Rangel, In Happier Times
Jul 26th - 5:15 pm
Rep. Charlie Rangel’s campaign has produced a Web video that features highlights of prominent Democrats praising him at his birthday fundraiser last year that seems to serve a dual purpose:
1) Remind the establishment and the media of a time when the Harlem congressman was in his prime and counted among his supporters the cream of New York’s Democratic crop (the video starts out with a tribute from former President Clinton). Keep in mind: The House ethics probe has dragged on for two years, so Rangel was under investigation while everyone featured here was waxing on about how great he was.
2) Provide a with-us-or-against-us benchmark by which the media – and Rangel supporters – can determine who stood with him then and who’s not around now….interesting approach.
Wilson: I’m Andrew Cuomo’s Running Mate!
Jul 26th - 4:47 pm
State comptroller candidate Harry Wilson offered a unique response when asked in Buffalo today why he has declined to endorse a candidate in the governor’s race.
“I am intentionally not getting involved in any way in that race,” the former hedge fund manager explained to YNN’s Doug Sampson.
“I am already with Rick Lazio on the Conservative line. The Republican line, obviously, will be a primary. And in fact, I am a running mate with Andrew Cuomo on the Independence line. So, I am really sort of staying out of that completely.”
Now there’s an approach of which the post-partisan AG, who has been pushing hard to woo Republicans to cross party lines and support him, will likely approve. (And, for what it’s worth, Cuomo is no big fan of Wilson’s target, Democratic state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli). I’m not so sure how Wilson’s fellow GOPers will feel about this line of reasoning…or Conservatives, for that matter.
Wilson also said he has had some preliminary discussions with Lazio opponent Carl Paladino’s campaign about potentially running on his independent “Taxpayers” line, which about a dozen Republican Senate and Assembly
candidates are also seeking.
(I’m efforting the IDs; I did see that request in the comments section. I can tell you for certain that one of them is Assemblyman Jack Quinn, who is running against Democratic Sen. Bill Stachowski).
Plouffe In The Big City
Jul 26th - 4:05 pm
David Plouffe, the Democratic strategist who managed Obama-Biden ’08 and was brought back into the inner circle to advise the White House in advance of the potentially problematic midterm elections, is in NYC this week for two fundraisers to benefit the DNC.
The first event is being co-hosted by Mark Gallogly, cofounder and managing principal of Centerbridge Partners and an Obama bundler who is a member of the president’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and Huffington Post chairman and co-founder Kenneth Lerer. Cost: $1,000.
The second event is a low-dollar affair – tickets start at $44 – put on by Generation44, the Young Professionals arm of the DNC’s Finance Committee.
The president himself is due in town this week, too. He’s reportedly also going to raise cash for the DNC.
It Hurts Him Not To Talk
Jul 26th - 3:42 pm
Here’s some footage from Rep. Charlie Rangel’s Q-and-A with reporters earlier today at which he said it’s “painful” for him not to be able to comment on the charges against him, which won’t be made public until Thursday.
“It may not be pleasant, but it is going to give me a sense of relief,” Rangel said. “At least we will know where we are going. But it’s painful to have to say, ‘no comment’, when people are attacking the very reason that you exist.”
Maggie Haberman has more on the embattled congressman’s demeanor, which she found “sad” and “downcast”. Apparently, he also took the media by surprise by mentioning “more alleged violations” that are now being looked at.
But, of course, he didn’t elaborate, and that statement could be interpreted in a number of ways.
Pushing Back Against AG Cuomo (Updated)
Jul 26th - 2:19 pm
Here’s some footage of a press conference held earlier today at which more than 100 tenants of a Glenville apartment complex turned out to rally in support of a management company AG Andrew Cuomo has accused of discriminating against blacks.
Deana Tope, the rental agent at Socha Management, denied Cuomo’s allegations and said she feels he “issued a personal attack on my character and my reputation.” (The press release notes her partner is black and the couple has four inter-racial children).
Her attorney John Dowd said the event was called to “set the record straight and vehemently deny” Cuomo’s charges. The not-so-subtle suggestion here is that Cuomo’s case is politically motivated due to the fact that he’s running for governor.
Gillibrand Loses Clinton Aide
Jul 26th - 2:12 pm
In case you missed it from my DN column this morning (it’s the second item): A former aide to Hillary Clinton who stuck around to help the woman who inherited her boss’ Senate seat is moving on.
Karen Persichilli Keogh left Gillibrand’s payroll this month to become JPMorgan’s managing director for state and local government relations, a source familiar with her move confirmed.
Keogh, a veteran Clinton operative, stayed on with Gillibrand as a campaign adviser after Gov. Paterson tapped the former congresswoman in January 2009 to fill the seat Clinton vacated to become secretary of state.
Best known in the political world as “KPK”, Keogh has worked behind the scenes for a number of Democratic elected officials, including: Former NYC Councilman Sal Albanese, former Council speaker and mayoral/gubernatorial contender Peter F. Vallone and Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings. She started out with DC37, NYC’s largest municipal union.
In one of those small-political-world moments: JP morgan’s intergovernmental operation was once run by former Rep. Rick Lazio, who is now the GOP/Conservative gubernatorial nominee running against Gillibrand’s old boss at HUD, AG Andrew Cuomo.
Shake-Up In Malpass Campaign
Jul 26th - 1:46 pm
Republican US Senate hopeful David Malpass has parted ways with Mike DuHaime, former 2008 Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign manager, in an ongoing campaign shake-up that has seen the departure of several staffers.
Malpass spokeswoman Jessica Proud confirmed DuHaime left about two weeks ago, and sent over the following explanation/statement:
“Mike was brought on in the early the stages of the campaign to put the pieces together, assemble the team and get us through the convention. He did so brilliantly and we are enormously grateful for his contributions to the campaign.”
DuHaime, who also worked on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s successfull campaign last fall and is now with Mercury Public Affairs, joined the Malpass campaign back in March as the would-be candidate was gearing up to make a push to get onto the ballot at the state convention.
Pro-Schneiderman NYC Council Members Hit Rice On Voting
Jul 26th - 12:46 pm
Two NYC Council members who support Sen. Eric Schneiderman for AG, Brad Lander (Brooklyn) and Melissa Mark-Viverito (East Harlem/Bronx), released a letter slamming Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice for her 18-year lapse in voting.
The Democratic duo, who serve as co-chairs of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, note Rice was living in a swing state (Pennsylvania) during the crucial 2000 presidential election and failed to vote for then-VP Al Gore.
“To explain this decision, you have used the excuse that ‘like a lot of young adults early in their professional lives, I failed to see the political significance of casting a ballot,’” the lawmakers wrote. “However, let us be clear: you were not a young person at this time, but a 35-year-old practicing attorney.”
“In all candor, if you could not see the “political significance” in voting for Al Gore over George Bush, one of the most destructive presidents of all time, then we have serious reason to question your judgment and commitment to core progressive values.”
“What was it that made such a decision so difficult? Did you fail to see the political significance of Bush’s promise to appoint anti-choice judges, his obsession with Iraq, or his commitment to eroding civil liberties?”
Gov: Legislative Inaction ‘Slap In The Face’ Of NYers
Jul 26th - 12:14 pm
Here’s Gov. David Paterson earlier today lambasting the Legislature for its continued failure to finish the budget and act on his policy proposals.
The governor rejected the suggestion that it would be a personal slight to him if the Assembly and Senate heed his call to return to Albany (not that they have much choice in the matter) only to ignore the agenda he has set out, which includes many unpopular ideas like wine in grocery stores, the soda tax and the a property tax cap.
“It’s already a slap in the face, but it’s not personal,” the governor said. “It’s not my face they’re slapping, tt’s the faces of the people of the state of New York.
“It’s the people who unfortunately are becoming angrier and angrier because we keep cutting services and we keep delaying payments, and that’s because we have made people feel that we were more able to provide resources than we actually could…and there’s a great deal of disappointment, and I think what will vanquish that, what will rehabilitate us, is a little honesty.”
Rangel’s Reach
Jul 26th - 12:02 pm
There has been a lot of talk about the potential fallout from, and impact of, Rep. Charlie Rangel’s ethics charges vis-a-vis his fellow Democrats and the upcoming midterms.
The Republicans have already started to pressure various Democratic candidates – particularly those viewed as vulnerable, like Reps. Mike Arcuri (NY-24), Mike McMahon (NY-13), and John Hall (NY-19) – on the cash they’ve received from the scandal-scarred congressman. (All of those three have returned some, if not all, of his contributions).
There is ample fodder here for the GOP, as you can see from the spreadsheet that appears after the jump. Rangel has distributed more than $2.5 million since 2003.
He was working hard to help the Democrats gain control of the House so he could land that coveted Ways and Means chairmanship, which he didn’t get to keep very long, as the Times’ Jim Dwyer rather poignantly wrote last Friday.
Take Capital Tonight and the State of Politics blog with you everywhere you go with our iPhone app! The mobile application features our blog posts, interviews, and a report news tool to send us your political news tips.