| (Photo: John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times)
 Yesterday was a gloves off day for Gov. Roller. He took on some of the most powerful players in New York politics, Kenneth E. Raske, President of the New York Hospital Association, Dennis Rivera of 1199 S.E.I.U. United Healthcare Workers fame and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, popular mayor of, well, you know.
Let's begin with the early morning round one. This from the Times.
The governor was addressing a Manhattan power breakfast, giving a PowerPoint presentation to an audience that included business executives, civic leaders and former mayors,...
--snip--
Suddenly a new slide popped up on the giant screen behind Mr. Spitzer on the stage of the Hilton New York ballroom. It said, in huge letters, "Guardians of the Status Quo," and it bore the logos of the two groups, the Greater New York Hospital Association and the union, 1199 S.E.I.U. United Healthcare Workers East, which have joined forces to become one of the most powerful lobbies in Albany.
"Now, my good friends at 1199 and Greater New York, I want to put your logos up here just so everybody will know who you are," Mr. Spitzer began,...
I good way to start the day. Going a few warmup rounds face to face with a couple of guys who weren't prepared for the opening jabs.
The health care officials seemed stunned afterward. Kenneth E. Raske, the president of the hospital association, said, "I have never in my professional life seen anything like that."
It begs the question if he's seen anything like it in his private life...
More after the flip. |
| This dust up was over Spitzer's proposed freezing of Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and nursing homes, that have tradidtionally received generous hikes year after year.
There is an ad war waging, and the Gov. took the opposing side's ads apart with a 16 slide powerpoint presentation, with Rivera and Raske seated yards away, picking silently at their eggs.
I'll let Michael Cooper supply the segue into the next round:
The exchange at the breakfast, given by the Association for a Better New York, was just the latest indication of Mr. Spitzer's willingness - even eagerness - to trample over the accepted niceties and mores that have long marked state politics.
Steam Spitzer wasn't done for the day. He had other fish to fry. Later, he took on one of the state's richest men, who also happens to be the NYC mayor.
Schools on Fritz - Spitz from the Daily News.
Gov. Spitzer criticized the quality of the city's public schools yesterday and questioned whether the Bloomberg administration has made any progress in improving the graduation rate.
"We have a crisis in our big city educational system," Spitzer said. He pointed to a statistic showing that only 39% of city eighth-graders met state math standards during the past school year.
The Governor has shown he can make deals (Workman's comp and ethics reform) and wage wars (Medicaid cuts and DiNapoli appointment) with very powerful Albany institutions .
No matter what one thinks of his policies on a case by case basis (and I've had my differences), he has certainly succeeded in shaking things up in Albany and gotten everyone's attention.
And THAT, I feel, is a good thing. |
