NY-Sen: Cooper Comes Around On Gillibrand

by: robert.harding

Mon Dec 14, 2009 at 16:49:14 PM EST

Cooper's decision not to run for U.S. Senate and endorse Gillibrand was one that didn't come with the fall-in-line fanfare that usually accompanies such endorsements. In his endorsement, he explained how and why he got to this point.

"After I met with Kirsten for several hours, and had an opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions on a wide array of policy issues, I realized that my perceptions of her were primarily based on media reports and second-hand stories," said Cooper. "I now believe that she's the 'real deal' and I'm convinced she will vote the way I would, work as hard as I would, and strive for the same progressive goals as I would."

...

"Kirsten is smart, warm, energetic and committed to doing a great job," stated Cooper. "I've always said that my decision would ultimately be based on what's best for the Democratic Party, New York State and our nation.  And that's why I am today offering Senator Gillibrand my wholehearted endorsement."

In an e-mail sent out to supporters, Cooper further detailed how he got to this point and why he has decided to endorse Gillibrand:

But one recent Saturday, I flew down to Washington and had a private dinner meeting with Senator Gillibrand.  I did this because a mutual friend challenged me to do so.  He told me that what I knew about the Senator from press reports was simply wrong.  And he suggested that if indeed it was wrong, my ignoring that and running anyway would be like declaring war on Iraq because they had weapons of mass destruction.

Didn't I have a responsibility, he asked, to take a few hours to determine whether the enemy was real?

I was somewhat reluctant, having come this far, but at the end of the day, I always try to do what I think is right.  So down I went to Washington, fully prepared for a "snow job" that I would easily detect and resist...and pretty certain I would come back to stand here today and declare my candidacy.

But what I found instead - based on facts I subsequently verified - is a woman quite unlike the one that has been portrayed in the press.

Believe me, it's a conclusion I did not jump to.

But in reviewing the "source materials," as you might put it, instead of relying on second-hand accounts, I determined that Senator Gillibrand is no more a tobacco stooge than I am...that she was 100% pro-LGBT equality long before she was ever appointed to the Senate...that her positions and votes on guns are not at all what that "100% NRA rating" had led me to assume.

Plus, as it turns out, Senator Gillibrand is smart, warm, energetic and committed to doing a great job.

The decision for Cooper, politically, is a smart one. While there are those who argue Gillibrand is vulnerable, her profile is still rising. For Cooper, it would have been an uphill battle even against someone with perceived weaknesses. He is a strong legislator and a brilliant activist, especially when it comes to leading on LGBT issues. But making the jump from county legislator to U.S. Senate would have been a big one. Perhaps too big.

Yet, Cooper showed a willingness to sit down with Gillibrand and get to know her. He learned who she really is through their one-on-one meetings and by the end of it, came to the realization that it wasn't in his best interest to run for Senate. Instead, he not only decided not to run, but endorsed the woman who he was almost going to primary.

NY-Sen: Cooper Announces He Won't Run; Endorses Gillibrand

by: robert.harding

Mon Dec 14, 2009 at 14:20:17 PM EST

Today, Cooper held a press conference announcing the he will not run against Gillibrand. In addition, he announced that he is endorsing Gillibrand for Senate believing her to be the best candidate for the job.

In a tweet, Gillibrand said she was "honored" by the endorsement.

I am honored to receive the endorsement of one of Long Island's great leaders and champions of LGBT rights, Majority Leader Jon Cooper.

Cooper was considered a long-shot candidate because he would enter the race trying to make the leap from county legislator to U.S Senate. He would be in a better position than Jonathan Tasini, but still would face long odds.

Cooper's exit means that no elected officials from New York will face Gillibrand (unless something changes over the next several months).  

NY-Sen: Cooper To Announce Whether He Is Running Or Not December 14

by: robert.harding

Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 17:40:59 PM EST

Cooper made that announcement in an e-mail to supporters today. The e-mail is below:

It's been six months since I launched my exploratory campaign for the U.S. Senate.  Since then, I've had the pleasure of meeting with New Yorkers all across our great state.  This has given me the opportunity to hear about their concerns and frustrations, as well as their hopes for the future.

Running for the U.S. Senate is obviously a major decision with important consequences.  As such, I felt a responsibility not to rush into a decision.

As a friend and supporter, I'm glad to advise you that I'll be announcing my decision at a press conference on Monday, December 14th. More details will be provided as the date approaches.

Thank you very much for your support and please accept my heartfelt wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving!

Best regards,

Jon Cooper

When I interviewed Cooper in September, he made it clear that he wasn't going to rush this decision. In the comments of that post, at least one person brought up that the end of the year seemed to be a bit late. I agree with that, but given Cooper's profile and the fact he is more willing than Jonathan Tasini to actually campaign in New York, making the decision this late in the year is not a huge issue. It's not as if Cooper is starting from scratch here. He is an elected official who does have a base and has a fairly large county (Suffolk) that he could win votes from.

So will he or won't he? We'll find out December 14. The guess for you, the reader, is: Should he or shouldn't he? Should he run and give Gillibrand a challenge? Or should he do the same thing that possible candidates did before and drop out?

NY-Sen: Jonathan "Hollywood" Tasini

by: robert.harding

Sat Sep 26, 2009 at 21:07:08 PM EDT

Certainly, your home state (in this case, New York) comes to mind. And since New York is home to New York City, the go-to place for political fundraising dollars, you would have no problem raising funds from the large group of people willing to give the maximum amount to any candidate they like.

For Jonathan Tasini, his fundraising locale of choice isn't the state he wishes to represent, but rather Del Mar, California. That is where Tasini was last night for a fundraiser hosted by actor Richard Dreyfuss.

Jimmy Vielkind has more on the Tasini Hollywood fundraiser:

Jonathan Tasini, a labor activist who is mounting a left-flank challenge to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will host a fund-raiser tonight in Los Angeles featuring actor Richard Dreyfuss.

Tasini told me by phone from LA that he has known Dreyfuss--the star of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Mr. Holland's Opus--for about three years. Dreyfuss is an active Democratic donor, and played Dick Cheney in the 2008 film W. Tickets start at $100 a head.

I asked Tasini how things were going, in light of a new poll which shows Kirsten Gillibrand running behind potential Republican opponents.

"I believed from the very beginning that she will not be the senator from New York," Tasini said. "It will either be that I defeat he in the primary, or she'll lose in the general election. Democrats should be very concerned about that; I will be a much stronger candidate against any Republican."

"I intend to be the nominee. I'm very confident in that," he said, noting things are "very, very different" than his Quixotic 2006 primary against Hillary Clinton.

I have always wanted Siena or Marist to include Tasini in their polling. If he thinks Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will lose in the general election and that he "will be a much stronger candidate against any Republican" then we should know just how well he fares against the likes of Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki.

There are those who come here and criticize our coverage of this race and label the whole blog pro-Gillibrand even though there are only a few of us in this community who are outspoken in our support for Gillibrand. Yes, a few of us are front-pagers, but that doesn't make the whole group pro-Gillibrand. That is like the labeling that went on during the 2008 elections that tabbed Daily Kos as the blog for Obama and MyDD as the blog for Clinton. Were front-pagers on those respective blogs supportive of those respective candidates? Yes. But it wasn't an accurate label of those blogs.

The truth is that I would take primary opponents a little more seriously if they did two things:

(1) Ran on their own platform instead of trying to run against the incumbent. If you have to run on someone's weaknesses instead of your strengths, why bother running?

(2) Treated the race seriously by actively campaigning, traveling the state and by putting New Yorkers first just as you would have to do as senator.

In Tasini's case, he fails both. While he does have his own platform, that is not his primary focus. He is trying to highlight Gillibrand's weaknesses instead of his strengths. He did the same thing in 2006 with Hillary Clinton. It didn't work then and it won't work now.

Tasini had a problem with being viewed as a serious candidate in 2006. The same can be said now. Instead of making trips to Hollywood for fundraisers with actors, why not take that time and effort and come to upstate New York (not Ithaca, somewhere else), the North Country or hold a fundraiser on Long Island. There is more to this state than the five boroughs and Tompkins County. Apparently, Tasini doesn't know that.

NY-Sen: Meet Jon Cooper: Still Pondering Run Against Gillibrand

by: robert.harding

Mon Sep 21, 2009 at 16:41:51 PM EDT

Last week, I spoke with Cooper about his possible candidacy, his career and why he is interested in running for a seat that was once held by Hillary Clinton, Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Robert F. Kennedy.

At first, Cooper dismissed the notion that a former Republican U.S. senator from New York - the same man Senator Chuck Schumer beat in 1998 - would be at a ceremony for Republicans. But, much to his dismay, there D'Amato stood mere feet away from Gillibrand as she was introduced as New York's newest senator.

Cooper makes it clear that he has ideas. He isn't just going to run an anti-Gillibrand campaign, but he can't help but point out her record. He mentions her past ties to Big Tobacco, the 100 percent rating she received from the National Rifle Association and her evolution on numerous issues that could be perceived as politically convenient.

"Her past position (on gun control) was of concern," he said. "There are some people are distrustful of her evolution on this and other issues and are concerned about what they see as flip-flopping and see this as insincere or they question her character. I'm not saying I do. But there are those who do."

For Cooper, however, it is different. He is not yet a declared candidate but he is touting his own record and why, if he were to run, he should be considered a serious contender to Gillibrand.

"I have, many times over the years, took stances that might not have been politically popular with my constituents but I believed it was the right thing to do," he said.

As an openly gay and happily married man, Cooper is the father of five children he and his spouse Rob have adopted. He has served 10 years on the Suffolk County Legislature and currently is the majority leader for the legislature's Democrats. He lists two key pieces of legislation as highlights of his career. He wrote the first law banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving in the country. Since then, a number of states (including New York) have adopted such laws. In addition to that, Cooper also authored legislation that banned the sale of ephedra. That effort led to the federal government imposing a ban on the dietary supplement.

Jobs and the economy is an area that Cooper knows all too well. Cooper is running the family business, Spectronics Corporation, in Westbury. He said that while he is on the corporate side of things, he also is very much pro-labor and supports workers.

In the 2008 presidential primaries, Cooper backed an underdog named Barack Obama. Cooper was the first elected official from New York to endorse Obama and went on to be the Long Island chair of the Obama campaign. He said that, at the time, people asked him if he realized the political risk he was taking. Cooper said he had supported Hillary Clinton in the past but once he met Obama, he was sold. It was through the Obama campaign that Cooper met many grassroots organizers, some of whom are now aiding him in his exploratory efforts and organizing meet and greets throughout the state for people to meet him. Cooper was in upstate New York this weekend meeting voters in Buffalo and Rochester and will be back in upstate New York again, especially if he decides to run.

Cooper knows that he has a long way to go. He realizes that Gillibrand has millions in her bankroll. He realizes that she has received nearly every county chair's endorsement to date. But one thing he references to is that Obama was counted out too. No one thought Hillary Clinton could be beaten. But with the greatest grassroots campaign ever, Obama pulled it out in the primary and won the general election.

A vast majority of Obama organizers and activists that Cooper worked with in 2008 are urging him to run and are supporting him. Democratic clubs have urged him to run. Progressives are supporting him. And while he says he isn't comparing himself to Obama, the comparisons are glaring.

"The party establishment, for the most part, quite understandably is falling in line behind our Democratic incumbent senator regardless of how she got to that office," he said. "But she's the incumbent Democrat now and I expect most of the political establishment to back her. But a lot of the grassroots leaders that had been early supporters of Obama seem to be lining up behind me or at the very least, urging me to run so that we will have a choice, which is what this is all about: Offering Democrats in New York State a choice."

While Cooper doesn't have a full slate of issues on his platform yet (understandable at this stage), his platform stresses the importance of economic development, pushes for progressive values and support of the environment and the fight for health care, consumer protection, gun safety and middle class tax cuts.

So when will we know whether or not Cooper is running? He says by the end of the year he will have a decision. He is testing the waters right now to see just how much support he has and what the response is statewide. I spoke with him over the weekend and he seemed to be very pleased and excited by the response in Buffalo and Rochester. So we'll see just how far he is willing to go and if he is going to make an upset bid for the U.S. Senate.

NY-Sen: Tasini Campaigns In Ithaca; Cooper Challenges Gillibrand On Public Option

by: robert.harding

Mon Aug 31, 2009 at 22:06:54 PM EDT

Jonathan Tasini was in Ithaca over the weekend campaigning and raising money. Ithaca (and Tompkins County) was where Tasini performed best in upstate New York. In 2006, Sen. Hillary Clinton defeated Tasini in Tompkins by 828 votes. The final tally was Clinton 2,849 to Tasini's 2,021.

Despite massive disadvantages in name recognition and fundraising, Tasini thinks the economic crisis and state government meltdown have left people more open to his brand of change than they've ever been. Tasini was in Ithaca Sunday campaigning and fundraising.

"The political machine in this state does not work for the people. The political machine in this state works for the politicians and the careers of politicians, and people are fed up with that," he said.

...

Prior to accepting her Senate seat, Gillibrand worked for the tobacco and gun industries, and she is "awash" in money from special interests, Tasini said.

Tasini's contributions are all from individuals, while almost $700,000 of Gillibrand's are from political action committees, including hospitals, insurance companies, financial services and the natural gas industry, according to the FEC database.

If elected, Tasini said his top priorities would be strengthening the labor movement through widespread unionization; rewriting free trade policies to protect workers as well as corporations; and raising taxes on corporations and couples making more than $351,000 rather than "borrow(ing) from the Chinese."

On health care, he supports single-payer government insurance by opening Medicare to everyone.

A possible challenger, Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper, tried to push Gillibrand on health care reform. Specifically, he challenged her on her support of a public option.

Jon Cooper, a local Long Island official who may be the only elected official remaining to challenge Kristen Gillibrand, sends out an email today that shows how the approaching midterms polarize the debate.

The punch line of the email:

   As you know, I strongly believe that any meaningful health care reform must include a government-run public option. That's why I was greatly concerned by phone calls I placed last week to all six of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's district offices. Staffers at each office advised me that Senator Gillibrand is willing to consider supporting alternatives to the public option, such as health insurance co-ops.

On both sides, the public option is becoming a potent primary wedge, which isn't exactly a spur to rational debate.

Thanks to Ben, I have included the full e-mail below the fold.

Cooper's approach is an interesting one, given Gillibrand's stated support of a public option. She can consider alternatives all she wants, but her stance is in strong support of a public option. She hasn't wavered from that.

On Tasini, it is hard to take him seriously when he goes to virtually the only place in upstate where he stood a chance in 2006. He needs to go elsewhere if he wants to be considered a serious candidate. Right now, Dr. Scott Noren seems to be a more serious option than Tasini, who ran against Clinton in 2006 on a platform of holding her accountable for her Iraq War vote (which is a nice idea, but hardly something to run a U.S. Senate campaign on).

Cooper has the right idea. Cooper has said that he is going to travel to upstate and visit Democrats in places like Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. Tasini should be doing the same, but that has yet to happen.