1199 Backs Schneiderman for AG

Can you provide a little more background on Schneiderman? (0.00 / 0)

I know he's a state senator from Manhattan, but I'd appreciate more information - what part of Manhattan does his senate district cover, where did he go to law school, how old is he, etc.

Any other candidates running the Democratic AG primary?

Really would appreciate a short diary on Schneiderman's background and his position on issues that impact the AG's office.

Thanks!

HylasBrook

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by: HylasBrook @ Wed Apr 14, 2010 at 15:36:31 PM UTC

There's a lot to say (0.00 / 0)

He's one of the good guys, that's for sure.  

Decent background here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E...

As far as the AG race, it's quite packed with lots of candidates.  Keep it locked at TAP, we'll probably have a lot of conversation about the race over the next few months.

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by: BingChester @ Wed Apr 14, 2010 at 15:45:50 PM UTC

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Thanks! (0.00 / 0)

HylasBrook

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by: HylasBrook @ Wed Apr 14, 2010 at 19:51:07 PM UTC

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Other AG candidates: (0.00 / 0)

Kathleen Rice
Sean Coffey
Eric Dinallo
Richard Brodsky
Denise O'Donnell

Dinallo has grabbed some early momentum with 17 state chairs backing him.  

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by: Adama D. Brown @ Wed Apr 14, 2010 at 15:57:50 PM UTC

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Actually there will be an announcement coming soon... (0.00 / 0)

...with an updated number for Dinallo.


We've got some work ahead of us.

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by: NYBri @ Wed Apr 14, 2010 at 17:30:03 PM UTC

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As I understand it (4.00 / 1)

Eric Schneiderman was first elected to the state Senate in 1998, and almost immediately started rocking the boat.

I have been told that Joe Bruno took such a dislike that he tried cutting off Schneiderman's office supplies, and Eric had to use campaign cash to buy pencils for his legislative office.

Apparently, Bruno redrew Schneiderman's district in 2001, taking away most of his upper west side district and giving him western Harlem, Washington Heights, and parts of the Bronx.  Then in 2002 Bruno talked Guillermo Linares (a Democratic former City Council member) into running a primary against Schneiderman in this now-heavily Dominican district, with the idea that Linares would flip after the election.  It didn't work -- Schneiderman won the primary, 63%-37%.

Following that election, David Paterson engineered a coup within the Democratic caucus and became the new Senate Minority Leader; he picked Eric to be his Deputy Minority Leader.

As chairman of the state DSCC, Eric also worked closely with Liz Krueger to fashion a long-term plan (meaning more than one election cycle) to regain control of the state Senate.

In the Senate, Eric led the charge to reform the Rockefeller drug laws.

He is now the leader in the push to count prisoners as living where they lived before being sentenced to prison -- something that will lead to real criminal practice reform.  It's a long explanation, but basically it comes down to the concept that changing where we count prisoners as living reduces the incentive to put people behind bars, so a lot of people will be more willing to try something else -- which would not only save the state a lot of money but also make life better for a whole lot of people who drew the short straw in life.

And that's the key -- Eric Schneiderman has made a career of trying to help people who most need help, based on the philosophy that we, as members of a society, are all in this society together.  This is opposed to the right-wing philosophy that we're on our own.

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Wed Apr 14, 2010 at 17:29:55 PM UTC

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Eric should have become (0.00 / 0)

Dem Leader in 2007. That's obviously a counter-factual, but I think that if he'd been in charge, we wouldn't have seen some of the things go down in the Senate that have made people so apathetic. Like, say, the coup, the marriage equality fail, what not else.

I think he'd make a fine AG, but that would clearly be a loss to the Senate. And I don't see anyone who could fill his role.

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by: Michael Bouldin @ Thu Apr 15, 2010 at 12:25:59 PM UTC

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