old hillbilly." Whether by design or coincidence, Spitzer's rival for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Tom Suozzi, has been utterly silent on Appalachia-gate. In any event, they'll both have a lot to talk about on their campaign swings between Schenectedy and Niagara this summer. By Ed Moltzen · 24 March 2006
Thanks, Sondra
Thank you, Sondra, for the link blast. Here's a compendium of corrections du jour. (Site note: Comments are down but will hopefully be fixed soon.) By Ed Moltzen · 23 March 2006
Who Says There's Nothing Good On TV Anymore?
Via New York comic Billy Bingo: "Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 09:11:29 EST "FUSE cable network is casting men and women, all ages and ethnicities, for a new series featuring real people getting naked (yes, actually naked) to the tune of their favorite videos in a daily half hour dance-off. That's right, real people strip down to their birthday suits! The most gifted dancer in each day's show is chosen by viewers who text in with their votes. Weekly winners dance home with prizes. All body types accepted -- short, tall, fat, skinny,also duos and trios are welcome. $200 payment for all competitors. "All private parts will be blurred and not visibly appear on air." More information here. By Ed Moltzen · 23 March 2006
Strange Bedfellows, Continued
David Boies, who is fighting aggressively against Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's prosecution of former AIG boss Maurice "Hank" Greenberg as Greenberg's lawyer, is also backing Spitzer...for governor, that is. According to Spitzer campaign filings (PDF) with the state Board of Elections, Boies is a $2,500 contributor By Ed Moltzen · 23 March 2006
Thin Skin?
David Weidner follows up his column from last week, in which he reported Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's comparison of upstate to Appalachia, and notes that Spitzer's flak wasn't amused: (Darren) Dopp accused me of mischaracterizing Spitzer's comment. What followed was a debate about what Spitzer meant and how it was received: Was the remark a joke? Wasn't it? Did people laugh or didn't they? Would I listen to the tape? Was I even there? Ken Langone, Home Depot's co-founder, just gave one and reportedly wasn't too impressed. It's easy to suggest Spitzer's office is coming across like prosecutorial bullies, but the public can see it differently. After all, when David Dinkins ran for Mayor against Rudy Giuliani, he often repeated the line, "We need a mayor, not a prosecutor." To which Giuliani responded, "We need a mayor who's not afraid of a prosecutor." Dinkins won their first race, Giuliani the second. But it's hard to recall Giuliani's office hammering the press for any of his campaign gaffes (and he had many.) It's not a good habit for a candidate to get into in New York State. (Pierre Rinfret, the hapless Republican candidate for governor in 1990, had a bad habit of threatening reporters and editors.) By Ed Moltzen · 23 March 2006
Ticket Tickler
Ben Smith Hoffman used to be a Democrat, and, as Smith points out, is considered by some to be a liberal Republican. But, according to her former Senate web site, she also has some Conservative special interest connections: Senator Hoffmann has been honored for her legislative service with such distinguished awards as the "Outdoorsman Hall of Fame Award"; the "Friend in Government" Award from the New York Beef Producers; the 1994 "Senator of the Year" Award from the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association; the "Legislator of the Year" Award from the Women's Press Club of New York State; the "President's Award" from the Madison County New York State Association for Retarded Children; the "Political Person of the Year" Award from Central New York Americans for Democratic Action; the "Award of Honor" from Mid-York Library Association; the "Leadership Award" from New York State Cheese Manufacturers; and the prestigious "Golden Trumpet" Award from the Fireman's Association of the State of New York. A gun-rights, beef-eating, veteran woman politico from upstate could help either William Weld or John Faso spread out their demographic appeal, if nothing else. And, if you read The Politicker closely enough, you'll see that she might help with the Howard Stern vote as well. MORE: The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association recalls rating her very highly. By Ed Moltzen · 22 March 2006
The New Appalachia, Continued
From UpstateBlog: Monroe County is home to nearly 1,100 Hispanic-owned firms, totaling more than $92 million in annual sales, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau. It looks as if it won't be easy for Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Eliot Spitzer to shake off criticism over his Schenectedy-to-Niagara-looks-like-Appalachia remark from last week. This, despite giving a speech in Syracuse yesterday billed as a major address on his plan to rehabilitate upstate cities. Among other things, Spitzer said: Downtowns play a singular role in the social and economic lives of our cities. They are the place where people from all walks of life come together. Some could argue that's a 1980s worldview. In Glenn Reynolds' new book, An Army of Davids, he deals with reasons why downtowns have succumbed to modern shopping malls: One reason why people go to malls instead of downtown is that they feel safe. Part of this is physical safety. Though that's partly an illusion... Malls have done what downtowns haven't done, Reynolds points out: Keep people free to shop, in private spaces, away from the hassles of public downtowns. Shopping mall planners recognized that things like crime, parking, clean public restrooms, easy public access - issues they could control because malls are private property, and don't rely on inert government management - could be differentiators between them and downtowns. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, early in his first term as mayor, recognized that as well - he clamped down on squeegee men and petty criminals, kept the streets clean and made Manhattan a desirable place to be. Many of those supporting Spitzer's campaign now were the same people who ripped Giuliani for cracking down on free speech, free expression, and making the city a less, well, "colorful" place to be. But New York City today is viewed as a completely different place from its "The Bronx is Burning" days. So how does this relate to Spitzer, Appalachia and places like Utica and Rochester? Well, as the number of Hispanic businesses in Monroe County illustrates, upstate New York is a much different place to do business than in the 1970s and 1980s. The entrepreneurs are different. The population is different. People work and shop and spend their money differently. Even the city where Spitzer spoke, Syracuse, is home to Pyramid Companies - a company that started business in 1970, built and manages 16 shopping malls in upstate New York, and now tops $5 billion in annual revenue. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Utica-Rome area saw a 5.2 percent unemployment rate in January. Rochester's was 5.3 percent. How much different was that from New York City? Not much. According to the BLS, the New York Metro area's unemployment rate was 5.1 percent. So...Appalachia? Consider this from the City of Utica's web site, regarding its workforce:
•High school graduation rates are 15% higher than the state and 5% above the national average. Compared to years past, a more diverse, better-educated upstate workforce chooses to spend more of its money in malls rather than downtowns. Its unemployment is about the same as downstate. The frontrunner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, William Weld, is wasting no time in making political hay out of Spitzer's remarks. In a press release yesterday, he said:
If nothing else, Spitzer provided a fertile area for debate between now and November. MORE: Democracy in Albany mocks Spitzer's critics. By Ed Moltzen · 22 March 2006
Weld Speech
Urban Elephants' Raquel Walker attended a speech by NY GOP gubernatorial hopeful William Weld last night, and sounds impressed: He spoke about being fiscally conservative, how he was able to cut taxes in MA, even with a Democrat majority. He made a good point about Spitzer in that in the 7 years being AG, he has brought just ONE case to trial and LOST. The bad news for Weld: It likely won't offset this story in today's headlines. But pointing out that Spitzer isn't exactly Johnny Cochrane or F. Lee Bailey in the courtroom can't be helpful for the Democrat this fall. By Ed Moltzen · 21 March 2006
Pre-Emptive Strike
Last week, Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Eliot Spitzer was attacked by Republican John Faso for making no public comments on the proposed state budget. Now, Democratic rival Tom Suozzi is going after Spitzer for what the attorney general is not saying about property taxes. According to a press release from the Suozzi camp: Two weeks ago, while in Rochester to deliver his first major economic development speech, Eliot Spitzer devoted only one sentence to property taxes. The Suozzi release was put out a day ahead of a planned Spitzer speech in Syracuse on economic development. Adds Team Suozzi: In both his speech announcing his candidacy last month and his State of Nassau County address last week, Suozzi placed a strong emphasis on the need for property tax relief. In his State of the County Address, Suozzi pledged to be "a Governor of this State that knows how real the property tax problem is and as Governor I will make the changes necessary to solve the problem." With all the creative input from his rivals on what to say in his public remarks, Spitzer may not need to pay a speech writing staff during the campaign. By Ed Moltzen · 20 March 2006
Paterson's Record
State Sen. David Paterson's legislative record could be fertile ground for opponents of the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, and his running mate, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, according to this piece in The Politicker: Eliot Spitzer's running mate, State Senator David Paterson, was the prime, and sole, sponsor of legislation that would have sharply cut child-support payments, primarily from divorced men to their ex-wives. Notes Ben Smith: Paterson's two-decade record in the New York State Senate remains largely unexamined, but a scan of the bills he has sponsored suggests that it will offer large targets to Mr. Spitzer's Republican opponents. Paterson, as a Democrat in the minority of the state Senate, has essentially had the luxury of proposing many pieces of legislation that received little or no scrutiny because they had no chance of becoming law. The proposals could satisfy his supporters, without boomeranging back and hurting him politically - until now, that is. Here's a list of Paterson's pending proposals. (PDF). By Ed Moltzen · 20 March 2006
New York State GOP-athetic?
How weak is the New York State Republican party? Pretty weak, going by this post from Daniel at Urban Elephants: New York has 29 Congressional Districts where 20 are held by Democrats and 9 by Republicans. This, after the 2004 showing by Republican Howard Mills against incumbent Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer was the worst drubbing in New York since Burgoyne lost at Saratoga. By Ed Moltzen · 20 March 2006
Those Who Forget History...
Ed Koch, 1982: "Living in rural areas is a joke...Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's numb..." Eliot Spitzer, 2006: "If you drive from Schenectady to Niagara...it looks like Appalachia." David Weidner's MarketWatch column on Spitzer's gaffe last weekend is picking up a head of steam. (Scott Sala, at Urban Elephants, likens Spitzer's comments in Weidner's piece to Howard Dean's "Confederate Flag" remark during the 2004 presidential campaign.) The problem for Spitzer isn't that he committed a gaffe - every candidate makes them, especially candidates who announce 2 years before election day they are running for office. The problem for Spitzer is that he's running for the Democratic nomination as a wealthy, liberal Manhattanite against a centrist, suburban, middle-class sounding Tom Suozzi. Spitzer can talk about taking on Wall Street - which was a lot more popular with the voters after the dot com explosion - but he's been much less adept at talking about property taxes, public school deterioration and even, according to one other candidate for governor, the nuts and bolts of the $110 billion state budget. Former Republican-Conservative Assemblyman John Faso's campaign issued this press release yesterday: "New York has the highest state and local taxes in the nation," said Faso. "To cut school taxes, New York needs to reform costly mandates on school districts which drive up costs and don't improve education. New York also needs to dramatically reform the Medicaid system. In fact, Spitzer has issued no public comments on the current proposals by Gov. George Pataki and state lawmakers on the proposed budget. It's not just that he blew off most of upstate as an Appalachia lookalike. But it's as if he doesn't know that between Schenectedy and Niagara are major operations for Fortune 500 companies like Xerox, Kodak and Corning. They employ some of the smartest people in the world, and have among the highest state tax burdens in the country. Their employees drive New York roads, pay local property taxes and send their kids to public schools. Very few of them have been to catered fundraisers in Denise Rich's Manhattan penthouse. And, as Ed Koch discovered in 1982, they vote. MORE: AP reports a fuller version of Spitzer's quote: "If you drive from Schenectady to Niagara Falls, you'll see an economy that is devastated," Spitzer says on the tape. "It looks like Appalachia. This is not the New York we dream of." Still, here is Rochester, N.Y. Here is Syracuse. Here is how down-and-out things are at Athena-Greece High School. Here's Appalachia. And here. And here. MORE: According to Spitzer's fellow Democrat, Sen. Hillary Clinton, even Appalachia doesn't look like Appalachia. Just this week, just days after Spitzer's remarks, the Development District Association of Appalachia honored Clinton for her advocacy of economic development in the region. According to this press release from the Appalachian Regional Commission: Her support in Congress for the use of advanced telecommunications and technology for economic development has helped ARC invest more than $32 million over the last five years to bring these tools to some of the most rural parts of the Appalachian Region. By Ed Moltzen · 17 March 2006
CBS Still Bumbling On Howard's Replacement?
A rumor sprouted last week that CBS was in talks to hire Opie & Anthony to replace David Lee Roth-Adam Carolla-Rover-Howard Stern. Apparently, that rumor was true - according to remarks made by Opie & Anthony on their XM show. But it now it appears those talks are going nowhere. By Ed Moltzen · 16 March 2006
Department of Predictions
Andrew Sullivan, October 8, 2004: IT WON'T BE CLOSE...In fact, I'd say a clear and decisive Kerry win is now the likeliest outcome of this election. Andrew Sullivan, March 16, 2006: My gut predicts a huge swing against the GOP this fall. By Ed Moltzen · 16 March 2006
Block Type
There were a few headlines yesterday stemming from state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's decision to sue H&R Block on charges connected to an IRA it made available to its tax customers. Block is using several defenses, including suggesting Spitzer's actions are politically motivated. From an internal Block memo published by Drudge, Block's Tim Gokey writes: We are dismayed that the Attorney General, who is running for Governor of New York, has chosen to attack a product which has been broadly hailed by consumer advocates as a way to help moderate income people to save... The number of executives who fight back against Spitzer, in tough words, appears to be growing. By Ed Moltzen · 16 March 2006
Medicaid Fraud
The New York State Senate this week passed a bill that would strip the state Attorney General of jurisdiction in some medicaid fraud cases the office refuses to prosecute. The measure passed, 58-1. A key criticism opponents have used against Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who is running for governor, is that his office hasn't done enough to prosecute medicaid fraud cases. Spitzer's running mate, state Sen. David Paterson, voted for the senate bill - a bill which could be viewed by some as a slap against the attorney general. Here's a PDF of the Senate vote on the bill. By Ed Moltzen · 16 March 2006
Live By The Lawsuit...
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is getting some ink today as a result of a lawsuit against H&R Block. (A company he previously sued in 2003.) Now Greg Conko writes that previous action by Spitzer against the maker of a heart defibrillator may have been premature, and caused additional risk to heart patients. (Via The Corner.) By Ed Moltzen · 15 March 2006
Capeci: No Way Tony Croaks. But...
Mob writer extraordinaire Jerry Capeci weighs in on Sunday night's Soprano's season opener: Since there's no way that the award-winning HBO series can go on for another 19 episodes if Tony croaks, we know that in the end, probably by this coming Sunday, he will be on the road to recovery, and continuing his ruthless, duplicitous, yet charming ways. Capeci said that would point to Silvio Dante or, in a longshot, the now-svelt Vito Spadafora. But, this is the Soprano crime family we're talking about. Dysfunction rules. So, the bet from this vantage point: Tony survives but is incapacitated, leading to a free-for-all between Christopher Moltisanti, Vito, and Paulie Walnuts for acting control. By Ed Moltzen · 15 March 2006
Audio Bedfellows
Howard Stern will be on Sean Hannity's radio program at 4 p.m., Eastern Time. You can listen to it here. Evidently, Hannity fans are voicing some displeasure. By Ed Moltzen · 14 March 2006
Homecoming for Someone
The state Republican Party is going to have its convention this year on Long Island. That could make it a decent homecoming for one of the two leaders for the GOP gubernatorial endorsement: John Faso, who was originally from the island, or the much-traveled Bill Weld, who comes from Smithtown. The other Republican in the governor's race, Randy Daniels, comes from Chicago. By Ed Moltzen · 14 March 2006
No Credit
State Sen. David Paterson posts this story on his web site, reporting on a Democratic proposal to end what is referred to as a "slush fund" for legislators in the state budget. Paterson, though, doesn't say who writes the story or where it comes from. He offers no credit line. It's actually an AP story by Mark Johnson. By Ed Moltzen · 14 March 2006
Dueling Gaffes
The Suozzi campaign for governor, on the candidate's web site, subtracts an "L" from Sen. Clinton's first name, as pointed out by Elizabeth Benjamin. Meanwhile, the Spitzer campaign, on its web site, is touting an endorsement from the "New York City Police Benevolent Association." Perhaps Team Spitzer was referring to the "Patrolmen's Benevolent Association?" And, for what it's worth, we have entered Week Two of the Spitzer Web Site Redesign Watch. (Still no redesign, still no comments.) By Ed Moltzen · 13 March 2006
One To The Gut
The Daily News is calling the last scene of last night's season opener of The Sopranos "one of the most shocking moments in recent prime-time TV history." Uncle Junior, consumed with dimentia, shoots Tony - who had stopped by to fix his uncle some pasta. There were a number of disturbing scenes in last night's episode (Uncle Junior missing his upper plate wasn't exactly easy on the eyes.) But after last night, two more mob turncoats bit the dust: Raymond Curto and Eugene Pontecorvo. They followed Adreana La Cerva and Big Pussy Bonpensiero as FBI snitches who died while gathering information against Tony for the feds. Curto keeled over while handing an FBI agent a tape, and Pontecorvo hung himself after the feds told him he'd be the new "designated hitter" replacing Curto. Until last night, viewers only saw Pontecorvo as a bit player and had no idea he was cooperating. So, even though The Sopranos ended last night with Tony holding a bullet wound to the stomach and fading fast, he's got one thing in his favor: He's not working for the government! MORE: Baseball Crank also catches on to the FBI's poor luck in retaining informants. By Ed Moltzen · 13 March 2006
Tony's Return
Starting tonight, they're back. When last we saw Tony Soprano, he had just finished running through snow-covered woods and neighborhoods, trying to avoid the same fate as Johnny Sack, who got pinched by the feds. Tonight, we see The Sopranos for the first time since 2004. By Ed Moltzen · 12 March 2006
The G (Golisano) Factor
From Elizabeth Benjamin's scoop interview with Tom Golisano in today's Times Union: The front-runners for his endorsement, he said, are former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, a Republican who joined Golisano for a Sabres game Wednesday night, and Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat who is slated to attend a Sabres game Sunday with Golisano. The current front-runner, Democratic Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, wasn't on his list, nor were Republicans John Faso and Randy Daniels. More details on her blog. The political ribbon in New York is being pulled in two directions this year: The Eliot Spitzer-Democratic machine pulling in one direction, and everybody else pulling in another. Even if Golisano backs Weld, his active involvement (and spending) in this year's election could serve to activate centrist Democrats - which would be a big plus for Suozzi in his primary campaign against Spitzer. By Ed Moltzen · 10 March 2006
Long Island, Secession and Murder
The Long Island Project. (Video) By Ed Moltzen · 9 March 2006
Spying
During the Revolutionary War, there was Nathan Hale. Now, the military uses a 4-foot UAV. (See the video here.) By Ed Moltzen · 9 March 2006
Crumbling Economy Watch
Gov. George Pataki's office put out this news yesterday about the New York labor market: The New York State Department of Labor released new employment statistics for January 2006. From January 2005 to January 2006 the state private sector added 72,600 jobs, a gain of 1.1 percent. Moreover, from December 2005 to January 2006 the unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) fell from 5.0 percent to 4.6 percent as the number employed rose and number unemployed fell. Measured from January 2005 to January 2006, the unemployment rate fell in 60 of the state’s 62 counties. New York's unemployment rate, 4.6 percent, is now below the national average By Ed Moltzen · 9 March 2006
Happy Birthday, Eliot
Eliot Spitzer is throwing himself a birthday party on June 13. No big gifts. Just $1,000 per person. By Ed Moltzen &mi |
