Archive for October, 2010
Barron: Sharpton Is Voting For Me
Oct 31st - 6:51 pm
Despite the recent attempt by the Cuomo campaign at a rapprochement with the Rev. Al Sharpton, the prominent black leader publicly announced over the weekend that he will be voting for NYC Councilman Charles Barron for governor on the Freedom Party line.
At least, that’s what Barron says.
According to the Brooklyn Democrat, who has accused Cuomo of ignoring the black community, Sharpton made this announcement on his radio show Saturday morning. Barron was a guest on the show.
“He said that he is a Democrat and he’s going all across the country supporting the Democratic Party ticket,” Barron told me during a brief telephone interview this evening.
“But here in New York, he is voting for Charles Carron because I was there with him and in our movement and our cause for so many years, and how could he not go with someone who has been there in our community for so may years?”
Barron said much the same thing yesterday to blogger Michael A. Harris.
The councilman offered a new twist on the story when I spoke to him. He said Sharpton made an analogy about his decision to stick with an ally being much along the lines of President Obama’s snub to Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio out of loyalty to his opponent, independent candidate Lincoln Chafee, who (as a Republican) crossed party lines to endorse Obama over GOP Sen. John McCain in 2008.
I have been unable to track down Sharpton’s spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger to either confirm Barron’s claim or comment on it.
City Hall news’ Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote recently about the “complicated” relationship between Sharpton and Barron. Wayne Barrett has delved deeply into the topic of Sharpton and his tangled political alliances, too.
The Weekend That Was
Oct 31st - 4:56 pm
Andrew Cuomo predicted he’s going to “win big.”
“Mr. Cuomo will either win his first budget battle or he will be an early failure as governor,” the TU says.
The Wegman family recently contributed $90,000 to Cuomo.
Carl Paladino has donors in Florida.
Cuomo refused to “second guess” Gov. David Paterson on ethics reform.
NYPIRG’s Blair Horner (and former Cuomo aide) on Cuomo: “I knew Andrew a bit when he was (working) with his dad – he was a sledgehammer. He wasn’t as warm and fuzzy as when he ran for AG. But he became more deft. I worked with Eliot, and he knew only one speed. Eliot, always, the first thing he’d want to do is rip these guys’ lungs out. I would too, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to make a bill become a law.”
A lot of money is flowing into the the candidate’s coffers as the gubernatorial race nears its end.
Robert Kennedy Jr., the brother of Cuomo’s ex-wife (who once mulled a primary challenge against him for AG), endorsed him for governor.
The AG said he’s unsure if he’ll recommend jail time for the disgraced former state comptroller, Alan Hevesi.
Meet Marilyn Thornton, the “doyenne” of Cuomo’s volunteers, who has worked for six AGs – Dems and Republicans.
Andrea Harter is a “Democrat for Carl.”
The Battle For Kiryas Joel (Updated)
Oct 31st - 4:07 pm
The extremely close fight for NY-19 could come down to the Hasidic community of Kiryas Joel.
Both Democratic Rep. John Hall and Republican Nan Hayworth met with the two factions of KJ this week to seek their endorsements, according to the Middletown Times Herald-Record, which reports:
Hayworth’s spokesman, Douglas Cunningham, said Friday that their discussions were cordial, but that neither side indicated who they would support.
“We did not make any promises to them except that we would be as accessible to them as to any other constituents,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham also said prominent Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo — the front-runner for governor — have been pressuring Kiryas Joel’s leaders to support Hall.”
YNN’s Curtis Schick asked Hayworth herself for an updated today and was told she is “of course” looking for the support of KJ leaders, but haven’t received as of yet.
Cuomo ‘Officially Neutral’ In Comptroller’s Race
Oct 31st - 3:15 pm
NY1′s Bobby Cuza is on Andrew Cuomo duty today and said the Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner hedged during a post-GOTV rally Q&A with reporters on the subject of state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who, according to this morning’s Siena poll, is in a dead heat with his GOP opponent, Harry Wilson.
Asked if he thinks it’s important that DiNapoli wins tomorrow, Cuomo replied:
“I’m officially neutral in that race. But, uh…well, let me leave it at that.”
Cuza said the AG did give DiNapoli a shout-out from the stage during the rally, saying something along the lines of: “Are we gonna make Tom DiNapoli the next comptroller?”
Cuomo declined to endorse DiNapoli after clearing him in the ongoing pension fund pay-to-play scandal, reasoning, according to sources familiar with his thinking, that to follow that decision with a political statement would be “inappropriate.”
The GOTV rally, one of several taking place today, was on the Upper West Side and also featured Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Eric Schneiderman (also locked in a tie race with his GOP opponent, Staten Island DA Dan Donovan, according to Siena), Rep. Jerry Nadler, NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Manhattan BP Scott Stringer, NYC Comptroller John Liu, Manhattan Dem Chairman/Assemblyman Keith Wright and Assemblyman/Senate nominee Adriano Espaillat.
Mrs. Redlich Attacks Roger Stone (Updated)
Oct 31st - 1:27 pm
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Warren Redlich said (through his campaign) that he didn’t want to discuss the nasty anonymous flyer sent to Capital Region residents last week that branded him a sexual predator, saying he didn’t want to reward “criminals for their criminal conduct.”
His wife, Heather, has no such reservations.
In an open letter to GOP consultant Roger Stone, who admitted being in touch with the committee that took credit for the flyer, Heather Redlich accused the self-professed dirty trickster of telling “terrible lies” about her husband.
“You have hurt me and my family,” she continued. “I have suffered anxiety and heartache. You have made me fear for the safety of my children in our own home.”
“I am the type of person that avoids the limelight. I don’t like when people talk about me but I feel I can be silent no more. So, I will dry my tears and write my own message to New Yorkers:”
“I have known Warren Redlich for 19 years and have been married to him for 15 years. We have two school-age children. We met in law school, got married shortly after graduation and built a home together. Warren supported me when I decided to pursue a career as a librarian. When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer during my first pregnancy, he took care of me and our newborn child.”
(The letter is rather long, and so it continues after the jump. I exchanged e-mails with Stone yesterday and he was unrepentant about encouraging “People for a Safer New York,” which sent out the flyer, even though he has been widely criticized for doing so).
Donovan Attacks On The Web
Oct 31st - 11:33 am
On the heels of this morning’s Siena poll that shows him deadlocked with Sen. Eric Schneiderman at 44-44 in the AG’s race, Staten Island DA Dan Donovan released a new Web ad that reiterates all the attacks he’s been hitting throughout the campaign (Albany insider, no prosecutorial experience, beholden special interests etc).
Note: It’s a Web ad. Not a TV ad. Donovan has a recent infusion of cash (exactly how much remains an open question) from last Monday’s fundraiser with NJ Gov. Chris Christie, Mayor Bloomberg, ex-Gov. George Pataki and ex-Mayor Ed Koch, and he is on the air with a spot that stars Bloomberg and Koch.
But other than that first ad in which he hit Schneiderman for the National Action Network “annex” comment, Donovan hasn’t been negative on the air – at least not that I’ve seen.
Last Siena Statewide Survey: AG And Comptroller Tied, Cuomo Up 25
Oct 31st - 10:01 am
If Siena’s final pre-general election poll is on the money, it could be a very long and tense election night.
The survey continues to show Democratic frontrunner Andrew Cuomo with a comfortable double-digit lead over his GOP challenger, Carl Paladino, (58-33). Paladino now leads the AG among Republicans, 62-27, and made inroads with independents, too, although Cuomo is still ahead there, 48-40.
Ditto for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in her race against former GOP Rep. Joe DioGuardi (57-37) and extra ditto for Sen. Chuck Schumer vs. Republican Jay Townsend (64-32).
But the other two statewide races are deadlocked.
The real surprise is the state comptroller’s race, in which Republican Harry Wilson has closed a 17-point gap between himself and Democratic incumbent Tom DiNapoli. The two candidates are tied at 44 percent with 12 percent still undecided and only two days (counting this one) remaining in the campaign.
Wilson is now ahead in both the suburbs (nine points) and upstate (16 points) – both areas where DiNapoli previously had a slim lead.
The first time candidate and former hedge fund manager also managed to, as Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg put it, “bring home” Republicans, and is now leading among his fellow GOPs by 62 points, up from 36.
Paladino Camp Uses Dem Words Against Cuomo
Oct 31st - 8:50 am
A Carl Paladino supporter posted this video that accuses Andrew Cuomo of being untrustworthy on Facebook.
It features footage from the 2006 AG debate during which the Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner was asked if he harbored aspirations to be governor and flatly responded: “No.” That prompted his rival, one-time running mate and on-again-off-again-ally Charlie King to jokingly ask: “Is there a lie detector test around here?”
There’s also quotes from Amsterdam News publisher/editor-in-chief Elinor Tatum’s editorial calling Cuomo out for failing to pay sufficient attention to the African American community and a clip of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer saying on CNN that Cuomo is the “dirtiest, nastiest political player out there.”
Cuomo On Campaign, AEG, And Hevesi
Oct 30th - 9:14 pm
Andrew Cuomo wouldn’t say if former Comptroller Alan Hevesi should go to jail during a brief gaggle with reporters in Saratoga County today. The Democratic Gubernatorial candidate was asked about a wide range of topics from the negative tone of the campaign, to AEG, and his investigation into the pay-to-play scandal involving Alan Hevesi.
“He [Hevesi] is cooperating with an ongoing investigation. And we will let that investigation proceed and then see where we are,” is all Cuomo would say on the matter.
On the investigation into AEG, Cuomo said the federal government launched their probe into Aqueduct before he was aware of any wrongdoing, so he felt it was best to let them finish their investigation before getting the Attorney General’s office involved.
Cuomo also weighed in on the negative tone on the campaign, saying “politics isn’t for the faint of heart,” and rejected the suggestion that labor unions are discouraged from turning out on election day.
Schumer: Gillibrand Can Take Care Of Herself
Oct 30th - 8:53 pm
Senator Schumer was also on the campaign trail today with Sen. Gillibrand for stops in Rochester, Buffalo, and the Capital Region.
During this stop in Rochester, he was asked about the “little girl” comment Carl Paladino made earlier in the week. Schumer didn’t have much to say, other than to suggest that Sen. Gillibrand “is very capable of taking care of herself.”
“All I can say is that insults don’t solve any problems,” Schumer added.
Schumer was then asked about yesterday’s terror threat and he praised intelligence forces for identifying the explosives before they reached US soil.
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